Podium Coaching Blog

The most powerful way we communicate is not with our words but our body. Body language or non-verbal communication is your gestures, facial expressions, body position and eye movements. Our brains evaluate all these things and come to a conclusion about the speaker in a nano-second.

When you speak, you want your body to say leader, expert, trustworthy and competent. Here are two tips:

Stand straight.

Not rigid, but comfortably straight. It’s important that your spine is straight from the top of your head to the bottom of your bottom. Standing straight makes sure all your organs are properly aligned. So your body can work like a well-tuned Ferrari. You can take in lots of oxygen. Oxygen fuels your brain. Oxygen gives you energy, so you’re alert. That means you’ll remember more, react better and feel less nervous. (more…)

Is your writing as untidy as your desk? The question is prompted by an article I was reading the other day from Halifax-based professional organizer Jane Veldhoven.

Jane wrote: “Before you can design and set up a functional home office, you’re best to get rid of all the excess ‘stuff’. Keep your long-term vision in mind as you slog through the piles of paper, the mounds of old discs and stacks of newsletters that you mean to read one day.”

Jane’s message about clutter applies just as much to our writing as to our desks and offices. Let me rephrase her first sentence: ‘Before you can create a coherent piece of writing you’re best to get rid of the excess stuff.’ (more…)

These are exciting times for young journalists. And very different in many ways from the time when we were reporting and producing stories for the CBC, CTV and BBC.

When we were in the field – not so long ago in calendar years, but light-years in terms of technology – we measured deadlines in hours and thought if we filed for radio as well as television we were seriously multi-tasking.

Now deadlines are measured in minutes. And a journalist might routinely be asked to file for radio, TV, online news and social media.

These thoughts were prompted by a presentation skills session with a great crowd of young aspiring journalists at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

We looked at a New York Times story on the internet. It had video embedded within the written story. So you could watch the video, or read the story – or both. Then, of course, there were links to Twitter and Facebook. (more…)

A critical key to all communications is simplicity and directness, writes Halina St James. Too often our words obscure our true meaning because we smother them in a mountain of cliches, jargon and unnecessary elaboration.

Instead of inflating and hiding your meaning, try deflating – for clarity.

DON’T SAY              SAY

Made the decision…    Decided

At this point in time… Now

Ahead of schedule…    Early

For the purpose of…   To

Will be able to…          Can

In order to…               To

That was one of our top tips offered during a webinar for which I am a panelist.

I’m the Effective Speaking expert on a communication panel, for the monthly webinar run by the International Institute of Business Analysis. My fellow panelists are Patricia Davies for Effective Writing and Julien Sammy for Effective Virtual Tools.

(more…)

Joy – at the chance for renewal that a new year gives us all. Another chance to do the things we’ve put off for too long; another chance to slip free of the habits and prejudices that make us less that we could be.

Sadness – at the loss of good friends. We think especially of the death of former BBC colleague Brian Hanranhan, with whom we worked in the Soviet Union and in Afghanistan.

Delight – that passing time doesn’t halt the steady flow of daft quotes. Our early favourite of 2011: “I don’t see any crisis” – from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. (Speaking after defections from the coalition government left Mr Gilani’s party well short of a majority).