In this article, I will firstly explain the ways in which I believe the Thinking Session is a genuine and effective coaching framework. I will then go on to explain what I believe are the features of the Thinking Session that are not usually found in other coaching approaches. Your thoughts are welcome. What do you understand …
A Space to Think: Is a Thinking Session the Same as Coaching? Read The Post »
Do you have a high horse? I must confess I do. I should call him Riin, short for righteous indignation! But I’m not sure it’s always righteous if I’m honest. One high horse in a collection of hobby horses is a repulsion of the practice of othering because it makes people feel like they don’t belong. Imagine …
Throughout the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, I’ve had many questions about how to make a good impression online. “Can you explain how to engage effectively in online meetings when you are only a thumb size image?” was a favourite expression of this, asked by Carolyn Zimba, a member of a business group to which I belong. I …
Where Architecture, Dance and Process Engineering meet and kiss Where do you even start when writing about an extraordinary life? Have you ever tried to pick up noodles with a single chopstick? Each strand connects to every other strand and you find yourself faced with an impossible task. That’s where I find myself when I stand on …
If effective communication at work is the ‘it’, you may well ask this question. Dr Gary Chapman wrote a book called ‘The 5 Love Languages’ some years ago. He identified 5 ways people communicate appreciation to each other in their relationships. In no particular order, they are: Words of Affirmation Acts of Service Quality Time Touch, and …
A reflection in light of Covid-19 Week 1 of a New Reality There is no doubt that we’ve all entered a new chapter of our lives. For the first time in my lifetime, that ‘we’ is the world. Everything has changed for everyone with any access to the outside world. Despite an Independent newspaper article tracing the …
“Self-praise is no praise” An oft-repeated phrase one heard growing up in Ireland, it’s the opposite to what we need to do as a business owner, promoting our services! Fortunately, two of my clients wrote such eloquent and descriptive recommendations that I decided to share them here. For reasons of distance, all sessions were done over Skype …
Case Study 4: A Graduate needing Interview Skills Read The Post »
On January 1st I started reading a book called ‘Little by Little’. The first entry was about the effect of words. It got me thinking: I remembered back to when I attended a Patsy Rodenberg workshop in which she referred to the power of words. She recalled a relationship and how, one day, she simply said, “I’m …
How often have you said to yourself that you need to give something more thought? Then parked it never to return, or spent hours going around in circles never reaching a conclusion? BESPOKEN Training Facilitation, Voice & Speech Coaching has launched a new service, Time to Think, which helps people to clarify their thinking, enabling them to …
Bespoken’s listening approach is changing the way people think Read The Post »
The Perfect Pitch – maximising your impact on the day! Recently, I was asked to speak as part of a panel of experts on the topic of Pain-free Pitching for an Oxford Independent Consultants event. The ambitious part of the invitation for me was to get a message across in just 5 minutes. What could I communicate …
A story of ineffective communication Sometimes we do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Other times we do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Recently though, I did the right thing for the right reasons, but it was still the wrong thing to do. Why? Let me tell you the story so that you might …
Getting to where you want to be in life can take many routes when it comes to personal development. Thanks to the introduction of mass education in the Western World in the 19th century and since then, in the UK at least, education or full-time training has become compulsory up to the age of 18. So, many …
With the kind help and support of John McGhee of the Swindon Speakers’ Club, Fiona Brennan-Scott has been able to set up a school club where she works in West Berkshire. The Downs School Speaker’s Club is therefore the first of its kind affiliated to the ASC. It has been running since September 2014 and has 12 …
Speaker’s Club First Certificate of Leadership is awarded – Feb ’15 Read The Post »
Do you have enough hours in the day? I struggle to quantify the benefits of time spent on social media versus the time lost or perhaps stolen. While not wishing to return to the slower, more time-intensive alternatives of the past, I question how much the compromise of our attention is outweighed by the convenience of social …
Are you on top of change or is it getting on top of you? Communicating the need for change. ‘Adapt or die’ is a rather harsh summary of the need to change, but the truth is that we constantly need to adjust in order to thrive. Success is about more than surviving, and we all want to …
