The question you hope you won’t get
Every leader has that question. The one you hope doesn’t come up in a media interview, a stakeholder meeting, a board presentation, or even a staff meeting. You’ve kind of thought about how you might answer it if it ever came up, but you quietly avoid it. The issue is, those kinds of questions come…
We Forgot How to Talk
We’ve raised a generation fluent in emojis, not eye contact. They can craft a perfect post, nail a caption, and hold a conversation entirely in memes. They’re funny, they’re fast thinkers, and they are plugged into the world in ways we never were. But hand them a phone and ask them to call someone or…
7 STEPS TO COMMUNICATE IN A CRISIS
Recently I ran an urgent crisis-communication session for a client I won’t name.They already knew their message. They knew what was likely to be said about them, what stakeholders would think, and what the headlines might be. They sort of knew what they wanted to say, but they didn’t know how to get it out.So…
The Boardroom Has Gone Quiet
I had a fascinating chat to a client yesterday who chairs several boards. As someone who coaches leaders on communication every week, what he said really resonated with me. He reckons boardrooms have gone quiet, and he had some strong opinions about why. You can feel it the moment you walk into some boardrooms. That…
Don’t be boring online
Nothing beats being in the room. You can read the energy, work the space, and feel when the audience is engaged. But here we are, years after lockdowns, and video calls are just… normal life. Now you’re presenting high-stakes information (board strategies, budget breakdowns, risk briefings, safety updates) while sitting at your kitchen table in…
5 Speaking Habits Every Leader Needs
Leadership speaking isn’t a TED Talk or a wedding speech. It’s real-world, high-stakes, under-pressure communication with people who outrank you, report to you… or both. Here are 5 habits to help you lead the room, not just survive it. 1. Nail the start and the endThe first 30 seconds matter. Show people why they should…
Some Things Are Confidential. This Isn’t One of Them.
I ran a media training session this week. I can’t tell you where. I can’t tell you who.But honestly, the where and the who don’t matter nearly as much as the what came up. Here’s 3 things that stuck. There’s always a temptation to prepare a laundry list of strategic, top-tier talking points, and try…
The truth I learned at work
Call me old-fashioned, but I actually like to phone people. When there’s something important to say in business: I’m a ‘pick up the phone and just work it out’ kind of person. In my personal life – I’m all about the text message, but professionally – I call. There’s nothing worse than sending an awkward…
How Podcasts Can Help
I love telling stories. But I love helping other people tell their stories even more. A good solid interview where you’re not the star. You’re helping the person sitting across from you tell their story in the most entertaining, informative or emotional way. It’s the best fun you can ever have at work. WA Police…
Everything is Awesome…when you know what you’re doing.
There are two kinds of people in the world. The ones that build Lego models by following the instructions. They carefully count the rows, and check the height levels. They make sure every detail, including the brick colour, is followed perfectly by flicking through the supplied manual one page at a time. These people usually…
