Category: Proposals
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Influence others by improving their FUTURE
To influence others, you must: Appeal to their self-interest Show your idea will add value to them Help them see it will make their future better than their present So, the more future-focussed you are, the greater your chances of success. But unfortunately, comms tend to focus more on the past/present, not the future. Examples:…
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I’m bald. So, when washing my face, I don’t know when to stop!
A weird title. But it’s so true. Do I stop where my fringe is supposed to be? Do I keep going? Problems, problems… This reminds me of the quote by George Bernard Shaw: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it is finished” So, like my fringe, where should a communication stop?…
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Referrals – how to ask for (and get) them
Personal recommendations (or “referrals”) are brilliant. Because, when someone recommends us, we’re more likely to be chosen. Very useful if we’re going for a new job, a sale, a promotion. In fact, the only problem with referrals is… they don’t happen often enough. (Which just does NOT make sense. After all, when you think how…
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Ten Top Tips for written comms
Here are ten top tips to make your written communications brilliant. I know you’ll know them all. But do you do them all? Verbal better? Many written communications should never have been a written communication. Instead, they should have been verbal – phone call, Teams, etc. So, only use written if that is the best…
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The best-known secret about First Impressions
Quiz question… Imagine I wanted to do a Tuesday Tip about meetings. Should I use this as my opening paragraph? Today’s Tip is about meetings It’s factually accurate. But it’s so boring. It doesn’t make you think “Please show me Paragraph Two”. Instead, I could use an opening paragraph like one of…
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The Communication Secret of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill
The BBC recently referred to Trump’s new statute as his ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’. That’s right: the actual BBC used the term ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’. And why did they call it that? Because that’s what it’s called! And why did Trump’s team call it that? Because that’s how they wanted people to refer to…
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Do NOT build-up to your main point
A lovely Golden Rule: “Best goes earliest” In other words: put your most important points right at the start of your comms. Here’s why… When communicating, people usually build-up to their main point. Which means their main point appears in the final section, the final bullet point, the bottom paragraph, the bottom half of each…
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How to simplify the complex
Here’s how to simplify the complex… Example 1: simplifying presentations With presentations, there are four things you must get right: Content – say things your audience will find valuable Visuals – if using slides, make sure they enhance your message, not dilute it Delivery – deliver with charisma and impact Mindset – build your confidence…
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How to write lovely bullet points
I received an unusual compliment last week… “Andy, I love the way you write bullet points” (Yep – I hadn’t heard this sentence before, either) The bullet points she referred to included: Brilliant first impressions – how to grab attention immediately and impressively Proving our value–add – how to persuasively articulate our value-add, so…
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SHORTER PRESENTATIONS! Four simple steps…
I review lots of PowerPoint presentations. Virtually all of them suffer from four problems: The start isn’t engaging – so, a weak first impression The end doesn’t ask the audience to do anything – so they won’t It’s far too long – hard for everyone There’s far too much on the slides – Death By…