"Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success."
(Paul J. Meyer)
A large amount of work and study time involves communicating with others. Whether a message is simple or complex, short or long, spoken or written, what you say and how you say it can have long-term consequences. A clear message that is well delivered can have enormous and lasting power.* While negative consequences are often unintended, they can nevertheless cause harm to ourselves, to others, and to our career.
*Of course we can deliberately craft and deliver a toxic or dangerous message very well and to great effect, but that’s not what I want to help you with.
Problems with the content (the what)
too long | too short | too complex | too simple | confusing | off the point | inappropriate | unclear | inaccurate | boring
Problems with the delivery (the how)
too formal | too informal | unprofessional | disrespectful | overly polite | aggressive | overly cautious | unengaging | monotonous
Helping you with what to say and how to say it
The right content and an engaging style and tone
Drawing on my years of experience in professional and academic environments, I coach you to overcome any spoken or written communication challenge. I work with you to make sure that the crafting and delivery of your message result in optimal impact: that you’ve selected the right content for your purpose, and that you are delivering it in an appropriate and engaging style and tone.
Interventions: face to face and online
preparing and delivering a presentation | scripting audiovisual content | striking the right register and tone | body language | voice projection | Q&A sessions | group projects | tricky meetings | personal and interpersonal strategies for effective communication | active listening
Content for formal presentations
research findings | academic articles | dissertations | theses | oral examinations | proposals | marketing material | reports | case studies | policy briefs | advocacy work
Going deeper: interpersonal communication
Prepared presentations are actually the easiest part of communicating at work or in an academic setting. If you are experiencing personal communication challenges in your professional environment, I can help you work on your stumbling blocks. As well as the years of experience in teaching and tutoring, and working closely with individuals and groups, the courses I have done in mindfulness, and archetypal and soul psychology, inform the deeper coaching work I do. I can help you to identify and clarify any assumptions, tendencies or habits that might be getting in the way of you communicating clearly and constructively at the interpersonal level, and to devise strategies to overcome them.
Deep and active listening
Much miscommunication is a result of people not listening properly to others. We are often more concerned about what we are going to say next than hearing what the other person is saying, we interrupt, and we make assumptions and hasty judgements. Being able to practise deep and active listening is increasingly being seen as a vital skill for effective workplace communication. Becoming a good listener will help you to become a much better communicator.
