Ever gone blank in the middle of a sentence? Lost your train of thought and struggled to get it back during a meeting? Well, you are not alone!

When helping my clients build influence, engagement and impact, one of the issues I often coach on is how to be more succinct.

So you're still doing the video conference thing hey? Snap to that!

Are you tired of looking into blank faces; no expression, no engagement, no feedback from the group?

Before the productivity gurus boo me off my own stage, hear me out. Finishing every task on your plate is much like being made to finish all the food on your plate – it’s actually not that good for you. Your body knows when you’ve had enough, even if your parents (or bosses don’t).

Every time we connect with another human being there is a risk that it won’t go as planned. The reason: people! There is no guarantee people will receive us as we intend, and if we bluster headfirst into the exchange without first understanding what we need to do to reduce the risk of getting it wrong or putting them offside, it makes it harder to get our message across. 

Last year my husband and I honeymooned in Europe. It was the trip of a lifetime and we were loving it! At one point we had to cross a border in the Swiss Alps, and were motioned to pull our car over by the border crossing guard.

Anxiety is an emotion we often try to avoid or get rid of. It’s uncomfortable and unpleasant. What we know about negative emotions is that they are just feedback to us about what is going on in our world. If we can change the way we see them and relate to them, we can change the power they have over us. It’s less about ‘getting rid of’ bad emotions, ‘cause they will always be around, and more about managing them with helpful strategies.

Quite often I coach people around conversations they are avoiding. When I ask them what prevents them from saying what they really want to say, the most common reply is, “I don’t like confrontation.”

My client had an epiphany recently. In the middle of a session, he realised that "all my life I’ve thought of myself as a good communicator because I’m comfortable speaking with others. However the truth is, being good at speaking, doesn’t mean I’m good at communicating.” And there it was; A truth bomb. It was a sobering moment for him, as he reflected on an identity he thought he knew all these years. The insight made him question what great communication really is. If it’s not about being good at speaking with others, then what is it?

Yes, you read that right. Ignoring work can be the ticket to the top. “What the??!!” I hear you say.  

Yep, here’s the low down on why ignoring work will get you promoted.