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Business writing

Secrets of persuasion: how to positively influence your message recipients

According to Andrews, Van Leeuwen and Van Baaren, there are thirty-three hidden persuaders that powerful communicators use to get the results they want. In this article, I list five of the most powerful. 1. Acknowledging resistanceYou may find this hard to believe, but simply acknowledging that the recipient of our communication is going to have…

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Business writing Nonverbal

Nonverbal communication and space: why your office is the size it is

In an interesting book entitled The Hidden Dimension,  anthropologist Edward T. Hall discusses space, how people structure it, and how space influences communication. “Proxemics” is the term Hall has coined for the interrelated observations and theories of man’s use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture. One use of space with which most of you…

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Business writing Nonverbal

5 ways to structure a presentation for maximum effect

When creating an outline structure for a presentation we are about to give — whether that presentation is in writing, via personal delivery, or via multimedia — there are five basic ways to organise that structure for maximum effect: by Time by Space by Problem & Solution by Cause & Effect by Motivation Let’s consider each in turn. 1. Structuring your…

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Business writing Nonverbal

Nonverbal communication: signposts, transitions and summaries

Signposts, transitions and summaries In two previous articles (nonverbal communication structure 01 and nonverbal communication structure 02) I discussed how an organised pattern to your presentation is a powerful nonverbal tool to aid your audience’s comprehension and your message’s delivery. And much like route signs and mileage markers help the traveller, so to can you help the…

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Business writing

Career Self-Sabotage: how to avoid it

G’day and welcome to my vidcast. Today I want to talk about career self-sabotage. There are 10 common ways we can self-sabotage our career, and only one involves weaponry. Walking the tightrope at work between individual professionalism and being a team-player (which every company says it wants but most don’t really value that highly) can…

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Business writing

Welcome to the passionate copywriting coach — video

An introduction to me, the passionate copywriting coach. Both video and audio.

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Business writing

Communication and technology

G’day and welcome to another video about business communication. Today I want to let you know about recent work from my favourite business communicator, Shel Holtz. Shel is based in California and has been at the forefront of business communication and technology for decades. His podcast ‘For Immediate Release’ is mandatory listening for business communicators…

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Business writing

Career self-sabotage

Career self-sabotage There are 10 common ways we can self-sabotage our career, and only one involves weaponry. Walking the tightrope at work between individual professionalism and being a team-player (which every company says it wants but most don’t really value that highly) can be tricky. Here’s 10 areas of corporate life you may want to pay a…

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Business writing Nonverbal

Colour your communication––what colours really ‘mean’ to your communication’s audience

Colours are powerful communicators. Colours in our communications can affect our moods and our understanding. Knowing what colours represent to our viewers helps us understand why fast-food chains use lively oranges, yellow, and reds, and why the cool, tranquilizing blues and greens and the earth tones of navy, burgundy and chocolate are in airlines.  Research…

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Business writing Nonverbal

The Online Disinhibition Effect

My erudite colleague in Washington DC, Andrea Weckerle (pronounced, on good authority, as ‘weck-err-lee’), almost psychically taps into something that has been concerning me this week — the ability for what might ordinarily be wise, gentle and considerate souls to put fingers to keyboard before the brain has fully engaged and thence launch into invective and…