Blog Posts Archives - Page 5 of 8

Is Persuasion a Dirty Word?

A few weeks back I had an interesting discussion with a long-standing client. She was getting some push back from a member of her team around her idea of wanting to put them through our Secrets of Influence and Persuasion programme. His concern was the perceived ‘ick factor’ of persuasive speaking skills. He was worried they would turn from careful, considered experts into Donald Trump!

More fun devices to play with

Last year we shared with you some of our favourite rhetorical devices and their infectious-sounding names. Have you managed a pleonasm yet? That’s okay, it’s perfectly natural, it’ll happen when you’re ready. Rhetorical devices are just communication tools, and we use them every day without realising it, so let’s get on a first name basis with a few more fun ones.

Our annual Xmas Jokestravaganza

Last year we started our tradition of providing you with cracker jokes that you can read aloud to your loved ones around the dinner table until they politely ask you to stop. They’re puns! They’re vaguely business related! They’re better than the paper hats!

Have you heard of Vulnerable Narcissism?

Is there someone in your workplace who always has to draw attention to themselves? Or do you have a client whose demand for your focus go way beyond what’s necessary to service their needs? Does Dave really need to spend all that company time making TikToks? You might be dealing with a narcissist.

Are your PowerPoint's poisoning us?

It seemed like the best idea ever: liven up business presentations with a slide show. Pictures! Graphs! A weird 80s Dr Who-style spiral dissolve vortex! Surely visual aids would turn boring meetings into a mashup of Mad Men and a game of laser tag.

5 Tips for Better Virtual Communication

Okay Zoomers, it’s déjà vu all over again. But virtual communication is part of life now, and hopefully the basics are familiar enough to really start finessing your skills.

Welcome to 2021

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind, hi! It’s us! Your friendly neighbourhood Pickering Group wishing you a very happy New Year. We hope it’s everything you want it to be, but there’s a ton of pressure on 2021 to deliver us everything we missed out on last year. 2021. You got this.

Seven stories leaders should tell

Now settle in, Best Beloved, it’s time for a story. But what kind of story? When we talk about business stories, we’re really talking about illustrating our core message with a tale that puts it in context. We’re making points and making connections, and we’re using stories to make them memorable, clear and emotionally effective.

KISS: Keep It Simple, Squad

Let’s be clear: no really, let’s. Clarity in both written and spoken communications is key to getting the results you want. And yet persistently we see superfluous and extraneous verbiage that is impedimental to both comprehension and ratiocination. Or rather, words are confusing and it sucks.

It's a conspiracy!

This election cycle we’ve seen conspiracy theories come to new prominence. The upswell in conspiracy thinking is having a tangible influence over political discourse, and it's tiring. Even the lizard people are over it.

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