Swinging the Lead
An idiom that has some merits perhaps? It describes somebody who avoids work by giving the appearance of toiling but not actually doing anything significant. Its origins are in naval […]
The House that Jack Built
I have been working with Vanda North on her Mind Chi project – you will hear a lot more about this next year as there is significant media interest in […]
Float like a Butterfly; Sting like a Bee! – personal branding
Building a personal brand should be as an important part as the written material that you use to promote your business. Whatever your promotional spiel says about you should reflect […]
Little White Lies
I can’t make my mind up about little white lies. So I thought I’d open it up for public debate! You see, I think that deceit has a strong tendency to […]
Four Hugs a Day – leadership
You need four hugs a day just to start feeling good! Indeed the moment you feel an all embracing hug you can’t help but smile – you really can’t. It’s […]
I’ve lost my place and now it can’t be found!
I have never watched Life on Mars or indeed the sequel Ashes to Ashes but given that they are titles of tunes by my songster hero, Bowie, perhaps I really […]
Love Letters – (I Love Feb #3)
I have been thinking about love letters this week; a lot, and wondering if they are a dying art. I wrote and received love letters when I was a teenager […]
What’s in a name?
Valery Coburn gave a wonderful seven minute Toastmasters speech on how important your name is. Her take on this was that your given full name was very powerful in terms […]
Perfect for Blog Unblocking – Personal Musings
It’s a tiny bay situated on the Southcoast betwixt Crowlink and Beachy Head. Nestled between the third and fourth of the Seven Sisters, Birling Gap was once a smugglers cove, […]
Slippery Paws – a Toastmasters Speech (6)
There once was a fox and a wolf that set up cave with one another, half way up a steep cliff near to the seashore. Although this may seem odd, […]
Postscrips from Sir Benfro
You have got to listen to this whilst reading this post! Have a nice day by the Welsh band Sterophonics … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rPe0BtYvTA I have just returned from a long weekend […]
Leveraging an objective view of your governance
Free Board Evaluation It is the board’s duties to look after the interests of the shareholders. In a small business the shareholders may be the founders only. However, as the […]
The Point of NO Return
If only I could learn to say the word no …. I mean; how hard can it be? no, no, nO, No, no, no, nO, no, no, no, no, no, no, […]
Brilliant is the New Black
Back in Black Those of you who don’t know what I do for a living, I run the ‘brilliant’ BusinessXchange programme. I have been referring this Business Link service with […]
Ladies who Lunch
Now you need to know that I am on holiday this week so you must allow me a little leeway in my thought meanderings on this little idiom. This stopping […]
Stiff Upper Lip – Strategic Networking
Over the past five months many have asked me how my clients are finding and coping with the credit crunch crisis. Almost without exception I firmly say positively. That is […]
Love is just a four letter word? (Love Feb)
Is it an endearment – or just another profanity do you think? When you hit your thumb with a hammer the natural tendency is to shock the world with spouted […]
Goodbye Cruel World!
I’ve decided to leave our world this weekend. The weather is looking perfect for a sojourn into the Land. I’m going to find a comfortable spot with a stunning view. […]
The Trouble with Text – (Off The Cuff – Speciality Speeches #2)
I want to share this text I received the other day: “Thx4beinwithme2day.Wasgd2cu,2hearhowur&2swapideas stratpln+lrngPlnbwithuthispm x” Now I am well aware that language changes over the centuries; words evolve according to fashion […]
You Dancing; You Asking – a Toastmasters Speech (5)
Since the days of Hippocrates, great thinkers, like Freud and Jung have analysed the forces at work in communication and have found that there are four generic patterns. Hippocrates called […]
The Acid Test
And now for something seriously different! The acid test is an accepted process of finding out whether something is genuine or not. Gold is one of the few precious metals […]
Stuff and Nonsense! – Grammar et al
Stuff and nonsense is an exclamation of incredulity! I think, perhaps that I favour the Aussie alternative of Codswallop. A term derived from a derogatory description for a new craze […]
Content is Crucial
I loved this utterance by Lord Althorp, Charles Spencer, during “The Speaker”. It is a BBC’s programme on a quest to find Britain’s best young orator. Having eloquent body language, […]
High Touch Relationships
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and so what better time to consider how we build, develop and maintain the important relationships in our lives. Whether these are business or personal […]
A Fickle Femme – The Writer’s Way
She adds after a fractional hesitation. “You?” “Bloody, John the store man messed up again today; he gave us three windows up at Portland where none of the glass fitted. […]
Friends
Today I have had the honour of knowing the best of true friendship. I don’t need to mention those by name as they will know who they are. And this […]
OMG you didn’t? – The Writer’s Way
In this exercise from The Writer’s Way, Sara Maitland asks us to record snippets of character insights. Tiny things count. For example: Your reaction on meeting a person for the first […]
Who’s That Girl? – The Writer’s Way
She ducks a fraction as she enters the country hostelry. Not that she needs to; as even in the moderate heels she always wears, she would have cleared the doorway. […]
Five Strategies to Thrive
Remember the 80/20 rule Sure, we are in a down turn – we have a half a percent decrease in gross domestic product. However, it is just half a percent. […]
The Five Minute Bio – a Toastmasters Speech (3)
The well-written biography is a fundamental marketing tool for all professionals, whether you are employed or self-employed. Its power is all too frequently overlooked. Let me reiterate the why. Most people […]
The Story of Songthrush – The Writer’s Way
Prelude to the Turdidae Network: In late spring, the Turdidae Network meets just before dawn at the edge of a wood in the south coast county of Dorset. Each chorus […]
Something Borrowed – The Writer’s Way
It is just before seven on a normal week day morning. I am up, dressed, and ready to go. I give my husband a quick peck on the cheek, fetch […]
Laura McHarrie @ The Hidden Edge 