Opinion piece by Kim Harrison

Written and posted 12 Jun 2018

Skill with financial numbers is essential in an effective communication role This is much more important than many people realize. Good understanding of figures is central to successful handling of key tasks such as gaining initial approval, in managing and monitoring activities, and in reporting outcomes. Also, you need to be able to talk sensibly […]

Written and posted 7 Jun 2018

“…this very expensive Witch Hunt…” Twitter, 3 June 2018. Donald Trump has been using these words famously to frame the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and related matters. He could have used many terms to describe the official investigation from his own government into his […]

Written and posted 18 Apr 2018

One of the eternal questions in doing creative work is whether your creativity is improved by working to tight deadlines or not. Many people feel their creativity improves when their adrenaline kicks in as they face a tight deadline. But others feel this type of pressure doesn’t lead to their best results. What is the […]

Written and posted 17 Apr 2018

Should you use “I” or “We” when you deal directly with customers or clients on behalf of your organization? This is important because a company’s choice of pronouns can affect a customer’s experience and whether it will lead to a purchase. The latest research used word analysis of interactions with customers to evaluate if organizations […]

Written and posted 4 Apr 2018

Bias may seem a vague concept for business, but people’s biases cause massive errors in business decisions, including communication decisions. Therefore we need to be aware of the most common biases and how to counter them in planning and preparing for major activities. Experts believe around 75% of major decision-making in business goes wrong due […]

Written and posted 28 Mar 2018

When you have a big, creative idea that you want to implement internally or externally, the idea can be hard to sell to decision makers. This applies to big ideas for major external communication campaigns, for operational projects, and for internal programs dealing with significant issues like change management, safety, and employee health. “People just […]

Written and posted 28 Mar 2018

Use this versatile 5-step formula in your messaging to achieve better results with your business communication. Business communication is littered with long-winded documents of all kinds that we have to brace ourselves to read. The ones that frustrate me the most are the sponsorship proposals of up to 20-30 pages where the fee is not […]

Written and posted 28 Mar 2018

Have you heard of the Peter Principle? It states that people rise to the level of their incompetence, ie people who are good at their job will keep getting promoted up to the level at which they are no good. Most of us have seen people who have good technical job skills get promoted to […]

Written and posted 21 Feb 2018

A crucial skill in communication and in business generally is being able to clearly define problems or opportunities before you act. This skill is harder and more important than it might appear. Experts from the MIT Sloan School of Management say being able to clearly define problems is the most under-rated skill in management. Their […]

Written and posted 12 Feb 2018

How can you speak up in meetings without being intimidated by loud talkers who dominate the discussion? Even in this age of technology, face-to-face meetings are still a vital and inevitable part of work life, so you need to make a good contribution in these settings – especially if your manager is present. Loud talkers […]