Sensei

Assertiveness and Workplace Confidence

We are holding a workshop – Assertiveness and Workplace Confidence – at QUB, Belfast on Wednesday 18-19 February.

The realities of modern work life – flat structures, tough workloads and the need to exert influence across traditional boundaries – ensure that assertiveness skills are not an optional extra.  Aggression is unacceptable; passivity is ineffective. In this workshop you will learn an powerful set of techniques and how to use them in specific workplace scenarios, such as when negotiating or influencing.  also covered are the relationships between assertiveness and more general work-related issues, like the conflict created when giving criticism and receiving feedback. Read more…

How to Be Brave: The Return

I’ve had a few positive comments and dozens of hits on a blog I wrote in July called How to Be Brave.  The gist of it was that it’s possible to overcome the feeling of fear by first of all acting as if you were not afraid.  If you can put on a good enough act, then the feelings will fall into place afterwards.

While teaching a course in non-verbal communication recently, a thought struck me.  How do you act in a brave or fearless manner? Which specific pieces of body language can help us out here?

Smile. This is the most powerful piece of body language available to us!  As that well known psychologist Greta Garbo said, “Anyone who has a continuous smile on his face conceals a toughness that is almost frightening”.  Smiling gives you great power over yourself and others.

Raise your chin. If ever you are feeling down, raise your head and hold it in an upright position for a few moments.  Notice how your mood will shift almost immediately. Read more…

To NLP or not to NLP

Maybe some of you will have heard of NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming.  It’s all the rage in the sort of circles I move in – the realm of coaches, management consultants, trainers and professional communicators.  Some academics and psychologists brand it as gimmicky, without an adequate basis in research, and productive of a cult-like mentality.  To others, its a transformational science that lifts their game to another level at record speed.

My feelings are mixed.  I would describe by own view as ‘open but cautious’.  Open, because it contains a heady mixture of philosophy, psychology, and self-help applications that I personally find attractive.  But I’m still cautious, very cautious.  Here are a few quick reasons why: Read more…