In today’s ever-expanding business world, it’s important to have written communication skills that will allow you to effectively communicate with colleagues and coworkers via email, text, instant messaging platforms, social media and more.

Here are three, key writing techniques that you can use to make your written communications easy to understand and hard to ignore.

1. Keep It Simple

The best way to improve your written communication skills is to avoid jargon, verbosity and overly complex sentence structure. If you keep your sentences and words simple, you’ll cut down misunderstandings, the need for clarifications, and the time your readers need to spend reading your messages.

2. Use Active Tense

Business communication is often loaded with passive phrasing. For instance, instead of saying, “We didn’t make the project deadline,” a group hoping to deflect blame might write, “The project deadline was not made.” Not only does this sort of passive phrasing make sentences wordier, it makes it harder readers to understand what’s really happened and why. Use the active tense in all of your writing to create clear, succinct messages that cut to the point.

3. Proofread

Before you hit Print, Send or Share, be sure that you proofread what you’ve written. Although we’re all getting used to communicating at faster and faster rates, we need to remember to take a moment to re-read what we’ve written. Don’t do so and you run the risk of being misunderstood, saying something you don’t mean, or having spell-check re-write your words for you.

We offer a terrific 2-day workshop called Writing Dynamics™. Writing Dynamics™ will give you a writing system allowing you to get the best out of your business writing.  Click here for more information.

What does it take to learn how to be a good presenter? For those not blessed with natural presentation abilities, or worse, for those who suffer from presentation anxieties, giving a presentation can seem like underserved punishment.

Fortunately, learning how to give a good presentation isn’t really that hard. It just takes a bit of perseverance and determination. If you’re committed to improving your presentation skills, try these tips:

1. Prepare

This may seem like silly advice, but many people will procrastinate when it comes to doing something they dread rather than just getting on with it and preparing for what they need to do. Don’t self-sabotage like that; prepare what you want to say and how you want to say it. Gather your facts, get your notes together, and, if necessary, write your script.

2. Practice

If it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill, then surely you should spend at least a few hours practicing your presentation skills. Once you put together your PowerPoint presentation and gather your notes, run through your presentation at least twice. This will help you find timing and technical issues that you might not otherwise find until you’re on stage.

3. Be Ready for Questions

If you’ve put together an informative and engaging presentation, your audience should have follow-up questions for you. Have your notes handy and allot extra time to allow for Q and A. This time will help you round out any information that you may have overlooked in your presentation, and it will help you learn how to improve presentations that you prepare in the future.

We offer a terrific 2 day workshop called Think On Your Feet® that will give you dynamic structures to strategically position your message giving you the spit and polish your delivery deserves. It really is the art of impromtu speaking.

Click here for more information. Next Public Workshop dates are 18^th and 19^th June Central London.

Over the years Dr Edward de Bono has shared great insights through his messages. This series of blogs revisits some of those highlights.

Maybe the human race has not yet started to ‘think’. That seems to be a bold and provocative statement. It may all depend on what we mean by ‘thinking’.

What we currently call ‘thinking’ could more accurately be called ‘recognition’. We learn to identify standard situations. We then provide standard answers. In any case recognising the standard situation provides us with information about that situation – and possible developments of the situation.

This type of thinking has served us rather well. At least, this is the case in science and technology. It is harder to see that we have made much progress in human affairs. The reason is that in science and technology ‘things’ stay the same forever. So recognition leads to prediction. In human affairs there are interactive loops, so the same thinking is largely ineffective.

There is new and better thinking available.  We should make more effort to use it.

Edward de Bono nmt

9th December 2001

London

About the author: Dr Edward de Bono is a world leading authority on thinking skills. Creator of the famous Six Thinking Hats®, Lateral Thinking and many other workshops he has authored 62 books published in 32 languages.

The Holst Group is Dr Edward de Bono’s partner in Europe. Click here for more information about Dr de Bono and his tools. http://www.holstgroup.co.uk/edward_de_bono_training/

Would you like to change how people think? Consider adding Dr Edward de Bono’s tools to your portfolio and complete your de Bono certification.

Six Thinking Hats Workshop 11th June. Book here. 

Do you own, manage, or influence the future of an SME? Are traditional business models frustrating you?

Take time out from doing business to think about the design of your business. This three-day course at Wivenhoe House Hotel will challenge you to think ‘outside the box’ on the role of leader and the principles of organisations.

Every organisation, no matter what size, is seeking that elusive next step, chasing after innovation, continually attempting to reinvent itself to keep on top of the market. This course will explore your role in achieving innovation for your team or organisation.

Download more information here Reinventing the Organisation

Objectives:

• Investigate the rationale for traditional organisations
• Explore alternative options in structuring your organisation, especially when working with limited resources
• Imagine new options for your team and/or organisation, and give time and support to sketch out these options
• Determine potential designs and how to implement them into your business
• Offer optional follow-up coaching from the experts

What does a University’s Business School know about this topic? Essex Business School’s Dr. Manuela Nocker specialises in Organisational Innovation.

Plus, we have two expert international guest speakers who have ‘been there/done that’ successfully: Doug Kirkpatrick helped Morning Star Packing grow at 400% of industry average in a mature industry; Ken Everett founded a unique organisation that grew to 30 countries – with only 3 employees!

Download more information here Reinventing the Organisation

Over the years Dr Edward de Bono has shared great insights through his messages. This series of blogs revisits some of those highlights.

Socially, we invest a lot of effort in developing the ‘elite’, the gifted, the high flyers etc. This makes good sense because society needs their talents, and society needs leaders who will inspire and lead others. We also devote resources and attention to the disadvantaged, because they need care, cannot look after themselves, and also out of religious charity.

So society looks after the two extremes. The grey middle can look after itself, because it is not defined as a ‘group’. This is, more or less, one of the sensible points that Pauline Hanson made in Australia: “defined groups got attention but the tail end of other groups did not.”

Education wastes about two thirds of the talent of society. Those youngsters who are not good at the academic game (information and exams) leave school with nothing more than diminished self-esteem: “I am stupid”.

But they are not stupid! They usually turn out to be very good thinkers – if given the chance. Their self-esteem rises. Their confidence increases, and they become capable of great contributions to themselves, and to society. I believe this to be a key area of neglect, and a key area needing attention. The simplest and most powerful way to do something about it is to teach thinking. This does not mean philosophical analysis, but simple and practical thinking tools as in the CoRT Thinking Programme, and Six Thinking Hats® for Schools.

What about those who just fail their exams? That should be an attention area too. Mike Milken made a fortune out of paying attention to investment just below institutional grade.

Edward de Bono, 2001

About the author: Dr Edward de Bono is a world leading authority on thinking skills. Creator of the famous Six Thinking Hats®, Lateral Thinking and many other workshops he has authored 62 books published in 32 languages.

The Holst Group is Dr Edward de Bono’s partner in Europe. Click here for more information about Dr de Bono and his tools.

Would you like to change how people think? Consider adding Dr Edward de Bono’s tools to your portfolio and become a certified de Bono trainer.

About the event

The breakfast launch is between 8-10am in central London. It is open to anyone who is interested in learning about Colour Accounting™ for individuals, teams and organisations.

About Colour Accounting™

Colour Accounting™ is a new way to learn financial information using colour and diagrams. It makes balance sheets, income statements and cash-flow statements easier to understand. Colour Accounting™ makes finance interesting, engaging and fun.

“Colour Accounting shows how accounting works visually…I believe that it is of value to anyone who is interested in understanding accounting, from high school students to undergrads to MBAs to business executives.”

Professor Paul Healy, Harvard Business School

Colour Accounting™ is a two-day course for anyone who needs to understand how accounting concepts come together. Whether that be a micro business, a start-up, SME or large organisation the principles are the same. Topics include:

The role of accounting literacy underpinning financial and business success

• Starting from scratch: What is accounting?
• Central role of assets in a business
• The funding of assets, and assets as a Use of Funds
• Introduction of the accounting equation
• Reporting: the balance sheet and income statement and the structural connection between the two

“Colour Accounting™ tears apart existing finance & accounting training and gets right to the root of the problem. Colour Accounting™ starts from scratch to teach a base understanding of accounting that builds confidence in financial literacy.”

Iain Chalmers, Managing Director, The Holst Group

 Financial literacy never looked so good!

About The Holst Group

The Holst Group is committed to bringing globally recognised and trusted tools to the UK. Established in 1984 and based in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, we have a robust history of helping our clients attract, manage and develop their strongest asset – the right people.

Visit colouraccounting.holstgroup.co.uk, call 0845 456 4000 or visit us at 31 Marketplace, Henley-on-Thames RG9 2AA.

Over the years Dr Edward de Bono has shared great insights through his messages. This series of blogs revisits some of those highlights.

Need and value are not exactly the same. A need is something that is present at the moment. A value is something that may be entirely new and never even considered – but once considered is seen as a value. Traditional ‘focus groups’ are good at making improvements and at remedying defects. They are not so good at defining new values. They may be moderately good at defining needs.

When I designed a wine glass that would allow the drinker the choice of sipping the wine or drinking more heavily, there was not a need for this. Nevertheless the value is there. If you want to savour the wine, but do not want to drink too much (for driving reasons), then it is useful to be able to sip the wine in small quantities.

It is a common mistake to mix up problem-solutions, needs and values. The thinking involved may be different in each case.

Edward de Bono, September 2001

About the author: Dr Edward de Bono is a world leading authority on thinking skills.  Creator of the famous Six Thinking Hats®, Lateral Thinking and many other workshops he has authored 62 books published in 32 languages.

The Holst Group is Dr Edward de Bono’s partner in Europe. Click here for more information about Dr de Bono and his tools.

Would you like to change how people think? Consider adding Dr Edward de Bono’s tools to your portfolio and become a certified de Bono trainer.

Breaking Free of Those Presentation Nerves

For some of us, speaking in front of a group of our colleagues or strangers is excruciating. We sweat, we squirm, we fidget, we panic, and we completely forget what we wanted to say. When you’re in the moment, it can seem like you’ll never have the skills and confidence necessary to deliver a presentation to your peers. But that’s simply not the case. There are plenty of people who thought they never would be able to, but they can, and they do, and they’re exceptional speakers now. And you can be too. What can you do to calm your pre-presentation nerves?

 1. Use Positive Self-Talk

Did you know that you talk to yourself? It’s true, we all do. Each of us has an inner voice that talks to us. For some of us, that voice is self-affirming, and it lets us know that we have the skills we need to succeed. For others, that voice is self-defeating, and it second-guesses our skills and accomplishments. If you are not blessed with a self-affirming inner voice, stifle it and cultivate a new one.

 2. Meditate or Use Mindful Breathing

Meditating or just using mindful breathing techniques can help calm your physical body, which, in turn, can help you keep your mind calm. True, you can’t meditate in the middle of your presentation, but if you spend the 15 minutes before your presentation breathing deeply and mentally preparing yourself, you’ll be in a much calmer physical state than you would otherwise have been.

 3. Be Prepared

The best thing that you can do to calm your presentation jitters is to adequately prepare. Knowing your material and practicing it before your big day can go a long way in giving you the confidence you need to do well.

We offer a terrific 2 day workshop called Think On Your Feet® that will give you dynamic structures to strategically position your message giving you the spit and polish your delivery deserves. Click here for more information.

Classic de Bono:…the Six Thinking Hats® is such a very simple concept

Over the years Dr Edward de Bono has shared great insights through his messages. This series of blogs revisits some of those highlights.

Again and again, all over the world, I am meeting people who have been using the ‘Six Hats’ method of parallel thinking, and finding it useful. What continues to astonish me, is that for 2,400 years, we have been satisfied with ‘argument’ as a way of getting anywhere. Those who have been using the Hats, find that when they go back to the argument mode, it is so primitive, slow, crude and full of ego-plays.

Yet the Six Hats is such a very simple concept. Why did it not come into general use hundreds of years ago? It is true that some understanding of brain chemical balances provides the logical basis for the Six Hats method, but the empirical use of the method provides more than ample justification for its use.

The sad answer is that the guardians of intellectual process in society are so enamoured of the critical mode, that there has been no effort to develop constructive modes of thinking.

Edward de Bono, June 2001

About the author: Dr Edward de Bono is a world leading authority on thinking skills.  Creator of the famous Six Thinking Hats®, Lateral Thinking and many other workshops he has authored 62 books published in 32 languages.

The Holst Group is Dr Edward de Bono’s partner in Europe. Click here for more information about Dr de Bono and his tools.

Would you like to change how people think? Consider adding Dr Edward de Bono’s tools to your portfolio and become a certified de Bono trainer.

We have an exciting training schedule for 2013! Download the training brochures: