Why some professional relationships fade (and why that’s OK)
Why some professional relationships fade (and why that’s OK) I sometimes think about how many people I was once incredibly close to, and now barely speak to at all. There’s a mate from university who was, at one point, one of my best friends. We lived together, did everything together, and then, slowly and without […]
Coat Rack Networking
Coat Rack Networking Relaxing on the beach What I Learned Standing by the Coat Rack I once spent almost an entire Christmas networking event standing by the coat rack. Not on purpose. I’d arrived a bit too early (not a fan of that as an unnatural networker), hadn’t spotted anyone I knew, and couldn’t quite […]
Give First, Connect Faster
Give First, Connect Faster The first time I went to the Professional Speaking Association conference, I was nervous as anything. I was new to the world of speaking and doing that classic thing of pretending to check my emails on my phone so it wouldn’t look too much like I didn’t know anyone. That’s when […]
How to show you’re ready for a new role
How to Show You’re Ready for a New Role: Unnatural Promoter Edition Relaxing on the beach If you’re the kind of person who cringes at the idea of “selling yourself”, you’re not alone. Many of the best candidates quietly get on with doing a brilliant job… and then wonder why no one’s offering them the […]
Networking without even thinking
Networking without even thinking A few years ago, I got an email from my friend Adam. It was nothing to do with work, just the usual post-dinner admin: “Here are my bank details so you can transfer your share.” (a big group of us had been out for a curry, and it really didn’t seem […]
Out of Office, Still in Touch: Rethinking Networking in August
Out of Office, Still in Touch: Rethinking Networking in August Relaxing on the beach I used to treat August like a networking write-off. Everyone’s away, I’d tell myself. May as well focus on admin, batch some content, maybe finally alphabetise my Google Drive. But a couple of years ago, I got an unexpected reply to […]
How to grow your business if you don’t like to self-promote
How to grow your business if you don’t like to self-promote I don’t like self-promotion. It makes me very uncomfortable. But I still need to grow a business – and I can’t do that if I bury my head in the sand and hope it’s all going to be OK. In business, the only way […]
Have you ever tried to sell when at a conference?
Have you ever tried to sell when at a conference? Try these instead… Not long ago I went to a conference, where I met an enthusiastic salesman who was promoting a combined fire and security protection system. He shook my hand enthusiastically and proceeded to hard sell his amazing new solution that would solve all […]
Why I don’t like blowing my own trumpet
Why I don’t like blowing my own trumpet That’s right – I don’t enjoy self-promotion. I don’t like blowing my own trumpet. In my last article (which you can read here) I discussed what self-promotion is and why so many people find it uncomfortable. In this second article in a series of 3, I’m going […]
Are you an Unnatural Promoter?
Are you an Unnatural Promoter? I’m an Unnatural Promoter. What do I mean by this? I mean that I’m not great at blowing my own trumpet. I’m very happy to talk about other people – but when it comes to talking about myself, I find it difficult and awkward. In this first article in a […]