It’s easy to think that there is only one way to communicate effectively in the commercial world. Our predominant discourse style in the UK can be classed as aiming for “C.B.S“ or “Clarity, Brevity, & Sincerity”.[1] We at GPB regularly help clients with these key elements when they are presenting, pitching, or communicating with colleagues. […]
“speak up” articles archive
International talk: a discourse approach to intercultural communication by Richard Keith
June 30, 2018
Exploratory Questioning and Modelling by Lynda Russell-Whitaker
June 30, 2018
-constructed questions are essential in successful business development. We need to pay close attention to the language we use in our questioning and the language used by the client in response to these questions. They can give valuable clues. As mentioned in my article on Active Listening in SpeakUp! #62, questions and listening are […]
Gestures – the good, the bad and the rude by Ewan Pearson
June 30, 2018
Some gestures offend, others inspire, and there is an enormous range of good to bad, genuine to fake, small to large and different types of them. Where to start… We use a simple categorisation of gestures at GPB, into these 6 types: Iconic – for information Prosodic – for emphasis mainly Deictic – for pointing […]
Strong Starts. The Hook by Alistair Grant
June 30, 2018
We were all taught somewhere that we should “tell’em what we’re gonna tell’em then tell’em and tell’em what we told them”. But…. Whilst that old chestnut seems sensible enough advice, there is a flaw! There is strong evidence that people’s commitment to listen depends on how you start, and this bureaucratic, traditional and predictable […]
Nudging Noel Numpties by Ewan Pearson
December 22, 2017
Thaler was particularly lauded for his work on Nudging, which has provided a much more scientific understanding of how people think and behave when making economic decisions. Whether it’s how to tax the Brits more skilfully, what people invest in, what they smoke, whether they opt in/out of organ donation, or what they buy the […]
‘In a manner of speaking’ by Lynda Russell-Whittaker
December 22, 2017
Following a few customer experiences this year that were less than satisfactory, I felt it was time to write an article on the subject of telephone manners Reflecting on the differences between these poor experiences and other good ones, I think that they are more about the intention and manner of the person providing the […]
Stuffed BATNA with all the trimmings, please! by Alistair Grant
December 22, 2017
A full helping of BATNA may be just what you and the UK need this coming year BATNA is an ugly acronym, perhaps conjuring up thoughts of some dubious foreign dish made of unknown ingredients. It is actually is an acronym developed by Harvard University’s Negotiation Project, and in particular work by Roger Fisher and […]
Voicing our thoughts on corporate and commercial voice-overs, by Richard Keith
December 10, 2017
The way that clients expect you to communicate with them is evolving. It is becoming even more important to use digital channels to reach new and existing markets – these channels include corporate videos and commercials. The voice-over on these is crucial to ensuring each video has the specific impact that you want. We’ve all […]
Illuminating negotiating, by Richard Keith
August 16, 2016
After Alastair’s mainly philosophical article, here are some more practical tips for the thrust and parry of negotiating. Some have argued that life itself is one long negotiation. Balancing our desires with the desires of others is a daily occurrence that often requires skilful communication. Post-Brexit, the UK is now beginning one of the most […]
The Fourth Doll, by Alastair Grant
August 16, 2016
In 2007 I wrote an article on negotiation based on idea of the three Russian Dolls. But I now think there is a fourth one. So, what has prompted this radical change of view?! Well, it’s down to a recent negotiation of my own, rather than any client work. A close relative of mine, in her […]
