I was at a small restaurant last night, which we’ve been to regularly – and as it turns out, we were the only customers seated there. There were probably two reasons for that: One was because the heavens opened just moments after we arrived, so that would have deterred people thinking about whether to go…
I was at a Toastmasters meeting last night when a member, attempting to encourage newer speakers, said “No speech is a failure – Each speech has an outcome. It’s how you deal with that outcome that counts.” And I’d agree – at least as far as the sentiment goes. But to paraphrase the old saying, sentiment (and…
I’ve been a customer of Audible, on and off, since I don’t know when – and I mean that literally. My current subscription dates back to 2013, but I can’t remember when I first opened an account. All I know is that it was long before Amazon bought the company in 2008. In fact, I can…
Hey, it’s back! 🙂 Here’s the third (somewhat delayed) episode of Rear View Microphone – the weekly podcast covering Travel, and Tourism, and Cruising, and Communications, and Arts and Entertainment, and Politics and more … Enjoy!
The theme for our travel pics this week is E, for Eating. We’ve just returned from a two week trip to Vietnam – and as part of the holiday, we did a cookery class near Hoi An, making Cha Gio (fried spring rolls) and Banh Xeo (fried Vietnamese pancakes with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts and egg),…
One of the first ‘Train the Trainer’ sessions I ever undertook started with us being asked to make a hot drink for a fellow participant. However, we were told we could only ask what what was required once – and after that, we could not ask for any further information. The idea, of course, was to show…
One of the most common issues I face when teaching journalism students – especially those from Asian backgrounds – is the need for attribution. “You can’t just say ‘The 12th National Party Congress is a congress of solidarity, democracy, discipline and renovation, demonstrating its resolve to increase comprehensive and synchronous reforms while promoting the country’s…
It’s a cliche that we’ve all heard – PRIOR PREPARATION PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE – but just because it’s a cliche doesn’t mean it is untrue. Over the years, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of successful presentations that resulted from the presenter ‘winging it.’ Oh, we have all seen cases…
Today should see the publication of the third episode of Rear View Microphone – the weekly podcast covering Travel, and Tourism, and Cruising, and Communications, and Arts and Entertainment, and Politics and more … Unfortunately, I’m on holidays in Singapore and Vietnam over the next three weeks – and my recording equipment didn’t even survive the…
This week’s training tip is on how to get your ideas to sink in … If you wish to get an idea across to an audience, you can do worse than adopt the ‘Tell Them, Tell Them, Tell Them’ mantra. Lewis Carroll, in ‘Hunting For The Snark’, wrote “What I tell you three times is…
Cairns Communications 