Looking for the Sasuga! Podcast? After over 4 years and 219 episodes, the podcast is on pause.
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Below, you’ll find my latest blog posts to help you do brilliant work without sacrificing your personal life – less effort, more impact!

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Do You Have A Ritual You Use Before Presenting?

Do You Have A Ritual You Use Before Presenting?

This was a question from Stuart Ayre through the Sasuga! Communications website. Thinking the topic might also help others, I’m sharing my response here. I’m assuming two things. First, I know who the audience is and have a clear message that is helpful for them....

Just How Bad Are You? Let The Audience Be The Judge!

Just How Bad Are You? Let The Audience Be The Judge!

I’ll never forget when a European colleague started a serious Japanese business presentation with “Tsumaranai nihongo de moshiwake gozaimasen” (I apologize for my boring Japanese). It was a genuine mistake. He meant to say “tsutanai nihongo” (poor Japanese). The...

How to get meetings off to a great start

How to get meetings off to a great start

What difficulties do you face when running meetings? Not achieving the goal No clear goal to start with People arriving late or leaving early Struggle getting some to speak up or getting others to shut up Trouble managing differences of opinion Easily going off track...

“Why Japan?” and why I’m saying “no” to translation

“Why Japan?” and why I’m saying “no” to translation

Two pieces of news: one about a book and one about a big decision. Why Japan? First, the book. I translated “Why Japan?” from Japanese to English at the beginning of the year. It’s now available in bookstores in Japan and on Kindle around the world. The original...

How to boost your confidence on telephone conference calls

How to boost your confidence on telephone conference calls

Nervous about joining telephone conferences? Shy to speak up? Worried what you sound like? Unsure you can say something useful? You’re not alone. Clients often ask me for advice on this, so I’ve developed a 45-minute webinar to share easy and practical tips to help...

3 Steps To Keep Meetings Productive And On Track

3 Steps To Keep Meetings Productive And On Track

While I was visiting the UK over the summer with my daughter, my father drove us up and down the British Isles to see old friends (thanks, dad!). For each part of the trip, he punched the destination into his GPS (what Brits call a “sat nav”), and the GPS planned the...

How Do You Choose To Communicate With Yourself And Others?

How Do You Choose To Communicate With Yourself And Others?

One day, I was taking a low-cost carrier flight from Manchester to Paris. The aircraft was old, cramped, and grubby. When we deplaned, everyone piled onto a bus that drove us a long, long way to the gate. The little voice in my head was grumbling about the...

Bring out your demon for more productive meetings

Bring out your demon for more productive meetings

Do you ever disagree with what's being said in a meeting, but stay quiet? You doubt your judgment or simply want to keep the peace? Or perhaps you don't question what your colleagues propose – just happily go along with it? Sadly, this often results in weak decision...

Can you learn presentation skills online?

Can you learn presentation skills online?

A few years ago, I laughed at the idea of learning presentation skills online. You have to be in the room to experience it and get feedback, I thought. I seem to have proven myself wrong. This month, 12 people participated in my live webinar on “How to Wow your...

Sasuga! Communications is two years old today!

Sasuga! Communications is two years old today!

To celebrate the 2nd anniversary of Sasuga! Communications on May 1, I’m launching a newsletter to share communication tips: Sasuga! Tips For You. You might find Sasuga! Tips For You useful if you - would like to improve your communication skills, especially around...