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Picture this: A talented Japanese businesswoman is updating an executive from global headquarters on the progress of a new project. She has good news, but the executive thinks things aren’t going so well. Or picture this: A Japanese businessman is presenting to a...
I'm thrilled to share this interview with Toru Nishikawa, president and CEO of Preferred Networks, Inc., in which he tells us how he prepared for a keynote speech in the United States. We talk about overcoming nerves how not to go blank building confidence the...
An Interview With Divya Kato, Founder and Author of When in Doubt, Draw Divya oozes enthusiasm. I met her at a FEW (For Empowering Women) meeting. Then, when I heard that she ran art workshops, I decided to give my family a couple of hours of drawing together as a...
I’ll never forget my first presentation skills training as a participant. We each had to give a short presentation in front of the group. I was so nervous. I spoke my first few sentences. Then my mind when blank. I stopped talking. Couldn’t remember what to say next....
An Interview With Ashina Saiki, Founder of Yoga Buddhi One of the highlights of my week is Ashina’s yoga class (often followed by a great chat over lunch). I love the way she welcomes everyone at the beginning of each class with a few minutes for us to share how we’re...
This month marks one year since I published 英語の仕事術 (Eigo no Shigoto-jutsu) - wahoo! I’m thrilled that the book is now reading material for both Tokyo University’s Executive Management Program and Waseda Business School’s Strategic Thinking and Communication class....
Years ago, I was translating some PowerPoint presentation slides from Japanese into English. My Japanese was good, but I couldn’t understand what the presenter wanted to say. So I asked him. He said the slides were supposed to be difficult to understand... I was...
The other day, Emiko Rasmussen contacted me. She had seen my TEDx talk and was excited that what I said was so aligned with her mission. Emiko helps Japanese women to be more confident. TED talks are a wonderful way to spread ideas. And they’re a way for you to get...
Of all the communication skills, the one I’ve been least comfortable with is influencing. It’s not that I’m not good at it. I must be able to influence people - otherwise I wouldn’t have been running my own business for four years. But part of me associates...
What's the point of PowerPoint? The slides are there to support your message as a presenter. Yet, sadly, many of the PowerPoint slides that we see in English business presentations in Japan distract and confuse the audience. Here’s an example that I’ll never forget....
An Interview With Haruka Mera, Founder and CEO of ReadyFor Inc. Haruka Mera has helped 250,000 people raise 3.86 billion yen to achieve their dreams through her crowdfunding business and website ReadyFor. How amazing is that? What’s more, she started the business when...
The other day, I lied. I was HORRIFIED because I like to think of myself as an honest person. But the lie just plopped out of my mouth before I could even think. While ordering lunch, I told the lady selling Thai food from a truck near my office that I’d just got back...