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Some years ago, I was coaching a Japanese CFO of a global company in presentation skills. Through our sessions, he gradually started to share with me his broader challenge - communicating effectively with his colleagues. The CFO was frustrated because he would...
My Japanese clients in global organizations are often concerned that they can’t convey what they want to say clearly in English meetings and presentations. They usually think it’s an English language problem and that they need to study English harder - get their...
People often see me now as a successful businesswoman - a confident and skilled communicator. But, it wasn’t always that way... When I first joined the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, I felt surrounded by INCREDIBLY intelligent people. I hesitated...
– a conversation with Noriko Makino Villanti During her two decades in the corporate world, Noriko always worked hard, but it was only years later that she realized she didn’t have a goal for herself. She was always running, but didn’t really know where she was...
As you advance in your career and start to lead more meetings, you may face the common difficulty here in Japan of getting people to speak up - especially now that many meetings are online. I remember when I published my book Eigo no Shigoto-jutsu back in 2016 and was...
Have you ever been in a meeting and attempted to express your idea or opinion, but somehow people didn’t seem to hear it? And then someone else said what you wanted to say, and everyone listened and thought it was an excellent idea? How do you feel about that? I’ve...
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw said this in the early 1900s, And miscommunication seems even more likely today in global business. Why is that? I see three big reasons: Diverse backgrounds...
“I want to be more confident.” So many of my corporate clients and online students say this. Do you want to be more confident? Do people tell you you should be more confident? You may have heard that showing confidence helps you to make a positive first impression,...
I’ll never forget when I was sitting next to a British gentleman – interpreting for him – in a meeting full of Japanese businessmen... When the Japanese presenter showed one particular slide, the British gentleman turned to me and said, “Jesus Christ! I don’t know...
If you’re like many business professionals, even though you may no longer be commuting, you’re exhausted at the end of the day. This may be because you’re working longer hours, forgetting to take breaks, or feeling increasing underlying stress from the ongoing...
How often are you using Zoom these days? Only a few months ago, I regularly had to explain what Zoom was when Japanese managers and executives were signing up for my online coaching and programs. Now, it seems that most Japanese business professionals are familiar...
Do you use weak words in meetings? Do you know what weak words are? I’ve noticed that many of my Japanese corporate clients and online students use weak words. The good news is that it’s a habit that you can fix quickly when you’re aware of it. The bad news is that...