An Interview With Tia Haygood, Photographer and Founder of TopTia Photography Communication plays a crucial role no matter what business you're in. In the photography business, we can think about what the photos say about the person they portray and we can think about...
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How To Kick Out Nervousness And Put A Punch In Your Presentation
I recently took up karate again after being away from the dojo for a while. It feels GREAT! I realized that what helped me to win a gold medal in the 2009 Itosu-ryu Karatedo World Championships in Malaysia was exactly what helps us to become champion presenters:...
4 Tips To Deal With Difficult Audience Questions
“When I’m giving a presentation, what should I do if I don’t know the answer to a question or need time to think?” People ask me this a lot. So let me share four tips here. 1. Paraphrase “Paraphrasing” means repeating in your own words what someone else said....
Why Speaking Correct English Can Confuse Your Audience
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...
How This Japanese CEO Prepared For His First English Keynote Speech
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...
How Your Expertise And Enthusiasm Can Lead To Miscommunication
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...
The Power Of The Pause When Giving Presentations
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....
Avoid The Mottainai Of Miscommunication
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....
Make It Easy For Your Audience
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...
Top 5 TED Talks For Japanese Business People
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...
How I Can Make You Do What I Want (And You Won’t Feel Bad About It)
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...
3 Reasons Why Your PowerPoint Confuses Your Audience (And There Are Many More)
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....