by Helen Iwata | Dec 12, 2023 | All, Communication Skills, Managing Conflict, Personal Growth
Even though I’d practiced karate in the UK as a university student, when I first joined my dojo in Japan (over 30 years ago!!!), sensei laughed at my moves. I had to give up my blue belt and go back to being a white belt beginner. For years, I felt uncomfortable...
by Helen Iwata | Nov 28, 2023 | Communication Skills, Managing Conflict, Other Topics, Personal Growth
Do you like having your photo taken? We always check with event participants whether they’re okay with us taking photos to share on social media. One of our participants – a lovely Japanese lady – always said, “No.” She didn’t like having her photo taken....
by Helen Iwata | Nov 21, 2023 | All, Communication Skills, Managing Conflict, Personal Growth
How do you react when people around you are negative or angry? The other day, during an event for The #LessEffortMoreImpact Movement for Women in Business, the fire alarm at our venue went off. We immediately evacuated the building. While waiting for the alarm to stop...
by Helen Iwata | Oct 3, 2023 | All, Communication Skills, Managing Conflict, Other Topics, Personal Growth
Well, this story certainly got a laugh from the audience at our recent event. Around 30 years ago (!!!), I was working as a Coordinator for International Relations at Yokohama City Hall. I’d been asked to show some important foreign visitors around the city. When I...
by Helen Iwata | Aug 1, 2023 | All, Communication Skills, Managing Conflict, Personal Growth
Think of the last time you received bad news. How did you react? Has bad news ever turned out to be good news for you? Let me share 4 brief personal examples from a recent trip: Bad news 1: After flying from Haneda and landing at Heathrow, the first email I saw was...
by Helen Iwata | May 2, 2023 | All, Communication Skills, Managing Conflict, Personal Growth
Are you taking time off for Golden Week? If so, I hope you’re enjoying it ❤️ As you may know, I was on hols with family in Thailand last week. We had a wonderful time. But when we arrived at Bangkok airport all refreshed and ready for our flight back to Japan, we had...
