The late great Russian pianist, Sviatoslav Richter, was undoubtedly one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. Whilst well renowned for his incredible virtuosity, he was also a master of communication (you only have to listen to one of his legacy recordings, to feel how his performances could really touch an audience). Communication skills…
Picture this A golfer stands on the first tee, limbering up with a few practice swings. An athlete on the adjacent running track performs a few stretches to limber up before a race. And through an open window, a musician can be heard practicing scales before a morning rehearsal. Each of these scenarios allows the…
Mirrors, signal, manoeuvre. Three simple, yet crucial, words. For anyone who drives, this phrase is drilled into our memory, helping us to keep safe on the roads long after we have passed our driving test. But the words ‘mirrors, signal, manoeuvre’ (MSM) have a far wider application beyond the steering wheel. One that could help…
Today, the world communicates through text messages, e-mail and social media more than ever before. Even cats and dogs have their own social petworking accounts. But is this affecting our ability to speak, think and communicate effectively with each other and if so, do our keyboards need to move to one side and allow our…
A few years ago, one December, in the beautiful surroundings of Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, England, there was a Christmas concert in aid of the charity, Gift of Sight, which helps with research into the prevention and treatment of blindness. The quality of our eyesight, as with other things in life, is something that we…
The 1970’s book ‘Ways of Seeing’ by John Berger is a short but fascinating insight into what you see in pictures. What you see in pictures may without you even realising it, be reflected back in the way that you approach work, study and communication. Seeing only half the picture can lead to you being…
Imagine this… A golfer walks onto the 18th tee, two shots clear of the nearest rival, championship in the bag. All that’s needed are two straight shots up the fairway and a simple putt on the green to lift the trophy. As he walks on to the tee, he knows that picking his usual club…
Visualise for a moment, the goalkeeper who with no imminent danger, rushes his kick out of the penalty box, only to pass the ball straight to the opponent’s striker, who in a moment of footballing madness, simply rolls the ball along the ground, past the floundering keeper’s arms and into an empty net. Whilst such…
In schools not so many moons ago, there were no computers… the television came out for special occasions like the opening of the Olympics…and iPads were something that you put on your face if you were unfortunate enough to be hit by a cricket ball during games. Fast forward to 2020 and how things have…
