By Eleanor Shakiba COMMUNICATION • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

How to say no

Meredith was a Human Resources consultant. She was passionate about supporting her clients. But this meant that she often said ‘yes’ to work she had little time to do. She was working long and starting to feel burnt out.

Meredith was taking on some projects to keep her clients happy, even though those projects fell outside her core area of expertise. This meant she was working excessive hours in order to master them. It was time Meredith started saying ‘no’ to these projects. She came to one of my communication skills training sessions. Here are some of the ideas Meredith picked up. You can use the same principles to say no to time-wasting tasks in your job, too.

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By Eleanor Shakiba COMMUNICATION • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Guilt-Free Ways to Say No

Finding it difficult to turn people down? Here’s how to say no when you need to.

The direct no

You may sometimes feel you need to explain why you’re saying no. The problem is, explanations are often heard as excuses. For some people, your excuse is an opportunity to persuade you to say ‘yes’.

A direct approach is often needed. And some ways of saying ‘no’ work better than others. Saying ‘I can’t/won’t’ gets straight to the point but the most likely instant response will be ‘why not?’ Before you know it, you’re in explanation territory again.

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By Eleanor Shakiba Confidence tips • • • • • • 0 Comments

Speak up! Public speaking tips for women

Leave that fear of public speaking behind. YOU can step into the spotlight and speak up with confidence

The glass ceiling has cracked. Women’s success in business is recognised more than ever before. We have more and more female leaders to use as role models. Yet many women still struggle with self-doubt, especially when speaking at meetings or events. Here are some tips to help you build your credibility when you’re putting yourself in the limelight.

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