Oh god I've got 3 days til the presentation and I'm terrified I'll be shit.So, be shit now.Be shit in the form of a physical written down draft.Then critique it til it's good.That's my best advice for presentation anxiety.

They said: "I'm just telling you this so that you know. I don't want your sympathy, I don't want you to tell me I'm brave. This is purely just an FYI" In that regard I felt trapped. My instinct was to show compassion and commend their courage but they explicitly said they don't want that. … Continue reading Reply prison →

There was a noticeable difference when the support act played one of their own songs and when they played a cover. The crowd went from indifferent to engaged. It made me wonder - do up and coming bands keep cover songs in their repertoire with the sole purpose of grabbing the audience's attention?

The thing about polite society is that you don't ask people to move from their seat.Even if it's one person in a busy pub at a table that seats four.The seat seeking patrons will hold their tongue and make do elsewhere.

Once you sense an insecurity it's best to stop asking questions.Because with each question you get closer to their uncomfortable admission that the reason behind it all, is madness.

I think anyone who gets nitpicky when reviewing a first draft is revealing some issues. Maybe they're envious? Maybe they want to put the creator down? Maybe they're raising the standards for acceptable so that no one can reach them and make them feel better about themselves? It's a first draft. It's supposed to be … Continue reading First draft nitpicking →

In the business world the lack of anything to talk about is a good thing. It means you can cancel that meeting and get some time back. But I fear, in the personal world, calls get cancelled for the same thing. "My life is really boring and routine right now. I don't have any exciting … Continue reading Highlights hindering →

The culture is you get praise every time you do something well and you get silence when you do something wrong. It's an ego sensitive environment that relies on the absence of praise to push you to do better.

You don't make eye contact and greet every person you come across in the street. That would be weird. But on a forest trail you do. Goes to show that the context is important. The setting influences behaviour and should not be ignored.

I think the problem with institutional education is the assessments. The tests are passed by rote memorisation and with essays you are encouraged to reference as many other  opinions as possible. I think the new way should be - what's your opinion? Can you articulate it? Do you have a firm grip on the subject … Continue reading Institutional education →