Yesterday (3rd February 2021) I ran a webinar for CFA UK, and there were a couple of questions about how I managed my set up. In particular people wanted to know about how I kept eye contact with the camera while using notes. Here is a photo of my set up: You will...
Feeling disheartened already setting new year’s resolutions? We understand. 2020 was an unbelievably challenging year. There is still so much uncertainty around what options will be available to us in 2021 which can make setting resolutions tricky. We can’t...
The impact of Covid 19 transformed the world as we knew it last year. We have been reflecting on what this has meant for the way we communicate as humans. It feels that we have adapted from age-old, ingrained, means of communication to entirely different norms in a...
Particularly in the corporate world, Powerpoint slides crammed with tiny writing, diagrams and complexity are entirely the norm. Many people complain about Powerpoint overload but still we are presented with huge decks of barely legible slides. Following on from our...
History was made at Prime Minister's Question Time yesterday when Boris Johnson took part by video link. We were interested in how this would affect the dynamic of the exchanges, particularly with the leader of the opposition Keir Starmer. We noticed an interesting...
It’s fascinating to observe how the questions we get asked at workshops are evolving as a result of this transformative year. Having recently completed a series of presenting with impact and client skills workshops at a leading investment research firm, there was one...
Some communications lessons from the first US Presidential Debate We are always keen observers of communications in politics and US politics in particular. Although the first US Presidential debate seems a long time ago given events since then, we wanted to capture...
It can be daunting to have to speak up at online meetings when you are confronted with a sea of faces. At MSB Executive, we recognise the variety in our clients' communication styles. Most noticeably at online meetings, you can spot the extroverts and introverts. It...
At MSB we often talk about the importance of pauses. They are great for adding impact and helping your audience process information. Pauses are a great replacement for filler sounds and words. We generally say you can pause for longer than you think. Canadian Prime...
As the majority of our meetings continue to be hosted online, the rise of 'Zoom fatigue' has become a natural occurrence. In this short video, Martyn Barmby, the Founder of MSB Executive, explains the reasons for 'Zoom fatigue' and some tips to avoid it.
We often look at how our leaders communicate to see what we can learn. Sometimes we share examples of outstanding communication as well as times they get it wrong. At the moment, what our leaders are doing and saying is affecting our lives in an extraordinary way....
We were delighted to run a webinar for the CFA Society yesterday on how to make a great impression at online meetings. With nearly 100 people in attendance, it is clearly a hot topic. There were some great questions and we thought if might be useful to share a couple...
