A rule from rugby that could improve meetings…? Sounds a bit mad? Maybe not!

The Six Nations Rugby Championship is on right now and so lots of fit men are running after a ball to cheering crowds.

The world’s worst marketing you’ve never seen.

Yet…

Lessons from life in an igloo, chatty horses and dealing with emergencies.

Good communication skills are about being able to go up and down the gears smoothly.

To know the bonding effects of words, and to know when too many words can be dangerous. 

A tale of terrifying your waitress, what food tastes like in heaven and managing our energy.

Rhapsody. 

Sublime.

Taste-tacular (it’s a word. I’ve just made it up).

Picture, if you will, the following…

What have all these things got in common?

• David Attenborough

• A puppy

• A cloud full of rain

• A star

• The girlfriend of a clown

Miss Fairley was put together and organised. She could get things done and didn’t suffer fools gladly. And I was sitting in her office. 

I was 15 and had been a Saturday check out girl for a year at a local supermarket. My little fingers flying over the big, grey till as, item by item,  I put through people’s weekly shop. And it was fine. Okay. A 20 minute walk from home.

But I wanted more variety.

Attention: the following may positively improve the quality of your relationships.

A story about mushrooms, one of the best no nonsense cooks, and taking your time.

Important meeting coming up? Nervous? Mouth dry? Wanting to show engagement and value but not comfortable speaking a lot?

Try these 3 techniques.

A tale about New York, travelling your way and why you should be grateful for what your gut’s telling you this Thanksgiving.

The 2 policemen looked at me like I was a bit nuts. “It’s like 20 blocks away” one of them repeated, raising an eyebrow.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The four men harmonised as they sang. A bottle of red wine was open and there was laughter. Although this was a weekly get together between old friends it felt unique.

I will remember this, I thought, sitting in the visitor’s chair, an audience of one.

Do you have a headful of dreams but leadership causes you some trouble? Do you need something to help fix you? Something that's magic? Look no further, you'll be on the up and up before you know it with these leadership lessons from Chris Martin.

I saw Coldplay last weekend. It was a recording of their concert from the night before in Buenos Aires shown in the cinema. What was it like? Well, it ticked a few boxes.

“If the day I came out of your tummy is called my birthday, what is the day called when I went into your tummy?” I reckon there was quite a pause, then.

You can imagine that was a special mother and son conversation...

Kids are curious. It’s how they learn. And they ask lots of questions.

Life can be full of big questions. Like, is this soup or is it a facemask?

It’s getting a bit darker as November draws near and I was craving something comforting and in the mood to do a bit of cooking.

Did I want to find a recipe and line up my ingredients on the kitchen worktops or did I want to be a bit cavalier and chuck in a bit of this and a bit of that, tasting as I went along.

You know how some coaches have their own coach? What do they talk about? This is what they talk about …

“So, you said you feel like a pinball in a machine?" my coach asked me.

“Yes,” I said.

I’d had a busier than usual week with two courses on top of things and extended working hours. I was juggling more.

Lying, relaxing floating on a blissful cloud with an “Oooh” and an “Ahhhhhhh.” Versus, lying with every muscle taught waiting for the moment when there’s pain followed by a series of sharp intakes of breath.

There’s a street in Amsterdam which has a gorgeous, nurturing massage place next door to a waxing shop. I’m not making this up. I’m wondering how that works.

A story of heels, hiking boots and help for navigating change. "Does she still wear red as much?" I recently met with an old university friend and he was asked by our other uni’ friends to find out the answer to this question.

From my first pay check working at a supermarket check out, I bought a tomato red jogging suit.

When we think of communication we often think of talking. However, rather than using our words to tell, we can use them to ask questions that deepen our connections to others and get them talking.

How well do you know your team and your colleagues? Is it all business business business or do you know them personally?

You’re having a meeting in your office. During this, people come in without warning and hand you a piece of paper. You glance at the paper and then look back at the person you’re meeting with. By the end of your meeting you’re surrounded by 11 bits of paper.

Sound weird? Bet it happens to you more than you realise.

You climb the ladder, and through a small cloud, there it is… new people to meet and new experiences to be had. And each time a new land to explore: the Land of Birthdays, the Land of Goodies, the Land of Take-What-You-Want and the Land of Do-As-You-Please.

I recently re-read one of my favourite books as a child, "The Enchanted Wood" by Enid Blyton. It was written a while back, in 1939, but in many ways it was the Harry Potter of its day.

Do you write as part of your job? How do you engage with your readers and make sure that you’re meeting their needs?

Read on to discover one simple trick to do to keep your reader upper most in your mind as you write.