If you think ‘woke’ is a buzzword reserved for Gen Z liberals, think again. While some accuse “politically correct snowflakes” of being “over-sensitive”, those of us who work with words need to be especially mindful of our language. Let me start by saying that I’m a white, straight, 64-year-old female. I live in a lovely
Public speaking
Woke: why communicators need to be especially mindful
03 Nov / by: Lorraine Forrest-Turner / 0 comments /
Many of us hate the sound of our own voices. Many more of us rarely give our voices a second thought. But the human voice is a hugely powerful communication tool worth making the most of. Here I show you how.
It’s THE phrase of 2020. Usually said to someone talking on video with their mic switched off, ‘unmute yourself’ is actually excellent advice for anyone whose written or spoken words are going unheard. Words are wonderful things. But because our non-verbal communication (facial expressions, body language and voice) conveys such a huge part of the message in
With so many of us now spending a lot more time on the phone and/or in virtual meetings, it’s worth revisiting my earlier post on pitching by phone. It’s not easy being engaging on the phone. Listeners are easily distracted, confused or bored so your words and voice have to work extra hard. Here are ten
How to stop people interrupting you when you speak
22 May / by: Lorraine Forrest-Turner / 2 comments /Do people talk over you in meetings? Are you interrupted when you speak? Did you ever consider that the fault might be yours? It’s frustrating, isn’t it? You have an important point to make but can never get a word in edgeways. Or, when you finally get a chance to speak, you’ve barely said two
Now we’re talking – the power of the human voice
29 Mar / by: Lorraine Forrest-Turner / 0 comments /It’s not so long ago that the idea of a ‘virtual assistant’ organising our lives was the stuff of science fiction. Now, every major tech company offers one. So what effect will voice activation software have on the way we communicate in the future? If ‘the young’ are anything to go by, the phone call
You’ve interrogated the brief, developed the strategy and created a stonking proposal. How do you ensure you don’t blow everything by delivering the world’s dullest pitch presentation? While you’re unlikely to win new business with a poor proposal, you’re very likely to lose it with a poor presentation. So before you go in with your
Hitting the wall: why politicians need to start telling it like it is
05 Oct / by: Lorraine Forrest-Turner / 0 comments /Lee Taylor has had enough of political jargon and PR spin. He urges UK politicians of all persuasion to wake up and see the writing on the wall. The first time most Japanese people heard the voice of their Emperor was on August 14th, 1945. In a radio broadcast from the imperial palace he announced Japan’s intention to
The ‘m’ word – why we um and what we can do to stop it
20 May / by: Lorraine Forrest-Turner / 5 comments /Do your carefully-considered words trip perfectly from your mouth like golden honey from a warm spoon? Or do you punctuate every new thought with a long drawn out um, er or uh? While linguists agree that everyone uses fillers in speech, there are different views on who uses what – and whether they help or
If you’re a fan of the US TV show ‘Lie to me’, love the observations of Sherlock and can generally suss out pretty rapidly who to avoid at parties, you’re probably into non-verbal communication, or body language. But is there any truth to it? Is ‘reading’ eye contact, facial expressions and gesturing as reliable as
