In my new book, The Smart Girl’s Guide To Getting What You Want, I look at the Bulldozer, the Pushover, the Snake and the Star. Let’s see how those types are portrayed in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and you can assess which type you are. Read more »
How to find the right words when you need them
I am delighted that people are finding my new book, The Smart Girl’s Guide To Getting What You Want, helpful and are appreciating its practical tips and advice.
Here are some readers’ comments:
‘A must-read guide for anyone interested in gaining the confidence to speak up without fear’
‘Fun, educational and inspirational’
‘In some ways, I think this book has changed my life’
It’s great to hear it confirmed that we can acquire the confidence and knowhow to communicate more effectively in every area of our life. Little things can help enormously. Sometimes, having the knowledge of what to say gives us the power to say it.
Don’t fall prey to the pressure of being a parent in exam season
If it takes a village to raise a child, how many villages does it take to support a child through the exam period? You couldn’t put a number on it, could you?
There is no shortage of advice for anxious parents. Teachers, schools, tutors, advisers, countless media sources, friends, families, that nice woman up the road whose kids went to the same school as yours are all ready with suggestions about the best way to deal with exam stress and pressure.
You can find out what to do and what not to do, what to say and what not to say, how to help your young person to revise, the best foodstuffs to encourage concentration.
All this advice is helpful but sometimes you can feel as if you are the one taking exams, not just the academic tests which are looming, but also the far more difficult examination of how well you fulfil your role as a supportive parent.
You are not on trial.
What Shakespeare’s women teach us about succeeding in the workplace
Viola in Twelfth Night had the confidence to dress as a man.
The women in Shakespeare’s plays are a mixed bunch. They display a range of attributes, some admirable and some less so.
They are playful, flirtatious, fearful, submissive, outspoken, brave, self-deluded, gossipy, intelligent, lovesick, self-righteous, charming, shy, clever, quick-witted, slow, slutty, sharp-tongued, loyal. Ooh, look, just like women in real life.
How Cordelia shows us how to value words
William Shakespeare was born 450 years ago today (April 23, 1564) and his plays and poetry still grip us. He often got his plays going with a bang, setting the scene dramatically and establishing the main themes of the play.
Picture the beginning of King Lear. Lear has decided to split his kingdom between his three daughters. Aware of the multiple dramatic opportunites afforded by issues concerning wills and inheritances, we settle down for a juicy family row, a bit of inter-sibling mudslinging, perhaps, or the airing of a few daddy issues.
Why ‘but’ is one word to drop
‘But’ is a tough little word that punches way above its weight.
We use it to introduce a statement or question which contrasts with what precedes it. So when you say ‘but’, you are making it clear that what you are about to say in some way lessens or negates or modifies what has gone before.
Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, is there? That’s what conversations are built on, the exchange and development of different views. However, the effect of ‘but’ in certain types of conversation can have the effect of distorting the meaning.
Read more…
The first step in learning how to say no
Why do we find it tough to say no?
“I’m just a girl who can’t say no” sings a character in the musical Oklahoma! Well, she learns to do so – and her reward is that she gets to marry the man she loves. OK, we won’t go there.
But not being able to refuse requests and agreeing to everything because we feel we can’t say no creates stress and misery for ourselves and for the others in our personal and professional lives.
Why do we find it so difficult to say this little word? The difficulty stems from various kinds of fear and anxiety. Read more…