It’s an example of phatic communication and is the modern day equivalent of the “how do you do” of the past. It serves a social rather than an informational purpose and creates a connection with those you don’t know well. It’s a type of linguistic dance that we all know how to engage.

I looked up what the word means and tele is Greek for far, phone for voice or sound. So telephone literally means "distant sound"… This linguistic evolution reveals something profound about how we communicate. We've created devices for "distant sound" but now we use them when people are right next to us. Ironic, isn't it?

I always tell clients to think of their presentation as a dialogue rather than a monologue. That means being focused on the audience not trapped in your head in self-conscious rumination. The dialogue becomes “What do they need? How are they responding?” This audience-centered approach is transformative.

The truth is, in today’s connected world, being able to communicate with confidence is more important than ever — and openness is right at the core of that. It’s not about oversharing; but it is about approaching conversations with a sense of vulnerability.

Hands up who’s never procrastinated?

Thought so.

We’ve all done it at sometime: starting that proposal, replying to an email that’s been in your inbox for days, or working on that great idea you’ve been hatching for months. Whatever it may be, we’ve all been there: stuck in frozen mode, waiting for the perfect moment.

But what if the solution was just three simple words?

Have you noticed how if you go out on a day when you’re feeling confident and positive, everyone seems to reflect your mood? It’ll be smiles and after you’s, all round. Equally if you’re feeling foul, the whole world will seem to be set against you.

How do we know if we’re breathing incorrectly? Our throat will tell us. Think of those nights out in crowded venues when we’ve had to raise our voice, or when we’ve been to a concert or sports fixture and been singing and shouting. The next day we may feel it as irritation in our throats, or maybe we’ll lose our voice altogether.

The problem is we all lose our natural way of breathing at about the age of six when we go to school. We’re then told to sit still in class for long periods of time, which affects our breathing meaning we start to breathe more shallowly.