The Quote that Broke the Swiss Bank

Did Saudi National Bank President, Ammar Al Khudairy, know what he was doing when he gave a confident, 5-word answer to a question on Bloomberg TV on March 15? I suspect not. His answer to the question of whether the Saudi bank would provide financial assistance to Switzerland’s largest bank, Credit Suisse, turned out to […]

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Know how to ask the right questions in interviews

Though we often find ourselves the subjects of interviews, sometimes the tables are turned and we find that we’re the ones doing the questioning. What’s the first-time interviewer to do? Though asking questions may seem as natural as chatting with a friend, there’s a true art to interviewing. If you don’t have the time to […]

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One simple trick to transform your media appearances

Whether for print, radio, television or the web, there’s no denying that media appearances can be disastrously stressful. In addition to worrying about your appearance, your posture, and your tone of voice, there’s that pesky problem of what in heaven’s name you’re going to talk about. How do so many CEOs and politicians so effortlessly […]

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The value of values

The financial crisis and changing market developments have made many companies aware of their vulnerability, with increased competition and waning consumer confidence posing new threats. In these turbulent times, it is important to stay strong as a business and to re-examine not just your strategy, but also your values. Corporate brands can no longer just […]

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A lesson on the Power of Metaphor from Inditex founder Armancio Ortega

Armancio Ortega,  founder and chairman of Spanish fashion group Inditex, understands the power of metaphor. In an article this week in The Economist, the 75-year-old Galician compares fashion with fish. The metaphor is particularly appropriate for a man born and bred in a small fishing village next to the famous Spanish fishing port of La Coruña. […]

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How science is revolutionising marketing

Visiting the NMSBA neuro marketing conference in Amsterdam recently gave my brain a lot to process. This science of why people buy provides us with numerous ways of literally reading people’s minds. Neuro scientists view surveys and questionnaires as a very limited way of conducting research as participants over think their answers and unconsciously rationalise […]

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Who had the upper hand, Merkel or Sarkozy? Body language speaks volumes.

Newspapers around the world today ran photos of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French Prime Minister Nicholas Sarkozy pointing fingers as they attempted to break through the Franco-German deadlock in deciding how to deal with the Euro financial crisis. Who had the upper hand in consummating the deal reached later? Let’s examine the body language. […]

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Lost in Pronunciation

Recently, while aboard a flight to Geneva, the Swiss captain offered his apologies for the delay in taking off, which he attributed to “seek voke.” I wondered what he meant. Sick folk? Who was sick? After puzzling a while I realised what he had meant to say: “thick fog”. How much meaning must get lost […]

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