Rosia Bay Ltd

Depending on your experience, the thought of listening to a speaker could recall memories of nodding off as someone launched into the second hour of their speech. Conversely, it may recall an altogether better and more inspiring experience of someone who knew how to engage their audience and capture their attention. Everyone would prefer the second scenario, but what makes a good speaker? What makes people focus on a person’s every word? Many good speakers share commonalities, regardless of the topic they are speaking on. Here are some of the main elements. They are aware of their audience Have you ever listened to a speaker who clearly loved the sound of their own voice? They’re not inspiring, are they? The best speakers look outward and engage their audience by being aware of their interests, hopes, and fears. Whatever topic they are speaking on, it is targeted at the audience. The idea is for the audience to leave feeling better than they did when they arrived. ...

Most financial institutions, be they Banks, Private Equity of High Net Worth individuals like a business plan that presents a lot of information in as few words as possible. The following business plan format, within 15–20 pages, is all that’s needed. Many business plans also fail to visually present well, people get lost in the importance of the substance of the plan, they forget about the visual impact ... don't. The visual plan is the first contact and whilst the content must be credible and written well, don't forego a great plan for poor presentation. Company purpose  - Define the company/business in a single declarative sentence. Don't mistake this for your mission statement, your elevator pitch or your exec summary, simple one sentence based on fact. Executive summary  -  This is your elevator pitch, a couple of paragraphs giving a broad outline of your business idea and why its going to work and more importantly why its worth investing in. Problem ...

Whilst Chair at Vistage, I facilitated meetings for my CEO members as an added value service. The success and positive feedback from this activity led me to investigate and understand the use of this professional service. It is, I guess not surprising that few businesses use the services of a professional meeting facilitator, yet the benefits and value has proven to be significant for so many reasons. Leaders who are charged with creating and executing a strategic vision have found the presence of a well-qualified facilitator essential to keeping participants objective, open, creative and, above all, on track. By using an experienced facilitator you will almost certainly accomplish more in your meetings, delve deeper into critical issues and resolve them much more robustly. People who have attended meetings hosted by a facilitator also talk about leaving with a stronger sense of cohesiveness, stronger sense of participation and a greater belief that they accomplished something...

These days I hear a lot of talk about the role of culture in change management—whether it’s possible to “lead” organisational change using culture as a vehicle. In my experience culture influences change, but culture change is not the same as change management.  Most managers and executives are well aware of how important culture is to their companies’ success. But it’s not always factored into change management processes. The least successful change initiatives tend not to consider culture. And more successful initiatives leveraged cultural strengths to support them.  It makes sense.  If the culture of an organisation is not closely aligned with the company’s strategic goals, a major change is going to be harder to pull off.      I don’t believe culture change will ever replace formal change management processes.  But culture can enable and support change, if it’s leveraged right. Maybe your company has strong informal employee networks or a...

Now that title is a contradiction in terms if ever I saw one. But it comes from experience. Entrepreneurs are different in many ways. They see the world differently. Most people leave school, college or university and get a job. They focus on developing a career working for someone else. They might get further up the ladder and some may eventually make a good income. Entrepreneurs don’t do that. They may already be developing several business ideas before they even leave school. And you can be certain most if not all of them will be advised to get a ‘proper job’ at some stage, probably by more than one person. A proper job is, of course, a ‘safe’ job working for someone else. I have always questioned that logic. It comes from the familiarity most people have with the life they know. This is a life in which you leave full-time education, get a job, get married, have kids and buy a house. Most people follow that path and that life, and don’t even consider why they might do anyth...

Most people have heard about business coaches. However there’s a huge gap between hearing about them and recognising what they can offer. Thinking outside the business For starters, it’s not just a case of thinking outside the box. A business coach thinks outside the business.  Sometimes you can be so close to whatever you are doing, you lose clarity. A business coach can provide that clarity. They can make it easier to see things from a distance and make better decisions because of it.  You’ll get a whole new perspective as a result. A source of encouragement Running your own business is a challenge, no matter how far along the road you are.  You may not always have a source of support to turn to. A business coach can provide the source you need. Regular meetings will also ensure you have that input to look forward to. A confidential sounding board When you hire a business coach, every session between the two of you will be completely confidentia...

Brexit : depending on your political stance, it’s a word that can have you nodding your head in approval or running for the hills. If you’re a business owner though, the situation is a little more complex. Following Theresa May’s formal declaration of the UK’s intention to depart the EU, many business owners find themselves nervously refreshing the mI ajor news websites for information on how Brexit will impact their livelihoods. Depending on the sources you refer to, you’ll get a very different picture of the future, but the following guide gives a rough outline of what to expect. Employees from the EU Around three million non-UK EU citizens are currently living in the UK – 80% of whom are in work. Currently, it’s not clear how the status of these people will be affected after Brexit has been finalised; however, it may be that many European employees are given no choice but to return home. Going forward, EU citizens coming into the UK for the first time are unlikely to enjoy...