At a recent conference, I was pleased to see that the panel assembled on stage was a 50-50 mix of men and women. A refreshing change. All on stage were senior people in their respective companies and were top decision makers. All was going well, until I heard the following introduction. “Hi, my name is xxx and it’s great to be here today. I am no expert. I am just the Marketing Director of yyy.”

In verbal communication, we can often quite easily understand how sincere the speaker is. That’s because we actually have an instrument – our voices – that can convey the nuances of meaning. Sincerity, or the lack thereof, can also come through quite easily in the written word, too, whether we want it to or not.

"When one fine morning you suddenly hit a wall in despair, because things are just NOT happening as fast or as far as you want them to be, take a deep breath and remind yourself what was your "why" at the beginning. You had a purpose. You still do. What will help you keep moving forward CONSISTENTLY?" -- what I have written on my Facebook page. 

We live in a fast-paced and pressurised world. Being able to communicate well with those around you is often critical. The more proficient your communication skills, the more successful you are likely to be within your chosen career.