Last week, I went to see the widely acclaimed movie, ‘the Kings Speech’. To speak in public can be a daunting prospect whether one King George VI or a commoner, and workplace stress and panic are, unfortunately, all too usual, in these instances.
It has been announced, in Britain, that the heir to the throne, Prince William, is to marry Kate Middleton, next year.
But Carole Spiers says, ‘Marriage is a major decision for any of us to make but Kate will be joining the British royal family, and will become the wife of a future King of England. And that means that she will also be starting a new job and there will be enormous stresses to overcome, at least in the beginning.’
Instant communication has made us more aware of what is happening, not only in our place of employment but also 24/7 around the world. But does it relieve our stress and anxiety?
And so the 33 miners from San Jose mine in Copiapo, in Chile were brought to the surface after being entombed 69 days and half a mile [624 metres – 2,000 ft metres] underground, imprisoned under tons of rock.
In order to stay alive, they needed to build a community and without this peer group support that gave vital encouragement from the stronger to the weaker, when it was needed, they would never have survived the ordeal.
In our every day lives, we may assume that what we have said has been actually heard, and we take it for granted that it is the case. Unfortunately, many times it is not. Either because the other person was not concentrating – they were looking at their computer screen, their Blackberry or just distracted elsewhere. So we make the assumption, ‘I speak – you listen – you retain – you have heard me’.
Not so. I speak. You ostensibly listen but you don’t necessarily concentrate and you certainly do not retain the conversation because you didn’t really hear what I said. Think how many misunderstandings have taken place, over the years, due entirely to an unintentional disconnect between speaker and listener.
With Ramadan now behind us and business ‘back to normal’, it is a good time to think about using the right hand side of our brain and to start being creative. Particularly in times of a recession, we need to utilise our often latent abilities. Now more than ever before, it is of even importance to use the skills that we already have.
Business entrepreneurship can be taught through formal study-courses and motivational speeches. It comes down to a particular mindset that supports heavyweight performance and decision-making.
Empty Nest Syndrome is identified with depression, yet research shows that many parents feel positive about their children leaving home. The situation can be eased further by well-proved stress busting tips.
School students may display unexplained stress symptoms about a new term or a new school year. These may be highly personalised. Some new hi-tech do-it-yourself de-stressors could be a solution.
Professional business networking is a branch of exclusive social life, and the skills of engaging the attention of a key individual must be matched by diplomatic methods of disengaging.
