Diamond, Volcano or Pulp

 Jun 24, 2016

This is a blog about pressure.

Diamonds are forged under pressure, volcanos can blow under pressure and delicate and brittle things can also get crushed to pulp under pressure.

What happens for you?

As politicians are put under more and more pressure on their way to the election, it is interesting to see which ones become diamonds, which ones explode and which ones are crushed.

What makes a diamond politician? A good communicator who is able to articulate how their plan can benefit the electorate, despite the slings and arrows that may come their way.

As a psychologist who teaches communication strategies, I am fascinated at who gets to shine and who gets crushed.

Of late, I have been examining how many of the ten invisible structures from our Think on Your Feet® program get used when politicians get the heat turned up on them by journalists and opponents. The ones that shine have obviously done the program or have been coached by someone who has done the program.

Interestingly, the Think on Your Feet® program is a diamond itself. Keith Spicer, who wrote the program back in 1985 was a Canadian academic and broadcaster. After being put under financial pressure from a divorce, Keith wrote Think on Your Feet® as a way of being able to recoup his finances. Later he became a politician himself.

The program has stood the test of time. On any given business day at least five course run somewhere in the world; in multiple countries and in many languages.

So what about you? What happens for you under pressure?

Think on Your Feet® is not just for politicians. Anyone who is in a position of authority and has to get their message across, can benefit – leaders, managers, sales people, presenters, trainers, people dealing with the media. Those who need to adeptly answer questions – all the above and customer service personnel – can benefit too.

How will you benefit?

By knowing which structures to use, in what circumstances and to which audience, you gain: clarity, brevity and impact. This means when the pressure to perform arrives, you feel greater confidence, influence more people and make communication easier.

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About the Author:

Tim Higgs  

Tim has been involved in the corporate training industry for over 15 years; seven of these have been as the Portfolio Manager and Senior Facilitator at New Horizons. Tim holds a Graduate Diploma (Psych/Couns), a masters' degree in Cultural Psychology and a bachelor's degree in Business, giving him a unique theoretical backdrop for understanding human performance in the workplace. This complements his actual experience of working within the corporate sector in sales and management positions and owning and running a small business. Having worked with individuals and groups in both clinical and business settings, Tim has a fantastic insight into human behaviour, motivation and the issue of human change.

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