Oh, such a big treat for you this week!

I interviewed Yasushi Maruyama, Japan Office Leader for Egon Zehnder and he shared incredible insights in less than 20 minutes. This will give you a really high ROI (return on your listening investment).

In Episode 25 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you'll hear

• How to get a standing ovation even with grammatical mistakes
• How to turn failure to your great advantage
• What leaders really need in addition to strategy and logic
• How to have a wonderful conversation without being worried about your English

Enjoy!

It's obvious that you need to study new information or develop skills to stay up to date in your work. And you want to do that as efficiently as possible, right?

In Episode 24 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you'll hear

• 3 simple steps to learn efficiently
• How the brain works and how you can use it to your advantage
• The 4 ways that I practiced to become fluent and confident in Japanese - which you can apply to your learning situation

Have you ever been in a meeting where you didn't agree with what someone said, but you didn't say anything? Or you didn't understand something, but you didn't say anything? Or you thought that you agreed and you understood, but after the meeting the action that your colleagues took was different from what you expected? This happens. Why? Well because as human beings we interpret things based on our experiences, our background, and our culture. And the more diverse the experiences, backgrounds, and cultures of the people in a meeting, the more likely you are to interpret things in different ways. Don't you find this increasingly happens when you're working in a global business environment?This leads to what I call "mottainai" in the workplace — a waste in the workplace — because you're not getting the best results, you have inefficiency and stress. In Episode 23 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you'll hear

• How miscommunications happen in global meetings and what you can do to minimize them
• 5 simple steps to start asking questions in meetings, even when you feel hesitant
• 3 powerful questions that you can ask to keep people clear, aligned, and focused on the best meeting results

How do you feel when meetings go off track? You may feel frustrated or stressed because you're not reaching the meeting goals and you're failing to achieve the business results you were looking for. You're wasting time. Tension is building among the people in the room. Whether or not you're the appointed facilitator, you can take action to improve or even prevent this type of situation. In Episode 22 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you'll hear

• What to keep in mind when planning a meeting
• What to do when the unexpected happens in a meeting
• What a GPS can teach you about meeting facilitation!

Enjoy!

Think about the meetings you attended last week. How many seemed unnecessary, unproductive, or uninspiring? As well as being demotivating for attendees, such meetings are a huge and avoidable cost for organizations. Consider the hourly cost of each person in the meeting and how that money or time could be used more effectively. In Episode 21 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you'll hear

• Typical problems in meetings and how to solve them all with one thing
• The 6 essential meeting roles
• 3 steps to help you contribute your best in meetings - even if you don't think your English is good enough

Enjoy!

Many of you have been reacting and commenting on social media posts of my recent experience and transformation with Aya Jean's style coaching program. I'm so happy that you're finding this interesting! So I decided to share more of the story with you, including how this relates to communication. I hope this will give you some inspiration for transformation in your life and communication skills too! In Episode 20 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you'll hear

• The impact of how you look on your overall communication
• Why change - in your body language and voice - is important when giving presentations
• My favorite elements of Aya Jean's style coaching program

Enjoy!

Do you feel upset or frustrated because your colleague or your boss has a negative attitude? Have you noticed how negativity can be infectious - it easily spreads through the workplace? In many cases, you can turn negativity to a positive contribution. And even if that doesn't work, you still have a choice to act in a way that stops other people's negativity from affecting you. In Episode 19 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you'll hear

• Why some people are negative and how to deal with that
• How to turn a coworker's negative attitude into a positive one
• What you can do when your boss is always negative

Enjoy!

Have you ever thought a colleague agreed to something in a meeting and then, at the next meeting, they say they didn't?Or you thought it was clear what action each person would take after a meeting and it didn't happen? That's not only frustrating - it's also a waste of time.When you're unaware of the most practical and efficient ways of writing minutes for today's fast-paced, global business, you're wasting so much time! Mottainai. Would you like to change that?

In Episode 18 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you'll hear

• How to deal with people forgetting what was said in meetings and changing their mind!
• How to create practical and time-saving minutes
• How to get people to ACTUALLY READ your meeting minutes
• When to send out minutes and why timing is important
• What details to include in your minutes for best results in your projects

If you want to make your best contribution in your organization, develop your skills, and enjoy your work, taking initiative is crucial.In Episode 17 of the Sasuga! Podcast, you'll hear

• 3 tips to take initiative (and what to do if your boss is uncooperative)
• The two biggest fears that stop many people from taking initiative (and how you can overcome them)
• How to reduce your workload and add more value if you're a manager

Enjoy!

Golden Week 2019 is the longest in Japan's history. 10 days!!! It's a great chance to refresh and to devote a little time to your professional and personal development. In Episode 16 of the Sasuga! Podcast, I'll tell you about

• Outstanding online learning opportunities for improving English pronunciation, building presentation skills, and personal transformation
• Brilliant books on coaching your team, using your time effectively, and communicating in global business
• Specials for you - discounts for a limited period and the chance to join an exclusive online training with me for free (links to all the goodies are below)

Even if you're seeing this after Golden Week, you can use what I share in this episode the next time you're ready for professional and personal growth. Enjoy!