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The role of Rhetoric in everyday advocacy

The role of Rhetoric in everyday advocacy The Ancient Greek poet Sappho wrote of it, “Persuasion is Aphrodite’s daughter, it is she who beguiles our mortal hearts.” Plato described it as “an influencing of the mind by means of words.” Homer said of it, “Do I know what ‘rhetorical’ means?” (That’s Springfield’s great thinker, Homer […]

Gravitas – having presence

Gravitas – having presence ‘Peter Capaldi will be a Dr Who of gravitas and steel’ says the New Statesman on the time lord’s latest incarnation. Undoubtedly, but what does that actually mean – ‘gravitas and steel?’ Are the two qualities everlastingly linked? Is gravitas something a lucky few are born with or can anyone have […]

How to stay calm when you know you’ll be stressed

You’re not at your best when you’re stressed. In fact, your brain has evolved over millennia to release cortisol in stressful situations, inhibiting rational, logical thinking but potentially helping you survive, say, being attacked by a lion. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin thinks there’s a way to avoid making critical mistakes in stressful situations, when your thinking […]

“Social Media” making sure it doesn’t ruin your career

Making sure it doesn’t ruin your career The Lawyer ‘Social Media’ – do’s and don’ts, what are the pitfalls and common mistakes, the impact this has on your career, professional relationships, how to use it to your advantage and raise your profile. Isn’t the 21st Century wonderful – there are so many ways you can tell […]

“Networking Skills”

Networking Skills in The Lawyer Networking There are certain phrases which can strike a feeling of dread in many people – fancy dress, audience participation, contemporary dance and networking event. Picture the scene – you’ve just joined a top firm, it’s all started off well and then the suggestion comes down that you should get out and […]

“Dynamic Impressions” – An article on public speaking in The Lawyer

“Dynamic Impressions” – click here to read an article on public speaking in The Lawyer   At any given moment, there are any number of corporate presentations going on around the world during which people are being bombarded by a barrage of endless lacklustre slides over-filled with interminable data and incomprehensible jargon. We’ve all sat through them, daydreaming of […]

It’s the little things that matter…

Nigel Marsh is the author of Fat, Forty and Fired, Overworked and Underlaid and Fat, Fifty and Fired-Up – he is also the co founder of Earth Hour and it is his view that work-life balance is too important to be left in the hands of your employer. He sets out, in this extremely engaging talk, an ideal day […]

What motivates us to work?

In two fascinating experiments Dan Ariely explores what motivates us. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we aren’t motivated solely by money. Professor of psychology and behavioral economist, Dan Ariely, presents two eye-opening experiments that reveal our unexpected attitudes toward meaning in our work. It seems that most of us thrive by making constant progress and feeling […]