Hello everyone,
I am about to admit to something I might regret……I am a ‘Doctor Who’ fan! Therefore I was glued to the series finale on BBC1 two weeks ago. There was drama galore and some amazing shifts of plot driven by a timescale that took in the birth of the universe and the distant future. The ability to manipulate time is something I think we would all really love, but the reality is that we are generally very bad at managing our work/life balance. Now, I am no expert on this but I do realise when it’s not working and I think I have been focusing too much on the work side of things for some time now. If you follow me on Twitter you will know that it is not unusual for me to work 7 days a week.
So how do we get off the treadmill? When you work from home it is all too easy to switch the computer on and be reading your emails before you’ve even had a cup of coffee! (I’m afraid we do that far too often). Well, this weekend I was pleasantly ‘forced’ to avoid the PC as granddaughter duties prevailed with Evie being under our charge most of the day whilst Debbie was teaching over 100 students at our drama school. Taking her for a proud walk in the pushchair into the town centre was such a refreshing break and after she went home we settled down to Wimbledon and a Pimms!
It was still sunny on Sunday morning so I took the opportunity to go on a 3 hour walk taking in Bosworth Battlefield, Shenton Railway, Sutton Cheney wharf (and a coffee break) and the Ashby canal. Then after lunch it was Wimbledon Mens’ final!
We owe it to ourselves to take time off and re-charge our batteries. When you run your own business it is tempting to chase every lead and use every hour in the day but what is the point if you are too tired then to spend time with your family and friends? I intend taking most of August off for just this reason and suggest that all you workaholics out there consider what you really want to spend your time on while you still have the choice!
TIP OF THE MONTH
I’ve got something different for you this time. You can actually hear me here, courtesy of a podcast I recorded for Business With Attitude at Positive Ground’s studio in conversation with the well known speaker, Peter Roper. The subject we focused on was the impact of the voice in business and I hope you find it interesting and useful (I am the last speaker on the podcast).
EXCITING NEWS!
After a couple of meetings and a taster seminar in April I am beginning a programme of training with managers at the National Grid in July.
My ex-student, Lauren Samuels (from ‘Over the Rainbow’ BBC1), is to play ‘Sandy’ in ‘Grease’ at the Piccadilly Theatre, London, from July 26th. We had a ‘welcome home’ party for her on 4 June and you can see a picture of her with the actual ‘Dorothy’ shoes (covered in Swarovski crystals) above.
What happened in June?
I attended 10 business breakfast meetings and 2 ladies’ lunches. As a result of one of these I joined The Women in Business Club at Solihull. I also attended The Business Club evening event at the Tigers Rugby Club, Leicester, where I got a lot of interest for funded training (via Train to Gain and Business Link) which should result in several new clients.
I also ran a two and half hour practical workshop for 25 clients of Vanilla Recruitment, Market Harborough; took a CPD Voice Protection workshop for the ASA at Stowmarket, Suffolk; examined for LAMDA in Berkhampstead, Herts; and had another of my open ‘Voice Matters’ workshops at the Marriott Hotel, Leicester.
I enjoyed 3 theatrical outings to ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ at the Belgrade, Coventry, ‘Fawlty Towers’ at the Concordia,Hinckley, and ‘Guys & Dolls’ at Kilworth House Theatre, North Kilworth – all were excellent.
Well I think that’s it for another month.
My final ‘Voice Matters‘ and ‘Dynamic Speaking‘ open courses of 2010 are currently booking – details on the website.
So, here’s a final reminder to enjoy the good weather while it lasts and remember that all work and no play makes Jack (and Jill) a dull boy (or girl!)
Speak wisely
Speak well
Speak Loud & Clear
Te: 01455 230317
e: info@loud-n-clear.dev.cc
