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Issue 21

Dear %1
Today, the Smart to Wise website is live, announcing my next book (read more in the panel to the right). 

Wisdom is in the eyes and ears of the the people around you, so to make the right impact with your insights, you need to be able to generate the gravitas that says "my insights are worth noting".  Here are ten ways to do that.

1. Space
The aura of gravitas will generate a space around you.  You  can do a lot to create that.  When you are with people imagine your bubble of personal space expanding to twice, three time, ten times the volume of your normal space.  As you visualise this it will start to change the subtle cues of your body language and people will respect a greater distance.

2. Slow
Gravitas means not rushing, whether it is in your movement or your speech.  A steady, deliberate pace conveys total confidence and, when speaking, it increases your control of your speech and the relaxation of your vocal cords, allowing your voice to stay at the bottom end of its register.  Deeper tones convey authority.  Keep the volume down too, to make people strain to catch your important ideas and to avoid over-stretching your voice.

3. Small
Big movements convey charisma, big words convey intellect, big speeches convey status.

Small movements convey economy, small words convey understanding, small speeches convey deep insight.

Wise people do and say little, but what they do and what they say conveys much.

4. Still
Stillness is a special quality in our frenetic world.  Cultivate the ability to be still to make a real contrast with the busy-busy background, and create a powerful impression of weight (the Latin word gravitas means just that).

5. Summarise
Smart people dive in with their ideas to ensure that they are heard.  Wiser souls wait, observe, then assess and summarise what they have heard, adding their evaluation and insight.

6. Silence
The ultimate in slowing your speech, the linguistic equivalent of still, silence is something few can master.  Used at the right time, it can be a devastating contribution to your argument.  How much smaller can your contribution be.

7. Timing
Select the timing of your contribution with care.  Don't rush, jump in, or cut someone off.  Instead, wait for silence before you speak, so there is only one thing for your audience to listen to.

8. Attention
When you speak to most people you quickly become aware that they have other things on their mind.  With some people though, you feel as if there is nothing else in the world for them but you.  These people have both charisma and gravitas.  Practice paying 100% attention to the person who is speaking.

9. Process
You won't always know the answers or have the insight to transform a situation.  But what you can always do is put forward a clear process that will help to gather facts, clarify issues, move to a decision.  Wisdom is knowing when you don't know enough and having a way to move onward regardless.

10. Tone
Who sets the tone?  Whose demeanour matters?  If it's you, then you really do have gravitas.

Learn more about the journey from Smart to Wise.

Smart to Wise
is due out on 7 June
Website
Facebook
Purchase

Articles on the Smart to Wise website

• Embedded Wisdom

• The Wisdom of Leadership

• First there was IQ

Who Else?
If you like these newsletters, please forward this to a friends and colleagues who might value them too.
If you are that friend or colleague and you want your own copies, just drop me an email

Two Seminars you may like

“Absolutely brilliant!
I took on board everything & have
already started to apply new techniques within the duty team.
Extremely useful & already felt the benefits.”

Risk Happens!
Managing Risk and Avoiding Failure in Business Projects

These are two of the 17 seminars I am currently offering.  Here is the full list:

• Three hour MBA

• Seven Ways to get More from Your People

• Seven Ways to get More from Yourself

• Brilliant Influence:
  Ten Secrets of Persuasion

• Brilliant Project Leader

• Brilliant Team Leadership

• Brilliant Time Management

• Faster, Better, Cheaper

• How to Read People

• It ain't the Stress that does the Damage

• It won't work because...
  Handling Resistance to Change

• More than just Survival:
  Thriving in Times of Change

• Practical Decision Making

• Practical Problem Solving

• Practical Project Management

• Risk Happens!
  Control Risk and Avoid Failure
  in Organisational Projects

• The Seven Rules of Project Management

Learn more on my website.

Smart to Wise

You’re smart. You know stuff. You’ve made great strides in your career and your life. But you know there’s more: there are things you want to do and people you want to impress that you can’t yet reach. Because being smart is not enough.

Smart to Wise is about how to become wise. It does not set out to give you the answers, nor to dispense wisdom, but to show you the direction of your journey.

The Smart to Wise website, with the first three articles about aspects of wisdom is now live, at smarttowise.co.uk.

• Like Smart to Wise on Facebook: www.facebook.com/smart2wise
• Follow Smart to Wise on Twitter:
  @Smart2Wise
• Follow Wisdom Board on Pinterest:
  http://bit.ly/S2Wpins 
• Pre-order Smart to Wise on Amazon:
  http://amzn.to/S2Wbook

The Apprentice

Series 8 of BBC's Apprentice began on 21 March and my first commentary was available the following morning.

So, if you are an Apprentice fan, bookmark my 2012 Apprentice page now or, better, go to my site and subscribe to the blog.  That way, you will not miss any of my episode analyses.  That's not just smart: it's wise!

Risk Happens!

Risk Happens!
Managing Risk and Avoiding Failure in Business Projects

Risk Happens! is available in paperback, iBook and Kindle formats.  It is accessible to new project managers, yet has tools and resources that will give experienced hands new ideas too.  It includes 60 invaluable tables and checklists, and 57 figures and diagrams. On the Risk Happens! website, you will find more downloads of risk management tools.

This month, I have been putting project risk management tips onto my Shift Happens! blog:

• Five ways to remove Project Risk

• Ten Strategic Risks that Cause Projects to Fail

• Ten Reasons Crises happen - and what you can do about them

The last in the series, "The top ten things to build into your contingency plan" will be available from 11am tomorrow (UK time).

Learning at Work Day

Many businesses arrange events to mark Learning at Work Day - this year on 17 May, with the theme "learning for growth".  Some organisations even have seminars and courses all week.  I've just taken my second booking for that week, but one slot on the 17th is still available - as are other slots.  Contact me to discuss which seminar would suit you best, or see the list on my website.

Learning at work day is supported by Pearson, publishers of four of my books, including ...

  &   

Brilliant Stress Management
and
Brilliant Influence

All of my books are
available from Amazon

June Seminar Programme

The March tour of The Three-hour MBA and Brilliant Time Management  was the big success. 

“A brilliant insight into how to take control, be positive, and manage my time and teach my staff to do the same.”
Kim Foulkes, JCS Ltd (Brilliant Time Mgt)

“Very useful, given it’s only an afternoon.  There are a number of things I can use immediately and a number of things I need to explore further.”
Mike Annetts (3 Hour MBA)

The next tour will be in September (dates are all on my website).  Next up is:

Practical Project Management
(mornings) along with
Risk Happens! Control Risk and Avoid Failure in Organisational Projects (afternoons)

• 21 June, London
  RIBA
• 26 June, Manchester,
  Renaissance Hotel
• 27 June, Birmingham,
  Copthorne Hotel
• 28 June, Guildford,
  Ramada Hotel

Download a table of all of the scheduled dates here.  Book on 01227 252 100.

The Three-hour MBA and Brilliant Time Management are both available as in-house seminars. 

“Excellent session.  Worthwhile attending even if you have read Mike’s book. 
Mike’s approach to help people form their own system promises to be highly effective.  I can’t wait to plan and
start the new me!”
Caroline Wiggins, Business Accent PR (Brilliant Time Mgt)

“Very informative and interesting. 
Suitable for anyone in a managerial or leadership position, no matter what size the company is.”
Susan Freeman, Dale Evans Beauty
(3 Hour MBA)

My focus this year ...
... continues to be on writing, responding to press enquiries, and seminar and speaking engagements.  If you know a conference organiser who is looking for an engaging speaker with great testimonials, please do send them to my website: www.mikeclayton.co.uk.  If you need a speaker now, just contact me using the links below, or the contact form on my website.  You can download my speaker pack here.

Best regards
Mike
mike@mikeclayton.co.uk

I recognise you get a lot of email and I don't want to add unwanted inbox clutter.  I intend to give useful tips and thoughts, but if you don't wish to get any more, I will understand, so just click the "no more emails" link and they'll stop.

Many thanks
Mike

There is a full archive of past Thoughtscape newsletters on my website.