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Jayne Constantinis

Pink banana
How to get what you want from the world – more cat stretches and fewer crunchies
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I’ve always believed that communication is the most important life skill – in and out of work. Malcolm Gladwell agrees. In Outliers, he suggests that the way we: “Get what we want from the world” is by “Knowing what to say to whom, knowing when to say it and knowing how to say it for maximum effect.” Some people get this, others not so much…. Plenty has been written recently about the differences between Sir Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham. It’s generally agreed that one of the key factors in Starmer’s demise and Burnham’s ascendency is communication – Andy’s skill…

September 12, 2026 Read more
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Make ‘em cry, make ‘em laugh and what’s in it for them?- how to engage a 21st century audience’s attention
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STORYTELLING I’m slightly obsessive about pillows. And sleep. And because I’ve endured too many poor nights’ sleep away from home, I’ve just bought myself a travel pillow from a company I found online called Snooze.uk. In the package was a printed note from the owner, Yev.  Here’s some of what she wrote about the origin of her small business… “This little pillow means more to me than you might think. A few years ago, my daughter chose to take her pillow with her when we had to leave home in Kherson (Ukraine). Out of everything she could pack, that was…

May 22, 2026 Read more
PURPLE SNOW DROP
In the Olympics, size really does matter. For us, it’s about respecting the audience.
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One of the quirkiest stories to come out of the Milan-Cortina winter Olympics was ‘penis-gate’. According to German newspaper BILD, ski jumpers have been injecting themselves with hyaluronic acid before being measured for their suits. Apparently, this can increase the circumference by one or two centimetres. Bigger appendage, bigger suit, more surface area, increased time in the air. Who knew!!! As well as marvelling at the incredible displays of skill and daring and endurance, I was interested in the array of different types of clothing worn by the athletes. Baggy for snowboarders, streamlined for speed skaters, elegant for figure skaters….

March 2, 2026 Read more
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The most precious Christmas gift – no wrapping required (it’s not a scented candle)
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I’m going Christmas shopping today. On my list are a variety of gifts including Ferrero Rochers, a suitcase, a kettle, posh pants and a onesie. Obvs also a brace of scented candles. I can’t wait to see the faces of the recipients when they open them. These are things I know they want because I’ve been listening out all year for small references to coveted items (admittedly nobody ever mentioned the candles but who can resist the subtle aromas of pomegranate and cardamom????). But there’s one gift I want to give everyone this year, even people I won’t ever play…

December 11, 2025 Read more
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Innocent or Traitor? Careful not to misinterpret what you see in the castle or on Teams
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For me, the most fascinating aspect of Celebrity Traitors, apart from Claudia’s eye liner, Jonathan Ross’s outfits and Celia Imrie’s digestive system, was their inability to read each other. Time and again we witnessed them analysing their fellow ‘guests’ and getting it wrong. They repeatedly misinterpreted body language, comments and behaviour. Even though they were in a state of high alert, being hyper sensitive and observant (they knew there were actors in the castle), still they came to the wrong conclusions. On numerous occasions. Some faithfuls were banished for being too quiet; others for the exact opposite. And who wasn’t…

November 16, 2025 Read more
Zebra
Kiss with confidence – how to engage your audience in the hybrid world
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Hands up who remembers the 1983 pop song ‘Kissing with confidence’ and the classic line “Do you have spinach on your teeth?” Actually, scrap that – many of you probably weren’t even born in 1983!!!!!! I was reminded of that song when I returned from a networking event last week, only to discover that I did in fact have a morsel of spinach on my tooth. It had clearly been there through most of the event, during conversations with numerous people. So why had nobody mentioned it? Why did they find this piece of communication so difficult? At the same…

August 9, 2025 Read more
Pink banana
Don’t panic about AI. You have a human superpower. Chatting
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Am I the only one to be a tiny bit tired of discussing AI?  And, in particular, weary of the ‘catastrophising’ around it? Of course, we know that it will and is already having an immense impact on us – akin to the invention of the printing press, and we must both understand it and learn to harness it. But it’s not the only game in town. On the Today programme this week, advertising guru Sir John Heggarty spoke about its effect on his industry. Yes, it’s going to take away some mundane tasks (and that might lead to the…

June 12, 2025 Read more
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Did we warm to the Easter bunny this year, and was she qualified to deliver the eggs?
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Many of you will, of course, have enjoyed the paper on Universal dimensions of social cognition: warmth and competence as published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences volume 11, number 2!!! I actually have read it (yes, I know I need to get out more), and I was fascinated by the conclusions and their implications for the people I work with. Academics from the universities of Princeton, Northwestern and Lawrence, including the fabulous Amy Cuddy, tell us that people who are perceived as both warm and competent elicit uniformly positive emotions and behaviour from those they communicate with. And, importantly, that…

April 29, 2025 Read more
PURPLE SNOW DROP
Trump vs Aristotle – that would be great television. My money’s on the ancient guy
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Has there ever been a global political event which provoked so much scrutiny of the participants’ communication style/tone? The already infamous Zelensky/Trump/Vance ‘conversation’ at the White House has given us endless hours of debate and analysis. I was struck by the lack of restraint, an absence of moderation, a dearth of statesmanlike language. It felt a bit like a teenage tantrum (apologies to teenagers) and it’s not how politicians and leaders have typically behaved, particularly in public. The other notable element for me was the comment ‘it’ll make great television’. A giveaway that everything is about performance rather than substance….

March 6, 2025 Read more
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Trump, the Red Arrows and an overcooked sprout – we need to get better at giving and receiving feedback
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So, the Donald is assembling his team of advisors and cabinet members. All loyal supporters and kindred spirits. None likely to naysay their boss. A gush of ‘yes people’. Of course, he’s not alone in disliking criticism and rejecting negative feedback (such as losing an election). It would seem to be a growing phenomenon, especially among young professionals. They, themselves are telling me in the training room that they struggle to accept constructive criticism; that it makes them emotional and overly defensive. Team leaders, business owners and HR people are confirming that something is going on. For any of us…

December 9, 2024 Read more
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