Have you ever been stuck in a thoroughly unengaging, low-energy and unproductive meeting? I mean, the odds are that you have, at least once. I have, and I work alone!

It can often be hard to work positively and creatively if the physical environment you are working in is neither inspiring nor motivating. It can leave you feeling quite drained and disengaged. In today’s fast-paced business world, it’s easy to fall into the trap of dull, uninspiring meetings that feel more like a chore than a chance for growth and collaboration. Perhaps, by taking meetings beyond traditional places of work and into more mindful, engaging spaces, you can create an environment that fosters creativity, focus, and deeper connection.

So, what if the setting of your meetings changed on occasion? What if you swapped your office or boardroom for something different? Where could you go?

1.     A Green Space or Botanical Gardens

There is something about plants that makes me feel calm. Perhaps it’s the extra oxygen. Botanical gardens and other cultivated green spaces offer a serene environment that is a world away from a grey office suite. Hopefully, the natural setting would encourage relaxed yet focused conversations, making it an ideal location for brainstorming sessions or strategic discussions.

2.     The Beach

Who says you can’t have a meeting on the beach? The sound of waves and the soft breeze can help participants relax and become more open to new ideas. In fact, I listen to ocean waves to concentrate… I’d prefer the real thing if it was available! There is also something both humbling and majestic about the sea. It’s certain to alter the perspectives of the people in your meeting.

3.     A Rooftop Garden

Rooftop gardens in urban settings provide a peaceful escape from the city’s noise and chaos. They are also, one could argue, much more accessible and commonplace than the beach or a botanical garden! These elevated spaces offer tranquility while still being close to the action of the city, a juxtaposition that keeps you connected to the civilised word while also being with nature. The (ideally) beautiful views may spark fresh perspectives, perfect for strategic planning or team discussions.

4.     Galleries and Museums

If you are looking for examples of creativity and unique perspectives, then there is no better place than a gallery or museum. They are packed with thought-provoking exhibits and inspiring artwork (which is their MO) that can help stimulate creativity and open-mindedness. The peace within these vast spaces is also uniquely special, almost reverent. Certainly an environment that will leave you and your team feeling calm and inspired at the same time.

5.     A Café

We’ve had lots of grand places so far. But the setting needn’t be as ‘fancy’. I walk in cafés all the time. They have just enough bustle to feel like life is happening around you, which makes you feel connected with the outside world. They also don’t have so much bustle that the environment is distracting. The lighting is often soft. The harsh lighting of an office can feel harsh and clinical. Yes, cafés offer a comfortable environment that allows for focus without the rigidity of a corporate setting. They are ideal for one-on-ones or creative brainstorming sessions, where people can relax and feel more open to exchanging ideas in a low-pressure environment.

Ultimately, in my opinion anyway, working from a fresh location every now and then gives one new energy. The world is a big place full of interesting perspectives and cultures. Trying to come up with new ideas while working in the same place for years on end can become frustrating. Change your view and watch your innovation and creativity blossom.

By Chris Thomson

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 3 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Learn To Meditate With Neil In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.

2. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Coaching Partnership or Professional Wellbeing Appointment is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil Seligman here.

3. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post Beyond the Boardroom: Unique Settings for Mindful Business Meetings appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

Negotiation sounds like a big scary word to some people. And yes, some negotiations are big, scary, high-steaks situations that can have knock-on effects for large numbers of people. Negotiation also happens on a daily basis, for us all, in a number of smaller and more pedestrian instances.

All relationships, large and small, personal and business, require compromise, communication, resolution and empathy. That said, this is not always easy, and when things get heated, it can be tricky to reach a point where both parties are happy that they have been seen and catered to.

There are many ways in which you might be able to improve your negotiation skills. However, in this article, we’ll be focusing on what mediation can do for you in that arena.

1.     Being in the Present

One of the pillars of meditation is the ability to focus on the here and now. Negotiations can often get messy. Lots of people bringing in different arguments and points of view can easily knock the situation off the rails and make it about a bunch of other stuff that isn’t necessarily relevant. The practice of being in the present not only improves your ability to focus on the situation at hand without getting distracted by peripheral thoughts, but it also helps you to stay calm if things begin to get a little spicy… and perhaps allows you to cut through the noise and get back to the point!

2.     Breathing

The heat is rising, and you begin to get flustered. There is information and noise everywhere, and you are getting overstimulated. Nothing brings you back to the centre and grounds you again like meditative breathing. A stressed and overwhelmed negotiator tends not to be a very effective one… this can often be dealt with by returning to the breath.

3.     Emotional Consciousness

Mediation teaches you to check in with yourself; to recognise your emotions and have an awareness of what triggers them, therefore providing the tools to recognise and regulate how you feel during an interaction. In negotiations, emotions can run high. Frustration, anger, and even excitement. These reactive emotions can easily lead to rash decision-making. By improving your emotional consciousness through meditation, you gain the ability to pause, reflect, and separate your feelings from your logic. It also helps you to better understand the emotions of others, which often leads to enhanced empathy and communication.

4.     Pause

A pause can be incredibly powerful in a negotiation. When tensions rise or a big moment presents itself, it can be very easy to jump the gun. However, a pause, a moment of stillness, can aid a successful negotiation. To my mind, this adi manifests in two ways. Firstly, it allows you to reflect on how you are going to answer and react. Second, the confidence required to pause before acting has significant power in it. Silence is very powerful.

5.     Active Listening

Active listening is the cornerstone of effective negotiation. Nay, any effective communication. It’s not just about hearing the words being said, it’s about really digesting and understanding the dialogue coming towards you. Meditation improves your ability to listen actively by training your mind to stay present and focused. In listening actively, you become significantly more receptive to the other party’s concerns, needs, and emotions. Remember, a negotiation is not about you winning and the other side losing, it is about understanding the other side and finding ways to solve the situation in a way that it mutually beneficial.

By Chris Thomson

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 3 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Learn To Meditate With Neil In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.

2. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Coaching Partnership or Professional Wellbeing Appointment is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil Seligman here.

3. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post 5 Tips: Meditation To Improve Negotiation Skills appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

The pandemic. Remember that? I don’t know about you, but the petering out of restrictions and the societal eagerness to get ‘back to normal’ doesn’t just make it feel like ancient history at times, but sometimes, based on how the world has returned to its old self, you’d have a job convincing me that out collective trauma ever happened at all.

This is, of course, an exaggeration. But it does beg the question, is our everyday world really the same as it used to be? Well, it can’t be, can it? There are many things that have changed. There are many practices and attitudes that have stuck. Some have been adopted so completely, that we can’t remember a time when it was not the status quo. For example, Zooms! Remember when video conferencing wasn’t really a thing for most of us? It certainly wasn’t for me. Had you ever heard of Zoom before 2020? I hadn’t! Now, Zooming, FaceTime, and remote meetings are completely accepted as a standard tool.

I also carry sanitiser and think twice about eating a birthday cake after the birthday 6-year-old has forcefully attempted to blow their candles out multiple times. Anyway, I digress. As this is a conscious workplace-based blog, perhaps it’s worth reminiscing on which positive workplace practices have stuck.

1.     Home

Let’s start with the most obvious one, working from home. For years many companies argued that working from home was counterproductive or simply not possible. The advent of the pandemic proved that it was possible. Quite easily in many cases. And many subsequent surveys and research projects have measured increased productivity. This goes to show how effective giving workers flexibility, comfort and work-life balance can really impact their wellbeing and job satisfaction.

However, it’s not just a change in attitude due to productivity and quality of work. There seems to have been an increase in empathy. Workplaces are much more readily offering remote work options in order to make work itself more accessible. It’s also because, as a collective, quality employees are less likely to apply for roles if this is not an option… but credit where credit is due, eh!

2.     The Rise of HR

During the pandemic, HR departments were tasked with a much bigger responsibility than they had previously been. Suddenly, HR workers weren’t just hiring, training and looking after staff, but aiding companies in solving huge logistical problems in order to keep businesses going. Since that time, the scope of HR has increased across the board and tends to be more prominent as a department and a tool in the minds of conscious leaders.

3.     Wellbeing

As mentioned previously, wellbeing has managed to remain as much more of a priority. The pandemic forced all of us to empathise. We all went through something, from the top of society to the bottom, and as a result, companies are more conscious than ever of employee mental health and wellbeing. This is partially, one could argue in hope, because more leaders had, themselves, experienced the real-world impact of the pandemic. It may also be because HR policies that came in during those years, pertaining to employee wellbeing, have stuck and proven to be great for both employer and employee.

4.     Work-Life Balance

This is somewhat an extension of all the previous points. We all learned especially many of us who have a habit of never stopping, that having space that is unoccupied by work, or social engagements, or whatever it may be, is valuable. Among all the traumatic elements of the pandemic, many of us (myself included) look back on that lockdown time in a positive light (which we may well not have imagined at the time). And if I, someone who became a parent and lost a parent during that time, can say that, then I fancy there are hoards of others who feel the same way. Companies simply seem to see leisure and rest as a higher priority now.

By Chris Thomson

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 3 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Learn To Meditate With Neil In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.

2. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Coaching Partnership or Professional Wellbeing Appointment is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil Seligman here.

3. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post Post-Pandemic Practices: How Has ‘The Workplace’ Changed Five Years On appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

Forever jobs aren’t really a thing anymore. That’s not to say they don’t exist, but it certainly isn’t the norm like it used to be. Now, as wonderful as it is to know that your life has the potential to change, fly off in exciting directions, and offer you more than one relentless career experience until you’re done with work entirely, it also has tricky elements. What to do next? Where to sidestep to? Is this industry even where I want to work anymore? Is it time to let go yet… or not?

That’s it, isn’t it? Have I got everything out of this job? Has it reached its limit? Is my time here done? Not sure how to answer any of these? Then start by listening to yourself and being conscious of some of the signs. Let yourself consider a different future, and see how it makes you feel.

1.     You Feel Unchallenged

Perhaps you have gotten all that you can get from this job. As an actor, I am always looking to learn. If I feel that there is nothing left to learn or challenge me, then I will likely not return to that particular job or employer. If you can feel stagnation creeping in, or that you have stopped caring because you are bored… get out of there!

2.     You’ve Reached the Top

Similarly, if you have reached the top of your game in the role you are currently in, and there is no place in the business for you to progress to, then find somewhere that does.

3.     Unworkable Work/Life Balance

Businesses should prioritise the work/life balance of their employees. The fact is some do, and some don’t. You may be in a job where you spend more time at work than you should. And that might have been something you were perfectly OK with once upon a time. However, if you now feel like the balance doesn’t work for you anymore. If you now feel like work is taking up too much space to make you happy… now might be the time to re-evaluate.

4.     You Don’t Want to Go to Work

If your wellbeing is being impacted by the mere idea of going to work. If you can’t sleep because of the idea of getting the terrain in the next morning. If anxiety fills your chest when you think of your desk… then the risk of moving may well be worth it. Of course, you should consider whether what’s causing these feelings is fixable. But if it isn’t, don’t hesitate, look ahead.

5.     The Company Just Doesn’t Sit with Your Values Anymore

Companies, like people, evolve over time. Even if you felt that your ethos and the company’s ethos were aligned when you joined, that is not to say that they will be aligned forever. The business might have changed its priorities away from your beliefs and employee wellbeing. You may have had an experience that has fundamentally changed your outlook. Both of those things might have happened. Like any relationship, two parties can grow apart. The chasm may be fillable, or perhaps it’s time to call the whole thing off.

6.     You Want to Move

Perhaps, when you think about moving on to the next chapter of your journey, the idea isn’t actually that scary. Changing your job, or even your career, is a huge deal, and it should be scary. You should have questions and it is normal to have doubts. However, if this scary thing is starting to feel like it might be a blessed relief. Nay, maybe it even excites you, then you should absolutely explore it. Life is too short, and if the choice is excitement over mundanity and resignation to a situation you are not really OK with anymore… well, I know which one I would pick.

By Chris Thomson

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 3 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Learn To Meditate With Neil In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.

2. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Coaching Partnership or Professional Wellbeing Appointment is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil Seligman here.

3. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post Is It Time to Let Go of Your Current Job? appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

When speaking in public, we are often trying to convince the audience of something or to make the audience feel a certain way. To do this, whether consciously or not, we must use rhetoric. Rhetoric is the art of shaping language and, to some extent, speech delivery to persuade the listener of something.

Of course, this is used in many situations. Most notably perhaps, politics. But the selling of any big idea, which is often what business is all about, requires persuasion. Rhetoric is your friend. And once you begin to understand how it works, you will be able to use it to move your ideas forward.

Here, we will briefly look at the 4 pillars of rhetoric, to open up your understanding of its mechanics so that, for your next speech, you may employ them in an effective and impactful manner.

1.     Logos

Logos refers to the soundness of your logic and reasoning. In a public speech, this is presented primarily through the quality of your clarity, simplicity and structure. It is the way in which you argue that your big thought, theme, or idea has logic behind it. It is how you communicate, in the most distilled sense, the strength of your idea. When logos is lacking, your idea will come over as ill-thought-through, convoluted, and as though you don’t fully understand what it is that you are trying to put across.

Use logos. Keep things tight, precise and logical, with a clear journey, throughout.

2.     Pathos

Pathos refers to your ability to emotionally connect with your audience. During a speech, you may wish to try and tap into the feelings of your audience by telling a personal story, or by focusing on something close to their hearts. For example, in a courtroom, a lawyer might use pathos in order to appeal to the juror’s emotions by outlining something to do with an accused’s difficult background, or a victim’s age or significant loss.

Use pathos. Tap into the emotions of your audience.

3.     Ethos

Ethos refers to the establishing of your own credibility and character. In the guise of a public speech, this basically means ‘getting the audience to trust you’. In a serious business setting, this might mean literally outlining your credentials and relevant achievements. In a more light-hearted situation, like an after-dinner speech, for example, this is better achieved by disarming the audience early on with a joke or anecdote.

Use Ethos. Get the audience on your side as quickly as possible.

4.     Kairos

Kairos refers to timing. I’m not talking about comic timing… although this does help if any of your speech is anecdotal. It’s about order. About choosing when to include certain pieces of information for maximum impact. You may wish to withhold a certain detail, as it may pack a bigger punch later on. It might be prudent to omit some details altogether, to avoid mugginess of content.

Use Kairos. Order and time the release of details in a conscious and impactful manner.

You might think that rhetoric is too technical or fussy a thing to employ in a speech. Perhaps you would like to be freer in your speech construction. That, of course, is up to you. However, if you are not a natural or experienced speech writer, you will be amazed how quickly employing just a couple of these principles will help your speech to flow and convey clarity and confidence.

By Chris Thomson

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 3 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Learn To Meditate With Neil In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.

2. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Coaching Partnership or Professional Wellbeing Appointment is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil Seligman here.

3. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post The Basics of Wielding Rhetoric appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

We used to be at the Marriott across the street, underground in the cavernous ballroom with a Main Stage that held three or four thousand people at its peak. There were multiple breakout spaces: an inspiration village, rooms for dance and movement, yoga areas, meditation studios, smaller but still huge bonus stages for deep dives with the likes of Byron Katie, Eckhart Tolle, Sharon Salzburg and many more. I miss the diversity of breakout spaces and the feel of a buzzy hive of conscious networkers that the larger in-person gatherings allowed.

This year’s post-covid conference, like last, was at the Blue Shield Theatre, holding about 800 people. It forms part of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and is a smaller more beautiful space where the Smuin ballet and other local dance and theatre companies make their home. Imagine a traditional theatre with raked stage and comfortable tiered seating making for a great view for all and a more intimate feel.

As Soren Gordhamer, visionary and founder of the conference, took the stage this year, he folded in themes of war, digital distraction, and ai threats with the importance of mindfulness, conscious choosing, and the power to rise to this moment in history. The mood was more positive in 2014, the world seemed a little less complicated, the potentials were glimmering. He seemed a little more world weary, a little less hopeful.

Thirteen years into my journey as Founder of The Conscious Professional, I continue to be as committed to human flourishing and supporting professionals to live deeply aligned with their values and purpose and yet somehow, I also find myself considering whether this will be my last Wisdom 2.0?

Is it possible to outgrow a conference, I wonder?

Either way, I am delighted to share my reflections on some of the brilliant talks that graced the stage of this year’s enlightening event.

James Nestor: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Breath

In a world where the breath is often taken for granted, James Nestor, author of worldwide bestseller Breath and journalist, reminded us of its profound significance as a gateway to health and vitality. Drawing upon diverse research which took us through the human skull record, the straight teeth of the animal/fish kingdoms and into the industrialisation of food, Nestor explored the science behind modern breath restrictions and the transformative effects of conscious breathing on body, mind, and spirit. By harnessing the power of breath awareness, through mouth-taping, and reclaiming our natural breathing patterns (think: Deep / Slow / Nasal) we can unlock untapped reservoirs of energy, clarity, and resilience. Great talk.

Dr. Deepak Chopra: Are We Living In A Virtual Reality?

Deepak, now on his 94th book(!) gave a profound talk addressing the nature of reality. Mind boggling doesn’t quite cover it, perhaps Soul boggling is closer? He posed, and answered, two of the biggest questions faced by science today: What is the Universe made of? (Nothing), and What is the biological basis of consciousness? (It’s not biological). He reminded us that the Universe is mostly dark matter which we cannot see, that there are 2 trillion galaxies in the tiny bit we can observe and that there are 60 billion planets in their habitable zone in our own galaxy. He concluded by wondering whether life is a lucid dream in a vivid now where once in a while we wake up enough to know we are dreaming… The vibe in the theatre was a very spacious [    wow    ].

Aza Ruskin: Translating Animal Languages

Did you know that Whales have unique names as well as clan names denoting their deeper affiliations?

Perhaps one of the most uplifting talks this year was delivered by Aza Ruskin (you may remember him as co-presenter of The AI Dilemma). Co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology with Tristan Harris, Aza spoke eloquently about the promise of discovering ancient cultures as we begin to tap into the language of the most ancient beings known to inhabit planet Earth, Whales.

That’s right – AI will soon be able to translate whale song as we have previously thought of it – into whale words and sentences and requests and greetings. We may well be on the precipice of an extraordinary discovery that will change everything about how we understand our place on this fragile planet. I expect an inspirational and humbling experience awaits.

Eve Ensler: Embodying Radical Compassion

Eve Ensler (V), celebrated playwright (The Vagina Monologues) and activist, delivered a stirring keynote on the transformative power of radical compassion. Drawing upon her own journey of healing and social activism, Ensler urged us to embrace the energy of apology as a force for social change. V described how, after a childhood of abuse at the hands of her father, she wrote his apology to her from him. This powerful act of radical empathy released her from his victimhood and allowed her to move forward in her own trajectory of life.

Her example showed as that by bearing witness to the suffering of others and extending compassion without judgment, we can dismantle systems of oppression and foster a more just and equitable world. Ensler’s impassioned statement that: apology is a pathway to another world served as a call to action for all of us committed to creating a more compassionate society.

Dr. Richard Schwarz: The Healing Power of Inner Work

Dr. Richard Schwarz, a leading expert in psychotherapy and the creator of Internal Family Systems, illuminated the profound healing potential of exploring our inner landscapes. By shining the light of awareness on our innermost depths, we can integrate fragmented aspects (parts) of ourselves and embark on a journey of wholeness and self-realization  – as Schwarz expertly demonstrated live on Soren during his talk.

And on the Friday evening with the conference coming to an end, as Soren retook the stage full of thanks for the volunteers, the wonderful host Michelle Gail, and the speakers, I found myself reflecting on these words from his opening address:

We are seaworthy vessels, and we were built for storms.

Perhaps I will be back.

By Neil Seligman, The Conscious Professional

The post Review: Wisdom 2.0 Conference 2024 appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

Negotiation is a part of business. Indeed, it is a part of life. When anything involves more than one person, inevitably there must be some level of debate, case making and compromise. Whether it’s about what movie to watch or how to close on a multi-million-pound deal for your company… negotiation exists.

Now, the stakes for what movie to watch with your pal, in general, are not especially high. But, in the workplace, artful negotiation, or not, can make a huge difference to many people. Negotiating well is very much a skill that requires practice. It is still true that many companies and professionals go to aggression as their main tool, but this needn’t be the case. Indeed, if professionals practice (as is becoming more the case) mindful, constructive, and connecting forms of negotiation, agreements often come to the fore with both sides feeling respected and catered for.

There are many views on how to negotiate. However, we believe that these five pillars are a good way to begin approaching your negotiations in a more mindful way.

1.     Clarity in Speech

It is critical to be clear and economical. Come to a negotiation knowing exactly what you want to achieve, what compromise you will tolerate, and what you will not. This will set you up to be crystal clear with the other side. Lack of preparation or hot-headedness can lead to waffling. Being unclear in your intent also leads negotiations down paths that neither side is really happy with.

So, be clear. Be concise. Don’t add irrelevant detail. Stay on track. This way, the parameters are clear, and the conclusion is more likely to be close to what you want.

2.     Active Listening

Don’t sit there ‘listening’ to the other side, when really you are just waiting for your turn. It’s easy to get bogged down in your own needs. However, if you are not present and sensitive to the argument of the other side, they are much less likely to steer in your direction. Listen. Properly. Try and genuinely see things from their angle. If there is this kind of appreciation on both sides, and goodwill to go along with it, it is much more likely that all involved will be on board with pleasing all parties.

3.     Constructive Questions

This ties into the clarity and economy point above. Do your best not to ask empty or irrelevant questions. Or, indeed, any question that doesn’t point to you end goal. In a negotiation, be mindful that all parties want to get to the end with a good result, so ensure that your questions move the argument forward and do not go back over old ground. Not only does this muddy the waters… but nobody wants a negotiation to go on longer than it needs to. Grumpy professionals make grumpy negotiators!

4.     Positive Body Language

There have been many studies about how humans communicate. Most of them agree that physical communication (so, body language) accounts for about 55% of human communication. So, you can communicate with the right words all you like (incidentally, verbal communication accounts for around 7%), but if your physical attitude doesn’t fit, you are doing yourself a huge disservice. Physically engage. Show positivity and respect in the way that you move and present yourself. It all plays into a positive outcome.

5.     The Inclusion of Metatalk

In case you are unsure, metatalk essentially refers to communications about the way in which you wish to communicate. It is really useful to lay out the ground rules and to agree a system of communication and mutual respect when entering a negotiation.

By Chris Thomson

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 3 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Learn To Meditate With Neil In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.

2. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Coaching Partnership or Professional Wellbeing Appointment is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil Seligman here.

3. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post The 5 Pillars of Negotiation appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

It is a journey of self-discovery, adventure, inspiration and revelation, promising a growing appreciation of your brilliant self as you travel towards a clear and fearless state of mind.

All are welcome on this adventure, because you are a leader, whether you know it yet or not. You are a leader at work, in your community, at home and of yourself as the guardian of your choices, words and actions. You are a leader, whether it appears in your job title or not. You are a leader, even if nobody recognizes it yet but you and me.

You are the creator of your impact, large or small, and each of your thoughts, words and deeds are at this very moment moving as ripples through the connective matrix of this world. Participating with awareness in this process is what makes you a leader. Nothing more, nothing less.

For millennia, human beings have been on similar journeys of self-discovery, pursuing knowledge, power, health, wealth, purpose, happiness and excellence. The human drive to look outwards, go further, run faster and build taller continues to inspire amazing feats of performance, science, engineering, medicine and technological mastery.

Yet while the human race has achieved great things, we have also fearfully led our world towards significant problems, environmentally, socially and politically. Our societies work well for some and poorly for many, and we find ourselves poised at a moment in history where fresh solutions can only emerge from an entirely new paradigm of leadership consciousness.

The world is crying out for leaders who are conscious: aware, awake, connected. We need leaders that understand that leadership is not about I say and you do, but about I welcome and we create. In short, Conscious Leadership is first on the dancefloor of presence.

This then is the new paradigm of leadership that you are invited to investigate, co-create and move into your world. While Conscious Leadership sets the bar high, it also meets you exactly where you are. There are no access requirements apart from a curiosity to explore and the courage to look within.

The first chapter of the book offers the foundations for Conscious Leadership by outlining tools and practices to build Self-Knowledge. These include developing a vision for your future, identifying your values, considering the concept of right action and communicating your goals, needs and desires effectively. 

In the Self-Maintenance chapter, the focus shifts to the human body and mind as we consider how to optimize and fully explore the physical form through which we express our lives.

In the Self-Management and Self-Development chapters, you are invited to refresh your knowledge and build new skills to enable you to deal well with stress, change and the ups and downs of life. Outlook and mindset are also supported here as the importance of happiness, emotional intelligence, self-compassion and gratitude are underlined. The final chapter, on Self-Realization, draws together all of the work that has been done over the course of the book and offers insights on excellence, alignment and leading others.

Your guide on this journey is no guru or master but a fellow traveller offering a set of time-tested principles, lessons and theories that may provide inspiration for your next step. At every stage you remain the captain of your own vessel, and it is you who selects your next move.

Whether you lead a business of thousands, are at the start of your entrepreneurial journey, or are a worker, teacher, parent or student, remember that ultimately leadership is how you engage with yourself, your choices and the people around you. 

More subtly, it is the vibrational impact that arrives with you when you walk in the room, felt by others before you even speak. 

Wherever you are on your leadership journey, this book aims to champion your efforts by providing theory, direction and companionship on your path.

_____

📚Excerpt from Conscious Leadership – Self Mastery At Work by Neil Seligman (📇Conscious House, 2024)

Buy on Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/4coyTYN
Buy on Amazon USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0995523231

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 3 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Learn To Meditate With Neil In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.

2. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Coaching Partnership or Professional Wellbeing Appointment is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil Seligman here.

3. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post Introducing Conscious Leadership appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

The world is changing fast. Isn’t it always? The world of work has gone through several quite radical changes in the last few years as a result. Pandemics, wars, financial shake-ups, and technological advances, to think of just a few, are some of the things that have shifted our work culture and employment trends permanently. The future is looking radically different to the quite recent past!

So, as life on this planet continues to move forward, and as causes continue to effect, what might be some of the big changes we can expect in the world of work in the very near future?

1.     The Role of AI

Let’s get this one out of the way first! It will be no surprise to anyone that AI is going to have an increasing impact on the way that the job market is shaped across pretty much every industry. Many people find the idea of AI terrifying, with concerns that it will take over and remove jobs from huge swathes of employees. Now although the unknown is scary, and we can’t possibly know how AI will shape the workplace many years from now, it is worth noting a few things.

First, although AI will undoubtedly result in obsoletism for some human jobs, the growing AI industry will also create jobs. AI is set to become one of the leading industries in the world over the next decade. It is also worth saying that AI is not new. We work with AI right now. In many cases, it makes our jobs easier. Google, speech-to-text, voice-activated assistants and targeted marketing are all things that already streamline tasks. There are many more conveniences to come, I’m sure.

2.     The Gig Economy and the Death of the ‘Career for Life’

The gig economy, that is to say ‘side-hustles’, is booming. This is for a number of reasons. First of all, many people have been turning to side jobs to supplement their income. No surprises there. However, as traditional workplaces are still catching up to the desire for flexibility of working, many people have turned to freelancing to be able to take control of their own schedules. I am one such person. Freelancing as a writer means that I can work easily around childcare requirements.

The career for life is also outdated. A much larger proportion of people are sidestepping into different industries from the one they started in. Some of the reasons include burnout, boredom, the desire for a different pace, changing personal priorities and growth opportunities.

3.     Evolving Workplace Structure

The ‘work-from-home’ boom of the pandemic years has proven that it is a setup which makes employees much happier whilst positively affecting productivity. Many industries are still lagging behind on this… however, expect them to catch up to this particular wind of change in the next few years. The future should look much more work/life balance focused.

4.     Financial Expectations

The recent financial struggle that most of us have been experiencing in some way due to, amongst other factors, inflation, has, on the whole, made people more focused on their income and whether they are getting a fair rate. It is no secret that, although many people have seen a generous play rise in the last twelve months, pay rises have generally been below the inflation rate… therefore resulting in a real-terms pay cut.

The upshot of all of this is that there has been a swell in the demand for pay rises. This is not likely to slow down anytime soon, meaning that companies will have to assess their pay rise strategies and come up with attractive ways to retain their employees far into the future.

By Chris Thomson

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 3 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Learn To Meditate With Neil In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.

2. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Coaching Partnership or Professional Wellbeing Appointment is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil Seligman here.

3. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post 4 Predictions for the Future of Work appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.

Ajahn Chah

Even though the seasons seem to roll by increasingly quickly as I get older, I have learned to more fully appreciate the energetic variance of each month as it passes. For me, August is a special one – it feels like the December of the Summer – full of gaps and space crying out to be filled with travel, adventures and reflection – all of my favourite things! August also comes with a sneaky challenge: the challenge of letting go. How easy do you find it to let go of your work, your ambitions, and your projects – and release into flow, enjoyment, spontaneity and joy? Not so easy eh!? I hear you. So, this month, let me offer five little suggestions to help you ease your way into, well, ease.

1 Let Go of Discipline

When I gave up my legal career and jumped into the unknown I had two guides – the inner voice that had called me and my meditation teacher, Georgina (who I remain a devoted student to this day). As I landed back in my life and started looking around for what next, Georgina’s first challenge to me was to let go of discipline. It took me a long while to realise that this temporary release was crucial in getting re-acquainted with my creativity, my adventurous nature and my happiness. I have since become a big advocate for the release of discipline in order to cultivate the joyful spontaneity of the human condition. May I, therefore, give you permission to let go of discipline (waves wand) for whatever portion of August feels right for you – in order to remember the innate joie de vivre that can sometimes get squashed in all that clever busy stuff you do.

2 Let Go of Your Phone

Seriously. Put it down. (Well you can finish reading this, but after that, ok?) August is a time when you have more time to be on your device but less excuse really. So why not role-model your version of a digital detox this month? After all, we all know that the algorithm is cleverer than us by a billionth degree. It knows how to lure you in and turn you into a scroll-faced bear. So, even if it’s no phones at mealtimes – no phones in the bedroom – or no phones between 10am and 3pm on hols – let this be your reminder that life is out there, not in the black mirror.

3 Let Go of Your Identity

Each year at least once I try to go away on my own for a little while – somewhere where nobody knows me. I have always enjoyed adventuring solo and I am extremely fortunate that handsome Jack tolerates this trait with such generosity. As a practice, the value of releasing yourself in this way is getting to discover who you have become and flirt with who you are becoming, away from any expectations or familiar patterns. If this resonates – take a little trip – even for a day, to do something new where you get to meet others and yourself anew.

4 Let Go of Old Habits

The energy of August is like a powerful river – as it takes you to pastures new you can also release that which is no longer needed. Are there some habits or crutches that feel sticky or historical? You can let August help you throw off the old way and discover the new. In other words, let August have its way with you. By September you’ll be brand new and ready for anything.

Pro-Challenge: Let Go of Control

With August comes the potential stress bundle of travel. Delays, cancellations, late baggage and more seem to abound this year more than ever as the industry creaks back into action. If you find yourself out of luck with the travel fairies this August, can I remind you that where circumstances are out of your control, the sane way through is founded on releasing your attachment to expectation and practicing acceptance? Accepting unchangeable facts and optimising your experience from there is the antidote to frustration and rage. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a little vent but move from that into pro-active optimism as quickly as your practice allows.

And with that – I wish you an August of joyful discoveries within and without.

Inhale with ease.

Exhale to let go.

And remember our motto for August: Easy is right.

Neil Seligman

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 4 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Access Free Live Meditations & Energy Transmissions

Inside our private Facebook Group, The Conscious Professional Mindful Community where Neil leads live weekly community events. Join now for free.

2. Learn To Meditate With Neil Seligman In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.  

3. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Conscious Coaching Partnership is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil here.

4. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post 5 Pathways To Peace Learning To Let Go This Summer appeared first on The Conscious Professional.