When you’re leading an orchestra, how do you communicate with 80 incredibly talented musicians, all at once – when you’re the ONE person in the room who can’t make a noise? In Untangling Leadership, the new episode in Communication Untangled, Conductor Robert Ziegler shares lessons in leadership communication from his incredible career leading orchestras around the world. @ziegler360 Not just performing classics from Beethoven, Chopin and Holst – but recording the film score to Lord of the Rings, the soundtrack to computer game Genshin Impact, and collaborating with Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, Max Richter, and Pete Townshend and so many more. He’ll talk about: • The importance of eye contact • How to read the room – when you have your back to the audience • Why the best conductors are like the CEO presenting a compelling vision everyone can get behind. I’ll also hear from Majid Islam from Alignment Cubed, who explains how you need to adapt your communication style according to the type of organisation you’re leading – is it a Giant Monster, Elite Team, Visionary Ecosystem, or Efficient Machine? There’s so much in this episode you can apply in your own business! Listen, like and subscribe to Communication Untangled: sookio.com/podcast

I don't mind picky bits. Then again, I don't mind holibobs either. And I've just done a literal guffaw at being reminded of platty joobs 🤣 Britishness at its finest!

How do you construct a winning argument? Leading criminal defence barrister Chris Daw KC @crimlawuk is a man who knows. The Hillsborough enquiry. Defending high-profile sportspeople like John Terry and Ryan Giggs. Serious cases of fraud, corruption and a £500m cocaine trafficking ring. Chris has an incredible track record in winning over judge and jury - and some very good stories to tell! And he tells me all about it in Untangling Arguments – the new episode of Communication Untangled. I caught up with him between cases to explore his toolkit of persuasive communication techniques. He shares some intriguing secrets, like… ✳️ The clues he looks out for in the jury which help him decide which words and phrases to use ✳️ How he seeks out the ‘corridor of uncertainty’ – then goes on the attack! ✳️ And why Donald Trump, teenagers, and short, snappy political slogans are so effective in winning an argument. And we take a short recess in the middle and move from the court into the workplace. Zodia Hall, the Conflict Resolution Lady, explains how arguments rarely start where you think they start – and how you can use the EAR framework to resolve tension and rebuild trust. Listen to Untangling Arguments and you’ll be well on your way to a triumphant victory next time you fall out with someone! Start here: sookio.com/podcast

It's been unsettling all weekend, following the news about Paris and Limoges on Twitter while having to be alert to AI disinformation and taking the default position of not trusting what I'm seeing just in case, then looking it up to be sure. Stark contrast to the night of the horrific Bataclan attack when Twitter was a lifeline really, enabling people to take shelter - and you just trusted that what was posted was verifiably true

I've signed up to tweet.app to see what's what... Try this link to have a nosey too... signup.tweet.app/r/sookio

What’s your business identity? Giant Monster, Elite Team, Visionary Ecosystem, or Efficient Machine? In Untangling Leadership, the latest episode of the Communication Untangled podcast, Majid Islam from Alignment Cubed explains how you need to adapt your communication style to the type of organisation you’re leading. The idea that there is a one-size-fits-all approach to communication is where many business leaders go wrong. • Efficient machine? Like Starbucks, MacDonald’s, Toyota…Start with why to give people a deeper purpose behind what they’re doing and keep them interested. • Giant monster like GSK or AstraZeneca? You need structure in your communications. • Elite team? Like a startup or small consultancy with expert specialists…focus on trust. • Visionary ecosystem? For platform organisations like Netflix or AirBnB it’s all about communicating your values and vision. Listen to Untangling Leadership to hear Majid explain in full. It makes total sense – and might even change the way you think about leadership communication completely… Listen, like and subscribe to Communication Untangled: sookio.com/podcast

“You need to have the score in your head, not your head in the score.” For Untangling Leadership, the latest episode in the Communication Untangled podcast, I sat down with orchestra conductor Robert Ziegler and sounded him out on leadership communication. He’s led orchestras across an incredible mix of genres – from the world’s best symphony orchestras performing the classics to Quadrophenia, computer game Genshin Impact, and the recent live tour of David Attenborough’s Ocean and the film soundtrack to Lord of the Rings. He explains that as a conductor one of the most important things to do is to listen. You need to connect with the musicians, make eye contact – look up from the score itself and actually listen to what they’re giving you. It’s just one of the lessons in good leadership communication which you can take from our conversation and apply to your own business environment. We also talk about: • How do you read the room – when you have your back to the audience? • What’s in his communication toolkit of hand gestures, baton, facial expressions and body language – and how does he bring it all together? • Getting the best out of brilliant people – like Placido Domingo • Recording Lord of the Rings in Abbey Road in London, with director Peter Jackson dialling in from New Zealand and relaying instructions As an amateur pianist, lifelong music lover and business founder myself, our conversation left a lasting impression – I hope it will be music to your ears too! Start here: sookio.com/podcast and scroll down for show notes with links to Robert’s YouTube channel and Spotify playlists. [📸 Matthew Andrews, Ray Phillips]

Sunday night cinema viewing - Verity - did my usual thing of not reading any reviews, and actually didn't know anything about it at all. Really gripping! I've actually been working all day; something that needed full focus and to get into a flow, hence weekend working. Good to completely switch context and get lost in a film

What's going on with women's fashion at the moment? No, I don't want barrel-leg trousers that make me look like I have rickets. I DO want a new faux leather biker jacket to replace the one I've worn continuously for 10+ years... but everything out there is weird and baggy and looks like something a character in Only Fools and Horses would wear

All set for today's session on #PublicSpeaking with @HomertonCollege Changemakers 🌟

🥑 You're a serial entrepreneur and founder of a subscription box for perfectly ripe avocados... 🧦 You've built SockTok, a social network exclusively for people who have lost a sock... 🍞 You're an award-winning expert on toast texture and author of The Future Of Breakfast... Great to be back at the @HomertonCollege @HChangemakers residential today, where I'm running a very interactive session on public speaking. I thought I'd prepare topics in advance so there's no pressure to come up with something interesting to talk about on the spot. Should be fun! As well as the activities, I'll also share: * an all-purpose structure you can adapt to any form of public speaking, from showcasing your research to pitching to investors * quick tips on what makes any talk go well Looking forward to the Catalyst Showcase later too, where they'll get a chance to put everything they've learned into practice! What's your favourite tip for #PublicSpeaking - from calming your nerves to structuring your talk? I'll share your advice during the day...

Oh go on then. Introduce yourself by listing 10 bands you've seen live: The Cure PJ Harvey Orbital Underworld Lamb Lush Pixies Nitin Sawhney Prodigy Massive Attack Stone Roses OK, so that's 11 and a couple are solo artists but hey, it's my account and I'll do what I want 🤷🏻‍♀️ – at Ely, England

Looking forward to the 4th year of our Big Marketing Challenge with @LR6FC in which we set an exciting series of challenges designed to give young people practical, tangible experience to give them a leg up into careers in marketing, communications and the creative industries – at Ely, England

Looking forward to running a session on public speaking 🌟 – at Ely, England

I just think Meta is a dying brand. Everyone within the bubble thinks this is incredible, but the levels of distrust elsewhere are off the scale. And the younger generation are seeking out connection and 'real' experiences; not going wide-eyed at the latest Meta launch – at Ely, England

Seeing all the Rory Stewart stare jokes srill going strong makes me really glad I never left Twitter 🤣 – at Ely, England