HOW DID I GET TO BE IN AUSTIN POWERS MOVIES AND HOW DOES THAT GIVE ME THE RIGHT TO TEACH COMMUNICATION SKILLS?

**** I’m in the first movie, ‘International Man of Mystery’; the scene where Austin reclaims his belongings from the Sixties, including his Swedish-made...um...enlarger.? And the third movie, ‘Goldmember’; I play the doctor who makes Austin come in for a medical when he’s trying to escape on Mini-Me’s shoulders.

**** So how come 25 years ago I started doing ‘management training’? The golden thread was improv, which Mike Myers taught me when he lived in London in the eighties. We did a double-act together and started the Comedy Store Players improv troupe on a Sunday night.? We’re still going strong.

(For subscribers, I can arrange Premium seats - which have easy access to the bar and the toilets, with a nice shelf for your drinks, in the raised balcony with the best view in the house. I’ll even come and say hello if you ask nicely.)

**** #Improv is very different from stand-up, which happens on other nights at the Store. It’s ensemble theatre where the cast create scenes and stories in the moment from audience suggestions… and those creative and collaborative skills are so useful in organisations. Much more so than I could have imagined in 1999 when I started teaching them to leaders and teams.

**** I wrote a book about this work last year - In The Moment

(If you would like a 20% discount use code KOGANPAGE20 at checkout via that link, which takes you to the @koganpage website. Let me know if you’d like a bigger discount for bulk orders. Or even a customised version with your firm’s name on.)

**** Since then new insights keep popping up, which I will share in this newsletter. Here are a few, based on the workshops and coaching I’ve done in the last couple of weeks…

1. You are an expert in something. Even if your career is relatively new. Don’t underplay your prowess. It’s very likely you know more than me about data, Adobe Express, WhatsApp shortcuts, marketing, Raye, Instagram, gardening, cushions in pastel shades, car engines, golf or ‘discounted cash flow’. (Actually, you may not know much about the last one. It’s what put me off doing an MBA 26 years ago. But that’s another story. One that I will tell here soon…)

2.? When you know you’ve got a big presentation coming up, write down some ideas immediately.? Even better record them on Voice Memo or whatever is on your smartphone. Then new, little ideas, phrases and stories will pop into your head when you least expect them, because you’ve put down a marker. Leaving it to the last minute means little nuggets won’t pop into your subconscious while you’re driving/having a shower/discussing discounted cash flow.

3. Don’t sigh when people mention LinkedIn . It’s a brilliant tool for keeping in touch with friends and colleagues. It doesn’t have to be all showy-off, ‘I’m humbled and privileged to be named Number 1 Expert in Discounted Cash Flow in the Luton Airport Accountancy Circle’ type of thing. You can use humour, you can make it personal, for example in your ’About’ section. You'd be wise to follow Ashley Leeds for some brilliant, fun tips. He has even been known to hang out with people who know all about Discounted Cash Flow.

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