Tom Verrall

Most people who come to communication coaching do not have a communication problem. They are often intelligent, capable and perfectly articulate. They can explain complex ideas, build strong relationships and speak with confidence when they feel comfortable. But place them in a senior meeting, an important presentation or a difficult conversation, and something changes. They speak too quickly. They over-explain. They lose their train of thought. They become more cautious, more forceful or...

No is one of the first words we learn and, for many of us, one of the hardest to use as adults. Particularly at work. We say yes to the meeting we do not need to attend, the impossible deadline and the ‘quick favour’ that arrives at 4.57pm with the approximate dimensions of a medium-sized project. Sometimes we genuinely want to help. Sometimes we are ambitious, conscientious or keen to seem dependable. And sometimes saying no feels so uncomfortable that it seems easier to agree now and...

There was only one Dolly Parton. In an age when public figures are endlessly polished, repositioned and advised to become more palatable, Dolly remained gloriously, unmistakably herself. The hair, the rhinestones, the humour, the voice, the music, the lyrics - none of it came with an apology. Of course, the apparent contradiction was part of her genius. Her image was knowingly artificial, but the woman inside it always seemed to me at least entirely authentic. She got the joke before anyone...