Entries by Matt Wright

The Vocabularist – Food to make the world go round

Word derivations

Can you guess from which language each of these food names originated?

Soup derives from French- C13 soupe
Cheese, Latin – cyse
Coleslaw, Dutch – kool ‘cabbage’ + sla ‘salad’
Tea, Chinese – Mandarin ch’a, C16 Portuguese cha
Banana, African – borrowed by C16 Portuguese
Coffee, Arabic – qahwah, from the Kaffa region of Ethiopia
Chilli, Spanish – borrowed from C17 Aztec
Soy, Japanese – variant of shoyu, borrowed by C17 Dutch

read more

March 7, 2016 /0 Comments/by
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Oddball Q’s – from Oxbridge to Interview

The Power of Logic

It started out in entrance exams to esteemed Universities, but it seems that those dastardly ‘Oxbridge questions’ have now filtered down to job interviews and life in general.

Technical information can be learned rote-form, but Oxbridge questions seek to test how a person thinks – can their mind only work on one train of thought, does it hop around randomly, and how quickly can it adjust to new challenges?

Forewarned is forearmed…. read more

February 29, 2016 /0 Comments/by

Case Studies – The Art of Storytelling

Not being a particular fan of statistics, I came across a very interesting one recently:

63% of attendees remember stories after a presentation. 5% remember statistics 

Source: LinkedIn Sales

Now as an ex-equity salesperson myself, I am fully aware that you can make statistics say anything you want them to say, but stories…..now…storytelling is a different matter entirely!

The Issue with Statistics

Here’s my issue with statistics:

  • Statistics are ‘shouty’ – they read like a statement of fact which brooks no argument; e.g. “5% remember statistics” = no more, no less
  • When people are shouted at, they cease to listen to the message – they just hear noise
  • Any context for the statistics are usually relegated to a footnote or ignored entirely; e.g. we polled 15 people, all of whom were aged under 25 years old

So, straight away, quoting statistics at an audience tends to put them on the defensive, or at least it does for me – maybe my previous career as a City Analyst has made me far too cynical for my own good?! read more read more

February 22, 2016 /0 Comments/by

BLT Networking: Magic Wand, Birds on Telegraph Wires, and Customer Advocacy

Main Q: If you had a Magic Wand for your business, what would it be?

This meeting’s topic for discussion provoked a lively exchange of views around the table, with the ‘Clone myself’ comment promoting a few chuckles….visions of little yellow minions in blue dungarees abounded!

The main ‘Magic Wands’ were:

  • Clone myself / have more days in the week – a common time management or  work-life balance issue
  • More sales / repeat business – target larger organisations offering more opportunities
  • Change the perception of my business
  • Productisation – ah, I think this was me, an attempt to ‘manage’ the bespoke element when copywriting 
  • Have a High St Office – I think the main point here was a ‘cheap’ or even‘free’ one!

Minions

Follow-up Q: What can you do to make it happen?

Ah, here’s where it get’s a bit trickier – turning ‘Thoughts’ into ‘Actions’.

Following breakfast, we split into groups to consider what we could do about waving our own ‘Magic Wands’: read more read more

February 4, 2016 /0 Comments/by
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Recap: Digital Henley Networking Event – Getting Social

The excellent 3rd Digital Henley Event took place this week on Wed 27th Jan, superbly organised by Redberry Digital via Meetup.

Around 100 delegates (is that the right word…maybe participants is less formal?) packed into the function suite at The Red Lion Hotel in Henley to hear industry experts present on the evening’s theme of ‘Getting Social’.

Over the course of the evening there was plenty of time for networking, and in between, 2 Keynote speakers (30 mins each) and 3 Microslot speakers (10 mins each) entertained and informed the delegates/participants (you decide). read more read more

February 1, 2016 /0 Comments/by
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My summit is just out of reach….

Two stories caught my eye in the paper this week, both on the same day to be exact (Tue 26th January), both on the subject of risk-taking and leadership.

Henry Worsley, Polar Explorer

Three months previously (mid Nov-15), Henry Worsley (aged 55) set off solo and unaided to retrace the same Antarctic crossing which Ernest Shackleton was forced to abandon in 1916.

His journey was beset by bad luck and appalling weather, and so, after 71 days of walking, he was forced to abandon just 30 miles from the finish. read more

January 31, 2016 /0 Comments/by

2016: A Year of Classics

A ‘Classics’ New Year Resolution

Have you ever been browsing through a 2nd hand market bookstall , glanced over the battered spines embossed with exotic titles, and thought ‘I should have read that book’, ‘I wish I understood book’, or ‘I’d like to say that I’ve read that book’?

The knee-jerk response is usually ‘Oh, I’d like to, but I just don’t have the time’.

Mine was too. Until I started to walk away, but then stopped and thought to myself, ‘Well, make time then!’ read more read more

January 25, 2016 /0 Comments/by
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BLT Topic – The Comfort Zone, Basic Fears & Laptop Monday

BLT Discussion “When was the last time you pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone?”

BLT Discussion Summary:

  • “The brain craves security” – I think this was Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs rearing its head once again….not for the first time in our discussions!
  • “In corporate, you generally spends 80% of work time either defending your position or attacking that of others v 20% actually doing ‘good work’ – this reverses when you are self-employed” – which was interpreted as anybody who is ‘self-employed’ is by definition ‘outside their comfort zone’ because you are operating away from the security of a monthly salary
  • “Job descriptions prevent people from pushing themselves” – interesting how the conversation kept coming back to what was wrong in the corporate world? The point here being that job descriptions encourage ‘jobsworth’ behaviour (a tautology or an irony?) – redefining this as the ‘purpose of team’ or the ‘purpose of role’ works far better
  • “When you’re on top of your game, change your game” – a quote from a book on how Business Leaders could learn from the All Blacks Rugby Team
  • And finally, a poignant thought ,“Do you HAVE to grow if you are happy & complacent…or will the world change around you in the meantime?”

Other topics from the BLT Meeting

  • Laptop Monday – Mark Harris (Enterprise Doctor), takes place BLT discussion & Laptop Mondayfortnightly on Mondays from 25th Jan (actually it started at the beginning of the year, but I thought I’d be forward-looking) for £15 a session at a business room in The Bird in Hand pub (or 14th Century Coaching Inn if you prefer!), Bath Road, Knowl Hill, Berkshire, RG10 9UP
  • Marlow Chamber of Commerce logoMarlow Chamber of Commerce – Tony Thornby (President of Marlow CoC) pointed out
    it’s great value! The year ends in Apr-16, so for £25 you effectively get a 4-month trial, with 1
    meeting per month and a web page on the Chamber website.

About BLT

BLT (Business Let’s Talk) is a networking group which meets for breakfast (7:15am – 8:45am) every Thursday fortnight at The George & Dragon in Marlow.

Pre-booking is required and there is a (flexible) limit on attendee numbers in order to keep the meetings personal and to facilitate group discussion.

The chairperson for each meeting selects a theme which is discussed over breakfast (this could be a discussion topic, a guest presentation, a book review….in short, anything) alongside the usual networking activities. read more read more

January 25, 2016 /0 Comments/by

Branding – how clever should you try to be?

Clever introductions

The following is one of those ‘clever’ introductions – rather like modern day restaurant or car reviews – when the author talks about everything BUT the product/service in question until the last paragraph. Alert! – not something which works well online unless you have a very dedicated readership!

However, this blog uses a great example that really set me thinking:

Give readers the opportunity to use their brain

“A few years ago on a trip to the San Francisco Zoo, I noticed a particular phrase written on the napkin and paper towel dispensers throughout the property. read more read more

January 18, 2016 /0 Comments/by