Anybody who wants to get ahead needs to network. Think about that statement. Chances are you’ve heard it before, but how much have you taken it to heart? If you’re not comfortable in social situations, you might have brushed this off a few times. At some point, you’re going to have to network. In the article, Katharina Engelhardt talks about 3 reasons why networking is important. Learn to love networking!

The actions you take during your first few months in a new role will largely determine whether you succeed or fail. Therefore, you need to plan and prepare yourself. Ideally, you begin to define your learning agenda before you formally enter the organization. If you fail to plan you plan to fail. In my blog article I offer 7 tips on how to approach a new leadership role and build in the first 90days into the new role a solid foundation for lasting success.

Performance appraisals are often feared by employees and line managers. But it doesn't have to be, because good preparation will allow everyone to discuss the past year's performance and focus on the next steps. It is important as an employee to enter this review prepared to ensure maximum outcome.

In this blog article Katharina Engelhardt presents 5 tips on how to prepare for your performance review to ensure that you confidentially reach your expected outcome and have a follow up on how to proceed.

In my blog article the importance of effective feedback part 1

I did focus on describing what Effective Feedback is. Feedback is not a simple matter, both to give and to take feedback. It can sometimes be painful, embarrassing, defensive or create new difficulties. And this is why people shy away. In this blog I focus on barriers to Effective Feedback and

The Benefits of Feedback in the Workplace. Hand on heart: When was the last time you asked colleagues or your manager for feedback? Has it been a while? Then you are like many other employees. Yet most people are well aware of the importance of feedback: Without feedback, there is no targeted development.

Feedback is a conversational way of telling others how you see them or learning how others see you. Feedback, therefore, consists of two components, namely giving feedback and receiving feedback.

This article looks at the three objectives to give feedback. Deep dives into the questions: What Is Effective Feedback?

Effective feedback has the desired effect, that is, the outcome that we want (for example, a behavior change). At the same time, it is given in such a way as to maintain the respect and dignity of all the parties involved. Katharina offers 3 approaches Balancing Positive and Constructive Feedback. At the end we need to understand that giving effective feedback is a powerful management tool. Giving & Receiving Feedback in the Workplace is part of her course SPEAK UP!

Difficult people do exist at work. They come in every variety and no workplace is without them. How difficult a person is for you to deal with depends on your self-esteem, your self-confidence and your professional courage at work.
They all have one thing in common. You must address them. No matter the type of difficult situation in which you find yourself, dealing with difficult people or situations is a must.

Handling difficult people is more about you and your reaction.

My blog article offers 15+1 Smart Techniques to Deal with Difficult People at Work.

Deciding to reconsider or even quit a job is a significant moment in your professional career. While it’s normal to have challenges at work, feeling a deep and lasting dissatisfaction towards your job is worth exploring. It's important to recognize the difference between when you should work through a challenge and when it's time to reconsider or even leave a position.

There are many valid personal and professional reasons to reconsider or even leave a job. In this article, I’ll walk through eleven powerful signs it may be time to reconsider and three actionable steps you can take right away to explore the situation.

If you now get the feeling that quitting your job is the best decision for you do one extra step. Think about TAKE IT – CHANGE IT or LEAVE IT.

You are the pilot of your life. Take your time.

For many professionals, limiting thoughts or even negative beliefs haunt their minds. These have a limiting effect on self-confidence and success at work. I have observed this especially in women.

Our life experiences - essentially, our successes and failures - are shaped by two types of communication: Our inner communication, which includes our ideas, our thoughts and our feelings.

And external communication, which includes words, tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and physical actions. Every communication we are "involved" in is an action, a cause. Every communication therefore has an effect on ourselves and others. In this blog I will look at our inner communication and offer a process to dissolve limiting beliefs.

Women in business may find day-to-day communications challenging. How do I express my thoughts, needs, and goals with assertion? Will I be perceived as aggressive or pushy? How do I drive the conversation in a way that leads to my desired outcome while maintaining a positive relationship with the person I’m interacting with?

Many women want to develop the assertive communication skills needed to express themselves, deliver a message effectively, and be heard without second-guessing themselves. Finding the right balance between confidence and an impactful expression of your position is key.

Assertiveness is a skill that means demonstrating healthy confidence where you state your rights and stand up for yourself in a respectful manner. You are taking care of yourself by looking out for yourself.

Even at the highest levels of organizations, many otherwise dynamic women struggle in meetings. Some say their voices are drowned out; others can’t find a way into the conversation at all. Their male counterparts perceive a problem, but they tend to dismiss it as resulting from timidity, defensiveness, lack of focus or excessive emotion.
After some investigation, I suggest 9 steps women can take to feel more comfortable and become more effective. It is a combination of activities women can contribute and what organizations can also implement to ensure that women’s voices are heard, e.g. by providing direct feedback about meeting behavior, inviting more women to the table and proactively pulling women into the conversation.
These changes can have profound results, enabling all team members, male and female, to contribute to their full potential.

Good communication allows to manage many situations in life smoothly. Getting the message through to your boss isn’t always easy. For one thing, there’s an imbalance of power there that can make it difficult to be candid. For another, it’s often hard to get the timing right — you’re busy and so are they. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to improve your communication with your boss, no matter what kinds of challenges you face. But great relationships are based on having great communication, so what is the best way to improve your communication with your boss? Try these 7 effective ways. The goal of this framework is to optimize outcomes and ultimately to save time, not only for yourself but also your boss. This topic is part of my course SPEAK UP! The masterclass for women in body language and communication.

Active listening is one of the most critical skills in effective communication. Most of us were taught how to speak, how to present clearly, how to make a good argument, defend a position, ask questions, make a point, but few of us have been taught how to listen. We may have been told to listen or scolded for not listening but seldom taught how to do a better job of it. So, we grow up thinking that listening is “not” doing something. That it is passive. We are either good at it or not. But that is not really true. Listening is a skill that can be learned and developed like any other skill. The article features some techniques you can use to become an active listener. The author offers an easy exercise How to Become an Effective Listener on request.

Believe it or not, most communication is nonverbal. Are you really saying what you think you’re saying? If you often find that people misunderstand you, perhaps your body language is communicating different thoughts than what your voice is saying!

Adjusting your body language can strengthen your communication and help you make a better impression in all kinds of social and professional settings. Facial expressions, hand gestures, and posture all communicate certain meanings. When your body language agrees with your words, what you say is much more powerful.

Whether you wonder what messages you're sending with your body language or you just want some tips to brush up on your communication skills, here are some techniques you can try. Katharina Engelhardt shares general principles, head and body adjustments.

Body language is an important interpersonal skill. By taking conscious control of your nonverbal communication, you help yourself to feel more confident and you put others at ease.

Body language and career confidence are the center of her course SPEAK UP!

Why Are People So Anxious About Public Speaking?

Public Speaking Fear can be paralyzing... You probably know the feeling. You can work for weeks, learn the materials, prepare the presentation. You try to ignore the anxiety. And then it's the moment... You go to the stand... Your throat is dry, you begin to stutter... Your brain feels empty. The good news is that this phobia can be reversed and that there are lots of help to overcome this problem.
In my course SPEAK UP! We tackle exactly this topic.

7 TIPS HOW TO SAY NO

Time is a limited resource and we all need to be careful what we do with our time. It seems that there is never enough time in a day. But, since we all get the same 24 hours, why is it that some people achieve so much more with their time than others? The easy answer is in good time management. Lots of people attend time management seminars, with the following idea: Effective time management is the effective use of your time that allows you to plan your days in such a way that you finish your work with less effort and make the most of the limited time you’ve got. But for many of us it is not time management which is the challenge, but to say NO! The blog shares 7 tips on how to say NO!

Branding (if you haven’t worked on creating a brand yet) or rebranding (if you’re considering a job or career shift), means deciding which career path you’re on and tailoring your message, expertise, and what’s visible to network connections and prospective employers, to match that brand.

Your brand, besides showing what you’re capable of doing and where you’re heading, will show employers what you can bring to the table and how you will add value to their organization. In my blog article personal branding as an employee I am showing ways of how to strategically be visible in the corporate world.

You need to be clear what you stand for, who you are and who you are not. The first step is to Create your Branding Statement

Enjoy updating your Branding Statement, this is what I cover in my course SHOW UP!

Networking isn’t a numbers game…

…it’s about making a meaningful connection with someone you can learn from, who in turn can teach you new things. Unfortunately, this makes networking suddenly seem more intimidating.
When talking about networking in coaching session people often regard networking as professional coffee chats, they don´t know whom to contact and how to prepare for networking, all reasons for not getting started at all. In this blog post I look into these topics; the why, the how and the what of networking. I personally do not like the word networking for me I am weaving a net of opportunities and I never talk about networking when I approach someone, it is a touch base or an exchange of thoughts. The right mindset, a strategically build network and some preparation for the evens are the magic formula to build your net or opportunities with ease and confidence. Networking does not need to be intimidating and it is for sure more than professional coffee drinking. Once you realize this networking will become a natural routine.

The elevator pitch is one tool to introduce yourself to someone in a compelling way to set up for a successful professional conversation. It makes introductions during networking and job search simple and effective. Your elevator pitch should answer the following questions: Who are you? What do you do? State what makes you different. What do you want? Include an attention-grabbing hook. Keep your pitch simple and tailored to the audience. It is recommended to invest time into your elevator speech and prepare it when you are not under pressure. During my course SHOW UP! you will work on your Elevator Pitch and get feedback in a safe environment. This course is a good forum to prepare and practice. We start mid-September after the summer break.