Drop the Pink Elephant: 21 Steps to Personal Communication Heaven - Softcover

McFarlan, Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1841124796 ISBN 13: 9781841124797

Publisher: Capstone, 2003

Synopsis

?I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms Lewinsky.? ?Bill Clinton

A seemingly harmless quote. Mr Clinton was trying to get his point across no doubt. But what are the factors that most people remember about this statement?

Bill Clinton.

Sexual relations.

Ms Lewinsky.

Almost all of us fall into the deadly trap of allowing poor communication skills to obscure our meanings, reduce our effectiveness and highlight our stupidity. According to author Bill McFarlan, most of us tend to talk in these negatives, which he terms 'pink elephants'. By drawing on personal and well-known examples, McFarlan provides a host of classic ?pink elephants? and the ways and means to avoid them.

Bill McFarlan has been at the forefront of British media for over 25 years, starting with local newspaper reporting and ending up as a BBC and Sky Sports presenter. He has worked on many prestigious programmes, including Breakfast News with Jill Dando and Nicholas Witchell and The World's Strongest Man. Since 1989 he has run one of Britain's most successful media consultancy broadcasting business.

About this title

About the Author

Bill McFarlan’s career has been at the forefront of the British media for over 25 years, starting with local newspapers and culminating in anchoring BBC and Sky Sports productions. He has presented many prestigious programmes, including World's Strongest Man and Breakfast News. From 1989, in addition to his broadcasting duties, Bill has run one of Britain's most successful media consultancies, The Broadcasting Business, where he has conducted more than 1,000 training courses in presentation skills and radio and TV interview skills. He has fronted courses across Britain, France, Spain, the United States, Africa and the Caribbean, all aimed at building confidence and competence in communication skills.

Bill lives in Glasgow with his wife and three children. In his spare time he is a keen golfer and squash player.

The Broadcasting Business can be contacted at www.broadcastingbusiness.co.uk

or Tel: 0141 637 9090 Fax: 0141 637 8282

From the Back Cover

"As GMTV anchor, I interview hundreds of people every year. However well they interview, every single person would find it easier to explain their case by following these simple principles." Eamonn Holmes, GMTV Presenter

"I've invited Bill to introduce his Pink Elephants to my colleagues at Guinness (in the UK, Africa and the Caribbean), then Cunard (in the UK and US) and now Amadeus across Europe. Each company I've represented has improved its communication ability through his imaginative techniques." Bill Spears, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Amadeus

"At BP Grangemouth, our positive vision for the future has been greatly helped by getting rid of the Pink Elephants." Colin MacLean, Complex Director

"This book is a terrific model on which to build great customer service. At Gleneagles, we've trained our people to drop their Pink Elephants and use Bill's techniques to maximum impact." Peter Lederer, Managing Director, The Gleneagles Hotel

From the Inside Flap

"There can be no whitewash at the White House." These nine words turned Richard Nixon’s nation against him. Why? Because people only began to believe the link between the White House and a whitewash once the President himself made the connection. His own denial created the story.

It is perhaps the most famous Pink Elephant in history. But what exactly is a ‘Pink Elephant’? The concept was created by Bill McFarlan, broadcaster and communications expert. For years he has been helping business leaders, TV presenters, politicians and people from all walks of life improve their communications skills. But no matter what our background or our occupation our denials we often tend to paint precisely the opposite picture from the one we intend.

And these are Pink Elephants - the unnecessary negatives that clutter our conversation.

In Drop the Pink Elephant, Bill McFarlan reveals how to avoid the deadly trap of allowing poor communication skills obscure our meaning, reduce our effectiveness and highlight our folly. By drawing on well-known and personal examples, Bill uncovers a host of classic Pink Elephants and reveals the ways and means of avoiding them.

Sharpen your conversation by:

· First spotting, then dropping the Pink Elephant

· Getting rid of the jargon

· Learning to speak in pictures

· Recognising when you should apologise or thank people

· Captivating an audience

Drop the Pink Elephant is filled with helpful, simple and practical advice on how to make your words count for more. By putting into practice Bill’s straightforward lessons, you’ll notice how much more effectively you can communicate with others. You will discover a new you. Subtle. Intelligent. Persuasive. Witty. Engaging. Confident. And you will relish every opportunity to try out your new skills.

N.B. No animals were hurt in the making of this book. (Now can you spot your first Pink Elephant?)

Edition details

• Publisher: Capstone
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1841124796
• ISBN 13: 9781841124797
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 180