Thought Leadership

Public Speaking Lessons from the Lord Mayor of the City of London — How to Build Persuasive Presence

Executives are judged not only by results but by how persuasively they communicate. Professor Michael Mainelli...

Presentation Training — Dale Carnegie’s Global Best Practices vs. the Japanese “Way”

Foreign firms frequently assign Japanese leaders to head their Japan operations, assuming they “know best.” Ma...

When Charisma Isn’t Enough: Lessons from a Vivacious but Undisciplined Presentation

A recent presentation by a lively, engaging speaker highlighted an all-too-common issue: poor time control and...

Senior Executives on Stage — Lessons from a Presentation “Blood Sport”

Every year, senior executives compete in a high-stakes, two-minute presentation contest to win votes. For trai...

Pre-Meeting Positioning in Japan — How Executives Build “Know” Before “Like & Trust”

In the age of social media and AI search, buyers check you first. Your “pre-meeting footprint” on LinkedIn, Yo...

Three Contrasting Presentation Styles — Lessons from Jesper Koll, Georg Loer, and Carolina Kawakubo

At a recent panel discussion with Jesper Koll (economist), Georg Loer (after 17 years at NRW Global), and Caro...

Business Presentation Lessons from Joe Biden’s Debate Performance — Avoiding Low Energy, Rambling, and Lack of Preparation

Joe Biden’s debate was widely criticized as “low energy.” While cultural norms in Japan encourage not standing...

Business Presentations and Illness — What We Can Learn from Joe Biden’s Debate Disaster

Joe Biden’s weak debate performance was attributed to a cold and a grueling travel schedule. But excuses did n...

Business Presentation Lessons from Donald Trump — Audience Engagement, Eye Contact, and Vocal Variety

As business leaders, we may not command rallies of devoted followers, but there is still much to learn from ob...

Business Presentation Lessons from Kamala Harris — Timing, Pauses, and Relaxation

Kamala Harris is often praised for her ability to deliver speeches with controlled timing, even when using a t...

Business Presentations in the Age of Distraction and Cynicism — How to Win Attention and Trust

Most business talks present a definitive story: we did this, it worked, and you can too. That approach once at...

Business Speeches in Japan — Why Complaining and Name-Calling Fail

American politics is full of insults, name-calling, and public venting. In Australia, such behavior is not tol...

Business Lessons from the Democratic National Convention — Teleprompters, Pauses, and Energy in Public Speaking

At the Democratic National Convention, all speakers used teleprompters, yet their impact varied widely. Some s...

Business Presentation Lessons from Josh Shapiro vs. Gretchen Whitmer

At the Democratic National Convention, Governor Josh Shapiro was seen as a rising star and potential future pr...

Executive Presence — Why Voice Modulation Defines Business Impact

In many Japanese companies, technical specialists hold deep expertise but struggle to make senior leaders list...

Business Presentations — Style vs. Substance, or Professionalism?

In Tokyo boardrooms and across Japan’s corporate landscape, monotone speeches remain the norm. Busy executives...

Truth in Presentations: Why “Alternative Facts” Destroy Credibility

While it seems obvious we shouldn’t lie, the political world has normalized terms like “alternative facts” (Ke...

From Coffee Chat to Stage Presence: Mastering the “Ba” (場) in Public Speaking

In Japanese, ba means the place, setting, or occasion. In presentations, it refers to the atmosphere and conte...

How Technical Experts Can Simplify Complex Presentations for Non-Specialist Audiences

Because they overload slides with dense data, tiny fonts, and excessive colors. Their passion for research ove...

The 6-Point Visual Checklist for Powerful Business Presentations

Because audiences connect more with human expression than screens. Facial expressions—joy, doubt, surprise, co...