Thought Leadership

How to Shape Your Personal Brand and First Impression When Presenting in Japan

When preparing a presentation, most businesspeople focus only on the slide deck. They obsess over visuals, ani...

Episode #4: How To Destroy Your Reputation In 60 Seconds

Why do so many award winners freeze during a one-minute acceptance speech? Even senior professionals can becom...

Why Confidence—Not Arrogance—Drives Persuasive Presentations in Japan

I recently listened to an episode of Victor Antonio’s Sales Influence Podcast, where a guest cited research su...

Why Presenters in Japan Struggle With Too Many Slides — And How to Build a High-Impact, Story-Driven Presentation

I am a self-confessed hoarder—not just with possessions, but with presentation materials. After 548 public spe...

Why Many Business Presenters in Japan Plateau — And How to Escape the “Frog in the Well” Trap

The Japanese proverb 井の中の蛙大海を知らず (“the frog in the well doesn’t know the ocean”) perfectly describes today’s p...

Why Great Presenters Aren’t Born — They’re Coached: How Professionals in Japan Transform Their Presentation Skills

In every プレゼンテーション研修 I teach in 東京, we begin with a simple self-introduction. This exercise immediately reveal...

How to Communicate Effectively in Hybrid and Remote Meetings — Essential Skills for Japan’s New Work Era

Remote work in Japan isn’t disappearing. While many managers prefer having teams physically present, employees...

How to Win Business Pitch Contests in Japan — Presentation Strategy That Outperforms Every Competitor

As Covid recedes in Japan and in-person events slowly return, many executives in 日本企業 and 外資系企業 are rediscover...

How Can Japanese Executives Build True Executive Presence in a Global Business Environment? (Part One)

Many 日本企業 and 外資系企業 in 東京 ask why their Japanese executives are not perceived with the same executive presence...

How Can Salespeople Overcome Buyer Inertia in Japan?

In Japan, doing nothing is often the safest decision. Two powerful forces hold buyers in place: They already...

Episode #5: Making Yourself Clear

Ever finished a presentation and wondered, “Did they actually get it?” Clarity is the #1 improvement request w...

How Can Japanese Executives Build True Executive Presence in a Global Business Environment? (Part Two)

In Part One, we explored how perfectionism in English and linguistic insecurity block Japanese executives from...

Why Japanese Executives Struggle With Perfectionism in English Presentations — And How to Break Free

Why do so many highly capable Japanese executives freeze, over-engineer, or lose confidence when presenting in...

Episode #6: Storytelling For Business

Storytelling isn’t childish. In modern business, it’s the missing engine behind credibility, influence, and ac...

Why Do So Many Presenters Self-Sabotage With “Just-In-Time” Preparation?

A presentation date is set. We’re busy. So we take the Toyota “Just In Time” production mindset and apply it t...

Episode #7: How To Command The Rabble

Why do smart speakers still get ignored at receptions and corporate events? At many business receptions—especi...

How Can Business Presenters Protect Their Personal Brand in an Age of Outrage?

We are living in an era of: shrinking attention spans “fake news” skepticism tribal identity politics ...

Episode #8: How To Market Yourself In Under One Minute

Are we all really in sales and marketing now? Yes—and that reality is reshaping how business gets done in Japa...

How Can Business Professionals Build Genuine Confidence in Presenting?

As presentation trainers, we see it clearly:A transformation occurs the moment participants cross the psycholo...

Episode #9: Find Your Leader Voice

Why do so many highly educated business leaders still fail to communicate clearly? In today’s Japan-based work...