Monday, 12 December 2022 00:20

Cheers! Here’s to Your Health!

When it comes to drinking alcohol, most people put very little thought into it. They have no understanding of the four levels of impairment caused by drinking alcohol, what a “unit” of alcohol is, or how much is too much. They could not tell you how long it takes for the liver to process alcohol and what a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) reading means.  And so too many people make poor choices and get into trouble with alcohol – getting arrested for drunk driving, having accidents, harming their health, wrecking relationships and so on.

Yet with a few simple facts and a basic understanding of alcohol and its effects, all of us can easily be in a position to make sensible and healthy decisions around drinking alcohol that will benefit ourselves, and others, in both the short and the long term.

Published in My Articles
Monday, 10 December 2018 07:26

Banishing the Christmas Blues

Whether people celebrate Christmas in the true Christian sense or not, the end of year holiday season is traditionally a time when families and friends get together. The emphasis is very much on reunions – people travel from far and wide, spare rooms are made up and more people are squashed around the dining room table.

Hollywood plays its part, portraying Christmas as the harmonious coming together of friends and family, the giving and receiving of wonderful gifts and the sharing of fabulous meals around the table. But the reality of Christmas for so many people is not like the movies at all. Christmas is fraught with tension, stress and depression for many.

Published in My Articles
Tuesday, 20 November 2012 23:24

Walk the Talk

Article as it appeared in Country Life magazine. By Patricia McCracken

 How do you face social encounters if you're feeling burnt-out or nervous? "Being well-prepared is a great confidence-booster however tired you feel - and also for any nervous novice staff", says Durban executive coach and psychologist Claire Newton. 

Published in Magazines
Monday, 02 September 2013 16:47

The Practical Art of Making Conversation

Whether you are at a formal function or an informal gathering you will be called upon to make conversation with others. Mastering this skill - either one-on-one or conversations in small groups - is thus an important life skill as it will give you the confidence you need to handle both business and social events.

This practical course covers the fundamentals of conversation such as how to start a conversation with someone you don’t know; effective introductions to ease the way for others; how to be interesting rather than boring and how to include everyone in the conversation. We also touch on non-verbal (body) language.

Tuesday, 26 March 2013 12:23

Mastering the Art of Conversation

Learning how to converse well and easily with others gives people more confidence when handling both business and social events. Mastering this skill - either one-on-one or conversations in small groups - is thus an important life skill.

In this talk, I cover the fundamentals of what it really means to be a good conversationalist, how to make effective introductions in order to ease the way for others, and (for emergencies) how to escape from the boring individual who insists on dominating your attention. We also touch on non-verbal (body) language.