• You will hear five short recordings.• For each recording, decide what the spe

No matter what kind of business situation I’m in, it’s always important to know exactly who the individual is I’m communicating with. The worst mistake you can make is to fail to find out what drives them - money, status or whatever. Once you’ve worked that out, you’ll be able to ensure you communicate what’s in it for them personally. This should essentially govern the way you respond to people, enabling you to stay in control of the situation and achieve the desired outcome.

I’ve found if you want to stay in charge of a situation, the worst mistake you can make is not keeping people up to speed with what you’re doing at every single stage of the process. Of course, that doesn’t mean you need to be seeking universal agreement or approval for your actions and opinions - some people will always be critical - but at least adopting this approach will encourage an atmosphere in which everyone feels included.