Posts Tagged ‘Chris Thomas’
Can you use “Made in Britain”?
Have you noticed how “Made in Britain” is appearing more often on products?
A recent discussion with some good folk centred on why this happening. Reasons varied from the pragmatic: there are a lot of tourists arriving for the Olympics so people hope to make the most of it, to the philosophical: in hard times, it may be that manufacturers hope that people will be more inclined to help keep profits in our own economy.
With so much business being done on the internet, an increasingly sought after skill is writing for the web so I pricked up my ears when I heard Chris Thomas of Milton Contact Ltd and Carsten Garrett of Gower Associates mention that English is still the most used language in business and that style and tone is every bit as important as content.
Writing good English is a saleable skill
Brits are a minority amongst English speakers (the majority being Chinese) but speaking and writing English well is a saleable skill in most places in the world. An English accent is still highly prized too!
According to Chris and Carsten, the British, as opposed to American, style of communication is also prized because it is predictable, gentle and polite and makes people feel valued and safe.
We’re not talking about an archaic style of business writing but simply of good manners and most importantly, understanding how we make people feel with our style of communication.
Made in Britain doesn’t just apply to manufactured goods
I have been delighted and surprised at how many people from all around the world have asked to join The Inspired Group and have subscribed to our series “The A-Z of Business Success” each episode with an English speaking recorded interview.
Maybe the very thing that we think of as slightly anachronistic in a fast moving, Americanised world is the thing that we can take most advantage of and that “Made in Britain” can be applied to more than just commodities.
Does your business attract clients from outside the UK? Could it? Is this something you’d value? Tell us what you think.
Ann Hawkins and the amazing TIG can help you grow your business and achieve the breakthrough results your hard work deserves. To find out more, simply click here
Posted in Inspiration | 
Tags: American Style, Archaic Style, Brits, Business Success, Business Writing, Carsten, Carston, Chris Thomas, Commodities, Communication Skills, Ears, Economy, English Accent, English Speakers, Garrett, Good Folk, Good Manners, Gower, Gowers, Interesting Things, Internet Style, Love, Lts, Nbsp, Olympics, Places In The World, Presentation, Profits, Tourists, Writing English, Writing For The Web | 
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Thoughts become things – choosing the good ones
How true is it that thoughts become things?
A guest post from Dr Chris Thomas www.miltoncontact.co.uk
When Ann reminded me about her 2010 article “Thoughts do not become things” (http://goo.gl/SMabr) in a recent tweet, she was railing against those who use trite phrases to promise the earth such as “Thoughts become things – choose the good ones”. Ann was angry at the feelings of guilt caused by psycho-babble remedies that are the quackery of the modern age.
Yet, underlying the simplistic concept is a more complex, fascinating and surprising reality. It is a tale that weaves its way from the very origins of our humanity, via mental sex to survival in a hard business environment. I’d like to debate for “Thoughts become Things – choose the good ones”.
Physical thoughts
The ability to have thoughts is not unique to humans. There is even evidence that animals are capable of a higher level of thought – thinking about thinking (http://goo.gl/mNrK9). However, combined with language, we humans are able to take thinking to a more complex and abstract level.
Many of our internal thoughts are still related to our physical and emotional needs. In turn, our thoughts have physical effects on us. The most immediate are the subtle micro-expressions in conversation (try reading them yourself here http://goo.gl/Fpp5I).
The impact of our thoughts has more profound effects on our bodies.
Mind you, thoughts alone can create orgasmic experiences. Kim Airs is not unique in this (http://goo.gl/CWXpM) as other women and many hormonally-fired teenage boys can testify.
Optimism accounts for a 5 to 10 % difference in outcome such as cardiovascular disease, depression, cancer and are less likely to have or develop certain diseases over time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimism ). In cases where optimism does not appear to have an effect on health, it helps with coping strategies.
Abstract thoughts
We also have an incredible ability to build mental worlds. Mathematics and the sciences are logical constructs that try to make sense of our physical world. Euclid’s “Elements of Geometry” (http://goo.gl/b4a2t) or Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” (http://goo.gl/8uXof) are just two examples of abstract thought put to paper.
The world’s religions and philosophies are thought structures too, based on belief and metaphysical factors.
Explosive thoughts
The most explosive effects of our thoughts are – when we share them with others. Our ideas are challenged, changed and evolved out there in the wider world – or they can die. Richard Dawkins coined the word “memes” for ideas, behaviours and styles that spread from person to person in our cultures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme ).
Thoughts also lead to actions. You are reading this article on a device that is the product of several thousand years of applied science and technology. On the flip side, the idea that women are not equal to men has disenfranchised half the population in significant parts of the globe.
Thoughts become things
Thoughts are such an integral part of us right from birth that our thoughts make us who we are. Because we are humans, our thoughts collectively make our environment, our society, our culture, our businesses.
By our sheer existence, our thoughts become things, no matter how small or how significant.
Choose the good ones – What are they?
This is where I find myself back in partial agreement with Ann, because there are thoughts and there are thoughts. Here is my personal interpretation:
ñ There is no universal thought cure-all – but we can learn from the experience of others.
ñ A wish for something to happen is unlikely to work – but we can have our own aspirations or goals to strive for.
ñ Unpredictable bad things happen, whatever we think – but having our own flexible, positive coping strategies can help us recover faster.
I can give you my thoughts as an opinion or example, but ultimately you have to decide how and what the good ones are that work for you.
Business Thoughts
Taking the subject to a more practical level. As businesses, our thoughts are realised in our products and services. We have a pretty prompt reality check – if our ideas do not work, we can be out of business!
The Inspired Group provides a forum for those of us who wish to grow and develop their businesses by sharing experiences and ideas. It is up to us which of our conscious thoughts become things – and choosing the good ones is a bespoke lifetime project for each one of us.
What do you think?
Chris Thomas www.miltoncontact.co.uk
Posted in Inspiration | Tags: Abstract Level, Bereavement, Black Dog, Chris Thomas, Dr Chris, Extreme Thoughts, Feelings Of Guilt, Internal Thoughts, Kim Airs, Mental Sex, Placebo Effect, Profound Effects, Psycho Babble, Quackery, Railing, Sugar Water, Thoughts Become Things, Trite Phrases, Tweet, Wikipedia | No Comments »
