Coaching for professionals
Turn complexity into clarity, resistance into engagement, and conflict into collaboration. If you need help with general professional development, improved customer communication, or difficult conversations, just get in touch.
Something’s Troubling Me
When problems feel overwhelming or difficult to express, a structured approach can bring clarity. This article introduces a powerful coaching tool from the book Something’s Troubling Me, designed to support professionals in articulating concerns and finding a path forward. A must-read for those facing challenges in their personal or professional lives.
Task Management Canvas
Whether you’re overwhelmed by tasks or just want more clarity in your workflow, the Task Management Canvas helps you build a personalized time and task management system.
Interesting questions
Asking the right questions is a powerful communication tool. In this article, we explore how focusing on intention, clarity, and brevity can help you influence conversations, gain deeper insights, and build trust in client or team interactions.
Possible Postures for Managing Up
“Managing up” means building a productive working relationship with your manager. In this article, explore communication postures that help align expectations, foster trust, and improve collaboration — even in challenging situations.
Learning Objectives Enable Flexibility in STMicroelectronics Training
How do you deliver flexible, consistent training across a global workforce? At STMicroelectronics, well-structured learning objectives helped tailor development programs to team needs without losing focus. This article shares lessons learned from a real-world case of effective Learning and Development strategy.
Why it’s hardest to communicate when it matters most
In moments of pressure, client communication often becomes unclear or tense — just when clarity is most critical. In this article, we explore the psychology behind communication breakdowns, and share strategies for staying grounded and effective in high-stakes client interactions.
Do Your Best Thinking!
In a fast-paced work environment, clear thinking is a competitive advantage. This article helps you build habits that support deeper reflection, stronger decision-making, and personal growth.
Half and half
Making decisions under pressure can feel overwhelming — especially when clarity is lacking or tensions run high. In this article, we introduce the Half and Half tool, a simple yet effective method to navigate complexity, weigh perspectives, and move forward with confidence.
Bees and FAEs
What do bees and Field Applications Engineers have in common? More than you might expect. This short, creative piece offers a fresh take on the value, versatility, and challenges of FAEs — showing how their unique role helps bridge gaps between customers, sales, and engineering teams.
A Goal Setting Tail
What if setting goals didn’t feel like a chore? This light-hearted story illustrates how defining meaningful, achievable goals can shift your mindset, build confidence, and create momentum. It’s not just about SMART goals — it’s about finding clarity and direction that actually work for you.
The Hurry Monster, RIP
In high-pressure environments, rushing can feel like a badge of honor. But constantly hurrying often leads to stress and poor decisions. This article explores how slowing down can foster greater clarity, calm, and control — and how coaching can help build new habits for lasting change.
A Problem-Solving Experience
This article shares a real coaching session focused on tackling a complex challenge. Through collaborative exploration and clear frameworks, we see how individuals can unlock new strategies and improve their problem-solving abilities — skills that are vital in today’s technical and team environments.
Anna Karenina and Client Encounters
What do Russian literature and technical communication have in common? In this article, we explore the Anna Karenina principle and how it helps us understand why client encounters fail — and what makes them succeed. Whether you’re managing expectations, handling objections, or navigating complexity, this insight can sharpen your approach.
Best practices Exchange for Engineering Team Leaders
What happens when engineering leaders step back from daily demands to reflect and share insights with peers? In this article, we explore the value of structured exchanges for enhancing leadership, problem-solving, and learning culture within technical teams.
Best Practice Exchange outcomes
This article summarizes the insights and takeaways from a Best Practice Exchange session at ICONDA Solutions, where professionals discussed learning, feedback, and growth. Whether you’re a coach, team leader, or engineer, these reflections can help shape your own learning and development strategy.
Engineering Support Beyond Do, Doc, Done
Many engineering teams limit their support to completing tasks, documenting, and moving on. But what if your team could do more — like shaping customer outcomes and influencing decisions? Discover how technical professionals can grow into trusted advisors, not just service providers.
Engineers Add More Value with a Balanced Problem Solving Approach
Engineers often rely on sharp analytical skills — but real impact comes from balancing logic with empathy and communication. This article explores how a holistic approach to problem-solving enables engineers to create more sustainable solutions, work more effectively with others, and add long-term value.
Helping Engineers Maximise the Positive Impact of their Expertise
Engineers often face challenges in making their expertise fully understood and valued. This article explores how communication coaching and leadership development help bridge the gap — amplifying their impact and confidence in technical and cross-functional settings.
The Customer-Facing Few
A small group of engineers and technical experts often carry the weight of external communication — explaining complex ideas, handling objections, and building trust with clients. In this article, we highlight their strategic role and share ways to support them with the right tools and coaching.
Team Building and Training as One Activity
Want your teams to grow stronger and smarter at the same time? This article explores how combining team building and training into a single experience can boost engagement, trust, and skills.
Teledyne Dalsa Warding Off the Hurry Monster
Constant urgency can derail even the most capable teams. This article shares how engineers at Teledyne Dalsa reframed their approach to pressure, urgency, and planning — creating a calmer and more focused work environment while still delivering results.
Energy Control & Pre-Match Planning – the Axcelis example
How can technical professionals prepare for high-stakes encounters with more confidence and clarity? This case from Axcelis shows how simple tools and shared frameworks can help teams align, manage energy, and perform at their best.
Preparing for Customer Intimacy with Communication Training
To develop strong and lasting client relationships, communication is key. This article explores how tailored training can help technical professionals communicate with greater clarity, empathy, and confidence — laying the foundation for true customer intimacy.
Metacommunication: the importance of talking about talking
Metacommunication is a powerful yet often overlooked tool in professional settings. By stepping back and discussing how we communicate, we can reduce misunderstandings, improve collaboration, and build trust. This article explores how and when to use it effectively.
Leadership and Resisting Other People’s Problems (3 of 3)
In part three of our leadership series, we explore a common challenge: getting entangled in other people’s problems. Great leaders know when to help—and when to step back. Learn how to set healthy boundaries and stay focused on your mission.
Leadership and Resisting Other People’s Problems II
In leadership, it’s easy to get pulled into solving other people’s problems — sometimes at the expense of your own priorities. This second part of the series looks at how leaders can build emotional boundaries and resist the urge to over-own, while still remaining supportive and effective.
Leadership and Resisting Other People’s Problems
As a leader, it’s easy to fall into the trap of absorbing your team’s problems as your own. This article explores how setting healthy boundaries and resisting that reflex leads to more sustainable leadership and supports both your wellbeing and your team’s autonomy.
Leading Your Technical Sales Support Leaders
Technical sales support professionals play a vital role at the intersection of engineering and customer needs. Learn how to lead and support these teams effectively — enhancing communication, coordination, and impact across your organization.
Technical Sales Support Outside the Comfort Zone
Many engineers and technical experts are asked to support sales without ever having received formal training. This article explores the challenges and opportunities that arise when stepping outside your technical comfort zone to engage in client conversations — and how communication tools and coaching can help you succeed.
Will Things Get Done? How to work it out.
When you’re leading a project or working in a team, it’s vital to gauge whether things will actually move forward. This article introduces a practical method to assess clarity, commitment, and capability — helping you address issues before they become blockers.
Helping Customers Navigate
Supporting customers isn’t just about giving answers — it’s about helping them explore their options, clarify their needs, and build confidence in their decisions. Learn how coaching-style communication helps technical teams become trusted guides in complex environments.
An Unhelpful and False Image of Work Pressure
We often hold unhelpful beliefs about what pressure at work should look like — fast-paced, intense, always urgent. But this mindset can lead to burnout, poor decisions, and stress. In this article, we explore how to shift this narrative and replace it with a more constructive and realistic view.
I Need Performance; I Get CRUD
What happens when a team needs performance but ends up drowning in confusion, rework, or missed expectations? In this short piece, we look at a common pitfall in goal-setting and delivery — and how better communication, clear objectives, and structured problem-solving can make all the difference.

The First Step Is Easy
We just need to talk