Job descriptions for leaders and managers always stipulate a need to communicate. And as a CEO, I am expected to be able to talk to many different audiences on a number of subjects, often at the drop of a hat. (LOL I hear you say in my case, since born in Cork, I have certainly benefited from its proximity to the Blarney Stone.)

While public speaking doesn’t faze me (in fact I rather enjoy it), I have recently had to do more TV and radio.  And whilst for me TV is a challenge (not least since there’s nowhere to hide),  I recognise that it’s a great way to make people more aware of what we do at LEYF; it also forces me to be good at sharing our message in no more than 2 to 3 minutes. So, under pressure from my Chair, I agreed to undertake a one-to-one media training session.

When asked what I wanted to achieve, I said that my worst nightmare would be finding myself in front of Jeremy Paxman; trying to convince him that if we were nice to babies we could end up with world peace. As ever, he is in tip top Rottweiler form – yep just imagine! (Remember that poor young politician Chloe Smith).  My only goal would be to survive and retain an ounce of credibility.

The trainer never balked at such a task, and immediately started to unpack my anxieties about answering questions and sounding credible. She reassured me by telling me how people we consider great orators, like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, were much improved by some serious training on the art of communicating.

So here are some great tips that will help us all become as smooth as Obama:

• Get your message clear in your head
• Be clear about your desired outcome and what you want people to hear
• Don’t worry about your strategy for answering the question – just use the time to make the point you want!!

And if this last point got your attention, here are the rules for doing that:

• Acknowledge the question (using words and phrases like ‘interesting’, ‘useful question’ etc; just try not to sound like a politician – sorry President!)
• Broaden the question so it fits into the bigger picture and allows you to refocus on your issue
• Clarify your point or throw the ball back to the questioner
• Decide on your action (this may be where you apologise, agree action or flirt like mad)

Some other useful pointers you might like to try out for yourself:

When making your point, remember the interviewer will be operating the 80% / 20% rule between fact and opinion.  They will at times be a cat who likes fact, respect and challenge – and if you don’t give it will play with you like a trapped mouse – while at other times you need to be the dog, seeking approval and a pat by being warm, engaged and liked.

Remember the Jerry Springer mantra: “Talk to the hand ‘cos the ears ain’t listening”. Well there is something in that, not least because the audience spends as much time watching your hands as it does looking at your eyes.  Palms up means open, opinions and some entreaty; palm down says listen to me, I am giving facts here and I am knowledgeable.

I always thought working in Early Years set you up for life.  Remember the importance of giving children a space to answer the question?  Apply that rule when making your point.  Try and keep silent for at least two long pauses.

When giving a speech with certain key words use the rhythm of a nursery rhyme to make your point:

Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow
Everywhere that Mary went
The Lamb was sure to go

And finally, breathe steadily; it will slow down your pace and tone.  I always feel that when making a very important point it’s easy for your voice to scale up so you end up sounding like a character from Neighbours, when everything sounds like a question, or Beatrice from Much Ado about Nothing, ready to eat you alive.

Some of my next speaking engagements include:

• Launch of the South Westminster Timebank at 121 Marsham St
• Childcare Expo in Coventry on ‘How to ensure we give two-year-olds the best deal’
• National College for School Leadership Conference on Early Years and Academies
• Scottish Pre School Play Association in Glasgow on Leadership which keeps Children at its Heart
• 11th National Sure Start Conference on how to ensure an economically viable future in financially challenging times
• Rachel MacMillan Early Years Conference arguing that children in the UK go to school too early

So if you want to see how successfully I manage to put anything I learnt into practice, come along to one of these. Just be kind, and not a Jeremy Paxman wannabe ready to pounce…

Meanwhile,  if you have any tips that work for you, let me know in the space below.

Admit it, you’re either going on a diet, thinking about a diet or have just given up a diet and busy trying to accept your muffin top or your beer belly. If you’re from TOWIE, you’re saving up for liposuction or a gastric band!

This was the opening conversation I had with three LEYF nursery managers from our Dagenham nurseries while we were offered free refills of Coke or Lemonade on tap and our meals came piled high with chips.

Every time you turn on the TV someone is telling you how to eat, exercise or overcome your food issues. From Fat Camp to BBC 2 we’re bombarded with how to stay thin. Did it ever occur to people that we stay thin by eating less and accepting the fate of most women over 35 which is to be constantly hungry and feel guilty when you do eat? I liked the programme Horizon: Eat Fast and Live Longer on BBC 2 which told us to eat what you like 5 days a week but restrict yourself to 500 calories twice a week and not only will you maintain the body of Elle McPherson you’ll also reduce the chances of  high blood pressure, diabetes 2 and a myriad of other illnesses. I was really up for that till I discovered 500 calories is three apples and a bowl of cabbage soup. Peter Kay, in his tour to end all tours, made me cry for laughing as he expounded on his terrace (his fat tummy) and why we shouldn’t shop when hungry because of the high chance we’ll have eaten 4 of the 5 Kit Kats before even reaching the check out. I ignore Kit Kats and head straight to the Curly Wurlys.

So here’s the irony, we who have so many issues with food, are probably overweight and delight in calorific foods, such as chips and wine (although red wine has anti-oxidant resveratrol which makes you more nimble), are responsible for the dietary wellbeing of so many children. Their parents listen to us when we talk of a healthy diet; a balance of carbohydrates, protein and vegetables. We know that small children lack zinc and carbohydrates and need a good tea, we also know that organic milk increases intake of omega three which has huge benefits for children.  We know much more than that, for example:

• 28% of children aged 2 to 10 in England are obese. In London, the highest proportion are in Westminster, 4th are in Tower Hamlets and Kensington and Chelsea, and Lambeth are joint 8th (all places where we have nurseries)
• 34% of children aged 11 to 15 in England are obese
• Diabetes 2 (poor diet induced) is a growing problem in the UK
• Children bombarded as they are by ads for fizzy drinks and fast foods are unable to distinguish between ads and TV content
• A poll done by growingupmilkinfo.com found that 80% of children had eaten pizza and chips by the time they were two and 1 in 1000 parents had never cooked for their children
• The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is calling on the Government to reduce obesity and ensure that children in nurseries and Children’s Centres are served nutritionally balanced food as well as being able to offer correct and helpful information about food and eating

At LEYF we have been campaigning and even wrote the Standards for a National Qualification for Early Years Chefs. We recognise that the person in charge of the food should have a lead role in understanding what to cook, how to serve it and how best to support colleagues and parents understand about good food.

Despite an overwhelming array of information about food, staff and parents remain confused and obsess about body weight which to some degree misses the point.  We need to grow a body of capable and well informed staff who can give sensible advice, provide us with highly nutritional food, challenge the unhealthy obsessions with losing weight and focus instead on staying healthy by eating sensibly. As my Grandma always said “a little of what you fancy never did you any harm”…it’s when you are eating 5 Curly Wurlys at a go you should start to worry!