Soph Hirst | Early-Career Advice

How do you speak up in meetings and share your viewpoint, without sounding confrontational or like you’re trying too hard? 1️⃣ Keep it conversational — most of us switch into a state where we sound more formal in moments of tension or confrontation (like your parents using your full name when you got in trouble as a kid). This can trigger flight or flight in the recipient. You actually want to try sound more human instead, more conversational. 2️⃣ Acknowledge their view point — show you listen. People need to feel heard before they can move on. Acknowledging what someone has said by summarising, or even just saying “I can understand that perspective”, “I can see how you got here” is important before you voice an opinion or share a counter argument. 3️⃣ Adopt this persuasion hack — use the Consistency Principle to your advantage. Ask “are you open to hearing a different point of view?”. Getting someone to agree to something small, can help them stay open-minded to something bigger (because they want to stay consistent to their previous answer). Remember — *how* you say it matters as much as what you say. Keep your body language open (literally uncross your arms and plant your feet on the ground). 👉🏼 I talk about influence, presence, reputation and relationships a lot in my free newsletter. Link in bio 💗 #careercoach #communicationskills #careeradvice #communicationskills #corporategirl #corporatelife #meetingtips

Executive communication sounds scary 😬 but it's simpler than you think. Interestingly, the principles of a👌🏼TikTok video apply directly to how you communicate with senior leaders in your company. Here's why: 1️⃣Time efficiency: You’ve got about 15-30s in a TikTok video to communicate to someone that you’ve got something to share, that they need to listen to. Same for execs. You always have less time with them, so all your comms need to be waaaay more concise. 2️⃣ Context: Executives have a broad perspective. Their view is from a higher altitude. Connect *your* topic to *their* priorities and problems they’re trying to solve. ✨ Tips ✨ 👉🏼 Quickly establish what you’re actually talking about and why they should care. It’s called the “What” and “So What” (aka why is this important to them, what big thing does your update connect to). 👉🏼 Start with the conclusion (the key takeaway, the answer, the request you have of them). Don’t take them on a journey. They don’t need all the details (and they’re very good at asking if they do). Get right to the meat. 👉🏼 Start simple (practice explaining you’re thing like you would to a smart 12 yo). It’s counterintuitive (surely I need to sound as smart and complex as possible!) but remember, they’re across 20, 30, 40 different topics and problems at any time for the business. No one ever gets upset by simple, clear and human communication. 👉🏼 Know what your ask is. What do you actually want them to do? By when? Be specific. 👉🏼 Don’t be scared — it’s just a person who was young once too and good leaders will remember exactly how it feels to be in your shoes and be nervous. 👉🏼If they rush you or sound direct/short, they ‘re probably not trying to be rude. If you hear them saying “yup, yup, yup” (it’s called chirping) it might mean that they know what you're talking about and you have permission to get to the point / cut some of the details. #executivecommunication #leadership #careeradvice #communicationtips #businessskills #successtips #careergrowth #personaldevelopment #genz #youngprofessionals #earlycareer #corporategirl #careeradvice #communicationskills

#1 thing to understand if you work at a company. Companies exist to make money. Not to help you grow your career. So what? If you want something, frame it in terms of the value it creates for the company. Show how your work helps the company achieve its goals / solve problems. Example: ❌ "I want a pay rise because I worked hard and I’ve been here a year." ✅ "I helped the company achieve these big priorities. Here’s where I exceeded expectations. Here is the evidence. I’d like to talk about my compensation." ❌ "I want to take this course, will the company please pay?" ✅ "With our Q3 sales targets, client negotiation skills are really important but it’s a huge gap for our team. I’ve found a Negotiation course that means I can upskill in this exact area. Would the company consider covering the course fee?” #executivecommunication #personaldevelopment #careergrowth #careeradvice #careercoach #corporategirl #communicationskills #earlycareer #genz #youngprofessionals

Biggest mistake I see people make in work presentations is jumping into the detail without explaining to the audience why they should pay attention and what’s going to happen. It’s called ‘wayfinding’. Not using it is like taking people on a roadtrip without explaining where you’re headed, how long it’s going to take, or when they get to stop and use the bathroom 😬 What to avoid and what to do instead: 1. Not explaining why people should listen 👉🏼 you need to tell the audience why your presentation is important to them. 2. Not giving a compelling preview of what you’re going to talk about 👉🏼 you need to get people motivated to give you their attention (don’t read a detailed agenda line-by-line, summarize it like a movie trailer.) 3. Not signposting as you go 👉🏼 Remind people where they are in the presentation (use verbal and visual cues) #businesspresentation #presentationtips #workplacecommunication #publicspeaking #careercoach #careeradvice #corporategirl #communicationtips

The Perfect Update 👌🏼...? Not sure but I kind of love it. Simple and surprisingly effective way to update your manager on projects / tasks and come across as waaaaay more together than you probably feel most of the time 😆 - How to update my manager - How to manage tasks - Managing projects h/t @benmeer for the framework **** 1️⃣ What you were asked to do – Remind your manager of the task's context. 2️⃣ What you did – Show your progress and accountability. 3️⃣ Risks/Blockers – Highlight challenges to demonstrate critical thinking. 4️⃣ If given more time – Showcase strategic insights and forward-thinking. Do the Managers reading think this is a good way for their report to update them? #4BulletUpdate #WorkplaceTips #TaskManagement #ProfessionalGrowth #CareerTips #WorkplaceCommunication #EarlyCareerSkills #CriticalThinking

Why you SHOULDN’T ask someone to "be your mentor" ❌ First, do you even need a mentor? No, but it can really help, especially if you’ve got something you’re trying to do in your career like change industries, land a more senior role etc. OLD WAY: Single Mentor - Single mentor, ongoing meetings (might be monthly, annually etc). Nothing wrong with this approach, but it can be hard to find the right person and this style of mentorship is often best if it happens organically, vs asking someone to “mentor you” (which I personally think is the wrong approach). What if you want to be proactive about it? - Single Mentor relationship can also fizzle our and end a bit awkwardly as each person takes turns cancelling because you just don't really need each other anymore. ✨✨✨✨✨ NEW WAY: Mentor Chat Series 1️⃣ List the career / work questions you have. What are you trying to decide or work out? What do you want to be better at? 2️⃣ Research (aka LinkedIn stalk) different people you want to learn from. 3️⃣ Ask them for a career chat to learn about their experiences ❌ Don't ask them to "be your mentor" 👉🏼 Comment ‘mentor’ and I’ll send you the exact email template I’d use to message people. #mentorship#careeradvice #professionaldevelopment #networking #careergrowth #careertips #success #youngprofessionals #genz #corporategirl

Are you tired of misunderstandings and friction derailing your work relationships? Do small annoyances build up until they become major obstacles? You need a "How We Work" conversation. This is a dedicated discussion about *how* you work together, not *what* you're working on. Think of it as communicating about how you communicate. Here's how it works: - Schedule a meeting with your teammate or manager. - Focus on these 5 key areas: 1. Peak performance times and ideal work conditions. 2. Communication styles, channels, and preferences. 3. Values in work relationships. 4. Frustrations and dislikes. 5. Conflict resolution and maintaining a positive vibe. This exercise helps you understand each other better. It creates a safe space to address potential issues before they escalate. ⭐ Credit to award-winning author and expert Michael Bungay Stanier for the 5 Question Framework that was adapted for this video. #teamwork #communication #productivity #conflictresolution #workrelationships #careeradvice #leadership #professionaldevelopment #genz

This time without the swear word so it doesn't get blocked by the algo 😆 Dealing with rude, annoying and arrogant people at work 😮‍💨 💅🏼 Go-to phrases for common work situations with your coworkers. 🙏🏼 for loving Part 1, here’s Part 2. - Someone being rude or disrespectful - How to deal with someone undermining my authority - How to raise a problem with a coworker ⚡ I talk about coworker relationships a lot in my weekly newsletter, sign up☝🏼 #careertok #worktok #careercoach #corporatetiktok #communicationskills #careeradvice #earlycareer #corporatelife #coworkers #confidencetips

Fav go-to phrases for common work situations ⚡ Show-up with more confidence. - How to deal with passive aggressive comments / coworkers - How to communicate in meetings - Someone derailing me at work #careertok #worktok #careercoach #corporatetiktok #communicationskills #careeradvice #earlycareer #corporatelife #coworkers #confidencetips

Not that you should be thinking about work over the holidays 😑. Mix it up with some fiction pls! 💖 #careercoach #communicationskills #giftguide #personaldevelopment #careergrowth #CareerAdvice #genz #youngprofessionals #bookstagram

Do you notice people doing these or doing them yourself? Lift your presence and be a better listener. Be aware and try to them less. Other "shutting out" behaviors in a meeting context: -Sub groups breaking out from the main conversation -Finishing other's sentences #communicationskills #presence #careertiktok #careeradvice #corporatetiktok #meetings

One of the most common questions at work but weirdly hard to answer succinctly on the spot 😆 Personal branding hack: always have a few bullet points about what you're leading in your pocket so you're confident answering. - how to do personal branding - how to have more influence at work - how to have executive presence #personalbranding #corporatetiktok #careertok #communicationskills #presence #careercoach