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About Laura Mai I'm a 25 year old from Amherst, New Hampshire who fell in love with the United Kingdom and am now using the education and experiences I have to make a positive impact on the world. My story is one of resilience, determination and passion. It has been a long and sometimes difficult journey, but I have persevered, even when I have felt like giving up. Through my experiences, I have gained a better understanding of the world and how to make a positive difference. I firmly believe in the power of education, and the capacity of individuals to make lasting changes to the world. I am passionate about using my knowledge and skills to empower women and to create a world where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. I believe that this is possible through education, positive action and inspiring others to make a difference. I have spent the last few years working on projects that have enabled me to help others and use my skills to make a difference. I have been involved in projects such as Voice ESEA, which works to reduce East and South East Asian violence, and The Sustainable Recruitment Alliance, which focuses on sustainability in the recruitment sector. I have also created the app, The Guard, which was a response to the murder of Sarah Everard and the subsequent movement towards safety for women. I am now working as a behavioural psychology consultant for Desire Code, where I am using my knowledge to make a difference in a new sector. I am passionate about this work and I am determined to continue to make a positive impact on the world in a way that serves God w ho has blessed me and for whom I am thankful for every day. Follow me

Sales Tips from MEDDICC Do you want to get better at sales? You're in the right place. ​ What is MEDDICC? MEDDICC is a Sales Qualification Framework used by the world's most successful sales teams to help your company or business drive sustainable growth. First, five tips Everything should start with the customer Qualify opportunities and forecast revenue - if you’re not confident it will make you money let it go To embed MEDDIC everyone in your org has to be onboard. This can be done through a discovery process, workshops, delivery and embedding. Time is a seller’s most precious asset, be conservative with it. Effort + time does not always equal success, work optimally and avoid sunk cost fallacies Plan who you want to attract and qualify relentlessly. Customers as a result will self-qualify and respect you more. Those who qualify out may come back to you when they are ready. DISCOVERY ​ Discovery is not a stage, it’s a mindset. Always be curious, actively listen play back what you’ve heard. Ask questions like “Have I heard that correctly?” Use open-ended questions If you’re ever lost use the TED model. Ask one question that starts with the word tell, one that starts with the word explain, and one that starts with the word describe Try questions like the following What is working? What is not working? When it works, what good things happen? When it does not work, what bad things happen? Whom does that affect? How much does that cost? Why haven’t you tried to solve it yet? Do your research. Start with the company’s annual report, tech stack and news articles/ press releases. Know who you are talking to. Know who you will be engaging with. What is their role? What are their likely goals and challenges? Who are your mutual connections? Can anyone give you insights on this person? Would they have used your solution or competitors before? What public information is available online about this person? Quantify the value of what you offer by asking how much additional growth the customer thinks they will see implementing your solution. This allows them to envision themselves in the future. FREE MEDDICC DEAL SHEET Find the brief Ask about their tech Know who you will be on the call with Ask questions Anticipate objections Be open Hunt for negatives (find a problem worth solving, act as a consultant) Remember to be in a qualification mindset This call is about them not you Finish the call strong, ask for next steps. Try “It seems like you might have some next steps in mind?” OR be more direct and try “Thank you for this super insight you have given me today. If it is ok with you I think a good next step would be to show you how we can connect our solutions to solving some of the goals and challenges you have raised today.” If a customer doesn’t know what their problem is, it’s your job to plant one Talk like a business person trying to solve a business problem. Not a salesman trying to solve a business problem. ​ COMPETITION Take the high road with the competition List pros and cons of both methods in a balanced way Know your unique differentiator THE GO-LIVE PLAN Go-live is to be shared with you and your customer for a mutual launch date It keeps them engaged If they’re not engaged, find out why. It is often because they are disorganised, don’t have technical expertise or are unqualified. Investigate and remember if it doesn’t seem worth your time anymore get out. I’ve created one for you here Free lesson link here METRICS Use metrics to drive urgency and answer questions like: Why should you buy from us? Why should you buy now? Uncover metrics by asking What does your solution do that is unique and valuable? What is the metric that quantifies that value? Two kinds of metrics (M1 and M2) M1 is business outcome metrics and M2 is Return on Investment Metrics. A common mistake is aligning metrics to value, aligning metrics to initiatives is key. Ask about this during discovery Use storytelling to illustrate metrics Make sure your champion knows your M1 and M2 for their business Include metrics early in the process, mid-way, and post-sales for ongoing business ECONOMIC BUYER Engage with an economic buyer. An economic buyer is a person with overall authority in your buying decision They can say yes when other people say no, and no when other people say yes. Identifying the economic buyer isn’t easy Underqualifying the buyer - is the most common. Don’t trust someone just because they say they own the budget Overqualifying the buyer. Some CEOs have no hand in day-to-day offerings. Qualifying criteria for the economic buyer They can veto your champion Their focus is in line with keeping with the organisation’s strategy Access to discretionary funds not part of the budget They have profit and loss responsibility They will sign your contract or be a key approver Find out information about your economic buyer from your champion. How do they like to be engaged (phone, email?) What do they care about? What do they like? What do they dislike? If your champion won’t introduce you to the economic buyer, find out why and explain the benefits and that it’s literally your job to talk to people like the economic buyer Other routes to engage the economic buyer are to go direct or use a senior exec on your team to engage Always be ready to engage with an economic buyer, and talk in their language. In your first interaction build credibility by showing what you’ve helped them solve the results they’ve seen mutual connections you have who you can introduce them to Ask the economic buyer questions like “I’d love to get an idea from you of what you think would be a great indicator of this solution being a success for you?” From our conversation today, it seems as though we can really help you solve your objectives. With your sponsorship, I think we could find more areas of value across the organisation. Would you be willing to sponsor the project?” Don’t expect them to get your solution at first Economic buyers make decisions through Cost - how much will it cost? Completion - how long until we can realise the value? Confidence - how confident is everyone around the solution Introduce the economic buyer to the Go-live plan Economic buyers may be able to help you circumnavigate procurement DECISION CRITERIA Decision criteria is a checklist of requirements your client wants to satisfy Double-check your customer’s decision criteria if it will be costly. Is it necessary? What data are they basing the requirement on? No decision criteria might be a red flag, it can indicate non-motivated decision-makers There are three types of decision criteria: Technical - does your solution match the criteria? Look at infrastructure, integrations and ease of use Economic - is your solution financially viable? Most companies will have an ROI variable. For every £ they spend they will want to get £x back. Other economic criteria are risk, time, opportunity cost & commercial terms Relationship - how closely do your organisation’s values align with your customers? This involves executive alignment, industry, company direction, values, reputation, character and investment Influence the decision criteria where you can Influence the decision criteria as early as possible If you don’t influence the decision criteria, your competition will Articulate the decision criteria so people can understand it and talk about it to key decision-makers Make agreeing to a decision criteria with your champion part of their decision criteria DECISION PROCESS This is how your customer will make a decision. Know your key people and the process people go through to evaluate, select and purchase your solution Uncover the decision process as early as possible Normally there will be parts added or hidden in the decision-making process you don’t know about. Be mentally prepared for this There are two parts, technical validations and business approval Technical validation is the process your customer goes through to validate your solution’s feasibility to solve requirements in the decision criteria Business approval often runs parallel to the technical validation, but if it happens before this can be a red flag. The business approval consists of people. Ask yourself questions like Who needs to approve this deal? What is their role? Are there any committees or formal bonds? How long does each person take? Who or what can slow this down? Who can help me speed it up? Never assume your Go-Live plan is correct Ask other parties who have worked with your clients for any advice or heads-up they can give you Summary snapshot of the sales process Early: How does the customer make a decision? I fully understand how the decision in my deal is going to be made and I am tracking my progress along each step Late: Everything is on track against the decision process and I am managing the final steps PAPER PROCESS The paper process is the steps that lie in place ahead of contracts being agreed and signed The paper process begins once the seller has been given a clear indication they’ve been selected You need your champion to help you map out your paper process. Ask your champion: Have you worked through these stages with a solution of similar complexity/cost to mine before? What things should we look out for? What have you seen go wrong? What things should we be doing to be on the front foot? Three key elements of the paper process The process - know the process and who to go to if a key stakeholder becomes incapacitated The people - know who is required at each stage and make sure they’re not going on vacation The timing - the seller should have an end time in mind. Generally, these tend to cluster around the end of a quarter. If you want the sale by the end of the quarter plan to close it a week before Put your paper process in the Go-Live plan Stay on your toes Introduce NDA’s in the early stages Paper is evidence of commitment IMPLICATE THE PAIN There are three types of pain Financial pain - in pounds earned Efficiency pain - in efficiency lost People pain - lack of motivation, productivity or morale. Often measured in output or high turnover Find the owner of the pain Mirror the language your customer uses about their pain to describe their pain so they feel understood Identify the pain Identify - talk about problems you have solved for other customers and expand on them by asking if they are having the same issues Put yourself in your customer’s customers shoes and identify the pain Indicate the pain Work with your champion to quantify the pain and create a business care Implicate the pain Show a glimpse of the future utopian state your solution can provide Use two-sided discovery to keep the customer in the moment of their pain Uncover Pain in Discovery Pain creates urgency Implicate pain throughout your sales process Transfer ownership of the pain from your customer to you CHAMPION A champion is a person who helps you and has power, influence and credibility within the customer’s organisation The more champions you have the better, although generally there is only one Champions have three criteria that must be met A champion must have power and influence A champion acts as an internal seller for you A champion has a vested interest in your success Power and influence do not necessarily mean seniority The most critical selling your champion can do for you is when you’re not around Build credibility with your champion by value selling Educate your champion on MEDDICC Make sure your champion knows how to sell what you’re selling at any time and should be able to answer Why the customer should buy the solution Why they should buy from your company Why they should buy now Fall back on your references if required to add credibility for your champion Build credibility with your champion via networking You can use events to build champions, but they have to be exclusive, and there can’t be any business chat Write an email to someone senior to your champion if appropriate giving the champion praise on their diligence Elevate your champion’s career Invite your champion to speak at an event you’re hosting Invite your champion to a podcast Interview your champion for an industry magazine or blog post Test your champion and ask What are they measured on? Who are they accountable to? Who was involved in creating the decision criteria? Who is included in the decision process? What resources are they in control of or have access to? Check your network for mutual connections to your champion and ask what they’re like Ask your champion “In the conversations you’ve been having about my solutions internally, has anyone raised concerned or negative opinions?” Test your champion has a vested interest in your success and ask them “What happens if we don’t win” to find out what they have on the line from bonuses to awards to promotions Red flags in champions No buying experience Not run any deals in their current company They won’t overstep They don’t provide any information you don’t already know Champions are comfortable with the uncomfortable No champion is better than a fake champion COMPETITION Types of competition Rival solutions - natural competitors Other projects/ initiatives that require the same funds/ resources The organisation's internal team building on the same funds/ resources Inertia - the organisation doing nothing Build vs. buy debates are as political as they are technical Signs your deal is headed for inertia blockers The customer is unwilling or unenthusiastic to build out metrics You are unable to engage the economic buyer The decision criteria are undefined or there is no decision process You haven’t been able to identify a strong enough pain You are failing at finding other stakeholders interested in sponsoring your deal There is no compelling event Before building your competitive strategy consider political, technical and commercial elements Political Who is your competition? Are they known to you? How were they engaged? Before you? At the same time? What were the circumstances? Do they have a champion? Who is it? Are they stronger than yours? Technical Do you know their strengths and weaknesses? Do you see any evidence of their presence in the materials you are coming across? Commercial How do you usually compare commercially? What areas of value do you have over your Competition? Are they in the Decision Criteria? If not can you have them added? Build traps to highlight your strengths and your competitor’s weaknesses Plan the traps they will set against you and create counter traps Have a competitive strategy document RISKS Risks sit with both the seller and the customer and are things like deadlines or maternity leave Mark risks as green, amber and red The best tool for eradicating risks is your champion CLOSING Your team has to be all-in for MEDDICC to work Front-line managers are vital for the adoption of MEDDICC Executives have to be on board You need to showcase quick wins and celebrate them early Training never stops Run MEDDICC reviews Sales and marketing need to work together Create your own MEDDICC checklist (pretty much the list you just read) Create your own closing checklist - or get some smart hardworking girl to read a book and make one for herself and share it with you: click here Score each deal on how you performed using MEDDICC breaking it down into each component to assess which area needs improvement. Go back through this list after major deals to reflect

頁面標題 這是一個段落。單擊“編輯文本”或雙擊文本框以開始編輯內容，並確保添加要與訪問者共享的任何相關詳細信息。 每個網站都有一個故事，您的訪客想听聽您的故事。這個空間是一個很好的機會，可以讓您全面了解您是誰，團隊做什麼以及網站必須提供什麼。雙擊文本框開始編輯您的內容，並確保添加您希望網站訪問者知道的所有相關詳細信息。 如果您是企業，請談談您的創業方式並分享自己的職業生涯。解釋您的核心價值觀，對客戶的承諾以及如何在人群中脫穎而出。添加照片，圖庫或視頻，以提高參與度。

評論怎麼說 “我想你會為那蜂蜜做好的……我愛你，我為你感到驕傲” - 我媽 潘捷利斯·迪米特里烏（PANTELIS DIMITRIOU） 高級會計師EPEA 勞拉（Laura）在實習期間一直很棒。勞拉組織能力強，能夠在緊迫的期限內進行批判性思考並優先處理所有與財務相關的任務。此外，勞拉（Laura）通過提供出色的創意，快速發布社交媒體頁面並確保流程高效來幫助我們通過使用社交媒體來促進我們的團隊發展。我相信勞拉（Laura）將是一筆財富，並將在她的未來事業中脫穎而出。 圖像調色板 董事EPEA 勞拉（Laura）是一個勤奮，守時和敬業的人，他一直在尋找機會發展改進領域。勞拉（Laura）具有出色的主動技能，她幫助業務開發團隊制定了各種主動計劃。 曼丹·塔曼 市場營銷專家 我與勞拉（Laura）合作完成了一個項目，該項目需要我們分析數據並為一家能源公司提供戰略。在那段時間裡，最讓我印象深刻的是勞拉的組織和表達能力。她將始終關注細節，並提出創造性的解決方案來解決該問題。她是一個出色的團隊成員，始終為保持團隊士氣高漲做出了貢獻。

For audio narration copy and past here: https://www.naturalreaders.com/online/ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ H ow it all began - Divorce and house fires ​ I've always wanted to be something, I think it's only child syndrome. My parents always told me I was meant to succeed, and I guess I've always felt like falling anything short of that would disappoint them and myself. Tell me, do you ever feel like that? As much as I try not to let other people affect my self-worth, I think my parents being disappointed in me will always be something I avoid. Mostly because they'd be sad, and being sad and American is a dangerous combination- they would probably sue me for emotional distress and I can't afford that! ​ ​Anyways, let's get to the story. I grew up in Amherst, New Hampshire which is a small town of ten thousand people on the East Coast of the United States. Whenever anyone in London asks me I just say I grew up in Boston, it's close enough. When I was younger and my parents were still together, life was good. I did dance, fencing and played the piano from the age of five. I also always loved learning. I went to day care and I remember reading books and wanting to get through the rainbow levels in math. I was too young to go into Kindergarden so I repeated it for a year. I think that was a good decision on my parent's part, I got smarter and by the time I got to first grade I was reading chapter books and throughout school I was always in the advanced classes. Being at the top part of my class gave me confidence growing up. Now that I'm older I wonder if it's the best idea to separate kids like that, it did a lot of good for my confidence, but I wonder if it did just as much damage to someone else's. There's a chapter in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers that shows top athletes are generally born right after cut-off times, I bet you the same is said for top students. Oh god- now I'm sat here wondering if everything I've done in my life is purely because I was born in November. What do you think? Guess we'll never know for sure. Like I said, going through school I was always in the higher level classes, but I coasted a lot. I half-assed my homework and when something scared me I would self-sabotage it so I can say I failed because I didn't do that much. When I was younger I was afraid of true failure, which to me is trying your hardest for something you want and not getting it. It embarrassed me and it held me back. To be honest, in school even though I was smart I never achieved much. I was average. I got average ACT and SAT scores because I barely studied, I didn't get into St. Paul's (a private high school in New Hampshire) because I didn't do my application well, I didn't make the varsity field hockey until senior year (everyone makes the varsity field hockey team senior year) and overall I just didn't work hard enough towards things I really wanted at that age. I didn't have long-term goals or any goals at all really. I was an emotional wreck in high school. Why? In summary, I had a house fire when I was sixteen, a problem with disordered eating and I also wasn't speaking to a close family member at the time (to protect their privacy I've left out who). I slept on an air mattress for a few months at my mom's boyfriend's house about an hour away from school. Everyday I felt it sink closer and closer to the ground. I still can't sleep on air mattresses to this day. These things weren't fun for me, but I lost the receipt and couldn't return them. I did things I'm not proud of during this time, and it took a long time for me to forgive myself for them, but I learned perspective for how people behave in difficult circumstances and from that I became a much less judgemental person. I may not have been able to return my circumstances, but I exchanged them for wisdom and resilience - and for that I am so grateful. ​ There were some things I did succeed at. I made some of the best friends I could ask for, I did well enough to get into the University of Surrey, and I took four AP classes and an honours course my senior year. I got B's in most of them but it was hard and I think it's the first time in school I actually challenged myself. I think I even got my first C in AP Bio, but I was going through a lot at the time and I'm proud of how I did. Part of that was because I had a great support system in my school, especially in my tennis coach, Rick Katzenberg, and my teachers (Sue, Anne, Ane, Terry, Gavin- I'm looking at you!!!). At the time I didn't realise how much I needed them, sure I was thankful, but it wasn't until much later that I became eternally grateful for having people outside my family and friends who cared about me during that time because they were able to balance a firm hand with a helping one. I learned a lot about hard work and time management during the second half of high school, and a lot about myself, when I did the work to sort through the trauma. Like I said before, I am so grateful for that time because it prepared me for what was to come and I ended up where I was meant to be- at Surrey. My second year at Surrey - the kick in the ass I needed ​ ​"How did you end up at the University of Surrey" is probably one of the questions I'm asked the most. The answer is that my mom's long-term boyfriend at the time went there and senior year he showed me around. I liked it enough and it was half the tuition per year and I got to do a three year degree instead of a four year degree. I still remember my first day coming to the UK. I fell in front of a bus full of people getting to my dorm and I had a conversation with someone where they said "Wow! Your english is so good!" I'm glad my english was good enough for them, because unfortunately I don't have another language (besides horrible French) that I could've spoken to them in. While I was at Surrey, I studied business management. I kind of coasted again for the first year and a half, but I had a friend in second year who showed me what hard work looked like. I think it got to a point a few weeks before my finals in second year where I realised I wasn't going to get a first unless I studied crazy hard for two-weeks straight. I wasn't prepared. At all. I also wasn't paying my own tuition and the guilt I would feel if I did poorly ate at me, so I studied incredibly hard and finished the semester with a 69.5 which barely rounded up to a first. I hated the fact that I'd let that happen and I vowed to not let it happen again, so from then I got my shit together. I became a regular at the library. I changed my identity here. I stopped clubbing and started being more consistent at the gym. Second semester I got a first and I felt like I truly earned it. The next year I went on placement as a Marketing/ Accounting assistant at a small firm in East London. It was a 9-5:30 job through and through and I learned a lot about accounting, but I didn't know enough about marketing yet to make a real impact. It was a good experience though because afterwards I came out with a lot of knowledge on how businesses work from a numbers and admin point of view, and my boss Pantelis showed me how to manage demons (my Outlook inbox), which still serves me today. The pandemic - where I found my passion It was during my placement year the pandemic hit. I loved the pandemic in a weird way. I needed it to find myself. I started writing poetry, which has become one of my greatest passions in life, doing crafts and then I read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell during the Black Lives Matter movement and it changed my life. ​It sounds ignorant now to say I'd never thought about diversity and opportunity before, but I think the whole point of the Black Lives Matter movement was to raise awareness to the fact most people didn't. When I realised I felt the need to act, I didn't do everything perfectly, some patience and listening on my part would have been nice, but that came with time. What's important is that I acted. I wrote articles and read more books and reached out to everyone I could. I really started to care. I'd always cared about people I love, and myself but before this I didn't give time to a world that has given so much to me. I'm privileged, more than some, less than others, but I am. This time in my life made me want to use it for something more than serving myself. ​ If I could boil what I think my purpose into a sentence, I think it would be- wait give me a second. I think it would be: To work and learn for myself and others with respect, trust and courage. ​ ​Nothing revolutionary, but it fits. I'll let you know when I think of something better. I stole the last part from my high school slogan. What can I say? It stuck with me. ​ ​My final semester at Surrey - starting an app ​ ​I did well my first semester back, but I remember the first paper I sat at midterms in International Business Management I got a super low grade. I didn't understand and I cried. I was like, how did this happen? I'd prepared what I thought was what they wanted, but I immediately emailed my lecturer to figure out where I went wrong, and by the end of the term aced the final. This was the semester I also took my first Human Resources class, I did okay on the final paper. I didn't focus enough and probably could've done better but I enjoyed reading about the subject so much that I learned too much and ended up word vomiting for 2700 words straight, but by second semester I had it down and I found myself starting to take risks. I also spent all of this semester upskilling myself in Canva, Powerpoint and web site design. When I came back to Surrey mid-pandemic in my third year of study I spent the first semester relearning how to learn academically. ​I was taking an entrepreneurship class at the time, and I had an app idea called The Guard which was a response to the murder of Sarah Everard and movement towards safety for women that came with it. The original idea for the app was to have a fast SOS alarm and bracelets to alert bar staff to when someone felt in danger on a night out. There were a lot of logistical issues, and the app didn't work out, but I started an Instagram page and built a website before we had an app to crate a community to launch to, and what it turned into still amazes me to this day. I created a blog, podcast and posted every day on that Instagram three times a day. It was a labour of love. The community was supportive and loving and the Instagram page, which was full of content surrounding news on sexual harassment, mental health and feel good content, was making an impact, averaging 30k views a month when I was able to keep up with it. I learned so much in this time working with people from all walks of life, national charities behind the scenes and it felt good to be doing something good. I wish I still had time to do more of this today, I got into a PhD programme at Surrey around how we can use major events to empower people to act against sexual harassment, but I didn't get the salaried funding I was up for and couldn't afford to do it. That was tough for me, one day I hope to come back to making an impact in this space, it's always in my mind. ​ My time at Blackbridge - How I started doing work with Amazon, Clifford Chance and Vodafone and became a Director of Voice ESEA ​ We were originally supposed to meet for three coffees, but now she's like my UK mom. She's given me so much support and love since we've met and she helped me get my first job at Blackbridge Communications, by putting out a post on Linkedin. I moved on from Blackbridge, but I've gotten to do some amazing work for clients like Amazon, Rolls-Royce and Lloyds Banking Group, and all before I turned 23. ​ I started as an intern, but after I made up my mind about not going for the PhD, was made a Business Analyst. I love the people I work with. They're kind, funny and challenged me. ​ They also put me on working with The Sustainable Recruitment Alliance, which was founded by Blackbridge and Laura Yaetes. This sparked my interest in sustainability. I felt valued there, they gave me real work, they treated me like I was worth being in the room. ​ The other woman I met was Yinsey Wang. She's another person who does so much for me, and for everyone around her. I'm going to add another few sentences because as amazing as she is, she's too humble. She even put herself at the bottom of the Voice ESEA, which is an organisation focused on reducing East and South East asian violence, website (She is the founder of the entire organisation...)! I've learned so much from Yinsey about being an advocate for the East and South East Asian communities. She's detail oriented, and always thinking about every perspective possible in a way that's not condescending- but encouraging. I reached out to Yinsey on Linkedin to get involved in Voice ESEA, since joining our team has created impactful Instagram posts, worked with the police on a ESEA violence heat map and recently we've worked with The University of Surrey with events courses with the outcome of two groups of students putting on amazing events full of learning and culture. DesireCode - Where I am now I met Denise a year ago tomorrow (I'm writing this 2 October). We met in a yoga class where the instructor David told everyone to talk before the class. ​ After we got a coffee. Something between us clicked, we're very similar people in what we love and who we are. We kept on going to yoga and meeting up, when one day Denise told me she wanted to hire me for DesireCode. It took a while as I finished things up at Blackbridge, but it made the day when the project we were waiting on was green lit, that much better. ​ We got dinner at Sticks n' Sushi, I put in my notice and now I've started a new chapter in my life as a behavioural psychology consultant. ​ I can't wait to see where it takes me. Where do I want to be? On a beach? ​ Honestly? Not really for more than a few weeks a year. I think I was meant for a life around communities and people I love. I think that's why my work is so good. I love it. I don't always like it, but I love it. I'm really happy with my life and I have a lot of things I want to do, and every time I complete a goal I find another thing I want to improve on. ​ You can read more about my long-term goals here. I have big goals, and I live every day like I could make them happen because I can.

Here to help. Enter Laura Mai Gainor - Psychology Blog, LauraGainor - Current Director Voice ESEA, East and South East Asian non-profit educational charity - featured on iTV 3 times for work on ESEA hate crimes -Public speaker and facilitator in-person and online (past experience includes: Youth Marketing Strategy Conference, People Like Us, Lloyds Banking Group, People in Law, Microsoft, and LFX) Passionate about DEI and human health.

Hey bestie, I went to an improv comedy class yesterday. It was loads of fun and our teacher revealed six lessons you can take away that I'll transfer to the world of work. Ben Van der Velde's six comedy tips ( https://lnkd.in/ebYfqpCc ) The six tips 1. "Say yes and..." Saying "yes and..." means you've accepted their reality, no matter how ridiculous, and continues the flow of the scene. A great way to apply this to teams would be in brainstorming meetings. Instead of no but, see what happens if you don't reject any ideas and play back and forth. 2. Look for offers Ben says to look at what people wear and say to find an idea to play with and joke about. In a corporate setting, look at what people are wearing or saying to find ideas to connect with. Is your new client wearing vegan shoes? Is there someone at a networking event with a sports logo from a team you like? Use these offers to create an in-group bias and connect with people immediately. 3. Love bomb the audience Be kind and be everyone's biggest champion. Negging can be funny, but it doesn't work on a lot of people especially if they're tired, stressed or frustrated. So be everyone's champion! Tell your colleague what a great job they did on a proofread. Send an email to your client and add a sentence about how much you appreciate their communication style. 4. Embrace failure Ben says to keep trying different things. If one joke in a 5-minute stand-up set gets a laugh, he's happy. Keep this attitude in mind with brainstorming sessions and new meetings with new people. Daniel Kahneman's work on peak-end coding revealed people's perception of an experience is improved if there is a high 'peak' vs. a decent overall experience. 5. Make assumptions about people People love to be unique, let them know what you notice about them and be open to being wrong and ask questions. Ask someone if they're vegan and if they're wearing vegan shoes. Ask someone if they like being healthy if they like yoga if they seem like a calm person. You can learn a lot about people by picking up on offers and making assumptions 6. Remember status When doing crowd work, Ben makes assumptions about people that are either extremely high-status or extremely low-status (so it's clear it's a joke). For example, Ben asked me what my job was and I said I worked in Behavioural Science and was the trustee of a charity. He then replied I must be morally reprehensible and clearly at war with myself caught between corporate marketing and doing good. The whole class erupted in laughter. Use this when meeting someone for the first time to break the ice and start a conversation. To be on the safe side in a corporate setting, I'd keep it extremely positive by saying things like "You must be the next Einstein" or "Remember me when you win a Grammy".

What are my goals? When I am trying to figure out if I can trust someone, if I'm unsure, I ask them what they want. It shows intention and reveals a lot about character. I've put exactly what I currently want out of life below. My mind is always on these five things. Always. If I see an opportunity to get closer to one of my goals, I will try it as long as it doesn't conflict with my values. My values are respect, trust and courage. ​ I will always be upfront about my intentions, but I will not try and force anything or anyone. It's within my control to ask, but it's within your control to say yes. Although I have my goals 2,3,4 and 5, goal number one: to continuously make choices God is proud of, is the most important to me and always will be. That being said, if there are any ideas you have to help me achieve my goals, reach out. I'd love to hear from you. 01 To continuously make choices God is proud of. 02 To be able to retire by 35 (not to actually retire, just be able to financially). 03 To publish a poetry book. 04 To give a Ted Talk. 05 To give back to others what has been given to me.

What do people say? “Oh honey, you try very hard, I'm so proud of you." -Mary-Anne Pham Mother of Laura Mai Gainor and Full-Time Receptionist. Tao Huang, Researcher and Lecturer at The University of Surrey Laura was definitely one of the top students in the class- diligent and talented. Adesuwa Oboshan, Union Chair at University of Surrey Her work ethic is on a different level. Laura is always willing to help team members in any way that she can. For example, during our first year of university, she assisted me with my finance revision and ensured the I understood the formulas and what was needed to be successful in the exam. Yinsey Wang, Lawyer | Advisory Council Member - British Museum Friends | Co-Founder - Voice ESEA | Shortlist - WATC Rising Stars ‘22 Laura has a fantastic eye for visuals and how to present information in an interesting and clear format. Her enthusiasm is infectious as she brings a lot of positivity to the team. Finn Lynch, Director at Blackbridge Communications I worked with Laura on a project that required us to analyse data and provide strategy for an energy company. During that time, the things that impressed me the most were Laura's organisational and presentation skills. She would always pay attention to details and come up with creative solutions to tackle the problem. Mike Hanbidge, Head of Employer Brand at Blackbridge Communications I think Laura has a lot to offer; enthusiasm, intelligence, hard work. I've been impressed with how she takes on tasks and delivers good quality work. I also like her ideas. Experience of clients, what they respond to and what tends to work will help make those ideas even more useful.

Hey bestie, I went to an improv comedy class yesterday. It was loads of fun and our teacher revealed six lessons you can take away that I'll transfer to the world of work. Ben Van der Velde's six comedy tips ( https://lnkd.in/ebYfqpCc ) The six tips 1. "Say yes and..." Saying "yes and..." means you've accepted their reality, no matter how ridiculous, and continues the flow of the scene. A great way to apply this to teams would be in brainstorming meetings. Instead of no but, see what happens if you don't reject any ideas and play back and forth. 2. Look for offers Ben says to look at what people wear and say to find an idea to play with and joke about. In a corporate setting, look at what people are wearing or saying to find ideas to connect with. Is your new client wearing vegan shoes? Is there someone at a networking event with a sports logo from a team you like? Use these offers to create an in-group bias and connect with people immediately. 3. Love bomb the audience Be kind and be everyone's biggest champion. Negging can be funny, but it doesn't work on a lot of people especially if they're tired, stressed or frustrated. So be everyone's champion! Tell your colleague what a great job they did on a proofread. Send an email to your client and add a sentence about how much you appreciate their communication style. 4. Embrace failure Ben says to keep trying different things. If one joke in a 5-minute stand-up set gets a laugh, he's happy. Keep this attitude in mind with brainstorming sessions and new meetings with new people. Daniel Kahneman's work on peak-end coding revealed people's perception of an experience is improved if there is a high 'peak' vs. a decent overall experience. 5. Make assumptions about people People love to be unique, let them know what you notice about them and be open to being wrong and ask questions. Ask someone if they're vegan and if they're wearing vegan shoes. Ask someone if they like being healthy if they like yoga if they seem like a calm person. You can learn a lot about people by picking up on offers and making assumptions 6. Remember status When doing crowd work, Ben makes assumptions about people that are either extremely high-status or extremely low-status (so it's clear it's a joke). For example, Ben asked me what my job was and I said I worked in Behavioural Science and was the trustee of a charity. He then replied I must be morally reprehensible and clearly at war with myself caught between corporate marketing and doing good. The whole class erupted in laughter. Use this when meeting someone for the first time to break the ice and start a conversation. To be on the safe side in a corporate setting, I'd keep it extremely positive by saying things like "You must be the next Einstein" or "Remember me when you win a Grammy".

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