{"id":12031,"date":"2025-01-12T11:32:18","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T11:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/?p=12031"},"modified":"2026-04-20T13:47:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T13:47:50","slug":"you-can-always-improvise-if-you-are-excellently-prepared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/you-can-always-improvise-if-you-are-excellently-prepared\/","title":{"rendered":"You can always improvise if you are excellently prepared!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Constantin Seibt attributes this bon mot in his book on journalism \u00abDeadline\u00bb to Sammy Davis Jr. and draws a comparison with journalism: just as in show business wit and originality are rarely the result of inspiration but of well-hidden hard work, in journalism clever entertainment is less a question of the head than of the bottom.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter N\u00e4f<\/em><\/a><\/strong>
\nZurich, March 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

The bottom serves as an image for the proverbial seat leather, which requires meticulous research. And what is this supposed to do in an article on career coaching? Show business, journalism and career management have a common denominator: it’s (also) about communication. And I observe time and again how my clients expect themselves to have certain communication skills that they do not possess.<\/p>\n

Overestimating improvisation<\/h5>\n

A typical example are managers who are unable to react spontaneously in interactions with employees and thus allow themselves to be persuaded to make concessions that they later regret. However, they do not go back on their promises because they are ashamed of their supposed lack of quick-wittedness. A closer look reveals that the employees were not superior to them in terms of communication. Instead, they were prepared and put themselves in a stronger position due to a surprise effect. So how can managers react better in future situations?<\/p>\n

First and foremost, by not demanding things of themselves that are not possible with the best will in the world. Only people who have prepared strategies for such situations react confidently when they are caught on the wrong foot. These strategies can be, for example, leadership principles according to which topics that require binding answers are never discussed in passing. In this understanding of leadership, taking the other person by surprise is seen as a lack of interpersonal respect. Recognising such behaviour and reacting to it with an appropriate response can be learned.<\/p>\n

Good communication is always prepared<\/h5>\n

Or in consulting: one of my clients, an investment specialist, was successful in pitching as part of his customer acquisition process. However, he felt uncomfortable and lacked the ability to improvise in direct discussions with customers. When asked about possible causes, he expressed the suspicion that this was due to a lack of talent. Despite all the differences in talent, the decisive factor is again the preparation: the good improviser has gathered all possible information, as he cannot know what exactly will be relevant for this specific customer.<\/p>\n

It’s like at school: good grades are achieved by those who have their acquired knowledge ready to hand and can then respond spontaneously to questions that are not known in advance.<\/p>\n

The same applies to communication as it does to managing employees: Talent certainly can’t hurt but is probably overrated. Good communication needs to be learnt. The first step is to recognise your own limits and then train yourself for difficult communication situations.<\/p>\n

#storytelling<\/a> #personalbranding<\/a> #selfmarketing<\/a><\/p>\n

More articles on this topic:<\/h5>\n

The 3 most important success factors in a job interview are\u2026<\/a>
\nInfluence? Yes – but the right way!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Constantin Seibt attributes this bon mot in his book on journalism \u00abDeadline\u00bb to Sammy Davis Jr. and draws a comparison with journalism: just as in show business wit and originality are rarely the result of inspiration but of well-hidden hard work, in journalism clever entertainment is less a question of the head than of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artikel-2"],"yoast_head":"\nYou can always improvise if you are excellently prepared! - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many people regard the ability to improvise solely as a talent. 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