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The Presentations Japan Series

The Presentations Japan Series

By: Dr. Greg Story
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 Persuasion power is one of the kingpins of business success. We recognise immediately those who have the facility and those who don't. We certainly trust, gravitate toward and follow those with persuasion power. Those who don't have it lack presence and fundamentally disappear from view and become invisible. We have to face the reality, persuasion power is critical for building our careers and businesses. The good thing is we can all master this ability. We can learn how to become persuasive and all we need is the right information, insight and access to the rich experiences of others. If you want to lead or sell then you must have this capability. This is a fact from which there is no escape and there are no excuses.Copyright 2022 Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Artificial Intelligence and the End of Human Connection

    Artificial Intelligence and the End of Human Connection
    Sep 15 2025
    Artificial Intelligence and the End of Human Connection Why AI companions, generative AI, and virtual “friends” risk replacing the skills that define humanity Artificial intelligence has rapidly evolved from early chatbots like Microsoft’s XiaoIce to today’s generative AI systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Inflection’s Pi, Replika, and Anthropic’s Claude. Unlike the rule-based bots of 2021, these tools simulate empathy, companionship, and even intimacy. Millions of users globally now spend hours in “conversations” with AI companions that promise to be better listeners than human beings. This is not science fiction — it’s already happening in 2025. And while the technology is astonishing, the implications are dangerous. By outsourcing empathy and connection to machines, we risk losing the core skills — listening, genuine curiosity, and human empathy — that hold families, businesses, and even entire civilisations together. Is AI companionship replacing human empathy? Yes — at least in practice. Generative AI is increasingly designed to meet emotional as well as informational needs. Replika, for example, markets itself as an “AI friend who is always there.” In Japan, where loneliness has become a public health issue, young professionals are turning to AI companions for attention they feel is missing from their workplace and personal lives. The problem is that AI empathy is simulated, not felt. Algorithms generate patterns of sympathetic language but cannot experience human care. Believing that an AI “understands” us is a comforting illusion — but one that erodes our ability to seek and sustain authentic relationships. Mini-Summary: AI companions simulate empathy convincingly, but they cannot replace authentic human care. Overreliance on machine “friends” risks hollowing out human empathy. Why are AI companions so attractive after the pandemic? The rise of AI companions is tied to loneliness and isolation in the post-COVID era. Remote work in the US, Japan, and Europe disconnected people from daily office conversations. Hybrid workplaces made interactions more transactional. Many now feel “connected but alone” despite using Zoom, Teams, LINE, and WhatsApp. AI steps into this vacuum. ChatGPT or Pi will never check their phone mid-conversation. They give us undivided “attention” and immediate responses. For those starved of recognition, this feels irresistible. Yet the comfort is artificial. True human connection is unpredictable, messy, and demanding — but it is also what makes it meaningful. Mini-Summary: Pandemic-driven isolation created demand for “perfect listeners.” AI meets that demand, but only with simulation, not sincerity. Have humans lost the skill of listening? One reason AI feels so compelling is that human listening is in decline. In boardrooms, executives multitask during meetings. Friends split attention between conversation and social media. Parents scroll while their children talk. Listening — the foundation of trust — is being treated as optional. AI thrives in this context. A Replika or Claude “chat partner” never interrupts, creating the illusion of deep attention. But the more we outsource listening to AI, the less we practise it ourselves. In Japan’s consensus-driven culture, poor listening weakens harmony. In Western markets, it undermines trust in teams and leadership credibility. Mini-Summary: Declining human listening creates demand for AI’s simulated attentiveness, accelerating erosion of the skill across cultures. Why is it easier to chat with AI than with people? AI interactions feel simpler because they strip away complexity. Text exchanges with AI resemble messaging with a friend, but without risk. Messages can be edited before sending. Tone of voice, body language, and subtle cues don’t need interpretation. Younger generations, already conditioned to prefer text over speech, are especially drawn to AI chat partners. But convenience carries a hidden cost: weakening social skills. If leaders, employees, or students practise conversations only with AI, they will find real interactions — with clients, colleagues, or family — increasingly difficult and draining. Mini-Summary: Talking to AI is easier because it avoids human complexity, but long-term reliance undermines social and professional communication skills. What is missing from today’s human relationships? We are more digitally connected than ever. With Slack, Teams, LINE, WhatsApp, and WeChat, humans can contact each other instantly. Yet connectivity does not equal connection. What’s missing is emotional depth: attention, empathy, validation. AI is engineered to simulate these needs endlessly. But a machine cannot feel sincerity. It cannot truly recognise your worth. The danger is that people mistake artificial validation for real human recognition, leaving them emotionally unfulfilled while thinking they are connected. ...
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    12 mins
  • Getting The Timing Right For Your Presentation

    Getting The Timing Right For Your Presentation
    Sep 8 2025
    Why rehearsal, timing, and delivery shape your reputation as a professional speaker in Japan and beyond Why is timing so critical in business presentations? The single biggest mistake in presentations is poor time control. In Japan and globally, conference organisers run tight schedules. Going overtime is seen as disrespectful and unprofessional. Conversely, trying to squeeze too much content into too little time leaves the audience frustrated and overwhelmed. Leaders at firms like Toyota or Rakuten expect speakers to stay on time, not sprint through slides like “deranged people.” A presentation that runs forty minutes when you had an hour is forgivable; a talk that overruns its slot is not. Mini-Summary: Time discipline in presentations signals professionalism. Overrunning damages your personal brand and your company’s credibility in Japan’s business culture. What happens when speakers mismanage time? When a presenter announces, “I’ll need to move quickly,” they reveal poor preparation. Audiences infer: if you can’t plan a forty-minute talk into forty minutes, how can you manage a multimillion-dollar project? Reputation damage extends beyond the individual to the entire organisation. In competitive markets like Japan, the US, and Europe, this kind of slip erodes trust and can cost business opportunities. Mini-Summary: Rushed, overloaded talks erode trust. Stakeholders extrapolate poor time discipline to the presenter’s overall competence. Why do rehearsals matter more than you think? Most leaders convince themselves they “don’t have time” to rehearse. Yet rehearsal is where professionals discover misalignment between content and allocated time. In my experience delivering Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training programmes, presenters nearly always start with too much material, not too little. The solution is cutting ruthlessly before stepping on stage. Rehearsals let you refine, simplify, and focus on impact — rather than embarrass yourself with speed-reading slides in public. Mini-Summary: Rehearsals reveal excess material and allow refinement. Skipping practice causes rushed, incoherent delivery that undermines executive presence. How does rehearsal improve delivery, not just timing? Once timing is fixed, rehearsal shifts to performance. Business presentations are performances — polished but authentic, not theatrical. Leaders who read from a script signal insecurity and lack of mastery. Rehearsal allows executives to internalise their key points, so the audience sees confidence, not desperation. In Tokyo boardrooms and at global investor conferences alike, polished delivery builds gravitas and trust. Mini-Summary: Rehearsal ensures smooth delivery. Executives should appear confident and persuasive, not reliant on scripts. What role does video feedback play? In training rooms, we record participants so they can see what the audience sees. Video feedback is humbling but invaluable. You catch distracting habits, vocal weaknesses, or pacing errors you’d otherwise miss. Replaying live presentations helps refine delivery across markets. Whether speaking to Japanese stakeholders or Western boards, professionals who rehearse, review, and improve demonstrate credibility. Mini-Summary: Video feedback exposes blind spots. Reviewing performances builds stronger delivery across diverse business cultures. What is the ultimate standard of professionalism? True professionals prepare, rehearse, review, and deliver within time. They treat every presentation — whether to staff, shareholders, or industry peers — as a performance shaping their reputation. In Japan’s high-context culture, small lapses in timing or preparation send big signals. Internationally, executives with strong presence are trusted to lead. Are you seen as a polished professional, or as someone who exposes flaws by failing to rehearse? Mini-Summary: Professionalism in presentations means mastering timing, rehearsing delivery, and safeguarding your reputation. Conclusion Getting the timing right is not about clocks — it is about credibility. Leaders who rehearse, respect the schedule, and refine delivery project authority in every market. Those who don’t risk reputational damage far greater than the value of any single presentation slot. About the Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along...
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    11 mins
  • Gaining International Executive Presence in Japan

    Gaining International Executive Presence in Japan
    Sep 1 2025
    Why Japanese Leaders Struggle with Global Executive Presence — and How to Overcome the Barriers What does “executive presence” really mean for Japanese leaders? For global business audiences, executive presence is not about title or position, but about confidence, clarity, and persuasion. International companies such as Toyota, Rakuten, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals want their leaders to be concise, convincing, and credible on the world stage. Too often, Japanese executives equate presence with “perfect English.” In reality, the bigger challenge is projecting leadership gravitas — the ability to command attention and trust — even when English is not flawless. Mini-summary: Executive presence in Japan is less about language mastery and more about projecting leadership confidence and persuasive clarity in global forums. What mindset issues hold Japanese executives back? Two major inhibitors dominate: perfectionism and cultural humility. Japan’s “zero defect” culture, admired worldwide in manufacturing by firms like Sony and Toyota, spills into presentations. Leaders fear making even small mistakes in English, so they often stay silent or read scripted speeches. Perfection kills spontaneity. Added to this, Japan prizes modesty over boldness. In contrast, Western executives are expected to speak with assertiveness, drawing on traditions from Athens, Rome, and Churchill’s wartime speeches. Without training to reset these mindsets, Japanese executives rarely demonstrate the commanding presence international audiences expect. Mini-summary: Japan’s perfectionism and modesty discourage bold communication, limiting executives’ ability to project leadership presence internationally. Why is English not the biggest barrier? English fluency is often cited, but it is not the core problem. Countries like China, Korea, and Germany produce leaders with strong executive presence despite English being a second language. The real issue is confidence and delivery. Reading from a script in flawless English still fails to inspire. Audiences in New York, London, or Singapore want leaders who speak authentically and persuasively, not perfectly. Training in mindset flexibility and delivery can bridge the gap faster than language study alone. Mini-summary: English is not the decisive factor; confidence and delivery style matter more than linguistic perfection. Why is Japan’s history of public speaking so different? Unlike the West, Japan has little tradition of mass oratory. Samurai leaders gave orders from behind guarded walls, not rousing Braveheart-style speeches. Public speaking only began taking root in 1875, when Yukichi Fukuzawa opened the Enzetsukan (Speech Hall) at Keio University. Compared with Greece, Rome, or America’s political speeches, Japan’s history of oratory is very recent. Even today, cultural norms discourage standing above others while speaking — a visible sign of status that requires apology. This background explains why confident public speaking is not deeply embedded in Japanese business culture. Mini-summary: Japan’s short history of oratory and cultural discomfort with status make confident public speaking a relatively new skill for its executives. Can Japanese leaders develop executive presence? Absolutely. At Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training, we see Japanese executives transform into persuasive international presenters once they shed mindset barriers. Claims that “the Japanese way of speaking is different” are often excuses masking lack of skill. Universal presentation principles — clarity, storytelling, audience engagement — transcend borders. With practice, Japanese leaders can command global stages just as well as peers from the US, Europe, or Korea. Executive presence is a trainable skill, not an inborn talent. Mini-summary: Japanese executives can absolutely learn global-standard presentation skills; presence is a trainable, not innate, leadership quality. Why does this matter for Japan’s global future? The gap between Japan and other Asian nations in global presentation ability is stark at international conferences. Leaders from Korea, China, and India increasingly dominate global forums, while Japanese executives too often remain quiet. This lack of executive presence undermines influence, credibility, and leadership brand. If Japanese leaders embrace training, they will build trust, close communication gaps, and strengthen Japan’s voice in international business. As globalisation accelerates, mastering executive presence is one of the last frontiers for Japan’s competitiveness. Mini-summary: Without stronger executive presence, Japanese leaders risk falling behind Asian peers; mastering it is essential for Japan’s global competitiveness. Conclusion Executive presence is not a luxury skill — it is a global requirement for leadership. For Japan, overcoming perfectionism and cultural humility in ...
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    14 mins
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