Guest Blogs

Knowitall.ch often invites local experts in their field to contribute to their own blogs on our site. This means not only you will benefit from the useful recommendations that we make on our News pages, but you can also profit from some of the great advice and tips that these experts have to make on their favorite subjects. Whilst each of these bloggers has been recommended to us at some point during the evolution of Know-it-all passport and knowitall.ch, obviously we are not able to test out all the suggestions they make on their blogs, nor do we necessarily agree with all their opinions. So if you do find one of their tips useful (or not!), do let us know!

To make these blogs more accessible to you, we have now decided to group them altogether in one section, entitled Guest Blogs, accessible from our main menu bar. We will also post the most recent blogs on the home page of our site in the right hand column.

We are still building up this area of the site, and are looking for bloggers in a number of sections, including Your Home, Travel, and Leisure, so if you feel you have a useful contribution to make in either of these areas, and have the time to submit blog entries approximately every month, then please get in touch!

: Published: 13 July 2025

By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

In last month’s post, I shared some tips and techniques on the art of handling audience questions - whether you’re online, in-person, or in front of a tough crowd.

Now let’s take things a step further. What happens when the question is messy, hostile, or downright confusing? How do you respond when you're caught off guard—or worse, when no one asks anything at all?

Below are some tips and techniques:

Reframe convoluted questions: If a question is overly long, vague, or hard to follow, help your audience by tightening it up.
“I am sorry I can’t quite grasp every detail of your question, but I would like to respond to your part about X”
Be clear when you don’t know the answer: You can’t have all the answers. Here are three options on what to say when you don’t have the answer:
i. Say ‘I don’t know’ – you’ll get back to them. Never, ever, guess.
ii. Ask someone in the audience to respond who is an expert on the subject.
iii. ‘I’m not 100% sure’ When you say this you’re not saying ‘I don’t know’, you’re saying ‘I’m not completely sure’, which is a totally different thing.
Answering challenging questions: When faced with a challenging question from that angry staff member, board member or at an official hearing – you need to employ the ABC technique I teach in media training - acknowledge the question, potentially reframing it before you bridge to a broader point you want to make – moving from the specific to the general.
Read more ...

: Published: 06 July 2025

heart Lisa Cirieco

By Philippa Dobree-Carey, From High School to Uni

One of the biggest challenges young adults experience when they move to university or live independently is having to feed themselves. Without the knowledge, skills or experience, they are likely to resort to takeaways and ready meals, which are expensive and nutritionally unbalanced.

Why meal-planning matters

Nutritious meals fuel focus, energy and wellbeing. Students who plan their meals save money, waste less food, and stay healthier - both physically and mentally.

A poor diet leads to anxiety, fatigue, weight gain and difficulty concentrating. However, simple home-cooked meals can help to combat this. With a few core ingredients and a weekly plan, students can eat better, feel better and spend less.

How to set them up for success

1. Help them build a starter cupboard

Before they move out, show them the affordable, versatile and non-perishable kitchen cupboard staples that can be turned into real meals. These include:

Carbs: rice, pasta, quinoa, couscous
Proteins: eggs, tinned beans, lentils and tuna
Mixed veg: frozen spinach, broccoli and peas, tinned tomatoes
Condiments: salt, pepper, soy sauce, mixed herbs, stock cubes
Extras: cooking oil, flour, peanut butter

: Published: 29 June 2025

By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

For some presenters, the Q&A is the best part of any speaking engagement. They are more at ease, enjoy the exchange and sharing knowledge.

But for others, the question-and-answer segment can be extremely testing even for the most seasoned presenter. Here are a few challenges:

Online events: Questions pour in via the chat, leaving the presenter frantically scrolling up and down to find the pertinent questions.
External events or conferences: When audience members seize the opportunity to talk about their organization or experience, rather than ask a question to the presenter. (As a panel moderator, a comment rather than a question from audiences is an occupational hazard!).
Town halls: When the presenter/speaker is faced with a challenging staff member, keen to ask that killer question.
Formal meetings or hearings: The presenter is required to answer many questions in a fixed amount of time, often from members who ask multiple questions on a wide variety of subjects.

: Published: 10 May 2025

shadows

Photo long shadows ©Lisa Cirieco

By Elizabeth Ballin, Professional Certified Coach/International Coaching Federation

In today’s fast-paced world, wellbeing can feel like just another task on an already packed to-do list. But true wellbeing isn’t about perfection—it’s about cultivating a balance. When we take a holistic view, we recognize that mental, physical, personal, and professional health are deeply interconnected. Nurturing one uplifts the others.

Yet many people feel they don’t have time to care for their mental and physical health, leaving them too tired to live fully. As a coach, this understanding is at the heart of my work. I support clients in creating balance across life’s domains—building resilience, deepening self-awareness, and growing in meaningful ways. Wellbeing isn’t separate from success—it makes sustainable success possible.

Each area I explore below contributes to overall wellbeing. These elements help us experience more joy during the good times and serve as steady anchors when life feels overwhelming or uncertain. By tending to them, it becomes easier to stay grounded, connected, and resilient.

Mental Health: Finding Balance in the Everyday
Mental health is more than managing stress or avoiding burnout—it’s about creating inner equilibrium. This includes getting adequate rest, finding joy in small moments, and knowing when to seek support—whether through therapy, friends, or family.

Becoming aware of your mental state is key

What soothes you?
What energizes you?
What can you let go of?
Who or what can help?

Simple practices like journaling, meditation, or curling up with a favorite book can renew your mental energy. And don’t underestimate the healing power of laughter, meaningful conversation, or a spontaneous dance break. Kindness, humor, gratitude, and forgiveness and having fun aren’t just nice ideas—they’re essential emotional anchors. And of course, good sleep is vital for mental recovery.

: Published: 13 March 2025

By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

“Organising an event can be a lot of work for little return” is increasingly the refrain I hear from communication and marketing teams.

They take up a lot of time and resources to prepare and publicize but fail to attract commensurate audiences.

For some, there are just too many side events in competition with each other for audiences and even for speakers. This was certainly the case at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year, and at the AI summit in Paris – where I am told some events attracted as few as 15 attendees.

In Europe budgets are tight, and cuts in US funding are making international and non-governmental organizations reassess their priorities.

Some events previously considered a nice to have but not essential may now be shelved. Others, such as annual congresses, assemblies or UN World Days marking the goals of the organization, may have to statutorily go ahead.

So how do you get more bang for your buck in these economically challenging times?

This month I was asked to give a talk in London to members of the Global Communications Development Network about the secret of engaging events.