Speaking and Writing with Ruth Oji

A colleague recently asked me to review an email she had drafted using an AI writing assistant. The email was impeccable; every sentence was grammatically correct. The structure was logical, and the tone was professional. Yet something felt off. She was writing to a long-time client about a project delay, and the email, while perfectly […]

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I was reviewing a colleague’s presentation draft when I noticed something curious. She had written, “I just think we should maybe consider this approach,” in a slide note, which she planned to say aloud. This was a senior consultant with fifteen years of experience, presenting a recommendation she had spent weeks developing. Yet her language […]

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A colleague once sent me a project brief that was, by any measure, impressively detailed. Three pages of specifications, timelines broken down by week, deliverables listed with precision. When I asked a clarifying question about the project’s underlying purpose, she seemed surprised. “It’s all in the document,” she said. And it was. Every word was clear, […]

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Your body is communicating right now. Before you say a single word, your shoulders, your hands, your posture, and your breathing are already sending a message to everyone watching you. The question is: what message are you sending? Nervous body language undermines everything you say. It doesn’t matter how brilliant your ideas are or how thoroughly […]

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Imagine sitting in on a virtual meeting where twelve people had their cameras off. The presenter kept asking questions into what felt like a void. No one responded. No reactions. No acknowledgment. Just silence. Then someone typed “??” – a thumbs-up  emoji – in the chat. That single emoji changed the entire energy of the room. […]

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Structured reasoning determines how intelligent people think you are. Not what you know. Not how creative you are. Not how hard you’ve worked, but how clearly you organize and present your thinking. This is non-negotiable. Your emails get read or ignored based on it. Your essays earn distinctions or mediocre grades based on it. Your business […]

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Dear readers, Let me tell you about Chidi. Chidi works for a logistics company in Lagos. Last month, his manager sent him a quick message: “We need those containers moved to the warehouse by Friday.” Simple enough, right? Chidi assumed his manager meant the company’s main warehouse in Apapa. He organized the trucks, coordinated with […]

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Three months ago, a brilliant software engineer lost a promotion he’d been working toward for two years. His technical skills were exceptional. His project portfolio was impressive. But when he stood before the executive team to pitch his vision for a new product line, he began with a tangent about his university research, jumped to customer […]

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Last month, I received an email from a marketing executive who was wrestling with her conscience. Her company had developed a new software product that was genuinely innovative, but her boss wanted her to create a campaign that exaggerated its capabilities and downplayed its limitations. “Ruth,” she wrote, “I know how to persuade people. I’m good […]

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Picture this: A woman walks into a room. She doesn’t announce herself. She doesn’t demand attention. Yet somehow, the atmosphere shifts. Conversations pause mid-sentence. Heads turn. People straighten in their seats. She hasn’t said a word, but everyone knows—someone significant has arrived. What just happened? Was it her title? Her reputation? Perhaps. But more likely, it […]

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