We deep dive into preparation, reflection and respect with my guest is Amali de Alwis.  Amali is responsible for Microsoft’s strategic and commercial direction across Microsoft’s startup and scale-up activities in the UK. Prior to this she was CEO of Code First: Girls – a multi award-winning training company focused on increasing diversity in tech.

“It’s never a fait-accomplis… you never get a badge saying you’ve reached your maximum level of good communication. Different things are needed at different times. You need to wear different hats for different conversation. Just making sure you give yourself that time to self-reflect when things either go well or they don’t go well, what are the kinds of things that could have happened differently.”

She was a founding member at Tech Talent Charter. Named the ‘Most Influential Women in UK Technology’ and awarded an MBE in 2019 for services to diversity and training in the technology industry. She is a board Member at the Raspberry PI Foundation, Ada, National College for Digital Skills; and D&I Board at the Institute of Coding.

Preparation reflection respect

If that wasn’t enough you will hear Amali get more personal on preparation, reflection and repect.

  • What she did and didn’t do to make it a better conversation.
  • Swopping hats from conversation to conversation – being respectful and clear about your objectives.
  • The different conversations she has with Startups and Founders.
  • Maing conversations meaningful and beneficial.
  • On being clear about what she is expecting from conversations.
  • Having a two-way conversation and allowing that space for it to be a proper two-way conversation.
  • Collecting your little tricks that are going to help you get the conversation you want.
  • Giving yourself space to think and collate your thoughts.
  • How conversations are physical and reading people’s body language.
  • The value of discussion.

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While we’re gifted with speech, conversations, really good conversations don’t happen as much as we’d like. In Better Conversations podcast, my guests and I deepdive into all the corners of what makes a conversation painful and terrible or warming and memorable.

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Sehaam Cyrene PCC

About Sehaam Cyrene PCC

Business leader, entrepreneur and Executive Coach, Sehaam Cyrene PCC is the Founder of Better Conversations and the creator of a game-changing online course for leaders — Leaders Who Coach™. A regular speaker to digital communities, leaders, board directors, and teams, and producer of BC4Leaders events, she also hosts her own podcast series Better Conversations with Sehaam Cyrene.