Take a break from looping back to a product evangalist on a recent idea shower to read our quirky news (see our link to the worst office jargon to work out what this means!). Other stories include a solar powered bra, a spoof training show, and the worst things to say at work in our quirky news from off the beaten track of the training world.
A training life less ordinary
Guru John Popolini, the world's 'number one success guru' brings his talents to Leicester Square, London at the end of this month. In an effort to prove how not to do things in training, some of his mannerisms and techniques – although not to everyone's taste - may resonate with some of you who have paid witness to some cringe-worthy moments in your training days.
In this spoof seminar, guru John, aka actor and comedian Steve Trister, delivers a tongue-in-cheek show. Appearing live 30 June and 1 July at 7.45pm both nights at the Leicester Square Hippodrome, 'The Guru' tickets cost £15, find out more and book your tickets.
It's underwear, but not as we know it
A solar-powered bra – we kid you not - has been prototyped in Japan. It has the power to run your computer while at work, maybe even power your electric car en route to the office, and later, providing there has been enough sun, it might even have the power to run your TV while you watch your wind-down evening film.
The conceptual camisole bra, or Photovoltaic-Powered Bra, can already charge a mobile phone and an iPod, and even comes with a message board. Granted, the obvious issue here might be the fact that most bras don't see that much sun, but even if it doesn't take off as a consumer product, it certainly highlights the need for a different approach to generating power and keeps the environmental agenda at the forefront (no pun intended).
The 10 worst things to say at work
We've heard so much these past weeks, post The Apprentice, about what not to say or do in an interview, but what about once you're feet are firmly in the door and you've relaxed into things? Being too comfortable at work tends to make us less inhibited with what we allow to come out of our mouths. CareerBuilder.co.uk have published a list of the top 10 things not to say at work.
Below's just a sample, click here for the full story.
'Why can't I log onto Facebook anymore?'
The reason why the Daily Telegraph found that 70% of UK companies have banned their employees from accessing social networking sites, such as Facebook and Bebo, is because they detract staff from doing what they are paid to do - work.
'Go away, I'll do it when I'm ready'
With Britain's long-hours working culture, it is easy to feel swamped by the increasing amount of work that you have to get through every day. Indeed, 72% of UK workers admit to avoiding 'tricky' or time-consuming tasks in the hope that they will go away, according to a survey conducted by Office Angels. But, says says Paul Jacobs, managing director of Office Angels, there really is no excuse for bad manners at work:"Manners are an essential part of the image you project at work."
Office jargon
Management speak - do you love it or loathe it? The BBC's Lucy Kellaway unwittingly started a campaign against office speak, the responses to which have been published on the BBC website. Here are just a few of our favourites:
"At my old company (a US multinational), anyone involved with a particular product was encouraged to be a product evangelist. And software users these days, so we hear, want to be platform atheists so that their computers will run programs from any manufacturer."
Philip Lattimore, Thailand
"The business-speak that I abhor is pre-prepare and forward planning. Is there any other kind of preparedness or planning?"
Edward Creswick, Exeter
"I work in one of those humble call centres for a bank. Apparently, what we're doing at the moment is sprinkling our magic along the way. It's a call centre, not Hogwarts."
Caroline Garlick, Ayrshire
