We know about IQ and EQ, but what about PQ?

A species evolves by developing new ways of understanding and responding to its environment. Over the last 20 years or so, the office-dwelling species has taken an evolutionary leap by recognising EQ alongside IQ. Prior to this, corporate employees were largely recruited, assessed and valued on the basis of their intellect… Then Daniel Goleman offered […]
How to Improve Your Active Listening: Follow These

Communication skills play a crucial role in the social life of a person. They allow not only exchanging records but also to analyze it, giving a subjective or objective assessment. The method of active listening is one of the complex communicative skills. It makes possible the semantic perception of what the interlocutor said. What […]
Make your soft skills training programs mandatory

Should you make a training program mandatory? As project manager, I regularly chat with clients to help them implement an online soft skills program. In the first meeting about training implementation, I usually start talking about making the program mandatory. This is often seen as an obvious thing to do, but sometimes it meets with […]
What interviewing techniques do you use?

Interviews are an opportunity to get information. The funnelling technique is a communication process to help ensure: The right type of questions are asked Detailed responses are given Accurate notes of the responses are captured “Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much” FRANCIS BACON Funnelling is a 3 stage process: Open Ask an […]
A Belbin Team Role Guide to Snow

I couldn’t resist – this has just been played out in front of me! The Resource Investigator is out immediately to film the snow falling to upload on to their Instagram/Twitter/Facebook account. It’s snnnnooooowwwwwwwwing! The excitement is palpable. The Teamworker is ensuring that everyone can get home OK – best leave now if you’re feeling nervous about driving in the […]
Machiavellian intelligence: the new emotional intelligence?

This article was co-authored by Dr Mark Powell and Jonathan Gifford. The concept of emotional intelligence (EI or EQ) as a different and arguably more important kind of intelligence than the long-established intelligence quotient (IQ), was popularised by the psychologist Daniel Goleman in his best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. […]
Better communication at work: how to stop waffling and get to the point

Whilst we might know exactly what we mean when trying to convey a message to others, there are many times when the true meaning simply gets lost in translation. It can be easy to assume that some people are just blessed with having “the gift of the gab” and that those who don’t have this […]
Are you a Miss (or Mr) Wall to Learning?

I first started to learn to play the piano at the age of about 5, having shown an ‘inclination’ at a very young age. (I used to clamber on to the piano stool and bash at the keys, but hey, parents will cling to anything!) My first teacher had been my Dad’s. This was unfortunate, […]
How HR can equip line managers to cope with conflict

Dealing with workplace conflict is the bane of many an HR manager’s working life. People accuse their manager of treating them unfairly. Power struggles emerge within teams. Colleagues fall out and refuse to co-operate with each other. Unfortunately, by the time the problem arrives at HR’s door, the conflict has often reached an advanced stage. Positions have become entrenched, […]
8 ways to improve extrinsic training motivation

Imagine you have put a nice online training in place and you have thought of everything: the program meets your employees’ needs, it’s relevant to their work and it maps their growth. Everything seems to be in order and it kicks off! But then… After a few weeks, it appears that most employees haven’t even […]
Training is a Serious Business – Isn’t It?

People’s reactions to words tell us a lot about their personal comfort zones and how they are changing. Nowadays, when discussing training, the word PowerPoint is as likely to provoke a grimace as a positive reaction, and almost everyone likes ‘participation’. (This wasn’t always the case – we went out on a limb in 2003 […]
Three Tips To Supercharge Employee Training

Studies show that employees that are locked in and engaged receive 20% greater productivity. If you have employees that are undergoing training, you’ll want them to be highly engaged every step of the way. This way, you won’t allow employee orientation to become a humdrum formality. Regardless of what sort of training that you’re putting […]
4 Tips To Capitalize When You’re A Free Agent

When you’re a free agent, it can be a situation filled with as much stress as invigoration. This is a time of uncertainty, which can be frightening — but it’s also rife with opportunity. If you’d like to make sure you’re capitalizing on this opportunity, rather that succumbing to the pressure of having to find […]
Infographic: Microtraining & How To Do It

“Handling Complaints” training

I work in the hospitality business and I have a team of complaint handlers and I am looking for an experienced trainer to deliver an in-house bespoke course in dealing with complaints/using empathy, dealing with customers who want escalate. If you have used someone who has delivered similar training with fantastic results, or have material […]
4 States Of Mind For 2018 Entrepreneurs

If you’re not willing to learn and adapt, you’ll always be playing catchup as an entrepreneur. This is a lesson I’ve had to learn countless times over the course of the past 5 years, but 2017, in particular, showed me a lot about myself and this way of life I’ve chosen. I’ve taken what started […]
8 winning tactics for creating gold medal teamwork

This article was written by Mandy Flint & Elisabet Vinberg Hearn, authors of ”The Team Formula”. The Olympics are now in our rear view mirror. This is a good time to review and learn from the teamwork that goes into making an Olympian successful. Team GB had magnificent success at the Olympics. That kind of success […]
Developing the power of agreement to persuade others

I once heard someone remark, “I always say ‘I could not agree more,’ even if I wholeheartedly disagree because whether I completely agree or completely disagree I could not agree more!” I want to introduce you to the Agreement Frame. The Agreement Frame appeals to your prospects on an emotional level. Your prospect, to coin a […]
How to train line managers to support mental wellbeing

Management of mental health in the workplace is not just an ethical concern, it also has real implications for productivity, performance and staff turnover. As well as being a major cause of sickness absence it can also result in presenteeism. A review conducted by Deloitte estimates that presenteeism attributable to mental health problems costs the […]
Are you getting the most out of your role-players?

Emma Jowett tells the community about the benefits of role play and drama-based training. Drama-based training, namely role-play, can make a huge impact in businesses across all industry sectors. It’s no surprise really that actually feeling best practice in action is typically much more effective in developing behaviours than simply talking about it in a […]