Voice & body language exercises
Has anyone got any unusual voice and body language exercises / activities. (Particular emphasis on Sales and Customer Service training) Has anyone got any unusual voice and body language exercises / activities. (Particular emphasis on Sales and Customer Service training)
The Learning Zone and what a horse can teach us…
I can think of no better way to explain what I mean by the Learning Zone than to revisit one of the proudest achievements of my life to date; training a young unhandled horse from scratch and teaching him to be ridden. I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I’d only owned/ridden one horse […]
Can you share resources for training international employees on American workplace culture?
Are there any books or articles you have come across that illustrate a need for training on American/local workplace culture for international employees? Or what to aspects to focus on? Are there any books or articles you have come across that illustrate a need for training on American/local workplace culture for international employees? Or what to aspects […]
Five things that great teachers believe in
The desire for quick fixes, and the lure of catchy publication titles has in some ways reduced the process of improving learning for L&D professionals to sets of 'top tricks', snake-oil tools, and the latest innovations in secret sauce. It’s how our practice becomes one of fragmented bricolage rather than scalable and sustainable development. Walking […]
Skill or Will is the answer – what’s the question?
The question of staff performance management boils down to 3 simple questions: Knowledge: Do they know what to do? Skill: Do they know how to do it? Will: Do they want to do it? "As a leader you must understand the needs in individuals and how they operate, so that you can work with […]
So you think you can’t draw?
The first time I saw one of my Dad’s drawings was September last year. We were visiting my brother’s house and my niece was gently encouraging (i.e. pestering) him to draw on her blackboard. He drew a tree and a boat. At that moment I realised I had never seen my Dad draw before. It was quite […]
Soft Skills style secrets: Greta Garbo
We’ve looked at high profile names for whom the term ‘soft-skills’ could have been penned for but what about those in the limelight who struggle to reconcile the necessary public persona with their natural personality? We take a look at iconic 20s/30s film star Greta Garbo. There are many stars who are immortalised by a […]
6 signs telling you it’s time to innovate your sales training
The importance of a sales training programme can hardly be overestimated. Subsequently, a lot is spent on it: more than a billion dollars each year worldwide. Most training programmes are, however, still exactly the same as ten years ago, with the same worthless results. Is your sales training up to date? If you recognise any […]
How to Get Smart about the Apprenticeship Levy
Earlier this month the Government released long-awaited further proposals for the Apprenticeship Levy, and confirmed that it will be implemented in April 2017. Whilst this has provided some useful further insight for business leaders, many are anxious to see what impact the Apprenticeship Levy will have on them. Employers with a paybill of £3 million […]
Unconscious Bias Training
Has anyone designed or delivered training around Unconscious Bias before? I'm looking at designing a session to heightened people's awareness of this. I'm aware of the Implicit Association Tests but if you have any experience of delivering this kind of training, then I'd love to hear from you. Has anyone designed or delivered training around […]
The four reasons why language skills are good for your career
Speaking more than one language can not only improve a person’s job prospects but can also have other career-related benefits. A growing number of studies have looked into the cognitive effects of bi- or multilingualism. Some findings suggest that speaking more than one language can benefit people’s general business skills. Improved decision-making At the University […]
10 ways to build trust and rapport at work
Trust and rapport between people at work is essential. Here's our top 10 tips to develop productive relationships. What are yours? 1. Respect confidentiality. Nobody wants to deal with a gossip. 2. Ask rather than tell. Be interested in others before putting your views forward. 3. Use people's names in conversations. 4. Complement people's work […]
Believe in leadership
How much do you believe in leadership? Do you see it as a destination or a journey, a right or a privilege? Do people engage with you because of your title or because of who you are and what you can bring to the organisation? It’s a question which sits at the heart of leadership. […]
“The Smiling Assassin”
You've had an amazing day's training. All your fears, doubts and apprehension around whether the session would go well are unfounded. Fifteen happy learners, fully engaged. They've loved the content, enjoyed the activities and even laughed at your jokes! Fifteen happy learners filling out evaluation forms – or so you thought! <Cue scary laughter> You […]
Is ‘sorry’ really the hardest word? Exploring the big effect of this little word
The word “sorry” means many things to many people. In this article, Anna Shields, co-founder of Consensio, talks about the impact of an apology in the context of workplace mediation and how this can be applied in many types of courageous conversations. Sorry. Even if the word itself doesn’t actually come up, it’s usually there […]
Memorable Sales Techniques
Cheeky request for help coming up….. 🙂 For work reasons, I am on the hunt for tales of when you've encountered people who were either brilliant at selling or the times when the experience made you cringe, cry or even get VERY mad indeed! Garnering as many stories as possible will make me a very happy […]
Why Pokémon Go is the ultimate mobile training
For about a week now, the world has been taken over by the fantasy animals of Pokémon Go. The game, that allows the user to catch the animals on all sorts of locations with their smartphone, even forms an example for mobile training. Are you looking for more engagement in your training? Then check out these five […]
Soft Skills Secrets: Lady Diana
Born 1st July 1961 Lady Diana was loved the world over. 750 million people watched Lady Diana marry Princes Charles on July 29th 1981 with over 2.5 billion mourners watching her funeral which was broadcast to over 60 countries. Here we consider the soft skills style secrets that made Diana such a beloved figure. A […]
How well do you know Equal Opportunities Legislation?
This blog isn’t really my own work. Instead, I’ve created a four-question quiz, based on the Trainers’ Library game, A Level Playing Field, which we developed with the help of my good friend and colleague, Clare Forrest. With apologies to our many overseas customers, these questions relate to UK law as it currently stands in July […]
Leadership development: a leap of faith?
Justin Hughes writes on issues relating to team and organisational performance. A former Red Arrows pilot, he is now Managing Director of Mission Excellence, a consultancy focused on improving clients' execution – their ability to close the gap between what gets talked about and planned, and what gets done. Justin previously spent 12 years as an RAF […]
