Helping our learners learn by reducing information overload
Information overload—or cognitive overload—affects both learners and trainers, leading to analysis paralysis, productivity issues, and poor focus. Practitioners can help learners navigate excessive information by being intentional about what content they present and implementing strategies to improve information processing and retention.
24 Tips to be more productive
Discover 24 practical productivity tips to accomplish more in 24 hours. Learn strategies like waking early, saying no, working in intervals, eliminating distractions, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle to balance professional success with personal wellbeing.
Reflections on performance management
Effective performance management requires preparing people for management roles before they transition, providing targeted training and ongoing support, and evaluating implementation to ensure sustainable results. Key interventions include helping prospective managers understand the role’s demands, supporting new managers through their first months, and establishing systems for managers to share best practices.
Winners and Losers
Children’s party games that rely on luck rather than skill teach problematic lessons about success and motivation. While learning to lose gracefully is important, games that eliminate most participants risk discouraging them from taking risks later in life. Research suggests true motivation comes from effort and mastery, not winning through chance.
Are filler words really that bad in life?
Filler words like “um” and “like” aren’t necessarily bad—research suggests they serve communicative purposes and reflect personality traits like conscientiousness rather than incompetence or anxiety, though listeners may still perceive them negatively.
Graduate recruits – trainees or the finished article?
The AGR’s graduate recruitment survey reveals most employers bridge soft skills gaps within 12 months through on-the-job development and manager engagement, contradicting media reports emphasizing graduate shortcomings while overlooking issues within companies’ own training programs.
5 tips to help leaders develop skills to manage international teams
Developing leaders to manage international teams requires focused training on virtual collaboration, cultural awareness, and communication skills. With 41% of corporate teams never meeting in person, most organizations lack adequate training programs to prepare leaders for the realities of global, dispersed workforces.
Bring Trusted Advisor – Activities
Looking for activities and exercises to develop trusted advisor skills in client relationships? This post seeks practical suggestions for building trust and credibility with clients through relationship servicing strategies and professional development approaches.
Corporate obsolescence, emotional agility and never changing your mind
This week’s L&D news roundup covers critical trends including corporate obsolescence concerns as informal learning expands, emotional agility for managing feelings, and strategies for effective learning and training ROI. Explore insights on global learning approaches, unconscious bias, and AI’s impact on L&D.
4 strategic advantages of HR analytics for L&D
HR analytics enables L&D managers to make data-driven decisions that improve employee performance and ROI. Four key strategic advantages include gaining centralized visibility of skill levels, designing targeted development programs based on objective needs analysis, implementing focused learning interventions where gaps exist, and benchmarking internal best practices to optimize training effectiveness.
The Department Game
Customer service breaks down when internal processes and departmental silos take priority over customer outcomes. Learn how to identify and prevent these common organizational issues before they damage customer relationships and staff morale.
Rewriting wellbeing: A creative addition to your wellbeing strategy
Work-related stress has increased significantly, with writing for wellbeing emerging as an effective creative strategy. Research demonstrates that regular expressive writing reduces stress, improves mood, and enhances workplace productivity through measurable physical and cognitive health benefits.
Soft skills: everybody wants them but no-one really knows what they are!
Soft skills are critical for workplace success, yet there’s no standard definition of what they are. Expert Emma Sue Prince explains that soft skills develop from self-awareness and mastering seven core competencies including adaptability, through practice and continuous learning.
How far up your list of priorities are you putting yourself?
Prioritizing yourself isn’t selfish—it’s essential for managing modern stress and maintaining the strength needed to support others. This article explores why self-care should top your daily list and how neglecting personal wellbeing ultimately undermines your ability to meet life’s demands.
Unconscious Bias training activities
Explore practical activities designed to demonstrate unconscious bias in the workplace. This guide highlights interactive exercises, including the popular airplane scenario, that help teams recognize hidden prejudices and build awareness for more inclusive environments.
Redundancy recovery: how to get back on track
Facing redundancy can be overwhelming, but understanding your rights, managing your mental health, and knowing what financial support you’re entitled to can help you recover. Learn what statutory redundancy payments cover and practical steps to get back on track after job loss.
Who are you under your suit?
Research shows intuition is more powerful than intellect, yet most people ignore their inner voice amid the demands of busy professional life. By slowing down and developing inner speech, you can strengthen self-awareness and make better decisions in hiring, team placement, and personal fulfillment at work.
21st century skills: 5 steps to better development
Discover how to develop 21st century skills in students through five practical steps: building awareness, focusing on critical competencies, embedding skills in curriculum, facilitating practice, and establishing supportive systems that enable continuous learning and innovation.
Influencing- it’s all in the preparation
Successful influencing requires thorough preparation. A national organization strengthening staff influencing skills identified ten essential steps, from defining your objective to understanding your audience’s personality, communication preferences, and potential objections—ensuring you can adapt your approach and overcome resistance effectively.
“I deeply value the opportunity to spend time with people talking about what is meaningful to them.”
Janet Wilson, a Professional Certified Coach and UK ICF President, shares her typical day balancing coaching sessions, board meetings, virtual collaborations with global chapter leaders, and family time across multiple continents.