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 […]
Sales Planning Exercises
I am new to sales training and i am looking for training exercises for advanced sales planning, any help would be appreciated. Nicola I am new to sales training and i am looking for training exercises for advanced sales planning, any help would be appreciated.Nicola
How to maximize your compliance training impact
The reality of compliance training for most organizations goes something like this: Legal responsibilities and regulatory requirements continue to increase, budgets shrink, and seat time pressures rise — not quite the formula for a winning training solution. 53% of decision makers in organizations list having limited training hours available as one of their top two […]
How to create a good presentation
The word 'presentation' is enough to evoke feelings of dread in many of us – if we're giving them we want them to be confident & inspiring, if we're listening to one we just hope they're not dull. There are several key aspects to creating a good presentation – in this short video the imitable […]
Motivation is the ‘root cause’ of culture and performance
Until now, companies have never been able to define what really makes their employees tick, or to measure how motivated they or their teams are. But what actually is motivation and how can it really drive us as people? Combining the results of research in 2015 from Gallup, Blessing White and Towers Watson, an average […]
EQ vs IQ in the workplace
I’ve always been fascinated by Emotional Intelligence. Conventional intelligence (IQ) is so obvious, tangible, easy to measure. Someone is considered smart if they can reel off facts, retain information or have a high level of technical skill of some kind. These people are guaranteed to succeed, right? Not necessarily. I’ve often come across people who […]
Those Conversations We’d Much Rather Not Have
I once hired a colleague's husband to wallpaper and paint our hallway and staircase. The trouble is, he turned out to be an awful decorator. Really, really awful. Which was awkward. I knew I needed to have a conversation with him, which would result in either an improvement, or, more likely, him leaving and never […]
Great delegation or passing the buck?
Delegation skills are vital for all managers and team leaders. The advantages are immense. However delegation performed poorly leads to de-motivation, stress and low productivity. The delegator often blames the delegatee and tries to 'pass the buck' when very often it's their ability to delegate effectively that lies at the heart of the problem. "If you […]
Sales Training – Looking for a provider to deliver Sales Training & Closing the Deal
I work for a multi-national recycling and asset management company. The business has identified that the sales team need further development specifically in closing a sale. They currently struggle in their ability to clearly articulate the business value proposition, the differentiators, in defending price points and in up-selling other services. I am looking for a provider to design and […]
Optimism as a Skill
Did you know that there are more negative words than positive words in the English language? The capacity to emphasise the negative, rather than the positive, might be an evolutionary phenomenon stemming from the need to be risk aware. Whatever the reasons, a lot of research, including that carried out by Roy F Bauminster, Kathleen […]
There’s a link between assessments and performance
In a report on the use of assessments, the Aberdeen Consulting group in the US have found that there are correlations between organisations that perform well (in terms of performance and retention of staff) and who use assessments, and this includes 360 feedback, in a consistent way. One of the key drivers for using assessment […]
5 tips for finding the right e-training partner
When you have made the step towards partial or complete online training for your organisation, you don't want to end up with the wrong partner. A training programme is an intensive cooperation and a lack of research significantly decreases the success rate. Thoroughly investigate if a potential partner meets your standards, features and support requirements. […]
The way mobile training enhances the learning effect
Online training has made it possible for people to improve their communication skills wherever and whenever for a few years now. But within online training, a new development brings even more independency: mobile training. Statistics show that training happens more and more continuously. This enhances the effect. Tuesday training day Our clients’ employees practice their […]
The strategic importance of continuous training
If there is one thing that many sectors have in common in this economy, it is that new developments constantly succeed one another. Markets change and organisations that do not adjust their strategy on time, live to regret it. In such an environment, continuous training is a tool that should not be underestimated. How can […]
Changing Negotiation: From ‘What’s in it for me?’ to ‘What’s in it for us?’
We all need to negotiate – it’s an everyday part of our professional and working lives. Negotiations can be relatively simple: Agreeing who’s going to walk the dog or cook dinner – or at work, who’s going to respond to a customer complaint. Or they can be complex – negotiating with major stakeholders in a […]
