Communication skills: how to be assertive
People who have mastered the skill of assertiveness are able to greatly reduce the level of interpersonal conflict in their lives. Liggy Webb provides some tips on how to be assertive. Assertive communication is an excellent interpersonal skill to develop. It is the ability to express your thoughts and opinions while respecting the thoughts and […]
The impact of culture
Following on from Peter Clayton’s piece on body language in the Middle East, Kwintessential’s Neil Payne also shares his experiences with the community. As a trainer I remember times working in the Middle East where I was pulling my hair out. I very quickly learnt not to expect participants to brainstorm, work in groups, use […]
The three Cs of defining and implementing a vision
Do you have a vision for your organisation? If you’re struggling, Jo Lord can help you with that. Research into why businesses succeed or fail reveals that the presence (or lack of) a clear and shared vision is often at the top of the list. A compelling vision is one that captures the organisation’s core […]
The seven facets of leadership pt 5b: Communication
In part 5 of a series, Spencer Holmes describes a new approach to the development of project managers to meet the current challenges of organisations in all sectors. This week: Communication. Spotting timewasters and walking away This is a real challenge for the project manager who, in theory, often has no choice as to whether […]
The seven facets of leadership pt 5a: Communication
In part 5 of a series, Spencer Holmes describes a new approach to the development of project managers to meet the current challenges of organisations in all sectors. This week: Communication. Most project managers score highly on our psychometric teston the ‘communicator’ facet. So how come, whenever we go into any organisation and start poking […]
Cultural communications: Ignore at your peril
With a stern warning that “people will listen politely to what you have to say and then watch what you do” Stephen Walker says that cultural communications must be coherent for the best effect. Many years ago I worked near an IBM office. On Friday lunchtime we went to the pub and the IBMers were […]
Embracing cultural change in your organisation
If we want an organisation to change in one way, then it has to embody those values in everything it does and says from that point onwards. Nigel Paine explains. As a child I was fascinated by railways. I could look at trains coming and going all day without the remotest sense of boredom. I wondered […]
Are we all on the same page?
Adrian Pitt ponders the use of business speak in the corporate world, how it clutters communication channels and hampers our ability to learn and develop. Let’s run this article up the flagpole and see who salutes it… Do you ever wish you were ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’ as your colleagues, but find you’re […]
Boost social media training; improve internal communications
Following Melcrum’s Social Media Report 2010 into the use of social media within corporates, James Bennett reveals that improved training is crucial to success. “This is [using social media] how our customers are interacting with each other, and contributing and writing about our products, and how many of them want to interact with us […]
Body language demystified: Part 1 – ‘beady’ and ‘bambi’ eyes?
In the first of a new series demystifying body language, our resident expert, Peter Clayton asks us to look into the eyes, not around the eyes… Being skilled in reading and understanding yours and other people’s body language can certainly have its professional benefits. In part one, Peter Clayon looks at body language FAQs. Beady […]
Best of 2009: Winners announced!
The votes are in and the community has decided. Here are the results of our Best of 2009 poll. Congratulations to all our nominees and of course our winners. Here’s to a great year in training! Best feature goes to:Mehrabian Nights: An informative tale by Martin Shovel Hot Potato goes to: Debunking, demystifying and discrediting by […]
Using persuasive communication
Persuasive communication is a key skill to develop in almost any day-to-day work context – from motivating a team member to putting your case forward for a budget increase. Christine Knott gives us her tips. The importance of action commands There are always occasions when you need someone to do something in a certain […]
The unwritten rules of client engagement
Simply relying on tried and trusted methods to attain your clients’ goals can often stilt your own growth as a coach. Michael Bungay Stanier & Daniel Stane share their coaching secrets. Forget about your employees (for a moment). When I ask you to bring a typical workplace coaching conversation to mind, what do you conjure […]
The write way
Proofreading is a matter of credibility. Typos or skipped words can stop your readers from taking you seriously. They can even tarnish your industry reputation, says Rob Ashton. See the foot of the article to find out about an offer for a free book full of advice on how to improve writing skills. The meeting […]
Approaching a customer – activity needed
Hi there, I’m looking for an activity to use as part of a customer service training programme that gets the participants using open questions. Does anyone have any good examples that they would be willing to share? I’d love to hear from you, either as a response to this message or you can email me […]
Tricks of the Trade: Mind Maps
In the second of our Tricks of the Trade series, Clive Lewis, MD of Illumine Training, explains the practicalities and benefits of Mind Mapping. More than anything else trainers are communicators. But are you good at getting your message across? If you want to become a master communicator then Mind Mapping is a tool […]
