Workshop dynamics – understanding and shaping the flow
Isn’t it strange that you can deliver the exact same workshop materials with two different groups and one session will go like a dream and the other can feel like an endless nightmare? Same materials, same trainer, completely different outcomes. The magic factor, of course, are the delegates themselves, their characters and the way they […]
Leadership? Not with these 5 practices
The highest employment percentage since records began, the lowest unemployment rate since 1975: statistics such as these are fantastic tribute to the ongoing success of UK business. Yes the future may be a little uncertain with the formal Brexit process about to start; but it seems as though we have a good platform on which […]
Addressing poor employee engagement with training
A recent Gallup poll suggests that poor employee engagement is contributing to high staff turnover, as managers across the globe struggle to meet the needs of their staff. Of the 1500 employees surveyed, 24% of them described themselves as disengaged. Statistics indicate that low engagement can often lead to decreased productivity, profitability and morale. Our […]
Virtual worlds are teaching better lessons
When virtual reality content is experienced using a VR headset, the outcome is a virtual world. In that world, the possibilities are limited only by the imagination. This approach has given education an opportunity to leapfrog existing teaching practice by providing immersive experiences. The first among these is that VR allows students to be absolutely […]
An Alien Challenge and Teamwork
Glasstap will be 17 in April and it’s nearly 14 years since we launched Trainers’ Library. I often wonder where the time goes! If you were to ask me what one thing has contributed most to our longevity and success, I’d say teamwork. And what makes our team so successful is its diversity. From our […]
Will AI send us hurtling towards ‘learning magnolia?’
At the Learning Technologies Conference and Exhibition last week there was much excited talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI). I suspect many of those in attendance have a vague inkling of AI but pretty little else. What really is AI? If you’re not entirely sure, Artificial Intelligence is the ability of computers to ‘learn’ how to do things. This […]
A litmus test for your onboarding process
John was incredibly excited. Why? He was starting his new job today. Oh sure, he had started other new jobs before, but not one like this. This one was different. But then, was it? In fact, as he thought about it, on paper, the job was actually not that different to his last job. The […]
5 Things We Can Learn From Disengaged Employees
In a recent article on our blog, I suggested that many disengaged employees do care about their work, careers, and how they are seen professionally by other people. This suggestion is based on our work with client organisations. Disengaged employees, when given the opportunity, are more likely to communicate what they need to be engaged. It […]
Strategies to sell training courses
Which strategies do you currently use to market your courses and which do you find the most effective? This useful guide looks at strategies specifically for training companies including: PPC SEO Social media Content marketing Let me know your thoughts! Which strategies do you currently use to market your courses and which do you find […]
How to build a business case for your employee engagement programme
The main driving force behind any organisation is its people. The right people analytics programme will help you measure the leadership, vision, happiness and cultural alignment within your organisation. These metrics have in the past been considered as immeasurable and vague. Consequently, the drive to collect data around them is often discounted. Employee engagement technology […]
CEOs can no longer ignore the importance of a healthy corporate culture
Back in the good old days it was possible for a big company to defend its market position by splurging on advertising. Whenever new competition came along, the CEO and the Board would sign a large cheque to a top-flight ad firm, and they would cover the town, TV, and radio with adverts for their […]
Life’s Little Instruction Book
Many years ago I happened upon a lovely gem of a book that was written by a dad when his son, Adam, went off to college. Called “Life’s Little Instruction Book“, it contains such memorable, honest and accurate advice as: “never turn down a breath mint when offered” and “before taking a long trip, fill […]
Training introductions – like “creeping death”?!
My partner is a great advocate for training! "I hate that bit at the start where we all have to say who we are and what we do." I can empathise. I'm self-employed and not a huge fan of networking meetings where each entrepreneur stands up and does their sixty-second "pitch". It's like "creeping death" around the […]
Don’t use PowerPoint: Use Jelly Babies!
Let’s bust a myth. You don’t need slides in order to run a training session. You don’t need PowerPoint in order to create a presentation. You don’t need bulletpoints to illustrate a speech. Training sessions, like any other presentation or speech (and they really are all variants of the same thing) need to be engaging, […]
Training? It’s time to get social
Man is by nature a social animal. Don’t take my word for it: that’s the conclusion of the Greek philosopher Aristotle and despite the advances in human knowledge since his time I doubt that our basic instincts have changed much. But what does being a social animal really mean? Quite simply, it means that we […]
What does training look like in a post-truth world?
Robin Hoyle is a writer, trainer and consultant. He is the author of Complete Training: from recruitment to retirement and Informal Learning in Organizations; how to create a continuous learning culture both published by Kogan Page. So. It’s official. Post-Truth is a thing. The Oxford Dictionary made Post-Truth its (compound) word of the year recently. After Brexit and President-elect Trump we have […]
Five coaching suggestions for engaging millennials
Millennials are a breed apart. They’ve grown up with a different set of values, different technologies and different expectations from all of those who came before. The result? They expect different things. This means that in order to motivate them during coaching, you’ve got to do things a little differently. Not drastically differently, mind you. […]
How to create engaging eLearning courses
You’re going through the motions again, aren’t you? Following that same tired routine, your coffee-drenched mind on auto-pilot, to the point that you don’t even realise you’re not engaged with what you’re doing. That’s pretty much how eLearners across the world feel like when they’re sitting through another course that doesn’t spark their imagination. The […]
Stop messing with your mobile!
Hi all, I had a Manager who believed that delegates should leave their phones/email alone when they were on training. This was THEIR protected time for their development, without distractions. This must have sunk in with 'yours truly' as my phone is off and I don't look at it during breaks whenever I attend a course. […]
Webinar programme recommendations
I am currently using WebEx Meetings as our webinar provider. Although it does the basic functions of screen sharing and whiteboard it only hosts 25 people at a time and as the name suggests is for online meetings as opposed to a virtual classroom. We have a field sales force of approx. 600 reps all […]
