Trainer’s tip: Match, pace and lead exercise
This quick pairs’ exercise, from Barbara Babcock, reinforces matching and pacing and demonstrates the effects of mis-matching on rapport building. It’s done in two parts:For the first two minutes person A talks about something they are passionate about (or a previous holiday etc) for two minutes. Person B listens attentively and matches and paces Person […]
News round-up: A-levels, skills plan and birthday congratulations
Lost somewhere in a pile of dirty nappies and sleep-deprivation I was sad not to be here for TrainingZone’s 10th birthday, but I was cheered on to find out that this site is not the only L&D institution to hit double figures this year. The Training Foundation (I know it was officially last month, but […]
How to: Approach 360 degree team feedback surveys
360 degree surveys can be effective tools for providing teams with the information they need to support continuing growth and improve performance, says David Cooper in this practical guide. Team surveys can be used to help build a new team, develop an existing team or to support an established, capable team in raising their game […]
News round-up
A good week for skills training as David Lammy approves the new National Skills Academy for Retail and publishes the first draft Apprenticeship Bill; the government launches a new leadership assurance and benchmarking (LAB) service; and success beckons for female apprentices at this year’s Apprenticeship Awards. Read these stories and more in our weekly news […]
News round-up
Quality, not quantity in this week’s news round-up as Research into gender skills gap is launched . We can’t quite believe that it’s taken three decades for anyone to put any serious research into working out whether a difference in skills might be one of the issues behind the gender pay gap. The question is: […]
Teambuilding and training help Ploughcroft scoop award
Yorkshire roofing and building firm Ploughcroft has been named one of the best construction companies in the country to work for thanks to it approach to teambuilding and training.All nominations for the Best Places to Work in Construction Awards have to come from employees – and a high percentage of staff has to put the […]
News commentary
This week’s news round-up is slightly different in that we’re permitting ourselves a comment or two…As you might expect, the economic downturn is exercising minds: from the predicted training budget squeeze to the secrets of success. A potential remedy could be coaching while organisations are urged not to inadvertently fire their brightest talent: Generation Y […]
News round-up
A report reveals that the UK leads Europe in training; research shows that staff need training to feel motivated; John Denham pledges £300m in return for skills targets; and London gets £680m of funding to boost employment and skills. All these stories and more in our round-up of training news.Click on the following headlines or […]
Working with dysfunctional teams
Faced with the team equivalent of the Osbournes, what is a trainer to do? Steve Amos says getting to the heart of the problem, along with good preparation and follow-up, is vital. “While the issues which lead to a team becoming dysfunctional may often look similar, it is important to recognise that every team – […]
Learning from wolves
Dawn Smith explores the concept that important lessons can be learned about leadership, teamwork, cooperation and communication from the ancestors of our current best friends: wild wolves. The idea that humans can learn from wolves is not new, and according to anthropologists, the practice is as old as the hills. There’s a body of research […]
What makes a team really perform?
A team’s emotional strength, based on the trust and communication between its members, is crucial to its successful performance, says John Frost. What makes a team really perform? Roles, goals and functions are often the focus of attention, but what is the real glue that binds a team together to create great performance time and […]
The hidden risks of team building
Team bonding days could cost employers more than a day out, as alcohol and dangerous activities may increase the risk of accidents.Research by claims investigation and risk assessment firm Themis revealed that more corporate away days are turning into weekends, with popular activities including wine tasting, skiing, boating and horse riding.But even though corporate away […]
Uniting global teams
How do you successfully lead a team of individuals based in different countries and from different cultures? Russell Harlow gives advice on how to manage the paradox of closeness and distance at the same time. Leaders of global teams share a number of similar challenges with those of domestic, co-located teams. These might be termed […]
News round-up
John Denham announces compulsory training for the unemployed; lack of time and money in modern life is blamed as the main barrier to learning; Epic is bought by a private investor and professor Lord Robert Winston launches Ufi’s report into the future of learning technologies. All these stories and more in our news round-up.Click on […]
Is it really team building, or just a fun day out?
Some team building events can seem distinctly dubious in terms of their lasting effect in the workplace. But, says Ian Sasse, an event that is well planned and well executed, with proper follow-up back at the office, can really make a difference to working relations. Picture the phrase ‘team building’ and you could be forgiven […]
Profile of Dr Meredith Belbin: The father of team roles
He’s 82 years old and about to start a new business venture whilst also writing another book. It’s no surprise, therefore, that retirement is not a word in Dr Meredith Belbin’s vocabulary. Annie Hayes reports on this incredible man who is best known for his work on team-role theory. The academicBelbin’s CV is full of […]
Global team building: Seeing things from another perspective
How do you unite global employees from various cultures, with different ideas and working styles? Jeff Toms says cultural awareness training can help create a more harmonious team. Throughout history wars have been fought over cultural misunderstanding and mis-communication. In the working environment many companies expect employees to ‘simply get on with each other’ and […]
There’s no ‘I’ in team
Self-fulfilling prophecies, lack lustre selling and bad attitudes punctuated this week’s luxury car challenge but leadership expert, John Fay, thinks it was Michael’s flagging spirits and lack of leadership that saw Renaissance left on the scrapheap. Week 10 presented the most challenging task to date with Sir Alan presenting the recruits with some of the […]
TeamBuild 2008 returns
Budding construction specialists are being invited to participate in a competition which aims to promote understanding and co-operation between young professionals in the construction industry.TeamBuild 2008, supported by ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the industry, will see different disciplines work together to solve a real-life construction challenge, over the course of a weekend. Teams […]
Romanian report: Is it really team building (or a fun day out?)
All is not rosy in the team building garden in Romania, reports Oliver Perkins. Organisations increasingly need to ensure that team building does exactly what it says on the tin – and isn’t just an expensive day out. A worrying trend is developing in the Romanian training and team building market and it’s coming your […]