What makes a “good” L&D Training Consultant?
I work for an established UK highstreet financial services provider in their L&D department and I’m researching for a potential upskill plan which will develop our training consultants to a minimum “standard level”. Currently, the quality of material, content and delivery can vary across teams, therefore more consistency is required. So, here are my […]
Why you should invest in training – even if staff decide to leave
Justifying investment in training may seem difficult if staff leave to work for a competitor, so it’s important to understand why developing a talented workforce will ultimately benefit your industry. It’s a common business problem: how can companies encourage and provide professional development programmes without the risk of making their key staff more attractive to rivals? This is a particularly prominent issue in the […]
Essential presentation skills for introverts
There are lots of ways you can make public speaking less stressful but the key to success is ensuring you’re fully prepared before, during and after your presentation. Those of us who try to go through life unnoticed will often panic at the thought of having to give a presentation. It doesn’t matter if it’s to […]
7 Reasons You Didn’t Get Hired For That Job
In the midst of looking for a new job? Are you applying, sending in resumes, and interviewing- only to be ignored by potential employers? Securing employment in competitive industries can be frustrating, especially when you aren’t sure what went wrong. Let’s get into some of the top reasons employers skip over you- and move onto your competition. […]
L&D’s Relationship with Data
This title has been taken from the Towards Maturity report published in August of this year. I was immediately drawn to the title and anyone who knows what a maths geek I am will understand why. I always loved numbers and even just playing with them, multiplying numbers by themselves repeatedly just for fun! Yes […]
Icebreakers and energisers: how useful are they to trainers?
Quick wins exercises such as ‘icebreakers’, ‘energisers’ and ‘learning reviews’ are often seen as an important tool in the arsenal of professional trainers. In 2016 we conducted a simple survey to find out trainers’ attitudes towards them and what use they made of them within training. The survey was entirely anonymous and consisted of six questions (with an opportunity […]
How to Be a Successful Coach or Trainer
If you want to discover how to become a life coach or trainer who succeeds – who actually makes it – you’re going to have to be willing to do things differently than most. Knowing how to be a trainer or coach who shines in a sea of dull, average professionals is the trick. Winners […]
Is a great salesperson born or self-made?
Companies love great salespeople! And it’s not just those in the management who appreciate their particular charisma; clients give into it as well. They know that a persuasive conversation translates to wallet operations – still, they willingly play the game. The Perfect Mix Size and scope are irrelevant; salespeople typically serve as the main connection […]
How to get your employees to be their own performance coach
With an ever-widening skills gap on the horizon, it’s imperative for businesses today to nurture a culture in which employees are motivated and committed to learning. Here are three steps to help you help your people be self-directed learners. Each and every one of us owns our own performance through the conscious choices we make […]
Converting engagement into real work passion
It’s the holy grail for HR leads and business heads in any company. A highly engaged and passionate workforce that produces incredible work, boasts excellent productivity and oozes positivity at every workstation. But whilst intrinsically linked, engagement and passion are not one and the same. So what’s the difference between the two? Engagement is a […]
3 Tips For Creating Marketing Geniuses
Marketing isn’t just a trend, it’s a foundational staple of business. If you want your company to thrive, you need to build a team of professionals that are great at getting results from their marketing. When you want to elevate your business as a whole, it all begins with the way that you market. By […]
10 Key Qualities of Resilient Professionals
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela There are many aspects of life that fall outside of our control. Our daily experience delivers the unexpected and the unwanted, as well as the fun, the challenging, and the joyful. Attempting to control the world is always going to be futile, […]
How to be more ‘agile’ – 3 talent management tips
Have you heard about ‘agile’? It’s a concept that has been revolutionising the tech and IT worlds over the past 25-30 years, and now looks set to transform a broad range of industries and functions too. Agile (adj.) a style of project management, used especially for software development, which involves dividing tasks into short phases of work, and […]
How to share difficult feedback with employees
Being the bearer of bad news is neither fun nor easy. While many in this situation default to beating around the bush, or worse, avoiding the critical feedback altogether, managers have more success by being direct (although not harsh) very early on. First, take a few minutes to talk about something other than work. Research […]
What Is The Biggest Distraction In The Workplace?
I know that almost everybody is going to say “my phone” or “the internet”, but I’m hoping for more specific things, or things that perhaps we haven’t all heard before. Are there any particular apps that people find eating up their time in work?Is there anything you could change to stop yourself getting distracted?Have you […]
Behavioural change: why growth mindset is not simply a training course
Nurturing a ‘growth mindset’ has become de rigueur in L&D circles, but many businesses are failing at it due to a fundamental misunderstanding of the core principles. Here’s how to embed the growth mindset in your organisation. The idea of having a growth mindset (i.e. the belief that you can develop your intelligence) is a popular one. […]
Personal development: how to change behaviour sustainably
To understand how to change your behaviour in a sustainable way, you first need to appreciate your biological response and how it affects your brain. Most people understand that our behaviour directly impacts the results we get. In dynamic and complex environments, there are some critical behaviours that enable us to collaborate better, develop higher […]
Why is the UK not feeling the benefit of a better qualified workforce?
The number of workers who are overqualified for their current job role is rising, and a ‘one size fits all’ approach to education and training is failing both employees and UK businesses. It’s not too late to put that right. Question: What do you say to an arts graduate? Answer: Can I have fries with […]
Performance management: the five most common productivity killers and how to combat them
Inefficient processes mean your employees may be a lot less productive than you think and this is no doubt costing your organisation dearly. Here’s how to assess how productive they are and remove those barriers. How many days per week do you think your employees are working efficiently, doing what they are supposed to be […]
Employee development: how upskilling employees can offer a competitive advantage
In today’s competitive business environment, success isn’t just about attracting the right staff – it also depends on giving existing employees more opportunities to upskill. Every organisation has to adopt new technologies and practices in order to remain competitive and achieve growth. However, the current pace of change and rapid emergence of new technologies is […]
