Leadership is a journey
As we move through life there are some encounters which we have almost forgotten before they have begun whilst others, fleeting though they may be, stay with us long after the initial encounter has passed. One such encounter was a quote from John Donahoe, currently PayPal Chairman, on the subject of leadership: “Leadership is a […]
Which training resources would you recommend?
We have recently wrote a blog post listing our top 5 learning and training resources that help us keep up to date in the industry including websites and LinkedIn groups. The full list can be found here: Round up: 5 top resources for learning and training professionals It would be great to hear of other […]
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 […]
Skills required for in-house content authoring
In-House Content Authoring is regularly cited as one of the big eLearning trends to keep an eye on. So it comes as no surprise that organisations are increasingly developing custom eLearning materials in-house. This trend has been spurred on by organisations attempting to reduce training costs and saving time in roll out training courses. Given the […]
When will people learn? – The dangers of untrained staff
According to the Office for National Statistics, UK productivity is lagging behind every G7 advanced economy bar one last year. It estimates that output per hour and output per worker were both 20% lower than the average achieved by the US, Germany France, Italy and Canada. This marks the widest productivity gap since figures began […]
Standing at the front is dead scary!
Over the years, I've observed a lot of practitioners delivering training to groups. Recently, we've been working with a Careers company where, as part of their Level 6 qualification, the Managers had decided to choose: "Plan, deliver and evaluate career-related learning in groups" as an Optional Unit. The reason being to stretch, challenge and develop staff and […]
Finance for non-financial Managers (Housing Association)
I am looking for a provider to deliver a short (probably half day) series of sessions to our line managers to help them understand more about the key principles of value for money, finance for non finance managers, etc. The outcome I'm looking for is that the managers leave the session more financial aware, cost […]
Clueless about qualification costs?
Hi all, Do you think staff are in the dark when it comes to how much qualifications cost? The reason I ask; we've just run an exclusive offer for members of a Linkedin Group I manage. Money off our range of Advice and Guidance and Careers qualifications. I was chuffed with the response. Folk emailing to […]
Financial Security Training for CFOs (and their staffs)
CFO’s of any organization are protectors of the corporate assets. It is their job to assess business risk in two categories – cybersecurity and, if a banking or other financial institution, money-laundering. These two areas require constant vigilance and up-to-date training on the part of the CFO and, ideally, all staff. Cybersecurity Cyber-attacks are so […]
Is cold calling a vital or redundant activity?
Many regard cold calling as an obselete activity, however as part of a training organisation which offers cold calling training solutions to a range of blue chips and SMEs we are seeing that it continues to be one of the best ways for generating leads. For our clients what has changed is not a fundamental […]
Tempting the self-employed out of hiding!
I've been a self-employed trainer for the past seven years. Along with two colleagues, we often "indulge ourselves" in the odd CPD activity or two. I guess that's because we eat, sleep and breathe Continuing Professional Development? The same can't be said for many business owners. In the early days, I remember how easy it was […]
Distribution Training
I have recently been tasked with setting up a training department in a large distribution centre for a blue chip retailer. Has anyone had any experience in this who could help with pointers / tips? I will be creating staff inductions to cover manual handing ect and also operational based SOP’s & risk assessments. I have […]
“Thank you for flying Adrian Airlines!”
An ex-colleague of mine used to say that us trainers are a bit like actors. Regardless of how we’re feeling on the day, we stand at the front and perform! I regularly liken myself to an air steward when I’m delivering a training session. For up to seven hours on this long-haul “flight” I ensure I’m: […]
How to Keep Your Top Talent Working For You
Retaining top talent has always been a priority, and a challenge, for business owners and managers. Hiring the wrong people or not retaining the right people can be extremely costly for any company. The following information provides five tips on how to keep your best employees working for you. 1. Hire the right people Retaining […]
L&D news round-up: 28 Jan
For the last time – here’s the L&D news for the week. How to Decide What Skill to Work On Next – Harvard Business Review Unlimited annual leave: is it good HR or good PR? – The Guardian Looking Ahead at Learning in 2016 – Chief Learning Officer Construction skills shortage won’t be solved by apprenticeships alone – Western […]
Body language on the phone? You must be joking!
You could say that because body language is non-verbal, then it is impossible to read the other person’s body language over the telephone – you can’t see them! However surprisingly there are a number of body language indicators that could be detected. These include: Smiling on the phone. It lifts the tone of the […]
How to use training as an incentive in your recruitment
As we all know, recruitment is the series of activities and skills to select and hire the right skilled candidates for any job role. The process of recruitment consists of analysing the job requirement, researching, finding and selecting the right candidates to pick for interviews, and using the right tools to attract employees towards not […]
L&D news round-up: 21 Jan
SYNOPSIS NEEDED The Future Of Leadership Development? A Fireside Chat With IESE’s Learning Innovation Unit – Forbes HR Intelligence – vital for business growth – The Telegraph Digital skills role outlined for local government – Public Technology Leadership Wellness: The Conversation No One is Having – The Good Men Project Three tips for being a great regional HR […]
What are soft skills and why do you need them?
Soft skills refer to a range of skills which many people feel are intangible, unmeasurable or “cut and dried”. They are things such as personality traits, communication, personal habits, relationship skills and more. They are perceived to be soft because they find it harder to define, but in my view soft skills are the oil […]
New Year’s Resolutions: How to make sure you get the best out of your learning
With the new year now well and truly upon us how can you make sure that any self-improvement, particularly in learning new skills in the workplace, stick longer than the usual January blip? Often those new running shoes will be thrown off come February and the well intentioned diet goes out the window once you […]
