CPD TRAINING

Link To Twitter Posts

2009-02-22T02:28:00.003Z

I have included a "gadget" on the left hand bar (beneath Overview) that provides an update on my Twittering!

Some of it will be mindblowingly boring, but if I find an interesting video or article, I will link it here, so it may worth checking out!

Distractions Distractions Distractions

2009-02-22T02:03:00.002Z

I am amazed that it is more than 12 months since I have posted anything on this blog. I guess my facination with facebook is partly to blame. Then along comes Twitter too!

I have also been working on a contract since Jan 2008 in Liverpool, which is due to finish on Friday 27th, so that has kept me pretty busy too.

Good news is that I am starting a new contract on 2nd March in Manchester which should last for about 4 months.

Hopefully, I will be more active and will look for items of interest to post here for you.

Bye for now.

My New Logo

2008-01-22T16:23:00.000Z

Hope you like my new logo - shown in left hand bar.

I gave it some thought and the 3 spheres represent 3 key requisites for competence in continually successfully completing a goal or task...

ATTITUDE ~ SKILL and KNOWLEDGE

or

If any of you have studied John Adair's principles of Action Centred Leadership, the 3 spheres could represent...

TASK~ TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

or...

You could say it's just a load of balls!

Anyway hope you like it.

Some More of Barcelona!

2008-01-11T11:14:00.000Z

Here are a few more pics of my visit to Barcelona. Top middle was sunrise taken from office balcony. Bottom left is Marvin (no - he wasn't a delegate on the course!)

Out and About in Barcelona

2008-01-04T18:56:00.000Z

More snaps of Barcelona and Las Ramblas and the street artistes, clowns etc etc...

Sightseeing in Barcelona

2008-01-04T17:32:00.000Z

Took in some sightseeing in Barcelona with Mark, Debbie and family, who made my stay even more enjoyable!

Barcelona Dec 2nd to 14th 2007

2008-01-04T17:20:00.000Z

I won't name anyone - in order to protect both the innocent and the guilty!! Apart from the one in the middle drinking the Olympic size G & T (yes - it is me!) Click on photo to enlarge image, then press back button to return to blog.

Working in Barcelona

2007-12-15T11:18:00.000Z

Just returned from working in Barcelona, where I ran 4 x 2-day workshops on Presentation Skills and Running Effective Meetings.

It was the first time that I have facilitated multi cultural workshops and I would just like to say a big thank you to all the people whom I worked with for making my stay in Barcelona a really rewarding experience.

Secondly, I hope that those of you who attended gained value from the course and that you will put the learning into practise in your day to day roles.

Remember! "If you don't use it - you lose it!" and of course........

Effective Feedback IS The Breakfast Of Champions!"

Thank you also for the family sized gin and tonics, putting up with my senior moments and for your sense of fun whilst also learning.

You all know who you are!

30 Tips For A Better Life

2007-10-06T17:13:00.001+01:00

1. Experiment to find out what makes you happy. Different things make different people happy. If you aren't sure what your hot spots are, experiment. Try different things out. Find out what you enjoy most. The answers just might surprise you. Try a few of the following for starters.

2. Surround yourself with others who are happy. If you are around angry, depressed or sad people, it will transfer to you. You can't help it. But if you're around people who are happy, that will also transfer to you. You'll also learn their habits, and learn to react the way they do when something bad happens. Slowly weed out the negative influences on your life and replace them with positive ones.

3. Count your blessings. When something bad happens to you, try not to focus on it. Instead, take a minute to count your blessings. Everyone has good things in their lives, whether it is health or loved ones or whatever.

4. Gratitude sessions. Along those lines, it is a good practice to have a daily gratitude session. Think about what you have to be thankful for, and silently thank those who have done something good for you in some way. If you have time, take the time to call them or email them to thank them.

5. Think solutions. Instead of thinking about problems, move to the next step: how to solve it. When someone says to me, "Oh, this is so hard," or "Oh, I can't seem to do this," or "Man, we don't have any more of that," I just ask them, "Well, what's the solution?" If you develop solution-oriented thinking, you'll be much happier.

6. Connect with others. As much as possible, spend time with those you love, and with others who you enjoy. It could be a simple phone call, or a short visit. Or take a day with the person or people you'd like to spend time with. Have a conversation, do things together, be intimate.

7. Accept things. We are often unaware of it, but we usually want things or people or ourselves to change. And that's a sure way to lead to unhappiness, because we cannot control the world. We have to accept things as they are, try to understand them, even love them. Including and most especially ourselves: accept who you are, allow yourself to be yourself, try to understand and love yourself. Then do the same with the others in your life.

8. Take time to savour life. Instead of rushing from one thing to another, resolve to have less to do each day, less appointments and fewer tasks. Then do each thing slowly, with mindfulness and ease, and try to be present in the moment. And truly enjoy whatever it is you do, from talking to eating to walking to just sitting.

9. Notice small things. Along the same lines, try to notice when you feel good, or you're not suffering, or you are tasting something really delicious, or you feel something cold or hot, anything. Noticing the little things will help keep you focused on the present.

10. Treat yourself. Take a few minutes each day to give yourself a little treat, whether that's something like chocolate or berries, or a bubble bath, or walking barefoot in the grass, or taking a nap. Whatever it is, treat yourself. You deserve it.

11. "This shall pass". When bad things happen, and you're having trouble accepting it, think to yourself the same thing the ancients did: "This, too, shall pass." And it will. And you'll survive.
12. Volunteer. When you give to others, whether that's money or the stuff you no longer need or your time and love, you become happier. It's true. Take 5 minutes today to call a charity and volunteer to donate some time sometime this month. It will make a big difference in your life.

13. Follow your passions. If you do what you love to do, especially for a living, you wil be extremely happy. This is one of the best things you can do. If it seems impossible, don't give up. Others have done it and you can too.

14. Look at your achievements. Instead of looking at what you haven't done, or what you've failed at, think about what you have done. Many times that's much more than we realise.

15. Laugh. Just the simple act of laughing can make you happier. Watch a funny film, tell jokes, read a book by Spike Milligan or whoever makes you laugh, go to humour sites on the Internet. And laugh your head off.

16. Realise that you deserve it. You deserve happiness. That simple statement is actually profound for many people, as they don't believe they really deserve to be happy. It's often unconscious. If you feel that within yourself, you need to first realise that you deserve happiness. Repeat it if necessary.

17. Get into the flow. There is a state of doing known as "Flow", which is when you completely lose yourself in a task and forget about the world around you. It leads to happiness, and productivity. Set yourself up for it by clearing distractions, giving yourself a challenging (but achievable) task, and making it something that you like doing. Then try to lose yourself in that task.

18. Have a goal. Too many goals will lead to ineffectiveness. Try to choose one goal and really focus on it. And work to accomplish it. Goals lead to happiness, if you make progress on them.

19. Get inspired. Take time to read blogs or books or magazine articles about success stories related to what you want to do. It will get you energised.

20. Celebrate. When you do something right, when you accomplish something, when you feel like it, reward yourself. Celebrate. Have fun, and pat yourself on the back.

21. Autonomy. Try to have at least one area in your life where you have autonomy. It's best if this is at work, but if not, find another place, such as a hobby or civic activity. You need to be in control of what you do to be happy.

22. Spend time doing something you love. Make room in your life by eliminating some of the commitments you don't really like doing, and replacing them with something you truly love.

23. Show little acts of kindness. Each day, try to be kind to others in little ways, opening doors, smiling, giving up your place in line.

24. Exercise. Just a short walk or run could lift your spirits and reduce stress. Nothing difficult. Just get outside and move.

25. Catch negative thoughts. Monitor your thoughts. When you catch negative ones, try to think of something good instead. Anger, Hatred, Irritation and Jealousy- All these thoughts are negative.

26. Jealousy doesn't help. Many people obsess about others who are successful or happy. That gets you nowhere, fast. Instead, be happy for them. Then focus on yourself, and what you do right.

27. Stop watching and reading news. Sure, this sounds like a head-in-the-sand suggestion. But really, if you give this a try, you won't miss a thing. And instead, you can focus on reading books and listening to music that lifts you up.

28. Learn something new. It's strange how many of us are afraid to try new things, or admit we don't know something. But learning new skills or new information is one of the most fun things there is to do. Give it a try.

29. Check out nature. Go and watch a sunrise or sunset. Watch the water, whether that's a river or ocean or lake. Watch the stars, or the clouds. Watch animals. Watch people. Watch children. And be inspired by it all.

30. Laugh some more. When you are in the middle of a bad situation, look around you, realise the absurdity of the situation, and just laugh. In a year, no one will care. In two years, you'll be laughing at this anyway. So laugh now, and be happy now.

The Indispensable Person - Anon

2007-09-23T21:15:00.001+01:00

Sometime when you’re feeling important,
Sometime when your ego’s in bloom,
Sometime when you’re feeling quite certain,
You’re the best qualified one in the room.

Sometime when you feel that your going,
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow this simple instruction
And see how it humbles your soul.

Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Take it out and the hole that’s remaining
Is the measure of how much you’ll be missed

Producing Results With Others 2-day Workshop Overview

2007-09-20T13:45:00.000+01:00

The purpose of the 2-day PRODUCING RESULTS WITH OTHERS® (PRO) workshop is to better understand how to interact with others to produce the results you want, especially in a work or organisational setting. Each of us, by necessity, interacts with others on a daily basis. Consequently, each of those interactions either works for us, or against us in producing results.

What you will be doing over the course of this workshop is to analyse how different people interact with you and what you can do to make these interactions more productive.

A major part of achieving this goal is to use other participants in this workshop as resources. You can draw upon their wealth of experiences, skills and knowledge to assist you in understanding and utilising the information presented in this workshop.

People form distinct impressions of others almost immediately upon meeting. You may decide that someone is serious, aggressive, quiet, funny, pleasant, introverted or extroverted, causing you to act as if those impressions are true.

If your impressions are true, you can communicate more effectively. However, if you have misjudged an individual, your relationship will probably run into trouble.

Thus, a good relationship with another person frequently depends upon an accurate and objective interpretation of that person's behaviour. Once you know a person's behaviours, you will be better prepared to relate to, and communicate with, him or her more effectively.

To produce more effective results in your interactions with others, there are two topics to explore in the PRO workshop:

1. Understanding Social Style: This is the topic of discussion for the first part of the workshop, starting with the basics of behaviour and then introducing the SOCIAL STYLE MODEL™ a well-researched, well-documented approach to analysing interpersonal behaviour. TRACOM developed this model in the early sixties and continues to prove its validity today.

2. Increasing Interpersonal Effectiveness: Once you understand behaviour, you can then decide how to respond more appropriately in interactions with others. This is the topic of discussion starting with Versatility and continuing throughout the remainder of the workshop.

Of course, if you want to be successful at understanding behaviour and learning appropriate responses, you will have to work on the concepts and skills discussed in this workshop. These skills are presented in a building-block style, so you should participate fully from start to finish.

You will receive your SOCIAL STYLE™ Profile, which is the result of the checklist given to five individuals who know you. The profile will also indicate your self-perception of your SOCIAL STYLE position. This score will come from the itemised checklist that you will have completed prior to the workshop. Both scores will be discussed thoroughly to make sure you understand what they mean and what they say about you.

Do not confuse this workshop with any kind of sensitivity training. The workshop is not aimed at "getting inside your head" or using any psychology. This is an awareness and skill-building workshop.

For further details of how this workshop could benefit you and your organisation, please contact Hugh Jones at CPD Training Ltd.

© TRACOM group. All rights reserved.

Seven Steps to Goal Setting

2007-09-04T14:33:00.000+01:00

Step 1 - Make a decision

The first step is a decision. You may have previously decided that you were going to set goals, but then something cropped up, or you got frightened (of success?), or you had a business trip, or you had pressing family matters, or you wanted to read another book on the subject. Stop! Decide to do it (once more with feeling!). This time you will do it, beginning with step 2.

Step 2 - Make a list

Brainstorm all of the things your heart desires. Consider all areas and aspects of your life. Always wanted to attend an Opening Night at Drury Lane? Write it down. Own a Porche? Write it down. Hot Air Ballooning over the Grand Canyon. Write it down. Have a goal weight in your mind? Write it down. You get the idea. Big or small, tangible or intangible, personal or professional, just write them down! Keep this list and know that you can add to it any time you wish. Once you have a good number written down (at least 20 ideas would be a good start – 50 or 100 would be better) - move to step 3.

Step 3 - Make it your passion

Pick from passion. Read over your list. What jumps off the page at you? What fires you up? Highlight or circle one or two of these items. They may be long or short term, it doesn’t really matter too much – just follow your heart or intuition to pick which goals you are going to start with.

Step 4 - Make a map

Pick a process. Thousands of books, tools and tapes exist on goal setting. While there are principles that you will read over and over, there are nuances to each process. Any of them will work if you work with them. It doesn’t matter which one you pick, just pick one. Begin to apply the steps in that process to the 1-2 goals you selected in step 3.

Step 5 - Make do with less than perfect

Let go of perfect. One of the major stumbling blocks for people is that they think they have to follow the process perfectly or do everything perfectly. It won’t happen perfectly and according to your plan. But if you begin to work your plan great things WILL happen. In the end, this exercise is about the destination, not the journey. Let go of perfect and get going.

Step 6 - Make a plan

Build an action plan. Whatever goal setting process you have selected, it will include action planning. Setting a goal is one thing, but then you must have a plan for how you will get there. If one of more of the goals you selected above is a long term goal, build an interim step and build the plan to that interim step or stage. Make sure your plan has clear and actionable steps.

Step 7 - Make the first step

Take the first step. Step one urges you to decide and do. You have another decision to make now. You have some goals and you have a plan – congratulations having goals and steps are great! But they’re not enough. They don’t matter at all if you don’t actually take the real first steps in your plan. Perhaps you have arrived at this step before only to be frustrated. It is time to get past that and achieve your goals. Take your first step. Right now. These steps will absolutely work, but only if you take them. Goal setting is great; goal achieving is even greater. Now is the time. Your desired future awaits.

Potential Principle - It is time to set goals – for yourself and your team. These seven steps will help you get started. Stop knowing and start doing!

Thanks to Kevin Eikenberry http://www.kevineikenberry.com/

Developing Trust

2007-05-17T18:10:00.000+01:00

Some ways to develop trust:

Be yourself and share your experiences
Show that you are open to ideas from those around you and are prepared to give them a try
Don't pre-judge people or situations
Tell people how you feel
Keep to your word; if you say you will do something, then do it
Share relevant information when it is needed

Courtesy: Coaching Pocketbook

Great little gizmo

2007-05-05T12:32:00.000+01:00

Just finished training staff in PC World on this little gadget. The Nokia N800 is an Internet tablet, which also allows you to send e-mails, instant messaging with built in webcam and is also a portable media player.

Check it out by clicking the title. It is very good!

I covered 40 stores in the North of England and Scotland and trained 144 people in 4 weeks, either 1 on 1, or in groups of up to 4 people, so I am pooped!

The formula for Success!

2007-04-28T15:17:00.000+01:00

"Success is not guess work, or luck or the breaks! Success is a matter of choice, of sticking to it and never giving up. No matter what's written, or what's said, "if you do not take advantage and take action NOW," it will not work. !!

What is "It?"

By "it" - I mean, "anything that is a goal or dream" that you wish to achieve someday."

Success is a matter of FACT. That's right! Success has a definite formula and not by whim or fancy.

Do the thing that you know that you ought to do and Success is YOURS. I GUARANTEE IT!

Have great and wonderful experiences."

The bottom line is that YOU are in charge of your destiny. Summon abundance into your life!

Thanks to Ian for sending me this.

Dealing With Difficult Delegates

2007-03-12T13:17:00.000Z

Occasionally you end up having a confrontation with a delegate. There are a variety of forms of the "Difficult or Challengimg Delegates"

The Heckler: The Know All: The Whinger/Griper: The Whisperers: The Sphynx/Silent One:

When all conventional methods have failed, then why not try "Psychological Judo?"

The Heckler - Appoint them as the class "Devil's Advocate". Insist that he/she criticises whenever he/she feels that you are leading the class astray. Encourage negative remarks.
The Know-All - Agree with and amplify "know-all" contributions. Ask the "know-all" for expert judgement when none is forthcoming. Invite him/her up front to teach a short module. Refer constantly to their expertise in the subject.
The Whinger - Ask for a written list of whinges/gripes to help the class keep a sense of reality. Get him/her to read the list at the end of the day. Add to the list whenever possible!
The Whisperers - Tell them that time is short and ask those who don't understand not to interrupt, but to ask their neighbour!
The Sphynx/Silent One - Make the point that some people are shy and dare not participate. This doesn't mean that they haven't understood. Encourage shy ones not to participate.

By changing the "push" into "pull" you use the energy of the participant by giving them more of the spotlight than they wanted and they will use this energy to "pull back" to avoid ridicule or overkill.

Thanks to Trainers Pocketbook.

The Reality Of Role-Play

2007-03-12T12:26:00.000Z

Having conducted hundreds of workshops throughout the length and breadth of Britain, I have usually found that there is always some form of resistance to the dreaded "role-play!"

"It's not real world!" "I wouldn't do it like that in real life!" "I hate role-plays!" These are just a few of the responses I have come across.

Let us just examine what role-play is.

Role-play is a form of a case study which is dramatised so participants can enact a human relations scenario under guidance of the trainer who will then elicit an evaluation of the performance in relation to previously taught principles and techniques.

Some guidelines for a succesful role-playing exercise:

- The scenario should be as realistic as possible

- It should be one that the participants can identify with; characters should be similar to those that exist in the organisation or represent typical customers (if it is a sales based role-play)

- Participants should live their parts

- The role-play should not be a threat for "timid" participants

- Trainer should play the "challenger" role

I prefer to refer to role-play as "real-play" or "simulation" as it is in fact, reality practice.

How would you feel if you had to have some major surgery and the surgeon told you that he / she had never done this before, but had "read the book?"

How confident would you feel in their ability?

I am sure that you would at least have wanted them to have had a practise or two, or may be more, wouldn't you?

Preparing to train

2007-03-08T10:49:00.000Z

Questions you should ask yourself:

WHY? Why am I doing this training in the first place? What are the participants objectives? What should they be able to think or do differently as a result of the training?

WHAT? What can I communicate in the time available? What is the level of competence and commitment of my audience? What methods will I use? What audio/visual aids do I need?

WHO? Who am I training? Age? Nationality? Level? Language abilities? Prior experience? Expectations? Mind set?

WHEN? Is the timing of the event good for them and for me? Period of the year? Weekday/weekend? Morning? Afternoon? Evening? Business requirements?

WHERE? What will the environment be like? Location? Building? Room? Layout? Seating patterns? Interruptions? Temperature? Noise? Travel requirements for participants? Facilities for special needs?

A lot to think about!

Task & Time Management Matrix

2006-12-09T17:09:00.000Z

Six Paradigms of Human Interaction

2006-12-09T09:41:00.000Z

I have just been having a look at Dr Stephen R Covey's book - The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People (again) and in particular the above section, which I thought was worth sharing with you.

Win/Win - and I quote - "Is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interaction. Win/Win means that agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and mutually satisfying."
Win/Lose - "In leadership style, Win/Lose is the authoritarian approach: " I get my way, you don't get yours." Win/Lose people tend to use their position, power, credentitals or personality to get their way.
Lose/Win - "Maybe worse than Win/Lose because it has no standards, no demands or expectations or vision." Lose/Win is usually used by people who are eager to please or appease. They seek strength from popularity or acceptance (probably Lose/Win will be evidenced more in Amiables and possibly Expressives rather than Drivers and Analyticals - see previous postings). Lose/Win people bury a lot of feelings, and unexpressed feelings never die. They may manifest themselves later in ugly ways. People who are constantly repressing, rather than transcending feelings towards a higher meaning find that it affects the quality of their self esteem and subsequently the quality of their relationships with others."
Lose/Lose - "When two Win/Lose people interact, the usual result will be Lose/Lose Both will lose." Dr Covey quotes an example of a particualrly acrimonious divorce case where the husband was directed to sell his assets and turn over 50% of the proceeds to his ex-wife. So he sold his $10,000 car for $50 and gave $25 to his wife! When his ex-wife protested the judge discovered that he was doing the same with all his other assets!
Win - People with the Win mentality don't necessarily want others to lose, they just want their own way and will leave it up to others to get theirs.

Which of these five is best? Well it does rather depend doesn't it?

You can't play a football match with a Win/Win mentality can you?

Often companies have incentives and prizes which means someone wins and someone loses.

If you value a relationship and the issue is not that important you may go for Lose/Win in some circumstances to genuinely affirm the other person.

Sometimes you would just want to Win. If, for example, there was a natural disater and your child's life was in danger, you would be concerned about the other people who may be at risk, but saving your child would be your sole aim.

"The best choice." says Covey "depends on reality. "The challenge is to read that reality correctly and not to translate Win/Lose or other scripting into every situation."

"Most situations are part of an interdependent reality and then Win/Win is really the only viable alternative of the five."

The sixth option is:

Win/Win or No Deal - "which basically means that if we cannot find a solution that would benefit us both, we agree to disagree, agreeably."

Extract from The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Dr Stephen R Covey

Measuring Impact Of Your Training

2006-12-08T19:09:00.000Z

Assessment or Evaluation?

Training has 2 key parts:

1. The quality of the training that has taken place. Have the participants enjoyed it? What excercises were used? What was the quality of the venue like? The quality of these can be assessed by completing questionnaires and talking and listening to the participants feedback.

2. And more importantly, the quality and value of what people have learnt as a result of the intervention. What learning has taken place? Have the people changed as a result and what will they will do differently that will be of personal benefit to them in terms of their own behaviour and performance and what does it mean to the bottom line of the organisation. The value of these can be evaluated.

Social Styles - Some snippets

2006-11-05T19:23:00.000Z

Here are some descriptors around the social styles that we discussed in a previous blog. Just to remind you, the horizontal axis that runs through the middle of the grid is Assertiveness - which is "The perceived effort that a person makes to influence others" - The vertical axis represents Responsiveness - which is "The perceived freedom with which a person shows his or her feelings or responds to the feelings of others"

Someone who is perceived as "Tell" Assertive would be seen as "More" Assertive and someone who was "Ask" Assertive would be seen as "Less" Assertive.

On the Responsive scale. At the top end "Controls" would be seen as "Less" Emotionally Responsive (Cooler) while someone at the bottom end "Emotes" would be seen as "More" Emotionally Responsive (Warmer).

It should be noted that there is no one best place to be. Each style has it strengths and weaknesses.

For example, someone who is perceived as a Driving Style (More Assertive & Less Responsive) could be perceived as a Candid "Tell it like it is" type of person. If this strength was overused it may come across as Abrasive.

Someone who is perceived as an Expressive Style (More Assertive & More Responsive) could be perceived as Fun Loving "Life & soul of the party" type, which if overused could be seen as Irritating.

A strength of the Amiable Style (Less Assertive & More Responsive) is their Diplomacy, which overused could be perceived as a Conflict Avoider (some may say Wimp!)

The Analytical Style (Less Assertive & Less Responsive) is respected for their Systematic Approach which overused could come across as Bureaucratic.

The style that is diametrically opposed to your own is the one that will require you to exercise your people skills when influencing and responding to them.

The second slide indicates the primary need for each style, their orientation and their growth action or development need. (From Personal Styles & Effective Performance, by David Merrill and Roger Reid)

Nick's Grammar Slammer (Part 2)

2006-11-02T20:48:00.000Z

Along with Eats, Shoots and Leaves - this is great!

Possessives
The ending 's is used to indicate the singular possessive of any word that does not end in s:
President Bush's victory
The monkey's nuts.

For the possessive of singular words that end in s, the traditional rule is to use 's:
Pythagoras's principle
Mr Jones's letter.

However, some writers now adopt a more streamlined approach and prefer a bare apostrophe for all words ending in s. For example:
Jacques Delors' limousine
Boris' faux-pas.

Note that the possessive form of it does not take an apostrophe - in fact, the only personal possessive pronoun with an apostrophe is one's.
The dog was chasing its tail.

Use a bare apostrophe for regular plural possessives:
The families' cars
The doctors' conference.

For irregular plurals, use 's:
The men's room
Sheep's eyes.

Elision
The apostrophe is also used to indicate that part of a word (or words) is missing. Examples are I've, didn't, can't, it's and doesn't.

Plurals
Never use apostrophes to make a plural.
Not three book's but three books
Not six MP's but six MPs
Not the 1990's but the 1990s.

However, some people argue that apostrophised plurals should be allowed where they make the meaning clearer. For example, how would you write p's and q's, or do's and don'ts? But as a general rule, the grocer's plural is unmatched in its power to undermine the credibility of both message and writer.

Contributor: Jane Smith & Nick Smith

Gorillas and Bananas

2006-11-02T20:11:00.000Z

The Gorillas and the Bananas Story

An experiment was conducted with four gorillas who were moved into the same cage. When the gorillas were first introduced into the environment, the experimenters would lower bananas into the centre of the cage. When the gorillas went after the food, all were hosed down with a high-pressure water hose. Even if only one went after the food, all received the same treatment.

As expected, soon the gorillas did not go after the bananas when they were lowered into the cage. Behaviour was trained and reinforced.

Now, the experimenters replaced one of the gorillas.
When the bananas were lowered into the cage, the new gorilla, of course, started toward the free meal. The other three gorillas knew what would happen, so they quickly jumped the new gorilla, keeping him from causing the dreaded response of water,

Although perplexed, the new gorilla quickly learned not to go after the food lowered into the cage, and to jump any other gorilla that did the same.

The experimenters continued by slowing replacing each gorilla one by one. The result was the same: the new one went for the food the others jumped him.

Soon the experimenters had replaced all of the four original gorillas. Keep in mind that the high-pressure water hose had not been used since the first four gorillas were together. But every time a new gorilla went for the food lowered into the cage, the others stopped him cold.

The experimenters were able to go several generations away from the original four gorillas, but still the behaviour did not change. None of the gorillas knew why they shouldn’t go for the food, but they knew what to do if any one did. It was what was done before them, and before them, and so on. A proud tradition was born.

You ever heard the response when some one asks "Why did you do that?"......

"That's the way we do things round here."

Lesson: Behaviour is learned

Acknowledgement - Stuart Emmett

The Change Curve

2006-10-26T16:50:00.000+01:00

Too often "The Dungeon of Denial" is where people tend to dwell when going through a difficult period of change.

Have you ever challenged someone when they are in denial?

What is the usual response?

"No I am not!"

Some Thoughts On Leadership

2006-10-23T12:38:00.000+01:00

Click here>>>>>Some Thoughts On Leadership

Short video 1m 15secs

Scott's View On Icebreakers

2006-10-23T12:28:00.000+01:00

Click here>>>>>Why Icebreakers Are Not A Good Idea

Very good short message. Make the icebreaker relevant and something that your audience can use right away!!

Situational Leadership II Mind Map

2006-10-21T15:57:00.000+01:00

(click on image to enlarge) For those of you who have studied Situational Leadership, here is a Mind Map of the key areas to remember. The Development Levels - D1 to D4. The Leadership Styles S2 to S4 and the descriptors of the levels of Competence and Commitment in each Development Level.

You will also note the amount of Direction and Support which should be given by the Leader in relation to the Development Level and brief descriptions of some of the behaviours one would expect to see within Direction and Support.

Training Delivery

2006-10-21T09:54:00.000+01:00

(click on image to enlarge)

Here are a few tips for people who may not have much experience in putting together a training session.

Begin with the end in mind. What behaviours or results do you want to influence or change?

What processes and measures will you put in place to confirm the success of the training?

Make sure that you identify the key or critical messages and the individual components that you wish to impart to develop either... knowledge and/or skill or to influence attitude. (You can't train an attitude). Then....

Ensure that it is delivered in a logical sequence. Think about your audience and remember the saying "I hear - I forget. I see - I remember. I do - I understand." You will have a mixture of learning styles within your audience, therefore it makes sense to integrate a variety of learning delivery to accommodate those styles.

Too much theory may put off the Pragmatists* (who prefer to learn when there is a link between the subject and implementing on the job)) and Activists* (those who prefer to try new and different things. They like action based learning). Launching people straight into role-plays and getting them involved in the "doing" with minimal input may not be the best way of engaging the Theorists* (who need to explore and test theories before implementation. They are rational and logical) and Reflectors* (who prefer to observe first and think about what they have learned before application).

Think about your audience in respect of their "Readiness" for the the training. Where are they in relation to their Competence - (Knowledge, Skill and Relevant Experience) and Commitment - (Confidence and Motivation)?

Have you linked the training to your diary and is it relevant to what is happening now in the business?

* (Honey & Mumford - Learning Styles)

Active Listening (courtesy Anne Marie Sheridan)

2006-10-12T19:41:00.000+01:00

Active Listening:

You can actively listen by using the following:

Non-verbal noises:
Allow the speaker to know that you are really listening to what they are together with the appropriate facial expression – a smile for example, head movement, body posture. The skilled use of these ‘hmm’ ah oh uhh can encourage the speaker to speak indefinitely

Supportive statements
These are the verbal equivalent of non-verbal noises. These are ways of saying ‘I’m with you’… keep going.
You can also use listening questions to support the speaker… can you give me an example? It seems as though?

Key word repetition
If you really are listening these can be picked up and can be used to encourage the speaker

Reflective statements
This is used to help the speaker see that you are with them and that you want to add on to what they have said. The most usual form of reflection is expressed as a statement and tends to begin with ‘you feel that…?’ ‘it seems to me that?’ These words indicate to the speaker that you are interpreting the emotional undertones of what is being said – and you are putting your finger on the deeper emotions behind the words and showing a real understanding of speaker’s feelings.

Physically demonstrate that you are listening:
This shows the speaker that you are ‘with’ them. Consider how you feel if you are talking to someone and they appear to be half asleep… who don’t look like they are listening. The trick in attending physically is to let people see that you are listening.

Lovely Sunset (taken with Finepix F410)

2006-10-12T11:34:00.000+01:00

A Wonderful Sunset

Last night taken from my bedroom window. It was a quite stunning sunset and guess what? It is a beautiful day today, so there must be something in the saying.....

"Red sky at night, shepherds delight."

2006-10-12T11:18:00.000+01:00

Surely I am not like him!

Recently for a laugh, I completed a free online character profile and this is who I came up as! Honest, it must be wrong!!

2006-10-12T01:56:00.000+01:00

How is your General Knowledge? 1 point for each correct answer.

1. Which kind of dancer was Mr. Bojangles?

2. Which William featured as a team captain in Question Of Sport?

3. Where did William III defeat a French army in 1690?

4. What does hydrogen combine with to form water?

5. Where in The House of Lords do peers with no party loyalties sit?

6. What is the northernmost point of the British Mainland?

7. Which branch of medical science is concerned with muscle?

8. Which actor’s real name was Reginald Carey?

9. Prince George of Denmark was the husband of which English Queen?

10. What was the true vocation of the detective in the stories by G. K. Chesterton?

11. Which TV programme has Judith Harn & Carol Vorderman presented?

12. Who was the first woman elected to the British Parliament?

13. Where on the human body is the skin the thinnest?

14. Which French writer lived with the composer Chopin?

15. On what day in 1939 did Britain declare war on Germany?

16. Which advertiser said “We care because you do”?

17. What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?

18. Whose real name is Bernard Schwarz?

19. What did the “D” stand for in Franklin D Roosevelt?

20. Who bought Elizabeth II her first corgi?

See Comment for answers! How did you do?

2006-10-11T23:05:00.000+01:00

THE ‘PESOS’ SKILLS DEVELOPMENT MODEL

PREPARE

This involves preparation in terms of:
· Any materials required
· Identification of the development need
· The coach’s understanding of the behavioural changes required

EXPLAIN

The coach needs to explain in detail the behaviours that they are about to demonstrate in “Show”. The objective is to give the individual a clear understanding of the behaviours they have to change prior to seeing the demonstration

*
SHOW

The coach demonstrates the skill required as explained

OBSERVE

The individual attempts to replicate the demonstration they have observed. The coach makes notes for use during feedback

SUPERVISE/SUPPORT

The coach provides feedback on how the individual’s performance compares to the explanation and the demonstration given. The objective is to build the individual’s confidence and where appropriate give ideas for improvement

*
There is a limit to how much can be explained and shown in one go. Break the behaviour in to component parts as necessary.

2006-10-11T01:49:00.000+01:00

Selling Isn't Telling. It is all about turning needs into wants. It is about understanding what the needs and preferences of your customer are and then turning those needs into wants and making sure that you either make them money, save them money or improve their life by your recommendation. You do that by asking questions, checking understanding, ensuring that the customer knows that you understand. Making sure that you really do understand. By seeking and giving feedback. Trial closing. Inviting questions. (APIAC) Acknowledging concerns, Probing to understand, Isolating that concern ("If we can resolve this issue, is there anything else that would prevent you from buying this product/service today?"). Answering their concern (to their full satisfaction) then Confirming the purchase with the customer (closing the sale).

2006-10-11T01:01:00.000+01:00

The Indispensable Man - A litttle reminder for those who think they are!

Sometime when you’re feeling important,
Sometime when your ego’s in bloom,
Sometime when you’re feeling quite certain,
You’re the best qualified in the room.

Sometime when you feel that your going,
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow this simple instruction
And see how it humbles your soul.

Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Take it out and the hole that’s remaining
Is the measure of how you’ll be missed.

2006-10-10T22:09:00.000+01:00

Leadership Quotes

Having the power to get things done My Way, the captain’s way, can be exhilarating, and seductive. It is also terribly limiting. It limits the team to being the reflection of the one in charge. ~ Jim Thompson, Shooting in the Dark

Anyone can become angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – this is not easy. ~ Aristotle

God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me. ~ Author Unknown

Individual commitment to a group effort: this is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, and a civilisation work. ~ Vince Lombardi, Former Green Bay Packers Coach

Simply doing more of what worked in the past - will be too incremental. More than that, it will be too slow. The winners of the future will be those who can develop a culture that allows them to move faster, communicate more clearly, and involve everyone in a focused effort to serve more demanding customers. ~ Jack Welch, General Electric Company

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. ~ Michael McGriff, M.D.

There is only one time that is important – NOW! It is the most important time because it is the only time that we have any power.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though chequered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. ~ John W. Gardner

Dependent people need others to get what they want. Independent people can get what they want through their own efforts. Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success. ~ Stephen Covey

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him. But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: We did it ourselves. ~ Lao-Tzu

The boss drives people; the leader coaches them. The boss depends on authority; the leader on good-will. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The boss says "I"; The leader says "WE". The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss says, "GO"; the leader says lets, "GO!" ~ H. Gordon Selfridge

Too many managers don’t realise that when you become truly participative, you get into a lot of uncomfortable conversations in which you hear things about the situation and about yourself that you might not like. ~ Peter B. Vaill, Managing as a Performing Art

One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognise a problem before it becomes an emergency. ~ Arnold Glasow

2006-10-10T19:32:00.000+01:00

The Learning Curve: I use this model extensively when working on Leadership Development and delivering the principles of Situational Leadership. The measures are Commitment & Competence and the four key points in the journey towards competence are: Unconsciously Incompetent (you don't know what you don't know): Consciously Incompetent (The light switch has gone on! You realise you are not as good at this as you thought!): Consciously Competent (You have to think about what you are doing): Unconsciously Competent (The task has become second nature to you).

You will notice that at each point the leadership style needs to change. At the first point on the learning curve (Unconscious Incompetence), you need to be Directed, given clear instructions, shown what to do and when and closely monitored and supervised.

At the second point, when you realise that you are not as good as you think you are (Conscious Incompetence), the Leadership style needs to change slightly with less tell and more asking questions.

As the Leader, you would still own the task or goal and the responsibility for helping the follower to climb the learning curve. Here you would provide high direction, but your supportive behaviour would increase , this is known as Coaching style.

As competence increases to Conscious Competence, the direction diminishes and the Support increases. Eventually you become Unconsciously Competent and are able to perform the task with little or no supervision. Here the Leadership style changes to Delegating, which provides low direction and low support and allows the self reliant person to get on with the task.

One of the dangers is of course slipping back into Unconscious Incompetence.

Think about these 4 stages as learning to drive a car.

How many of you would pass your driving test if you had to take it again tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.? Not many I would imagine, as you have (and I have), picked up some bad driving habits along the way. Might it not be the same with everyday tasks we perform at work and at home?

2006-10-10T19:28:00.000+01:00

Training:
Training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relates to specific useful skills. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at technical colleges and polytechnics. Today it is often referred to as professional development.
Physical training is more mechanistic: planned suites of regimes develop specific skills or muscles with a view to peaking at a particular time. A specialized field of training often used in sports is autogenic training. Another type of training is fartlek training which is a flexible training type which can be adapted to suit almost any athlete.

Many early American astronauts trained extensively in Iceland's central highlands due to its similarity to an extraterrestrial planet.
Training & Development is the field concerned with workplace learning to improve performance. Such training can be generally categorized as on-the-job or off-the-job. On-the-job describes training that is given in a normal working situation, using the actual tools, equipment, documents or materials that they will use when fully trained. On-the-job training is usually most effective for vocational work. Off-the-job training takes place away from normal work situation which means that the employee is not regarded as productive worker when training is taking place. An advantage of off-the-job training is that it allows people to get away from work and totally concentrate on the training being given. This is most effective for training concepts and ideas.
In military use, training means gaining the physical ability to perform and survive in combat, and learning the many skills needed in a time of war. These include how to use a variety of weapons, outdoor survival skills, and how to survive capture by the enemy, among others. See military education and training.
In religious and spiritual use, training means purifying mind, heart, understanding and actions to obtain a variety of spiritual goals such as closeness to God or freedom from suffering. Typical of institutionalized spiritual trainings is the Buddhist Threefold Training.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training"
Categories: Training Education

2006-10-10T19:18:00.000+01:00

Leadership Development:
In organizational development, leadership development is the strategic investment in, and utilization of, the human capital within the organization.
David Day (2001) distinguished between leader versus leadership development.
Leader development focuses on the development of the leader, such as the personal attributes desired in a leader, desired ways of behaving, ways of thinking or feeling.
In contrast, leadership development focuses on the development of leadership as a process. This will include the social influence process and the team dynamics between the leader and his/her team at the dyad level, the contextual factors surrounding the team such as the perception of the organizational climate and the social network linkages between the team and other groups in the organization.
Both forms of development may mutually influence each other, as exemplified in the concept of "Deep Change" in Robert E. Quinn's 1996 book of the same title.
Typically, leader development has focused on 3 main areas - providing the opportunities for development, stimulating the ability to develop (including motivation, skills and knowledge for change), and providing a supportive context for change to occur (see Cynthia D. McCauley, 2001).
Leadership development can build on the development of individuals (including followers) to become leaders. In addition, it also needs to focus on the interpersonal linkages between the individuals in the team.
In the belief that the most important resource that an organization possesses is the people that comprise the organization, some organizations address the development of these resources (even including the leadership).
Leadership development can encompass any number of developmental processes including:
talent identification and management
individual development planning
management development
360-degree feedback
succession planning
mentoring
coaching
Conflict Style Inventory
[edit]

References
David V. Day (2001). Leadership Development: A review in context. The Leadership Quarterly, 11, 581-614.
Cynthia D. McCauley(2001). Leader training and development. In The nature of organizational leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Robert E. Quinn (1996). Deep change: Discovering the leader within. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
[edit]

External links
Conscious Leadership
Leadership Simulator
Carter McNamara's Free Online Library
Governance Focus issues in governance worldwide, in English & Español
Leadership Development WIKI
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_development"

2006-10-10T18:54:00.000+01:00

Kenneth Blanchard is an American businessman, as well as a consultant, speaker, trainer, and author on management and leadership.
He owns the Ken Blanchard Companies, a family-owned business in San Diego, California, and is well-known for developing the Blanchard and Hersey Model of situational leadership theory, together with Paul Hersey. He and others have extended it as Situational Leadership® II. With Spencer Johnson, he developed the One Minute Manager concept, and co-authored a series of books on it. His One Minute Manager Library has collectively sold more than 7 million copies and has been translated into more than 20 languages. He has also tied in Situational Leadership with team development, which he calls Highly Performing Teams.
Dr. Blanchard received his B.A. from Cornell University in government and philosophy, an M.A. from Colgate University in sociology and counseling, and a Ph.D. from Cornell in educational administration and leadership. He maintains a faculty position as Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting lectureship at Cornell University, where he is also an elected member of the Board of Trustees.
He has been a guest on a number of national television programs, and has been featured in Time, People, US News & World Report.
Contents[hide]
1 Works
2 In Education
3 References
4 External links

2006-10-06T16:12:00.000+01:00

A Nasty Internet Experience! Beware of SpyNoMore.com

On Sunday, 1st October my PC was infected with a virus which took over my home page and slowed my computer down considerably.

I did a Yahoo search to find the best spyware remover and was led to SpyNoMore. They offered a free scan of your computer but you had to pay for the removal of the spyware. The scan revealed 84 infections! I bought a 3 machine licence (I have 2 laptops as well as the PC) for $39.95 + tax.

When I paid SpyNoMore sent me a registration number to activate the download and to remove the offending viruses. Unfortunately when I entered the registration number I got the message "Invalid Receipt Number". I contacted their Help Desk over the Internet and within a couple of hours got a message to tell me to uninstall the programme and then reinstall it and all would be fine. Hmmm! Not so. I did as they asked and got the same message.

I tried 5 times altogether and still received the same message. I did get one further message from the Help Desk basically telling me to do the same again. Since then, I have sent a further 6 or 7 messages asking for help and have not had one reply!

So anyone who reads this I would strongly urge you not to be fooled by SpyNoMore. They are charlatans! I have also complained to Clickbank who authorised the payment and they have replied and said that they have no record of such payment, yet my bank statement clearly indicates that it went through them.

Be warned DO NOT PURCHASE SPYNOMORE!!!

2006-09-16T17:25:00.000+01:00

What I find really cool about behavioural styles, people styles, social styles or call them what you will. is the fact that you can measure it on just two dimensions of behaviour. The horizontal arrow denotes Assertiveness, which is the degree to which a person will try to influence others. So someone to the left of the vertical arrow will influence by asking and the person to the right, by telling. The vertical line denotes Responsiveness, which is the degree to which a person responds to another emotionally. So a person above the horizontal line would appear to be "cooler" and have their emotions in check, whereas someone below the line would be "warmer" and perceived as more people oriented. By observing behaviour on these two dimensions you come up with the 4 styles. If you would like to find out more, post a comment and I will do a bit more on it. I find it fascinating and, if you know what you know then you can modify your behaviour to accommodate others to have a more productive and rewarding interaction with them!

2006-09-15T17:00:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone

I work as an independent training and business consultant, specialising in Behavioural Change and Leadership. I am doing a lot of work at present with colleges of further education in the UK. I help people to recognise their own particular style and that of people they work with. This enables them to modify their own behaviour when dealing with others. I also train and coach the principles of Situational Leadership which is inspired by the Leadership and One Minute Manager series.

When the link between individual styles and leadership is established, it fosters a much more productive working relationship. It increases the value that we place on ourselves and our co workers. It reduces tension in relationships and helps us to better understand ourselves and our fellow human beings.

Behaviour is learned - and "What we learn, we learn by doing." - Aristotle