Working in Barcelona

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

"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

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?"

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. The Whisperers - Tell them that time is short and ask those who don't understand not to interrupt, but to ask their neighbour!
5. 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

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

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!