I’ve been asked to talk at a conference about how business has changed in the last ten years. Boy oh boy, where do I start? It made me think about the changes in how businesses run today. But it also made me think about some…
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Strange question? Maybe. Few people actually think about the style they adopt when they are listening to another person. But there is value in doing so, and I’d like to share some ideas that may help your communications in the future. (more…)
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One challenge that is often brought up in our courses is that of lack of cooperation between departments. Although you’re all working for the same company, other departments may appear to slow you down. Here are some tips in working with this situation. In dealing with other departments, begin…
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We had an interesting discussion on a recent training course about how continuous improvement within a department can be supported. One manager on the course was implementing a Kaizen Programme and his main concern was that the structure of the organisation, and especially his team,…
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Your team can offer valuable assistance in achieving your goals and objectives, but only when they are given the opportunity to do so. Many managers are reluctant to offer more power to the team because it is risky and diminishes their control. But it is…
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We do many communication exercises on our courses, and delegates like them because they are fun, easy to assimilate and transfer into the workplace, and give them an opportunity to improve this important skill in a safe environment. Here are some exercises we use. Take…
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De Bono’s ideas of thinking hats go back over 25 years but is still seen as relevant as much today as back then. The idea allows for different modes of thinking, allowing a problem to be seen from different perspectives. It encourages you to choose…
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Many people who manage teams in customer service are aware of the need to display vision and customer focus in their businesses, but less people are able to apply this in the real-world atmosphere of the hot-house business. To create a culture takes time and…
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You have to exert influence in many ways on different people many times a day, whether it’s your boss, customers, staff, stakeholders, suppliers, colleagues or others. When you think about it, persuading is just another form of selling. If you need to influence another person,…
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I saw that very funny sketch on TV the other day, where commedians Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett acted out a communication mismatch scene that epitomises so effectively how so much business is conducted today. Put your speakers or headphones on, press the play button…
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On our Management Training Courses we often find the most interesting discussions revolve around the section on Leadership styles, because many people have heard about them but haven’t really learned enough about them to build their knowledge and awareness of how to change styles when…
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By building emotional intelligence, it is possible to decide how to deal with stressful scenarios without losing your self-control. Stress is often something driven from outside influences, so the way to deal with it is often through understanding how you react to stress and deciding…
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