It seems that all my blog posts recently have the title ‘How to...’. Sorry to be predictable with this one, but ‘how to have a difficult conversation’ really is the…
So much is written about work/life balance as the boundaries between work and play become more blurred each day. I'm reading a very interesting book at the moment which focuses on…
I was surprised a few weeks ago when a good friend of mine, Octavio Rojas, owner/director of the public relations agency tú a tú asked me to give a talk…
Obviously in the times in which we live, many people are thinking about their professional futures, their value in the job market and the possibility of having to get a new job at some point. In addition to this , if we remember that English is becoming more and more important, depending on the sector in which you operate, the chances of having to do an interview in English are increasing every day.
So how can you prepare for an interview in English? If you really feel you need to improve your level, think seriously about enrolling on an intensive course and/or getting private classes. And simulation practice with a native teacher who also has a interviewing experience is ideal.
However, at the end of the day, when it comes to the time of the interview, your English is the level it is, so it really doesn’t make sense to worry too much about it, if you do, you’ll just feel more nervous and get blocked more easily.
In this post I want to talk about preparing for a specific TYPE of interview, a type that all recruiters are using in all languages (at least the most professional ones). This is COMPETENCY BASED or BEHAVIOURAL BASED interviewing. (more…)
A new year is always a good moment for reflection. Living here in Spain for the past 23 years and observing the country’s evolution on many fronts, there’s one sentence…
I'm busy putting the finishing touches to the Open Course on Positive Thinking that we'll be running next week. Perhaps the most significant part of the course is showing how…
For many years now we have heard about the importance of a filling, nutritional breakfast (I still manage to be horrified when some Spaniards here tell me they only have a cup of coffee for breakfast).
However, as the pace of life and demands on us continue to increase, we need more than just a boost via our alimentation. In previous posts I’ve often made reference to the importance of the balance between mind, body and spirit for a happy and satisfying life. And this is particularly important at certain moments, one of those moments being the start of the day.
How do you start your day?
Do you rush out of the door gulping down a cup of coffee for breakfast? Or do you get up with enough time to do something that nourishes you and sets a positive, strong, purposeful tone for the rest of the day.
It is well known that successful people have morning routines that energise them and that make them feel in control. The effects of an enjoyable and beneficial activity of just 10 or 15 minutes really do last into your day and increase the probability that what comes at you will also be enjoyable (see Law of Attraction posts).
Your chosen activity could be physical exercise, reading, meditating, visualizing, journaling or simply reflecting on things you feel grateful for (and even in the most adverse circumstances we can always find something to be grateful for, however small). (more…)
More than any time in the past the need for positive thinking is not only desirable but necessary.
In my training courses I nearly always include a small section about how we think about the skills we are learning and practicing; a consistently positive attitude towards giving a presentation for example makes a huge difference to your performance on the day, even if it’s just changing your belief from “I’m not very good at presentations” to “Every time I practice giving a presentation, I’m getting better and more confident”.
Two sources inspired me to write this post. The first was from a request by a multi- national company to deliver a course on positive thinking to combat the negative atmosphere induced by restructuring and layoffs. The second source of inspiration came from a friend who told me an interesting story. He related how for many years his principle view of life was one of negativity, believing that everything that happened to him was caused by external forces which inevitably drove him to complain incessantly. As a consequence, people didn’t want to be around him and professional opportunities quickly dried up.Then one day someone asked him if he had read “The Secret”. After reading this book and completing changing his attitude to one of positivity and self responsibility, his life changed completely in only 15 days! (more…)
I recently gave a time management course where one of the sessions was dedicated to our attitude towards time. It’s probably something that the course participants didn’t think would be an integral part of the training, but as we went through the session, I could see, from the expresssion on their faces, that indeed, they felt that changes in
attitude could have a significant influence on how they would manage their time
in the future.
Time is a great leveller; we all have the same amount of time in the day to deal with. And there are two aspects to this –
© 2020 Business Learning Solutions
Proudly designed by Miraki
