The essentials of an effective meeting
We hear so much about the desirability of effective meetings. But how many meetings are truly effective and what do we mean by effective? Effective meetings leave you energised and…
We hear so much about the desirability of effective meetings. But how many meetings are truly effective and what do we mean by effective? Effective meetings leave you energised and…
There's no doubt - we all tend to take communication for granted. But as George Bernard Shaw pointed out, "The problem with communication... is the illusion that it has been…
Here at Business Learning Solutions we are getting asked more and more to do presentations training and coaching in multinational companies. And I see managers and directors who have been giving presentations for years making the same mistake over and over again.
What is the common mistake most of them make? – There is no structure to their presentations. And no structure to a presentation means that the audience soon becomes bored and switches off. (more…)
Sometimes as a manager it’s difficult to get honest, genuine feedback on how you are performing from a member of your team. We know that if we are to get the most out of our team we must listen to their view on how we can improve but many people are reluctant to tell their boss ‘the honest truth’. (more…)
We hear a lot these days about motivation, it seems to be the buzzword of the decade, and quite rightly so, highly motivated staff lead to engaged employees lead to a happier working environment lead to higher productivity!
However, the ‘sixty thousand dollar’ question always is ‘What actually motivates someone?’ There are many motivation theories out there but the one I want to highlight in this post is related to our basic needs as humans and what happens when they aren’t met.
In the 1950’s Maslow articulated the Hierarchy of Needs, outlining how our needs change as we evolve as a society and as an individual. A model related to this but with a somewhat different perspective is the Six Human Needs model popularized by Anthony Robbins. (more…)
I’m busy preparing a course this week on persuasive speaking and influencing skills. Despite framing up the course as we always do, that we’re concentrating totally on skills rather than teaching English, I suspect some of the participants expect me to wave a magic wand and present them with some set phrases in English that will make the difference between winning a contract and losing it. (more…)
How many times have you heard the phrase, "he/she never listens to anything I say" or even worse, "he/she just doesn't understand me". In this age where everything and nothing…
It is impossible to go through life without conflict. As human beings we are all different, with differing values, perceptions and opinions. Conflict is inevitable especially in the workplace, where in…
“When it comes to motivation, there’s a gap between what science knows and what business does.
Our current business operating system – which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators – doesn’t work and often does harm. We need an upgrade. And the science shows the way. This new approach has three essential elements:
That’s a summary from a great book I’ve just read about motivation called Drive by Daniel H. Pink. http://www.danpink.com/drive and it really struck a chord with me. (more…)