Anyone who has watched Very British Problems or followed them on Facebook will probably remember the segment on the use of the word ‘sorry’ by us Brits. Seemingly, we can’t get enough of the word and even Adele decided to write a song about it. We use it when we walk into people, and when they walk into us. We apologise for being late, for being on time and for being early. We apologise for the way we look,…
Do you ever think that you could do more to attract or retain business but you’re not sure exactly where you are going wrong? Try this technique to see if it will help you: Get a pen/pencil/phone/ipad etc and make a table like the one below. Fill in all the communication methods you use. These might include email, face to face networking, Facebook ads, leaflets. How I communicate with prospective clients How I communicate with existing clients…
An Interview With…Presentation Genius Catch up on our recent newsletter interview with Presentation Genius Simon Raybould. Many of us have to give presentations in our roles and for the majority it can be a daunting time. I caught up with Simon to get his thoughts. Simon, public speaking is one of the biggest phobias in the world. Why do you think that is? In many cases it’s the fear of standing out – of being separate from ‘the herd’. Being the…
An Interview With… In our April newsletter we featured an interview with Khalid Karim. If you missed it, here is a chance to catch up on what he had to say about social media and your business. Khalid Karim is the Business Networking Franchisor and Social Media Strategist for Pathway2Grow, Creative Director for ThinkFest Events and The Business Growth Show Event Director. We asked Khalid some questions about the importance of social media. Here are his thoughts… 1) Khalid, just how important…
Communication Failure We all know people who struggle to communicate well, but there may be some things we are all doing that could make us ineffective communicators. Have a look at the following five habits and see whether you are guilty of any of these. Number One “Not Today Thank You. I’m Very Busy.” Bad habit number one is constantly telling people you are in a rush and don’t have long to speak to them. Obviously, sometimes it can’t…
Following on from National Apprenticeship Week, you might be considering taking on an apprentice or wondering whether an apprenticeship is right for you or someone in your family. There are no easy answers but there are some things to consider and I hope my blog might give you some more insight to help you make your decision. Thinking of Taking on an Apprentice? An apprentice can be a good solution for a small or medium sized business looking to…
A common sight in training rooms across the lands is the passive objector. This lone creature does not disrupt the session but slowly draws the life and positivity out of the room like a Dementor from Harry Potter. The reasons for objecting can be varied but usually revolve around having been made to do something they don’t want to do. In many cases you find that the objector is either an older or younger member of the team. An older…
You might be surprised to know that 16% of adults in England are classed as ‘functionally illiterate’. This means they have a level of English that is the same or below that of an eleven year old. These adults will struggle to access many jobs and therefore may not be able to reach their full potential. Most of these 5.2 million people will be trying to keep their level of English a secret feeling ashamed of their ability. These…
“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one.” Any Star Trek fans out there will recognise the quote above but you might be wondering what Mr Spock has got to do with learning. I was thinking about the quote in relation to the difficulty of meeting the needs of each person when teaching or training in a group situation. The majority of training or teaching will be geared towards the needs of…
I’m often told by people that they don’t use maths at work, or at home, so they can’t really see the point of having to learn it at school. Whilst there are many aspects of maths that are only used in very specific careers, there are some basics that everyone should master as you never know when you might need them. Finding a percentage discount. This is an important maths skill if you are selling, or buying, a product at…
