News & blog

How to perfect your work-life balance

It’s the age-old dilemma. How to make sure that you are not working so hard that you cannot enjoy the rewards it brings to your personal life while resisting the urge to slack off at work in favour of having fun elsewhere. Getting your work-life balance right is considered so important that it has become the focus of National Work Life Week’, a UK-wide initiative taking place between 2 and 6 October this year.
So, how can you get the balance right? Here are some ideas.

The Dos and Don'ts of Product Launches

For your company there aren’t many occasions more important than the launch of a new product or service – they are after all what keep businesses afloat through the generation of sales.

Good product launches can take on a life of their own, with the World Wide Web taking it to corners of the globe and markets you may never have envisioned. And while this level of reach and recognition is usually reserved for the true masters of marketing with the budget to match, that doesn’t mean you can’t make a big impact too.

Presentations - Balancing Needs and Wants

A common tip for pulling off a great presentation involves calming your nerves by picturing your audience in their underwear. And then once the nerves are gone you can wow your audience with your charisma and charm.

We can’t say we’ve ever tried this technique so cannot comment on its success. Charisma and charm are of course desirable traits for anyone to possess, particularly if addressing groups of people, but there are other things you can also do that definitely will help to make your presentation a great one.

Icebreakers - The Scariest Moment of Your Life

Trust is important.  Some give it freely but for others it must be earnt - and who we choose to place it in and why can be revealing about a person.
But while the level of trust you have in a colleague would not typically be comparable to that of a close friend or family member it is still a vital part of being an effective team that will work together and not in spite of each other.

5 Ways To Engage Your Audience From The Conference Stage

In a world filled with distractions, engaging your audience during presentations and talks is becoming more and more difficult. You only have a few minutes to get your audience on your side before they start thinking about checking their Facebook feed..

How To Avoid Death By PowerPoint

PowerPoint is great. There. We’ve said it. Despite numerous free and freemium versions of presentation software being released into the market, Microsoft’s offering still continues to dominate the market.
The main reason for this is largely familiarity but it is likely to do with the robustness of the program too. Because of its market share, it is largely supported by Google and bloggers where you can find a solution to any issue you’re having nice and quickly. 

The 'Feng Shui' of Conference Rooms

The ancient art of feng shui is said to bring balance to a room and to aid the flow of ‘chi’, or ‘life force’ around it. Simply by knowing where to position furniture and other objects in the room, you can enhance your positive energy and thus improve productivity and spark inspiration. Whether or not you believe in the notion of feng shui, there is a lot to be said for planning the layout of your room, both in your own office and at a conference venue. Making the most of the space you have available to you can help streamline the day’s logistics and help your delegates feel comfortable and ready to work.

Presentations - Understanding Your Outcomes

Think back to presentations you have seen. There will no doubt be some which stick in your mind as being truly fantastic, while others simply diminish from your memory, never to be thought of again.
Having clearly defined outcomes can make the process of delivering an unforgettable presentation much easier and inform not only the content, but the way this content is presented.

Icebreakers - Living Histories

Think back to the last team building event you attended. You were likely there with colleagues that you work day in and day out with, colleagues you speak to and email on a daily, if not hourly basis, colleagues you know… or do you?

There is a common misconception that the person we interact with on a daily basis is the whole person. On average we spend around 50% of our waking day at work (allowing for 8 hours of precious sleep) so does the half really equal the whole?

The way to your delegates' hearts is through the buffet

No matter how insightful your keynote speaker is known to be, or how informative your training notes are, the most memorable aspect of a conference for the majority of delegates is the catering. Provide mediocre coffee or a bad lunch and you might as well pack up early and leave. Here’s how to cater for all tastes.

Team Building Should Be More Than Raft Building

When you think of cooperate team building your mind may wander to the clichéd notion of Jan in accounts and Dave in HR trying their best to attach two plastic barrels together using nothing more than twine rope and a plank of wood. Their looks of steely determination, hiding their knowledge that they are about to spend 5 minutes in a cold lake after their craft – “Rafty McRaftface” – collapses… a meter and a half off the shore.

What a trainer needs from a conference facility?

As a trainer, choosing a venue to host your next training event, especially over several days, can be a tough decision. Cost, location, catering, space and the technical facilities available at the venue all play a part in making the right choice.