I have a dream that one day training events will be more than uninspiring presentations, worthless chit chat and stale sandwiches. I have a dream today! That dream has become a reality. Now in its third year, Training Zone Live 2012 proved once again, to be an exceptional event and is quickly establishing itself as one of the most significant events in the diaries of L&D professionals. An event is only...

This post is slightly different to the others in that I would like to discuss an upcoming training event in London where I will be the guest blogger. From the start, TrainingZone Live has been an event like no other. Having continuously evolved and improved, now in its third year, TrainingZone Live will certainly be another success. Those who have had the pleasure of attending in previous years know that this...

Have you just come back from a holiday? Are you suffering from post holiday blues? They say all good things come to an end and never has this been truer than in the case of holidays. However long you take off it never quite feels like enough. One day you are relaxing on the beach feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin and enjoying swimming in the sea. You have no care in the world other than what cocktail...

What do you want to be when you grow up? A familiar question that gets asked to children resulting in some fabulously entertaining answers (I for one wanted to be a princess and a detective part time). As we do in fact grow up, we soon learn that this is one of the most difficult questions we all have to face. There are only a few people who as adults actually end up in their childhood dream job. Others start...

Do you work with a difficult boss? Is your boss making your life miserable at work? Have you tried to address certain issues to no avail? Has the time come to escalate matters and talk to their boss or HR? These conversations are never easy and can cause anxiety so here are a few ideas to try to minimise your distress. Before engaging in this type of conversation, ask yourself the following: – ...

Are you stressed at work? Do you feel strained, anxious, worried and tense? These are just other ways of referring to stress. They all represent negative emotional states that are detrimental to your well being and it is important to know some preventative measures to manage them. Attitudes and emotions can be contagious and the better you control your own levels of stress, the better others will react to you...

Do you work with someone with an oversized ego? Chances are we have all come across at least one or two people with massive egos. It can be very difficult to work with someone like this. The question is, how do you know it’s an ego problem in the first place? The answer is that you can’t know for sure. The competitive nature of the work place can lead to people looking out for themselves. You could just...

Companies use several motivational techniques and tools to motivate their employees. These tend to be a combination of tangible and intangible benefits. Unfortunately, these attempts are not always successful and the workforce is not motivated. So what motivates employees? How do people differ in their motivational needs? Motivation is a core factor for a successful business and there have been many studies...

Our name is hard wired in our subconscious in such a way that it acts as an immediate trigger to get our attention. You will respond to the sound of your name more easily than you will say to the word “banana”. Despite this, according to Freud, “a person’s name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten”. Remembering someone’s name is incredibly useful and important in both social...

Public speaking is becoming an increasing part of our day to day lives even outside of the work place. Inevitably, you must have attended presentations where the speaker mumbled, went over time, fidgeted or simply was not able to captivate the audience. Bad presentations are a waste of time, cost money and can damage reputations. So, if this is what you are aiming for here is the perfect guide for you. Follow...