2008 June

The experts claim that we can all be more creative. See some quotes from the Creativity special issue of New Scientist magazine (October 2005).
“Merge two previously separate concepts that are in conflict with one another. For example, combinations such as ‘friendly enemy’ and ‘healthful illness. The more discrepant the concepts, the more likely they are […]

How do we spend most of our time communicating? The amount of time we spend communicating prepared presentations in a formal setting to groups of people is tiny compared to the amount of time we spend in informal, impromptu one to one discussions. The diagram below shows this graphically - most of our time is […]

A series of tips and hints on energy and well-being taken from a new pocket book written by Gillian Burn, one of our expert trainers and a specialist in health and well-being.
KEEPING HYDRATED

The body loses two and a half litres of fluid in normal body functions daily. This needs replacing.
Try and drink 8-10 glasses […]

Most creativity techniques are concerned with forcing us out of our usual ways of looking at things.
The lateral thinking techniques of Edward de Bono are typical. De Bono is renowned for his highly effective systematic approaches to generate alternative points of view. However, while the term that De Bono popularised, ‘lateral thinking’ is often used […]

3 Steps For Making Writing Easier
Planning - professional writers often spend twice the amount of time planning comparted to non-professional writers. It is key - it helps the writer gather all their ideas and information and it helps stimulate creative thinking. Mind Map your ideas - allows you to put all your various associated thoughts […]

Every day we are learning. Whether we are taking a qualification, studying a new client or assimilating the information in a report, learning is import. With the time constraints put upon us by business and personal lives the way we learn can be the differnence between make or break.
The Pyramid of Learning
Learning is a complex […]

Types of Memory
There are a number of distinct types of memory and a process by which long term memories are generated:
Sensory Memory

Information is gathered by our senses and sent to a sensory store
Sensory store is distributed between different regions of the brain
Data lasts for a fraction of a second
Auditory data lasts a little longer than […]

Most of us start learning to read when we are very young. We also stop learning to read when we are very young! Which is fine if your lessons taught you how to read quickly and assimilate information efficiently. It is fine if your lessons got you into the habit of setting out your objectives […]

Facts and Figures

Absence costs British Industry £10.7 billion per year (CBI Absence Survey data)
A loss of 192 million working days
3% working time lost
Average of 7 days per employee in absence
Industrial Society survey (2001)- 9 out of 10 workplaces are affected by excessive stress
Main causes of absence is from stress and back problems
Stress…

- affects one in […]

Look at your life and all its aspects and activities, and consider, one by one, reversing everything!
This exercise will give you a fresh look at who you are and what you do, and will allow you to make changes where appropriate, and to leave things as they are when you realise they are satisfying […]