Articles and News

It’s a part of daily business life to have to take in, absorb and recall more information than ever and, of course, most of this data arrives in written form – through minutes, reports, proposals, brochures and, of course, texts and emails. A solution to this is to learn how to [...]

Time running away, feeling overwhelmed and worrying that you do not have enough hours in the day? Time is the most precious thing we possess and even though we can’t change time we can change ourselves and how we manage our time. Time management is also about how [...]

Working longer hours may keep the boss smiling, but it takes a toll on your output, social life and in some cases your health. In this set of articles we look at some of the reasons you might be working longer hours and some easy tools and techniques you can learn to help you stretch [...]

Given the fact that most people spend at least half of their waking hours at work, it is essential to recognise the types of business situations most likely to induce stress. Stress causes a wide range of physical and psychological effects which lead not just to unhappiness and health issues, but also to potential declines [...]

NURTURE yourself each and every day of the week with these 7 tips:
1. N – NUTRITION (nb UK’s growing weight problem)

Importance of breakfast – breaking the fast.
Water – 2 litres a day.
Healthy snacks - fruit, energy oat bars, nut and dried fruit mixes. Instead of high sugar and fat alternatives.
Fruit and vegetables – at least 5 [...]

With ever increasing volumes of work and the need to be more conscious of the work/life balance and well-being, how can individuals and organisations overcome becoming stressed about it all?
At work, stress is caused by a multitude of reasons and situations with different people showing different levels of resistance. In this article we are going to look at [...]

An example of a Mind Map – see more examples at www.mind-mapping.co.uk

The Mind Map® is an expression of radiant thinking and is, therefore, a natural function of the human mind. It is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlocking the potential of the brain.

You know that information is more freely available than ever before. But all this information from all these sources can confuse and overload… Clive Lewis, author of ‘The Extraordinary Reader’ and Director of Illumine, gives us some tips on how to read faster and remember more.
 Did you know that a staggering 80% of executives occasionally or often suffer [...]

Information overwhelm is a growing problem. People are struggling to cope with all the information that’s overloading them today, making mistakes, forgetting things and losing sight of what’s important.
Information overwhelm is when the quantity of information we receive exceeds our capacity to deal effectively with it. This situation arises most obviously when people are trying [...]

Firstly get control of the ‘task’ – a rapid browse of the whole paper to see what is in it helps enormously. The browse should be no more than 2 seconds per page – looking for stories of interest, understanding how much space is devoted to main stories. You are simply trying to understand what [...]

We all know how to think and learn, right? Not according to Clive Lewis, Director of Illumine, the training company that specialises in thinking, learning and creativity.
Being able to think, learn and work effectively used to be regarded as ‘nice to haves’. This perspective was often combined with the view that our ability to learn, [...]

If you want to deliver stand out performance then you need to think about your own motivation, the way you lead others and your ability to think creatively. Here Clive Lewis highlights the challenges for 21st century leaders.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a senior leader or in your first management role – if you [...]

Don’t be defensive minded; use smart thinking to underpin your career success. In this article we highlight five essential skills which can help you to stay on the front foot.

There is a temptation when people are under pressure to come to the conclusion that if only they were clear about their priorities, if only they learned to distinguish the urgent from the important and if only they practised saying ‘No’ more assertively, all their struggles would be over.
But for many of us time management isn’t [...]

Speed reading is an area of corporate training which Tony Buzan has just handed over to Illumine Training. Here Clive Lewis, MD of Illumine, highlights why it is such a valuable skill for business executives to learn.
Why do we need to speed read? Aren’t we under enough pressure at work already?
If this is your premise [...]

Some people call it information overload, others data fatigue. But whatever its name you don’t have to be victim to it. Here Anthony Landale reports on a new mental strategy that will get you to the information and knowledge you need, fast.
There’s a guy who has just called up the radio station I’m listening [...]

In this article Clive Lewis, MD of Illumine, highlights why speed reading is so valuable in business.
Why do we need to speed read? Aren’t we under enough pressure at work already?
If this is your premise then think again. Speed reading is not about forcing you to work harder. On the contrary, by enabling you to triple your [...]

Is the pressure of information overload getting to you? Join the club. Here Clive Lewis, MD of Illumine Training, argues that mental agility is your best hope for survival.
It’s like a tidal wave coming right at you. It’s coming via text, email, reports, messages, policies and guidelines. It’s coming at speed from every direction [...]

Too much focus in accelerated learning (AL) has been on how it enhances the training experience. Here Clive Lewis argues that the pressing need is for business users to start applying AL techniques to the everyday challenges they face.
So you are familiar with accelerated learning (AL), or at least some key elements of it.  [...]