Inspiring People - Expression for Growth

02Jun 2020 by Shannon Bridger

‘E-learning’ – not a library with a new name

‘E-learning’ – not a library with a new name As COVID-19 has rampaged across the globe, the closure of schools has brought the topic of ‘e-learning’ sharply into focus. This rapid disruption has also impacted adult education from colleges, universities and corporate Learning and Development (L&D). Unfortunately, ’e-learning’ is broadly misunderstood and can often have plenty of ’e’ and not great ‘learning’. This has given online learning a poor reputation. It doesn’t have to be that way. In this article, Gareth Moxom explores what e-learning can do well and fit within an L&D programme, the pitfalls, and how it is still the human element that counts. Not quite a snow day….. If like me, you have school-age children and you live at latitudes where it does (but rarely) snows, there…

07May 2020 by Shannon Bridger

Virtual communication: Slicing the banana: Part 5

Creating Connection, Inspiring People, Virtual Meetings

Virtual communication: Slicing the banana: Part 5 In our COVID-19 world, virtual communications have never been more important than right now. This could be informally with friends and family, or increasingly, in our business context. What is certain, when we return to ‘normal’, it will not be the ‘normal’ that we were used to. The seismic shock that we are experiencing will shape the future. It will never be the same again. On that sobering thought, we all need to learn to use the virtual context in a way that helps, not hinders our communication. In this series of articles, I look at some of the ‘quick wins’ - simple things that you can do to significantly improve the way you come across when communication through the ‘little screen’ In…

15Apr 2020 by Shannon Bridger

Virtual Communication – YOU are your communication (Part One)

Creating Connection, Inspiring People, Learning Sprints, Virtual Meetings, Winning Habits

Virtual Communication - YOU are your communication (Part One) Virtual communications have never been more important than right now, in our COVID19 world. This could be informally with friends and family, or increasingly, in our business context. What is certain, when we return to ‘normal’, it will not be the ‘normal’ that we were used to. This seismic shock that we are experiencing in the context of our everyday lives will shape the future. It will never be the same again. On that sobering thought, and given that we all need to learn to use the virtual context in a way that helps, not hinders our communication, in this series of articles, I look at some of the ‘quick wins’ - simple things that you can do to significantly improve…

15Nov 2019 by Shannon Bridger

Feel the fear of presenting…and do it anyway!

Business Storytelling, Inspiring People, Presentation Skills

Feel the fear of presenting…and do it anyway! Top 10 Tips for success. Within the field of ‘Presentation Skills’ (for want of a better descriptor), I have noticed at times, the deep discomfort that some people have in this area. I am not talking about those who are ‘new to presenting’. I am also talking about some people - senior and experienced leaders, whose job it is to engage their businesses and motivate their teams. Their ‘deep fear’ of presenting dramatically affects their approach to this necessity – some avoiding it at all costs, some experiencing massive stress in the build up to an ‘event’, and others simply doing a lack-lustre job. The impact on them, their teams and their organisation is huge…and in some cases presents career-limiting barriers as they are considered unable to communicate…

28May 2019 by Shannon Bridger

Leadership….a much over-complicated skill

Inspiring People, Leadership

I am lucky enough to have worked with leadership teams from large international businesses for over 25 years, and if I am completely honest ‘what leadership is’ mystified me for a long time; walk into the business section of any library, and there are large number of very impressive pieces of work about leadership. In fact, there are institutions that specialise in leadership. Leadership is big business. Leadership is a mystery But leadership is also a mystery to many and too difficult to access and apply, because is it just that…a mystery. It is also true, that poor leadership causes so much angst in our society (from our politicians to our CEOs, our middle managers to our teachers, and so many more)…surely we can think of it in simple terms,…

21May 2019 by Shannon Bridger

Business storytelling – a story about telling stories

Business Storytelling, Customer Relationships, Inspiring People, Presentation Skills, Selling, Virtual Meetings

Make an impact and stand out from the crowd to deliver your message I have been involved in helping others be the best they can be in front of groups of people for the past 25 years, and in my view, this core business skill is underrated, usually poorly executed, and probably one of the most significant ways you can make an impact on your colleagues, customers and stakeholders. It’s a question of; “what kind of impact do you want to have?” Is it lunchtime yet? Think of all the presentations that you have been in the audience for. Now, think of all the ‘virtual’ presentations that you have witnessed. Then, think of all the conference calls you have been part of. Be honest - how many of them stood…

14May 2019 by Shannon Bridger

Becoming a salesman

Customer Relationships, Great Questions, Inspiring People, Selling, Winning Habits

A story of a headmaster, the engineer and disappointment Imagine the scene; a budding mining and explosives engineer in his mid-twenties. The phone call to his proud father, a respected head teacher of a well-known school. “Dad, you know that career track I have sunk the past 8 years of my life into? The one where I get to run my ‘very own’ coal mine? Well…I’ve quit. I am going to be a salesman…..” The silence was deafening, the disappointment palpable…..I remember it like it was yesterday and that moment was 30 years ago. Sales people get a bad rap…deservedly so. So….what is really interesting about this tale is WHY? What is it about the ‘sales profession’ that so many people dislike? (I think I can actually hear you responding…

20Apr 2019 by Claire Winn

Inspirational Leadership is a mystery to many, rare to observe and magical when it happens.

Inspiring People

Becoming an inspirational leader and understanding and applying the behaviours in your role, everyday, will make a big impact on your business. Leadership is a mystery to many and too difficult to access and apply, because is it just that…a mystery. However, it is an important skill. It is also true, that poor leadership causes so much angst in our society (from our politicians to our CEOs, our middle managers to our teachers, and so many more)…surely we can think of it in simple terms, and help the ‘every day leader’ succeed. Most of us are ‘everyday leaders’ – only a few of you will have saved the world, launched a multi-billion-dollar company, led the masses into battle, or created and led a political movement. However, we can all learn to be great leaders. Our leadership…

08Apr 2019 by Claire Winn

How can you create a motivated workforce to drive business performance?

Inspiring People

Connecting, motivating and inspiring people is an essential business skill which is missing at several levels in many organisations. This often results in a big impact on productivity, employee performance and ultimately profit - the bottom line for any business. But how can you create a motivated workforce? These ‘soft skills’ are so often undervalued. As managers and leaders in our workplace today we become adept at processes, systems, strategy and priorities…but so often forget the impact we are having on those around us. Knowing how to connect and create a deep and meaningful rapport with our teams is a key factor in creating a motivated workforce and is fundamental to our success in our jobs, and life itself. Emotionally Intelligent behaviour counts far more than how smart we are, or what grade we got at college.…

25Mar 2019 by Shannon Bridger

It’s time to re-think webinars

Customer Relationships, Inspiring People, Virtual Meetings

Technology is improving; travel budgets are shrinking; people’s time is becoming increasingly scarce. Those three factors are leading more organisations to hold virtual meetings and training sessions, instead, or in complement to, face-to-face meetings and workshops. Great, right? …right? I'm not bored at all....!! Well, maybe not. If you’re like most of us then you’ve experienced terrible webinars and dysfunctional virtual meetings. Let’s face it: many things can make webinars uninspiring, boring and dull. Most often, it’s when they are treated as a ‘one-way’ communication tool. This is demoralising for everyone involved: the people ‘receiving’ the message get bored and find distractions elsewhere; the person ‘transmitting’ the information gets little feedback from the group and feels isolated and frustrated. These types of webinars rarely achieve desired outcomes and are often…