What is it with business people and meetings? I’ve lost count of the mundane, ineffective and downright pointless meetings that I have had the misfortune to attend so far this year. If one more person drags me half way across the country to attend a meeting about the meeting before it I’m pretty sure I will throw myself out of the meeting room window.
I’m not against meetings per se, but it seems that people are pre-occupied with talking about issues rather than getting their hands dirty and actually dealing with them. I guess it’s easier to imbed yourself in a days worth of appointments talking about ‘the state of the business’ than it is to spend time actually trying to resolve anything.
The trouble with this abundance of dross gatherings is that it turns people off to the worthwhile meetings that really do help to address ‘real issues’, which can create a positive benefit to the future of the business.
So, for those of you that are interested only in positive meetings with purpose, let’s lay down some guidelines…
1) Never call a meeting if the information can be distributed or matter resolved by alternative, simpler means.
2) Provide a clear agenda and any relevant information to those due to attend the meeting. If they are required to prepare information, let them know.
3) Only invite people that absolutely need to be there.
4) Always start and end the meeting on time.
5) Stick to the topics on the agenda.
6) Be clear on the goals of the meeting and work towards them.
7) Do not allow AOB to become inane ramblings. If people want to have a general chat, ask them to do it elsewhere.
8) Prepare for the meeting and be clear on the content. If you have not prepared adequately then postpone, avoid bringing people together to ‘chat around the topic’.
9) Avoid ‘satellite’ meetings. If you can combine topics and all relevant people are due to be there, do so.
10) If the meeting becomes no longer necessary, don’t have it!
See, simple really isn’t it? So stop calling a meeting every time you need a break from the real work and start planning for successes. If you want to have a moan, save it for the water cooler!
You can download our new training resource on 'Leading Meetings' at our website www.trainerbubble.com
Monday 23 July 2007
Wednesday 11 July 2007
Dress the Room - by Wolfgang Halliwell
As soon as I walked into the room I knew this would be no ordinary training event.
Colourful posters adorned the wall. The tables were arranged into a cafeteria style. Each table had a small bowl of fruit instead of the usual mints. There were also a few colourful toys together with some coloured pencils and marker pens.
I also distinctly remember the lively and positive music being played – ‘I feel good’ by James Brown.
Never before had I experienced anything quite like this, and I really did feel good. This warm and welcoming atmosphere put me in exactly the right mood to participate and to learn and was the start of one of the best three day courses I have ever attended.
The experience had a big effect on me and from that time onwards I have always paid a lot of attention to setting up the venue before any training event. The aim is to help participants get into the right learning state in rich and multi-sensory way.
Although some people arrive looking a little puzzled and even suspicious I find that they soon put this to one side. Most soon have smiles on their faces and tend to respond positively when we start work.
Of course, it is not only the participants who benefit from this. By setting up a positive atmosphere it really does make me feel good and puts me in a positive mental state. This in turn benefits the learners who always get the best from me.
If you struggle to generate ‘life’ into your courses try giving extra thought into the way you set up the room. And, don’t forget the lively and positive music. This won’t breathe life into a lifeless but it’s a good start. Soon you will find yourself being more adventurous in the things you try during your training, and that will be to everyone’s benefit.
Wolfgang is an author of training course materials and resources for Trainer Bubble.
Colourful posters adorned the wall. The tables were arranged into a cafeteria style. Each table had a small bowl of fruit instead of the usual mints. There were also a few colourful toys together with some coloured pencils and marker pens.
I also distinctly remember the lively and positive music being played – ‘I feel good’ by James Brown.
Never before had I experienced anything quite like this, and I really did feel good. This warm and welcoming atmosphere put me in exactly the right mood to participate and to learn and was the start of one of the best three day courses I have ever attended.
The experience had a big effect on me and from that time onwards I have always paid a lot of attention to setting up the venue before any training event. The aim is to help participants get into the right learning state in rich and multi-sensory way.
Although some people arrive looking a little puzzled and even suspicious I find that they soon put this to one side. Most soon have smiles on their faces and tend to respond positively when we start work.
Of course, it is not only the participants who benefit from this. By setting up a positive atmosphere it really does make me feel good and puts me in a positive mental state. This in turn benefits the learners who always get the best from me.
If you struggle to generate ‘life’ into your courses try giving extra thought into the way you set up the room. And, don’t forget the lively and positive music. This won’t breathe life into a lifeless but it’s a good start. Soon you will find yourself being more adventurous in the things you try during your training, and that will be to everyone’s benefit.
Wolfgang is an author of training course materials and resources for Trainer Bubble.
Wednesday 4 July 2007
Ten Rules for a Successful Life
Why are some people more successful than others? Is it just that some people get all the luck and that’s just the way it is? Or is there more to it? Gary Player the famous golfer once said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get” and I think this statement has a lot of truth to it. I believe that success is a mindset and if I’m right, then that means that anyone can achieve it.
If you listen carefully to people you will notice that they become very adept at providing reasons for their ‘bad luck’. It’s the upbringing, the schooling, the boss, the partner and many other reasons including the fact that there are not enough hours in the day (eh?). I’m of the opinion that these limiting beliefs are a way of avoiding the simple truth; some people just don’t want it enough. It’s a lot easier to sit in your lazyboy chair and proclaim to the world that you didn’t get the breaks, than it is to get up and do something about it.
Now I’m not saying that everyone should want to be the best at everything they do, but I do think that those people who decide to live life in the slow lane forego their right to complain about it. If you really care that much then it’s up to you to change things.
So for those people that want to get out of the rut and move on in life, I’ve put together ten rules. If you follow them, I see no reason why success shouldn’t follow.
1. Nobody else is to blame for the way you are. Those things that happen to you (good or bad) simply create choices. You are a product of your own making.
2. The world owes you nothing. If you want the stars, buy your own ladder and climb. Nobody will give you a leg-up.
3. Thinking is not doing. Good luck rarely comes to the inactive. Hard work is a dream-maker.
4. Failure is progress. Every mistake is a step closer to success, as long as you learn from it.
5. Focus on the important things in life. If you spend too long worrying about the small things, that’s all you’ll end up with.
6. Take pride in what you do. There’s no shame in thinking positively about yourself. If you don’t love you, nobody else will.
7. Celebrate success. If it goes right, shout it from the roof-tops. You can learn from good stuff too.
8. Take what works and build on it. If you find success in one area, model it and apply the learning to other areas.
9. Stick with it. There will be moments when it all seems like too much hard work, that’s when you’re getting closer.
10. Share your success with others, there’s enough to go around. Successful people work together and build winning relationships.
There you have it, ten simple steps to achieving your dreams. So stop looking for reasons not to succeed and start working towards your goals. I’ve never once heard an elderly person complain about the things they did in life, but I’ve heard a few regrets about the things they didn’t.
Visit Trainer Bubble now, where you will find two great training resources on Success; 'Make a Difference to Your Life' and 'Think Your Way to Success'.
If you listen carefully to people you will notice that they become very adept at providing reasons for their ‘bad luck’. It’s the upbringing, the schooling, the boss, the partner and many other reasons including the fact that there are not enough hours in the day (eh?). I’m of the opinion that these limiting beliefs are a way of avoiding the simple truth; some people just don’t want it enough. It’s a lot easier to sit in your lazyboy chair and proclaim to the world that you didn’t get the breaks, than it is to get up and do something about it.
Now I’m not saying that everyone should want to be the best at everything they do, but I do think that those people who decide to live life in the slow lane forego their right to complain about it. If you really care that much then it’s up to you to change things.
So for those people that want to get out of the rut and move on in life, I’ve put together ten rules. If you follow them, I see no reason why success shouldn’t follow.
1. Nobody else is to blame for the way you are. Those things that happen to you (good or bad) simply create choices. You are a product of your own making.
2. The world owes you nothing. If you want the stars, buy your own ladder and climb. Nobody will give you a leg-up.
3. Thinking is not doing. Good luck rarely comes to the inactive. Hard work is a dream-maker.
4. Failure is progress. Every mistake is a step closer to success, as long as you learn from it.
5. Focus on the important things in life. If you spend too long worrying about the small things, that’s all you’ll end up with.
6. Take pride in what you do. There’s no shame in thinking positively about yourself. If you don’t love you, nobody else will.
7. Celebrate success. If it goes right, shout it from the roof-tops. You can learn from good stuff too.
8. Take what works and build on it. If you find success in one area, model it and apply the learning to other areas.
9. Stick with it. There will be moments when it all seems like too much hard work, that’s when you’re getting closer.
10. Share your success with others, there’s enough to go around. Successful people work together and build winning relationships.
There you have it, ten simple steps to achieving your dreams. So stop looking for reasons not to succeed and start working towards your goals. I’ve never once heard an elderly person complain about the things they did in life, but I’ve heard a few regrets about the things they didn’t.
Visit Trainer Bubble now, where you will find two great training resources on Success; 'Make a Difference to Your Life' and 'Think Your Way to Success'.
Sunday 1 July 2007
Think Your Way to Success
One issue that our subconscious has is that it cannot process negative thoughts. In other words if I were to say to you now…
“Don’t think of a blue duck”
What do you think of? That’s right…
A blue duck.
We commonly make this very mistake with children. Let’s say they have a glass of milk and we say, “Don’t spill that milk.” What happens next?
Of course, in order to think of not spilling the milk they have to first think of spilling it. That’s the exact same time that your carpet gets ruined!
If one small statement like this can have an impact, imagine what happens when we have months or even years of conditioning. Once we realise that our subconscious cannot differentiate between a negative and positive statement it becomes clear why we tend to fail with the goals we set ourselves.
Picture the person that decides to lose weight, every time they look in the mirror they think ‘fat, fat, fat’. Each time they open the fridge they think ‘don’t eat this, don’t eat that.’ Their subconscious is only hearing fat, fat, fat as if that is the way things should be and if it’s receiving a message of ‘don’t eat’ and it can’t process negative thoughts, what is the message it’s getting?
…Eat, exactly. So with this one typical example we realise how our desire to get fit can become an exercise in getting bigger.
You may not even realise it when you use negatives words and phrases. Regardless, if you use them enough, they can condition you to think negatively, too. Before you know it, little negatives will clutter up your mind, as well as your conversation.
You now know that our subconscious needs positives to work on and if you want positive outcomes, then you must…
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT, NOT WHAT YOU DON'T
“Don’t think of a blue duck”
What do you think of? That’s right…
A blue duck.
We commonly make this very mistake with children. Let’s say they have a glass of milk and we say, “Don’t spill that milk.” What happens next?
Of course, in order to think of not spilling the milk they have to first think of spilling it. That’s the exact same time that your carpet gets ruined!
If one small statement like this can have an impact, imagine what happens when we have months or even years of conditioning. Once we realise that our subconscious cannot differentiate between a negative and positive statement it becomes clear why we tend to fail with the goals we set ourselves.
Picture the person that decides to lose weight, every time they look in the mirror they think ‘fat, fat, fat’. Each time they open the fridge they think ‘don’t eat this, don’t eat that.’ Their subconscious is only hearing fat, fat, fat as if that is the way things should be and if it’s receiving a message of ‘don’t eat’ and it can’t process negative thoughts, what is the message it’s getting?
…Eat, exactly. So with this one typical example we realise how our desire to get fit can become an exercise in getting bigger.
You may not even realise it when you use negatives words and phrases. Regardless, if you use them enough, they can condition you to think negatively, too. Before you know it, little negatives will clutter up your mind, as well as your conversation.
You now know that our subconscious needs positives to work on and if you want positive outcomes, then you must…
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT, NOT WHAT YOU DON'T
This short excerpt comes from our training resource, 'Think Your Way to Success', which you can purchase from our website for just £47.
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