During my career I have received and delivered communication skills training, achieving both effective and candid outcomes. Much of this development has been preparing what I would say in any given scenario – and it’s served me well. However, there … Continue reading
Add IMPACT To What You Say
There have been times in my career when I had business VIP visits and opportunities to make an impact; to show just what an expert I was. I would be asked an easy question such as “how’s the project going?” … Continue reading
Increase and improve collaboration
Two heads may be better than one, but too many cooks spoil the broth… How do we make collaboration work? Collaboration needs a framework. Beyond thinking about the project we’re working on – we also need to be thinking about … Continue reading
Are you getting the most from your team?
We all know that team members have different strengths and weaknesses: some people are good at detail, some prefer high-level thinking, some are creative, some are risk-averse. And bringing these different qualities together is what makes a team so effective… … Continue reading
Better, stronger, faster decisions.
How do you and your team make decisions? Do you: Jump on the most likely-looking solution, because you’re pushed for time? Listen to the person with the most experience? Look to the past and see what worked and whether it … Continue reading
Create a culture of dynamic meetings
Most meetings don’t work hard enough. Don’t take our word for it: A 2016 study estimates that inefficient meetings cost the UK economy £582m per week, with one in three people reporting that many of their meetings are unnecessary. 95% … Continue reading
Getting stronger outputs from innovation
A common challenge in innovation was summed up succinctly by one of our clients: “We’re pretty good at idea generation. But at the end of the session we have 300 post-its and no idea what to do next. Someone takes … Continue reading
Master the knowledge economy with rigorous, dynamic group thinking
Intelligence is a commodity. Expertise is valuable. The worlds of industry and commerce are moving ever faster thanks to advances in technology. There are many advantages to this. Revolutions in remote working and quick communication mean that we never need … Continue reading
Thinking for success
Stephanie Butland – de Bono Master Facilitator and Trainer: Six Thinking Hats®, Lateral Thinking and Focus On Facilitation™ The business world moves quickly, and however much we plan, we can never be ready for everything. Changes in legislation, budget cuts, … Continue reading
How do your listeners perceive you?
By Richard White – Master Trainer: Think on Your Feet®, Writing Dynamics™ and Grammar on the Rocks™. The impression we make when we’re speaking is important. Whether we’re presenting, speaking on the phone or having a chat at the watercooler; … Continue reading
Making communication style work for you
By Richard White – Master Trainer: Think on Your Feet®, Writing Dynamics™ and Grammar on the Rocks™. When we talk about communication style we are referring to the expression of ideas. Whatever you have to say, expressing it well will … Continue reading
Getting complex and technical information across
By Richard White – Master Trainer: Think on Your Feet®, Writing Dynamics™, The Skilled Presenter™ and Grammar on the Rocks™. Communicating complex or technical information to an audience that has no special knowledge of the subject is always challenging. We recently … Continue reading
Making emails work
By Richard White – Writing Dynamics™ Master Trainer When you glance down the list of senders in your email inbox, do different names create different expectations? Some people’s emails are a pleasure to read: you know they’ll be clear; to … Continue reading
Engaging stakeholders
The skills required to understand, engage, manage and communicate with stakeholders. By Trish Thurley, Indigo Master Trainer and Richard Evans Stakeholder management can be the difference between success and failure for anyone who has to deal with other people. Who … Continue reading
Five most common presentation mistakes
By Richard White, Master Trainer – The Skilled Presenter™ We’re often asked for the most common errors people make when planning and delivering a presentation. We’ve helped hundreds of people to improve their presentation skills so we have a good … Continue reading
Why The Skilled Presenter™ will benefit you
By Richard White, Master Trainer – The Skilled Presenter™ Presentations can pose a real dilemma in as much as we all want them to be professional, clear and persuasive but we also want them to be authentic, genuine and inspiring. … Continue reading
The Skilled Presenter™ for sales professionals
By Richard White, Master Trainer – The Skilled Presenter™ A successful sales presentation must win over the client in order to win the business. Great speakers and speechwriters know that the three essential elements of effective public speaking are: Logic. … Continue reading
Are you an occasional presenter?
By Richard White, Master Trainer – The Skilled Presenter™ People who plan and deliver presentations regularly have plenty of opportunity to develop and hone their skills. But, if you are an occasional presenter it’s not so easy. So, if your … Continue reading
The (ugly) truth about workplace communication.
Excellent verbal and written communication-skills is a standard requirement in today’s workplace. Communication plays a vital role in your company’s success and productivity. And ignoring it can be dangerous. Download our FREE infographic: The (ugly) truth about workplace communication. It reveals the … Continue reading
Ever wanted to just get up and walk out of a meeting?
By Ragini Krishnadas Meetings consume huge amounts of time for most of us, our customers tell us that these are often the least productive elements of their day. “That was so worthwhile!” When was the last time you walked out of … Continue reading
30% off Indigo workshops for the NHS
The NHS costs money to keep going, and funding for the NHS is tough. So to help our NHS clients as budgets get tighter, we are delighted to announce that, for all NHS staff, many of our open workshop places will be at a staggering 50% off their standard rate. Continue reading
Don’t talk too long
Adapted from an original article by Roger HB Davies, Think on Your Feet International Inc Do a “dry run” to focus on the timing of your presentation. Listeners commonly complain that speakers waste their time and talk too long. If … Continue reading
Eco bottle caps double as Lego blocks. Classic Lateral Thinking in action.
Brazil-based innovative packaging developer Clever Caps offer an environmentally friendly solution to the production of bottle caps – while also adding value to the objects to encourage consumers to re-use them. We like this classic use of Lateral Thinking and Provocation that Edward de Bono would be proud of. Continue reading
How do I answer that?
A month ago I was sitting in our Monday morning sales meeting with the Sunday blues hanging over my head. I jolted back to reality when I saw my boss glaring at me. There was a question looming between us … Continue reading
Three challenges Managing Projects™ helps to solve:
The frustration of never-ending projects that drag on and drag you down. Stops ‘risk’ from being a chore, making it your best ally for saving time and effort. Avoids the pain and humiliation of failure, by ensuring success. Tips Use … Continue reading
Raise your productivity
By Trish Thurley, Master Trainer Project Management “UK productivity gap widens to worst level since records began – growing gulf means UK workers produce significantly less per hour than G7 average”. The Guardian, Feb 2016. It’s a real concern for … Continue reading
Creativity for graduates
I’m Olivia, you may have read my other blog ‘The graduate: a day in the life’. I was lucky enough to attend two of Edward de Bono’s most popular techniques Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats® and Lateral Thinking™. This … Continue reading
The Graduate: A day in the life
Being a graduate is scary. This year’s cohort of freshly graduated newbies to the workplace are the second year group to leave university lumbered with higher debt than ever, with more pressure than ever to perform and succeed. I am … Continue reading
My Writing Dynamics™ experience
Having recently started at Indigo Training, part of my induction programme was to attend the two-day Writing Dynamics™. I was really excited about the opportunity to develop my professional writing style. Not only was it an insightful learning opportunity, the … Continue reading
My day is just meetings, meetings, meetings…
Does this sound like a familiar problem? Too many of us find ourselves spending many hours a day in meeting after meeting, which all too often fail to reach any sort of positive outcome, even after hours of debate. The … Continue reading
Ready, set, go – does your organisation support projects?
By Trish Thurley, Project Management Master Trainer Virtually anyone in business today will be working on some kind of project, most being initiated by someone more superior to us. They may be large, with multiple colleagues in a project team, … Continue reading
Research: Supporting the management of change
Change is something that we are all experiencing more often. Any kind of project will initiate some kind of change, whether that’s a change to the way you communicate with clients to a restructure of a team. It’s important for … Continue reading
