training your people, making companies better

better thinking | better communication | better projects

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About Robert Fisher

Robert Fisher is Director of www.indigobusiness.co.uk Robert has a passion for training and developing people, teams and whole organisations with tools and techniques that help peak performance and innovative advantage.

The magic ingredients behind great Project Managers

As you start working in projects, it’s tempting to think that all you need to do is buy some expensive project management software and – snap! – the project will be an overnight success! Sadly – while there is a … Continue reading

The do’s and don’ts of presenting

The pandemic presented many challenges to the way we live and work. The birth of the beloved online meeting meant that a lot of the skills we had honed and perfected before, were simply lost or substituted for other skills. … Continue reading

Be more John Wayne – the lost art of brevity.

I have always talked about clarity and conciseness as an entry point into good, professional communication. Lots of management books tell us that managers with good communications skills, are often more effective leaders. ‘John Wayne in pinstripes’ was a term … Continue reading

Stop talking over me! Making the most from online meetings.

This weekend I decided to attempt a family ‘Mother’s Day’ get together on Zoom – given the social distancing rules in place. We are not a particularly quiet family, but we are polite and usually observe the informal rules of conversation … 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

Where do you do your best thinking?

In the shower… Driving in the car… Lying in bed… Exercising… Gardening… Dancing… We ask this question at our Six Thinking Hats® training sessions. If you are like 95% of people we’ve surveyed… your answer is doing something alone that … Continue reading

Calculate the readability of your documents.

Everyone loves a clear and concise document. What’s more, the easier your document is to read, the more likely your message will be understood and actioned. The Fog Index is a simple way you can assess how accessible your writing is. Follow these simple steps to calculate you readability statistics. Continue reading

Dr Edward de Bono’s Top 10 quotes on negativity in meetings

Meetings are hard work and unproductive when colleagues spend most of their time thinking of reasons why something won’t work. Dr Edward de Bono is the world’s leading authority on how to get the best out of people’s thinking. We … Continue reading

Presenting boring facts and figures in an interesting way…

One of our recent Skilled Presenter delegates (thanks John Shaw) saw this pretty impressive way of communicating those dull statistics and sent it to us. Take a few moments to view this and tell me your not impressed with Stockholm… Continue reading

Bridging the Oil & Gas Project Management skills gap

There are other areas where we need to explore new ideas and agree the best way forward, for example in filling positions in disciplines such as design engineering and project management, which are proving the most difficult to fill. Continue reading

Surviving Projects in the Oil & Gas Industry with Stephen Carver

This highly practical, engaging and interactive workshop focuses on the skills and behaviours that make Project Managers and teams highly effective. In adition to the workshop, we are proud to announce Stephen Carver – a globally renowned Project & Programme Management expert – will be streamed live for an interactive Q&A session. Continue reading

Presentation Panic! How to Control Your Nerves

Public speaking is a top fear for many people. It’s okay to be afraid as long as you try to keep that fear at bay when you give a presentation. You can be successful and be remembered by your audience. Here’s how: Continue reading

Love from Indigo – your Valentine gift from us…

With love in the air, and as Valentine’s Day approaches, we at Indigo would  like to share the love by giving you a heart warming 20% off selected open workshops – but only for the next 48 hours. There are 27 open … Continue reading

Think on Your Feet: 3 Steps to Success – Top Tip No. 3 – Remember the rule of threes to stay on track.

Our final ‘Top Tip’ is this series looks at when we are subject matter experts and get wrapped up in too much detail. If we are passionate, our emotions override our logic and we ramble. Continue reading

Think on Your Feet: 3 Steps to Success – Tip No.2 – Identify triggers to know how to respond.

In our last blog of this series, (see http://www.indigobusiness.co.uk/blog/?p=1108), we discussed listening skills, to gain understanding before reacting. The example we used was when you are talking to your team about implementing a new process and you hear “Why is this company always making things more complicated”. A good listener will acknowledge that change can be challenging. If spoken with sincerity it will help move the conversation in the right direction. Continue reading

Think On Your Feet: 3 Steps to Success – Tip No.1 – Listen before reacting.

How many times have you been asked a question that causes ‘brain fog’ even if you know the answer? Maybe your audience is intimidating. Perhaps the topic is sensitive or emotional. Suddenly, you find yourself stammering or rambling. And after the damage is done you remember what you should have said. Continue reading

Presentation Tip: Know when to quit!

The Skilled Presenter™ always does at least one dry run to focus on timing. Be willing to remove major sections of your presentation. Ask the following questions: Do my listeners really want to know this? Is it engaging? Is it persuasive? Continue reading

How to master the art of thinking quickly on your feet.

Caught off guard by a question at work, do you blurt out the first thing that comes to mind? Or do you take a moment to marshal your thoughts? Continue reading

Lean project management – isn’t that the point?

When an organisation needs to make a strategic improvement, it needs to flex its project management muscles.  Good project managers get to work defining and planning the project – identifying key deliverables.  The deliverables are the benefits that will be … Continue reading

Your project’s failed – You’re fired!

With the Apprentice TV programme in full flow on the BBC, I could not resist using this headline for my latest blog. However, this is not an uncommon response in the real world! Projects are often high risk low reward. Often, if your projects are a success, you are then tasked with a new, higher risk project, with little praise for your success to date! If (as many can be) you have an unsuccessful project, it can be expensive and embarrassing! Continue reading

It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it

Bill Barnett – 8th May 2013 I had a fantastic day training yesterday, courtesy of my good friends at Indigo, playing on their “Stakeholder Engagement (including Simulation)™” simulator. The simulator is a great piece of kit, which actually takes participants … Continue reading

What makes a Best Man?

I made some pretty big decisions around that time. One such decision was ‘who to have as my Best Man’. So what are the criteria for a good ‘Best Man’? Well, my Best Man, Andy, was first and foremost a great friend. He was (and still is!) liked by many for being trustworthy, great fun and a witty. Continue reading

Do you sound like the expert that you are?

“I know everything there is to know about my product, business and industry”. We are all specialists and experts in our given field/areas. We can speak for hours on end in terms of what we do, how we do it, … Continue reading

Why should I read this?

When asked to produce a document, what is the first thing you do? Personally, mine was to turn on my computer, open Word and start typing. A professional writer however will spend up to 40% of their time planning, 25% drafting and 35% editing; that’s why their writing gets read. Continue reading

Can you laterally think?

Personally I have, until recently, considered ‘lateral thinking’ to be a buzz-phrase. Often when I hear it, my children are preparing a contrived, stupendously hard to answer question, with a blatantly obvious solution – existing only in hindsight. These playful … Continue reading

Last Managing Stakeholders Simulation places available – London, 26 November 2012

Indigo Simulations – Because practice make perfect projects…

We are thrilled to say that we have just a handful of places remaining at our Managing Stakeholder Simulation on the 26 November 2012 in London. The one day workshop blends team interaction, expert training and live interactive computer simulations for a truly remarkable and very different learning experience. Continue reading

The Indigo Simulations Webinar: Playing computer games at work improves your management skills.

We are thrilled to announce there are a few more places available at our free “The Managing Stakeholders Simulation Webinar on the 6th November at 2pm. The webinar gives an overview of our globally delivered Managing Stakeholders simulation, demonstrates why Simulations are the cutting edge of management development, and lets you see the simulations process itself. Registration for this unique event is completely free of charge. Simply book your place at this event by going to: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/571774966 Continue reading

Try Before You Buy – The Free Webinar Line-Up

In these cost conscious times,we appreciate that it is often difficult to get approval to attend a workshop. For this reason we have created a number of FREE webinars to help you gain a clearer understanding of our events, before you decide which one to attend. Continue reading

Free Webinars – Indigo’s “try before you buy” series.

In these cost conscious times, and with travel budgets being cut, we appreciate that it is often difficult to get approval to attend a workshop, without a full understanding of how it will meet your training requirements, and link to your companies strategic plan. For this reason we have created a number of free webinars to help you gain a clear understanding of our events, before you decide which one to attend. Continue reading

Edward de Bono Update – The Audacity of Thinking

“The motivation of politicians is to survive,” he points out as he recounts an anecdote later about when he told British Prime Minister David Cameron in a letter to appoint a Minister of Thinking. “They’re always cautious about taking an initiative which could expose them to criticism.” Continue reading

Want to learn how to survive projects? Free Webinar: 19th Ocotber 2011 – 2pm GMT

To give you an overview of our Project Management Survival Guide™ workshop, we are running a free webinar. You can watch the webinar from the comfort of your desk on the 19th October 2011 between 2pm and 3pm GMT. Continue reading

Clapham Riots – We are open as usual.

After a crazy night of destruction and devastation here in Clapham, I am pleased to announce that our team, our office and more importantly our surrounding community is OK. Mercifully no-one appears to be hurt in last nights riots, and the local community feeling around our headquarters is one of defiance against the troubles and that we ‘keep calm and carry on’. Continue reading

You’re hired! Why innovation is the key to business success.

Every year I say I am not going to get hooked on the BBC’s hit show ‘The Apprentice’, and then it draws me in and I am there to the bitter end! But at least, this year’s record viewing figures for the show prove that I was not the only one! But what struck me with this year’s change of circumstances – with the candidates vying to become business partners with Lord Sugar – was that, as well as the ‘nice guy’ coming first; this was a triumph for innovation too. Continue reading

Calling all trainers – Free Webinar: 2pm, 1st June 2011

Organisations are desperately searching for proven, practical tools to ramp-up the creative thinking capacity of their workforce. Yet we frequently hear clients saying “We know we need to be more creative, but we don’t know how”. What’s the Problem? Increased … Continue reading

The Indigo Summer Newsletter is out!

FIGHT THE FLAB IN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS: We cut the ‘fat’ out of your conversations, presentations and written documents with our featured workshops – Think on Your Feet, The Skilled Presenter, Writing Dynamics and Thought Leadership, leaving only the best bits for your audience. We can’t turn you into experts, but we can make you sound like the expert you are! Continue reading

Six Hats = Smart Business – nothing silly about it!

Recently, while keeping an eye on the virtual market place, we noticed that someone had taken our YouTube clip of Dr. Edward de Bono describing the Six Thinking Hats®, and added Arabic sub-titles to it! Continue reading