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Welcome to Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue
Greetings!
First of all thank you to all those who commented on our article about Prezi as an effective and powerful alternative to PowerPoint.
If you missed the story in June's e-newsletter and would like a copy, please get in touch and I'd be delighted to send it to you. And in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this month's scribbles.
Kind regards
Mike Glaire
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Twit to Who?
Does the mere mention of the word Twitter make you sigh heavily, or are you a converted user, and if so, for what purposes?
Analysis by San Antonio-based market research firm, Pear Analytics, found that "pointless babble" accounted for 40.55 percent of the total number of messages sampled. And yet Twitter has quickly climbed the ladder in the Top 100 Tools for Learning (Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies), ranking 43rd in 2007, 11th in 2008 and now sitting in first place with over 50% more votes than its nearest competitor.
So there must be a lot more to Twitter than simply telling everyone what you had for breakfast! More...
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Leadership and Emotional Intelligence 
Organisations that didn't invest in their people during the last recession were 2.5 times more likely to fail than those that did, according to the Sector Skills Development Agency.
That's reason enough to lobby for training budgets to be maintained, but where should that investment be directed? Many would argue that events in the past 12 months have demonstrated the need for more sustainable, accountable and transparent leadership amongst our workforce - is emotional intelligence (EI) part of the mix? More...
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Twit to Who?
Does the mere mention of the word Twitter make you sigh heavily, or are you a converted user, and if so, for what purposes?
Analysis by San Antonio-based market research firm, Pear Analytics, found that "pointless babble" accounted for 40.55 percent of the total number of messages sampled. And yet Twitter has quickly climbed the ladder in the Top 100 Tools for Learning (Centre for Learning and Performance Technologies), ranking 43rd in 2007, 11th in 2008 and now sitting in first place with over 50% more votes than its nearest competitor.
So there must be a lot more to Twitter than simply telling everyone what you had for breakfast!
What is it?
For the uninitiated and indeed the determinedly disinterested, Twitter is a free, social networking and micro-blogging service that enables you to send and receive text-based messages known as tweets, and giving you the flexibility of doing so via the Twitter website, your phone or any number of software applications.
Twitter say the service is all about letting your friends, family and colleagues know what you're doing, and as tweets are limited to a maximum of 140 characters, you are forced to be succinct in your announcements.
The Connection to Training
Scan through some of the comments from voters in CLPT's Top 100 Tools, and you'll find they have a common thread in using Twitter as a "personal learning network", picking up the latest news and resources in the learning and development industry, as well as tips, guidelines and tools from other users ... often on the fly.
Some also say it's addictive!
Embedded Learning and Y
Whether you like the tool or not, could there be some extra uses that no one seems to be talking about right now?
We all know that for training to provide sustainable improvements in performance, the learning must become deeply embedded in the learner. And July's Training Journal suggested that line managers wield the greatest influence over whether training works as they are mainly responsible for the transfer effects of training.
So how feasible is it for trainers to use a tool like Twitter to give bite sized reminders, encouragement and support to both trainees and their line managers? Certainly we are led to believe that Generation Y are not only fully conversant with all things technical, so is it fair to assume that the 18-30 age group would thrive upon the use of Twitter in this way? And what about the rest of us?
Email to give us your views - how have you used Twitter in the world of learning and development? Does it help or hinder? Give us the good, the bad and the ugly!
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Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
Organisations that didn't invest in their people during the last recession were 2.5 times more likely to fail than those that did, according to the Sector Skills Development Agency.
That's reason enough to lobby for training budgets to be maintained, but where should that investment be directed? Many would argue that events in the past 12 months have demonstrated the need for more sustainable, accountable and transparent leadership amongst our workforce - is emotional intelligence (EI) part of the mix?
It has long been known that successful leaders tend to be equipped with strong social skills and can tick off the list of attributes required to have a high EQ. And Sue Slocombe, writing in August's Training Journal, says that measuring your leaders' EI can help them have a greater impact and enable them and their teams to sustain high-level performance.
So what is it exactly?
The term itself was brought to our attention by Dan Goleman, with his bestseller book 'Emotional Intelligence and Primal Leadership' in 1995. Essentially it's about being aware of your own emotions as well as the emotions of those around you, understanding how those emotions impact on behaviour and learning how to adapt your behaviour to achieve the desired outcome.
Sue makes the point that it's not cognitive intelligence, it's not achievement, it's not personality and it's not soft skills - it's about developing a greater self-awareness and hence a greater opportunity for self-management.
Nature or Nurture?
Clearly some leaders stand out as having a natural ability when it comes to EI; Richard Branson being one such leader in the public eye.
But Professor Malcolm Higgs, speaking to Training Zone, says that as long as the individual has at least an average IQ, they can be developed. Critical, however, is the desire to improve - "no amount of training will make an ounce of difference if the person has no motivation to develop their EQ" Though surely that's the case with any learning!
Where next?
So should there be room for EI in your talent development strategy? And what about the other facets of leadership, including strategic awareness and career management?
Interestingly, a side effect of possessing higher EI, as cited in June's People Management (CIPD), is that it correlates with lower levels of stress, making it a beneficial strategy for employees, employers and customers alike!
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Urbathon vs Edinburgh
You may have taken part in a 5 or 10K run somewhere in the UK. Can you claim, however, to have endured an Urbathon at any point in your lifetime?
If you're up for a major challenge, Scotland's first Urbathon will have you not only running, but swinging, jumping, climbing and crawling your way through 10 kilometres. Up to 1,000 participants are expected to join the madness in this new fund-raising event for Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland on Sunday 18th October.
Army Obstacles!
Starting and finishing in front of Arthur's Seat in central Edinburgh, we know that competitors will take in many of the city's iconic sights including the Scottish Parliament building, as well as enjoying fantastic views over the city.
Organisers, however, are keeping the exact route and challenges top secret until the day itself, though they have revealed that you might have to jump over some vehicles and run through water ... and that the army helped create some of the unique hurdles!
Whose idea?
A little surfing will reveal that several other cities have run their own "Urbathlon" in the last couple of years, including Chicago, New York and on British soil too in Manchester.
If you're seriously fit, you will revel in the online photos of these events and the thought of clambering over cars, climbing over walls, crawling through tubes and being guaranteed wet clothes. We are told, though, that the race caters for a wide variety of fitness levels and participants can sit out any of the obstacles - you just have to be able to walk the distance at least!
Derek signs up
Our very own Derek Rennie has keenly taken on the challenge, though he has still to confirm whether he intends to play his guitar around the course!
Sickeningly, Derek is a regular 10K man, has run a marathon and competed recently in a 24 hour relay of 10k's as part of a team - he completed 3 10K courses during that 24 hours!
He'll certainly be taking advantage of the masseuses organised for the day to ease those well-worn muscles ... enough said.
Registration costs £10 and all money raised will go to improving the quality of life for people in Scotland affected by chest, heart and stroke illness.
For more information about the event itself, click here.
If you'd like to sponsor Derek in this madness, click here.
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Urbathon vs Edinburgh
You may have taken part in a 5 or 10K run somewhere in the UK. Can you claim, however, to have endured an Urbathon at any point in your lifetime?
If you're up for a major challenge, Scotland's first Urbathon will have you not only running, but swinging, jumping, climbing and crawling your way through 10 kilometres. Up to 1,000 participants are expected to join the madness in this new fund-raising event for Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland on Sunday 18th October.
More...
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Mike Glaire
Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue
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High Speed,
Wireless
Internet Access
... with our Compliments
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Sometimes you have a genuine business need to get online, and sometimes it's personal. Either way, you don't need to justify yourself to us!
Just hop onto one of 5 PCs set up in our Internet Café, and you'll be able to access your email and surf the web.
Alternatively just ask for the password at reception and you'll be able to access the Internet on your laptop, anywhere in the building.
And the nice thing is you'll get high speed access, whether you're using a wireless connection or good old fashioned cable.
Enjoy!
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Offer Expires: Whenever you tell us it's a bad idea!
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