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Welcome to Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue
Greetings!
You'll need to get your skates on if you want to catch the special illuminations at Nelson's Monument on Calton Hill this weekend - see opposite.
Meanwhile thanks to those of you who got in touch about the YouTube article in our last E-newsletter. And we'd love to hear your views on this month's Presentation Zen as well as how you're using training to survive the challenges of 2010!
Kind regards
Mike Glaire
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Presentation Zen?
Have you incorporated the creative Pecha  Kucha style of presentation into your training programme ... or ventured into the drastically different and dynamic approach offered by Prezi, the online presentation software?*
Well then what do you think about Keynote as another contender for PowerPoint's top spot? Yes it's only available on Macs, but since an NDP report in 2009 stated that 91% of all computers sold over the value of £640 were Macs, up from 66% the previous year - and most of those were laptops - then there's a good chance you'll have one!
More...
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Train to Survive in 2010 
The good news is that the economy grew fractionally in the last quarter of 2009. The bad news, according to all the Learning & Development and HR press is that we are facing both a general election AND a possible economic upturn this year!!
So what exactly do the "experts" suggest that L & D professionals should be doing to help your organisation survive the challenges of 2010 ... and thrive? More...
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Presentation Zen?
Have you incorporated the creative Pecha Kucha style of presentation into your training programme ... or ventured into the drastically different and dynamic approach offered by Prezi, the online presentation software?*
Well then what do you think about Keynote as another contender for PowerPoint's top spot? Yes it's only available on Macs, but since an NDP report in 2009 stated that 91% of all computers sold over the value of £640 were Macs, up from 66% the previous year - and most of those were laptops - then there's a good chance you'll have one!
PowerPoint Vs Keynote
The Internet is littered with opinion suggesting that Keynote is much better than PowerPoint, but is this really the case, or is it just that Mac users are a little obsessive about all things Mac?
And is PowerPoint so bad anyway? Are we just bored with it because it's been around for so long or is it too much of a liability in causing the classic Death by PowerPoint? And is that our fault for not exploiting all its functionality?
Engage me or lose me!
Content must of course be motivating and powerful to retain attention and engage with your learners. Justin Collinge, regular writer for Training Journal's Technology Tools column says "The more I can involve the participants in the learning process, the more they will learn"
So does Keynote give you features to achieve this engagement that PowerPoint does not? Enter the Mac lovers panting with anticipation ...
Oh the features!
... They will say that whilst PowerPoint can insert media like photos, movies and sounds, it isn't always as easy or smooth as it could be because the software was originally created and is still heavily used for text-based presentations.
Keynote on the other hand has been much more media-based from the beginning, smoothly incorporating the many different types of media that will grab and hold the attention of your learners.
Video clips can be inserted directly into your presentation and if the clip is too long, you can first edit it in Apple's iMovie software, so you have total control over the content you're putting into your presentation.
Yes the features!
...They will say that the templates and themes help you create much more stunning and professional looking presentations, which will do a greater job of captivating your audience.
... They will say that you can add slick transitions and effects that totally outclass anything that PowerPoint can do.
... And they will say that Keynote also allows the easy conversion of presentations into podcasts - very useful for absent delegates and indeed also for allowing both delegates and their line managers to review and re-engage with your learning material.
... And goodness me let's not forget that you can control the slideshow with your iPhone or iPod touch. This gives you more than remote control - it also enables you to see the current and next slides, your slide notes, a clock, and a timer on a second display - so you can position yourself for maximum impact in the training room without affecting your presentation.
Must have?
Well it's got to be worth investigating as an alternative to PowerPoint. And if you don't have a Mac, at the very least it's a reminder to look afresh at PowerPoint and see how you can use it to make your learning techniques more compelling.
Meanwhile please tell us what you think - email to let us know if you've used it, and if so how it has impacted upon the engagement factor with your audience.
PS. Those Mac fans think you should know that Keynote is the program Al Gore used in his Inconvenient Truth slideshow!
*If you missed our rants on both Pecha Kucha and Prezi last year and would like to have copies of them, please just email me at
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Train to Survive in 2010
The good news is that the economy grew fractionally in the last quarter of 2009. The bad news, according to all the Learning & Development and HR press is that we are facing both a general election AND a possible economic upturn this year!!
So what exactly do the "experts" suggest that L & D professionals should be doing to help your organisation survive the challenges of 2010 ... and thrive?
Training!
Yes training to help retain and reward your staff. A survey by IFF Research, exclusively revealed in Personnel Today earlier this month, shows that Training Opportunities continue to rank as "Very Important" for the majority of staff in both the public and private sectors.
And in fact Daniel Wain*, writing for CIPD's People Management in January, suggests that although there has been a lot less "slash-and-burn" of L & D budgets in the last year than in previous recessions, the demand for development from staff has increased because there are fewer monetary perks or chances to move.
Okay, long-term skills planning!
He is quick to point out, however, that all work-based learning needs a business purpose and that L & D professionals should have the courage to consider long-term skills planning that leads to sustainability and corporate well being, rather than purely short-term gain.
"Business impact will be less about title, position or reporting line than mindset, influence and skills."
Meanwhile Mark Butler, director of The People Organisation and also writing for People Management in January, is much more damming about the impact of short-termism - a horror he puts down to the War for Talent that has raged over the last ten years or more.
He reiterates that only proper skills planning can deliver the pivotal skills that form the foundation of your organisation's success ... not just short-term skills gap plugging!
Mental toughness?
Absolutely! An article in January's Training Journal tells us that developing and assessing mental toughness is the key to meeting the demands of an economic upturn! Doug Strycharczyk, Managing Director of AQR defines mental toughness as "the capacity for an individual to deal effectively with stressors, pressures and challenges and perform to the best of their abilities irrespective of the circumstances in which they find themselves"
So, help your people to master positive thinking, visualisation, anxiety control, attentional control, goal setting and biofeedback ... and you will most certainly survive and thrive!
But what about ROI?
Indeed, what about return on investment from your L & D spend? Surprisingly Daniel Wain refers to a recent study of CEO's by IBM, suggesting that if L & D professionals are seen as credible, senior managers are less likely to require hard evidence of value.
BUT, you can't argue with the figures quoted in OnTrack International's report from a survey of 5,000 L & D professionals regarding the impact of measuring L & D. 75% of respondents who put significant effort into evaluation activity had their budgets protected.
And 90% of those respondents who established success measures created a significantly stronger alignment between L&D and the business, whilst for those that rarely measured success prior to delivery, only 33% said evaluation had created a significant alignment between L&D and the business. [Source - People Management, January 2010).
The Conclusion
Training of course, but focused on those pivotal skills that directly deliver the objectives of your organisation over the next few years. Clearly there is a growing need for L & D professionals to have increased dialogue with the business as a whole; to understand the needs of the business and be able to deliver against those needs.
And establishing success measures can only improve that relationship.
*Daniel Wain is a specialist in L & D consultancy and customised training delivery
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Edinburgh's Nelson Salute 
It may be freezing outside with no sign of spring anytime soon, but position yourself on Princes Street later this week on the nights of 25th, 26th and 27th February and you could enjoy Edinburgh's own spring ... a special visual celebration of Nelson's Monument and its meteoric rise to a four-star attraction!
The exact details of what you will see are still top secret as we write, but the word is that this unique and one-off display will be worth braving the cold to see.
The Celebration
This spectacular leap in ratings from two stars to four cannot be brushed under the carpet as it's a real coup for Edinburgh. For one thing the time ball on this iconic Calton Hill monument has been faithfully restored so that residents and visitors can once again watch it drop at 1 o'clock each day. And if you're close enough you'll notice that it now does so with a gentle glide rather than the embarrassing clunk that described its descent pre-restoration.
The second thing is the opening up and improvements to the monument's ground floor as a display space, with new graphic panels explaining the story of the Battle of Trafalgar, the history of the monument itself and the intriguing story of the time ball, installed in the middle of the 19th century as a navigational aid for shipping.
The Toilets!
Add to this the stunning views over Edinburgh for those of you willing to climb the monument and you now have a "must visit" attraction on your to do list. There are even visitors' toilets now so no need to miss any of the delights on offer for the sake of a loo visit!
For their part, the City of Edinburgh say that some of the credit should go to Margaret McLachlan, the fabulous customer assistant at the Nelson Monument, "whose knowledge and friendly, welcoming manner no doubt wowed the VisitScotland inspectors when they paid their 'mystery' visit."
The History
This Craigleith stone tower, in fact an upturned telescope, was erected to commemorate the death of Nelson after the victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Designed by the architect Robert Burn, it was built between 1807 and 1815.
The time-ball, introduced in 1852, was raised each day and drops in at the same time as the One O'clock Gun fired at Edinburgh Castle. The time ball and gun were signals to enable the captains of ships docked at Leith to be able to set their chronometers, which were used for accurate navigation.
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Edinburgh's
Nelson Salute
It may be freezing outside with no sign of spring anytime soon, but position yourself on Princes Street later this week on the nights of 25th, 26th and 27th February and you could enjoy Edinburgh's own spring ... a special visual celebration of Nelson's Monument and its meteoric rise to a four-star attraction!
The exact details of what you will see are still top secret as we write, but the word is that this unique and one-off display will be worth braving the cold to see.
More...
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Mike Glaire
Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue
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Your much
needed
break in the
day
... Lunch!
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Oh the decisions ...
Should you choose a full three-course meal or something lighter?
The full three-course meal. So which one of four starters should you have and should it be hot or cold? Then should you go for the freshly prepared meat or the freshly prepared vegetarian hot meal? And don't forget dessert - a selection of different cheeses? Fresh fruit? Okay one of our tarts. Or one of our cakes?
Maybe the lighter option would be easier. What about a freshly baked baguette, or perhaps a bagel for a change? Then again maybe a brown roll to be healthy, or a jacket potato to give you a little more energy. Or perhaps just a salad to be extra healthy (is that a basic salad or a French, Greek or Caeser salad or a tomato and mozzarella salad). And sorry to go back, but maybe it should be a wrap, or a traditional sandwich ... on white or brown bread.
Right. Decision made. All you have to do now is choose which of the 12 fillings you'd like (for your salad too). Well, to be honest most people don't choose just one.
Phew.
Oh, haven't mentioned the side salads, drinks options, daily menu change, that desserts can be taken back up to the room ...
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Offer Expires: Whenever you tell us it's a bad idea!
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