Monthly Archives: July 2011

The Learning Contract. What we’re asking from learners and what we give them in return.

When we design a learning solution, we are asking people to commit time and effort to something, and it’s important to consider how we set that contract in place. If everyone is clear what’s expected of them, both learner and … Continue reading

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Fitting culture and breaking it. How we need to align to established values before trying to change them.

Whenever we start working with a new client, there’s talk of getting a culture fit. What this means, usually, is making sure that we use the right acronyms, but there can be more to it than that. Culture can involve … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Learning | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Will Circles change the world? How Google+ is putting it’s hopes on our desire to partition our ‘friends’.

Heated discussion yesterday about how the social media landscape will look once Google completes the rollout of it’s much vaunted Google+ service. Do you need to be in the space first (Facebook for personal, LinkedIn for business), or can you … Continue reading

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Swallows and Amazons: a swashbuckling adventure story. Why personal achievements can be worth so much more than work ones.

Yesterday i slipped out of work early and headed to the harbour. The sun was out, a gentle breeze on the water, hours of sunshine left in the long summer evening and, let’s be honest, who was ever going to … Continue reading

Posted in Achievement, Adventure, Challenge, Expedition | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Nuance and context in communication. Cultural perspectives in the language of learning.

It’s remarkably easy to make mistakes in spoken or written English. Speaking as someone for who (for whom?) the endless days of pronouns and subjunctive clauses are but distant memories of endless summer days spent staring out of the window … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Learning, Nuance, Translation | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Rolling stones. The importance of generating momentum in learning.

One thing leads to another. Cause and effect, but, you know what they say: the first step is the hardest. Well, it’s kind of true of many things, and learning journeys are no different. It’s easy to think about it, … Continue reading

Posted in Community, Engagement, Momentum | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Diversity and Equality training in global organisations. The ethics and challenges of moral issues.

Everyone is equal. At least, in the eyes of the law. At least, in the Uk. Well, pretty much equal anyway. Or at least, we have been for the last few years. Unless you’re a woman of course. Or lesbian … Continue reading

Posted in Diversity, Equality, Inclusivity | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

‘I have a dream’. Or Mobile Learning: ‘Three ways in which mobile devices are going to change your life’

I had the strangest dream last night. Strange for two reasons. Firstly, because it was remarkably coherent, lacking the usual abstract scenarios and flying trains, and secondly because, i can remember it. I was stood in a room with twenty … Continue reading

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Building trust and collaborating in online spaces. And why it’s sometimes easier to do it in person!

I’m starting some work next week with an American colleague. We’ve collaborated for some time online, through emails and over the phone, but funnily enough, when the time came for us to start working on a real project, the very … Continue reading

Posted in Communication, Engagement, Online Spaces, Trust | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

“Are you Ready to Rock?”. Developing a stage presence and rapport with your audience.

I’m just home from a great weekend music festival. Lots of acts from around the world, some well established and some just starting out. Now, i’m lucky enough that many of my friends are great musicians, some of whom were … Continue reading

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