Practical tips. Prompts to get you thinking. The odd rant.

So let’s get the shameless plug out of the way first: I’m often asked to train and support trainers who run in-house training sessions. Phew, that’s better. Now, having been doing this for several years there are 4 traps I frequently see in-house trainers fall into. Here they are, with my advice on what to… Read more

Whether you’re winding down or still working at full throttle, I hope there’s something in this post that’s just what you need for a quick boost – or a completely new perspective. 2018’s most popular TED talks Want to catch up on TED talks? Here you go – TED’s top 25 of 2018. No, I… Read more

Speaking as a Brit, I’m acutely aware that the very word ‘feedback’ can make the toes curl. Those from other countries and cultures may indeed smile. Here we can talk a good game but, when it comes to the crunch, I suspect many people would rather do public speaking than give or get feedback on… Read more

Make sure all the words in your visuals can be read easily. Thanks to my friend Andie Hemming for this one. Now it might sound like common sense…but it isn’t common practice. Andie and I heard – and struggled to see – some very clever people give presentations recently, and that was how I tested… Read more

Want to better handle those moments when you’re asked to evaluate creative work, a.k.a. feed back to the people who did it? Yep, there’s a Zoomly bite-sized workshop for that*. This is something that happens a lot in creative enterprises of all persuasions: content creators, ad / design / media / branding / experience /… Read more

Participants in Zoomly’s workshops often ask ‘how do I…?’ questions and they always give me food for thought. One topic that always generates lots of questions is productivity: “How can I get stuff done?” I think there are six essential steps to focus on if we’re to improve. 1.Set and focus on your goals We… Read more

Have you noticed…there are just 90 days left in 2018? “Yes of course Dawn” you mutter, rolling your eyes. I want to send you a friendly nudge and draw your attention to those goals you set yourself, way back in January. How are you doing? Have you already achieved all your goals? If so, well done! Or… Read more

It’s that time of year…even though we left school a while back, September exerts a powerful pull on us to get learning (well, here in the Northern hemisphere at least). With that in mind I’ve got a download coming up for you: ‘20 ways to learn at work’ – make sure you’re on Zoomly’s email… Read more

Whether you’re facilitating an idea generation session, a training workshop, an off-site or a meeting – you need tools and techniques to make the beginning and ending work well. Why? Too many such gatherings deliver too little – yet at a high cost, when the hourly rate for all the talent in the room is… Read more

‘Happy sheets’ are so named because, by the end of a training session (if it’s been done right), participants are feeling good about things. When people have been asked to comment on what they enjoyed about the event, just before they leave the room, it’s no surprise to see praise and enthusiastic comments. ‘Great!’ ‘I… Read more