Who's Life is it Anyway

Reward yourself

2010-08-23T11:36:00.001+01:00

Do you need more motivation to get things done? How good are you at rewarding yourself?

Here's few ideas:

Get Motivated for 2010

2010-01-14T18:12:00.002Z

Want to get motivated and stay motivated in 2010? Visit www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.co.uk and sign up for the FREE Webinar in February.

Optimist or pessimist?

2009-06-10T16:58:00.003+01:00

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

Winston Churchill

Let's hear for the Team!

2008-12-17T14:51:00.009Z

This team decided they wanted to end their day with something a bit different. So we brought out the drums and the percussion instruments and everyone had fun whilst listening, communicating across the room and making music as a team.

Listen here to the noise (sorry music) they made!

Which hat are you wearing?

2008-10-01T08:53:00.002+01:00

With all the doom and gloom around at the moment, you could be forgiven for wearng your black hat. This looks at all the negatives and what else can go wrong. For many based in the US, they seem to be wearing a red hat for anger. Anger with Fat Cats on Wall Street and anger with the politicians. A White hat may keep you aloof and concentrating on the facts and figures, whereas with a Green hat your imagination could run wild. A Blue hat would allow you to summarise everything and tkae a longer term view. Personally I prefer the idea of a Yellow hat. Let's keep things as sunny as possible and find some positives out there!

I used the "Six Thinking Hats" - Edward de Bono

Dealing with Stress

2008-08-18T16:11:00.002+01:00

Stress affects different people in different ways, but what is it?

The HSE defines stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them”. Pressure is part of all work and helps keep us motivated. But excessive pressure can lead to stress which undermines performance, is costly to employers and can make people ill. Work-related stress is a major cause of ill health. That means sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance in your organisation.

Stress has been around for a long time and isn’t something that has been invented just for us.

So what is it? Back in the days of our early ancestors we developed the ability to react to dangerous situations by either fighting or running away. The way that our bodies react in this situation is to release copious amounts of the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Initially they can have the affect of improving performance and they ensure that we have the best chance of surviving and living to fight another day. However, the excessive release of these hormones can then trigger adverse reactions.

If you would like to find out more about dealing with stress, read our white paper or take our stress survey

Making More Time

2008-07-06T17:27:00.002+01:00

5 tips on.....

Making More Time

Set aside a “quiet” time when you won’t take calls or interruptions and tell people
Ensure meetings have an agenda and a time frame
Plan more time than you think you need for important tasks
Make good use of the waste bin
Only view your emails twice a day

The Good Goal Setting Guide

2008-06-30T19:34:00.002+01:00

Everyone should have goals. Here are a few rules to get you going.

Keep your goals confidential
You can weaken and dilute your momentum if you talk about them too much. Your energy goes into talking about them, rather than doing them. Other people may try to discourage you. Only talk about them to people who will genuinely want you to succeed.

Build a Success Network
Your reference group, those people who you associate with regularly, will largely determine your success in life. You begin to think, act, walk, talk and dress like them. So select your relationships with care. Seek out a few people to form a small success network, that will applaud your wins and support your disappointments.

Be SMART
Specific, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic and Timed.

Get Excited
Exciting goals fuel your imagination. You’ll come up with ideas and options you would never have considered without them.

Break Your Goals into Steps
Develop a three step action plan for each goal

Team Building with Chocolate

2008-05-22T14:53:00.003+01:00

When I went on training courses we sat in rows and listened to lecturers talk at us. Only occasionally did we get to do something interesting. That's probably why I wamted to do something different when I train. So we have been team building with chocolate. Mixing the understanding of the ways that teams work, with the creation of some chocolate truffles together with a marketing package to go with them.

It's such a hard day in the office these days!

Presenting with the best of them

2008-04-13T17:44:00.005+01:00

I was asked recently to run a Presentation Skills session for a group of accountants. No problem I thought. Get a few of them in a room and run a few exercises and get them talking to each other to identify good and bad presentations that they had seen and heard in the past and what could they learn from them. Add a bit of theory, look at how not to use Powerpoint and all would be well.

The first thing that I found on arrival is that accountants apparently don't talk to each other much. We sat in the refectory of the local university and ate our sandwiches spread out on separate tables. A few people knew each other, but not many.

Now when you then get around 80 people in a room who don't really know each other, getting them to talk to each other is quite a task and a bit of a shock to their system. A few didn't like it, but others took to it like a duck to water. The evening went swimmingly, even when I asked them to massage the muscles on their faces to help relax the muscles before they had to do presentations for themselves.

Perhaps the best bit was the feedback where one gentlemen sent me an email saying: I have been going to those events for some 30 years and NEVER has a lecturer had such success in getting people to talk to one another.

Onwards and upwards!

Should I have a Coach?

2008-04-03T15:33:00.002+01:00

Coaching can seriously change your life
Because you will be making changes as a result of your Coaching session, some of these changes can make a big impact on the way you conduct your life at home or at work. And the good news is that you chose which changes to make and which to hold back on.

Coaching puts you in control
A coach will never try to get you to do anything that you feel seriously uncomfortable about or are not yet ready to attempt. A coach will always push you hard to achieve, but will always work at your pace.

Coaching enables you to control your environment
Many people turn to Coaching because they want to regain control of their lives or working environment. Coaching will help you to achieve that. By working through your problems and helping you to recognise your needs and your power to do something about them, you can achieve your goal of changing your environment for the better.

Coaching concentrates on you
Because Coaching is usually a one-to-one activity the coach is spending all of her time helping you to move forward, not anyone else.

Coaching helps you to become self-reliant
Not always sure of yourself? Coaching will help you to become self-reliant, make you own decisions and not always need others to hold your hand.

Coaching helps you to stay committed
Because you want to achieve, you have commitment to a project or goal. Occasionally though your commitment slips. A coach can empower you, helping you to stay committed and see a project through to your end goal.

Coaching concentrates on results and outcomes
By concentrating on results, a coach will help you towards your end goal one step at a time and help you to celebrate your wins on the way through.

Coaching can help you achieve in every aspect of your life
Coaching is a holistic approach. By helping you to consider other aspects of your life and work, coaches can help you to achieve in all aspects not just one.

Coaching is a catalyst
Good coaches should act as a catalyst to help clients to achieve their goals.

Coaching is based in the present and the future, not the past.
Coaching looks to the future and works with the client to move forward, whatever has happened in the past. Coaching is not counselling or therapy.

Team Building with Pasta!

2008-02-23T16:57:00.004Z

Making ravioli, lasagne, tagliatelle and focaccia may not seem like a normal day in the office, but take a day out to do it and bring your team with you and you would be amazed at the results. Even those who do not cook regularly, were able to make the pasta from scratch and cook up a feast for lunch. Along the way they learnt more about their colleagues and their team and the importance of talking to each other to make things come together. It was a great day and everyone enjoyed themselves and the food!

Team Building with the Music Gym

2008-02-01T16:34:00.000Z

Isn't it great when you can do your job and have fun and help others? Talk about a win, win situation!

We have done just that by teaming up with The Music Gym to allow us to provide team building using audio and sound technology, originally designed for the disabled, but adapted to create a great experience for others as well. And whilst we are having fun and helping others learn about teams, and team dynamics, some of the the fee goes back to helping the disabled. Great eh?

Coping with Stress

2008-01-22T11:46:00.000Z

There is a lot of doom and gloom around at the moment and it is enough to make any of us feel worried. But if you are really suffering from stress it can seriously affect your health.

Last year we ran a survey on our website asking people to score themselves and then analysed the results. It shows that whilst men are generally more stressed at work, women are more stressed at home. You can find the full results at Coping with Stress.

If you think you are suffering from stress, make sure you talk to someone about it. There is a great deal to be said for the old adage "a problem shared is a problem halved."

Something to Smile about

2008-01-14T15:57:00.000Z

"Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles." George Elliot

Having just had a birthday, my New Years Resolution is to wear a smile. Even if they do give me wrinkles, they aren't as noticeable.

Our philosophy at JamBerry is to get all of our clients to have something to smile about.

What's your New Year's Resolution?

Get Cooking

2008-01-10T14:16:00.000Z

At JamBerry, we run training courses in Team Building with Cooking which are great fun and highly involving.

However, if you can't persuade your boss to take you on a team building event then setting up your own Cooking Club might be an alternative. The Cookery Circle might be just the place for you. Here you can tips and techniques about setting up your own Cooking Club enabling you to learn new skills and discover new menus! Take a look and get those taste buds excited.

Declutter Your Life

2008-01-07T19:57:00.000Z

Its that time of year when tidying up coomes to the top of the pile. Here are a few ideas to get you going

General

Start today. Don’t procrastinate.
Sort things into piles of wanted and unwanted.
Bin anything that cannot be sold or recycled.

At home

Sort through clothes and throw out any you no longer wear.
Invest in some storage. Visit your local hardware or DIY store for ideas.
For large items ask your local council to take them away.
Clear out old toys and books that are no longer being used.
Create a filing system for all those bills etc. Destroy old bills that you no longer need - don’t put them directly in the rubbish.

Keeping things clear

Make a habit of putting things away and get others to do the same.
Do tidying jobs as you go along so that they don’t build up.
Open post and deal with it as it comes in.

In the office

Have an office clear out day. Rent a couple of skips and get everyone to have a clear out.
Sort through files and weed out old papers. Archive or bin them.
Introduce a clear desk and floor policy.
Have recycling bins for paper and drinks cans.
Use a shredder for sensitive papers.

Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

Get to know where your local recycling facilities are and use them on a weekly basis.
Local charity shops
Local council recycling facilities should include at least:- paper, plastic, tins, shoes, cardboard, clothes and fabric, engine oil, printer cartridges. Check them out.
Car boot sales
Advertising in the local newspaper or send items to auction.
Recycle kitchen and garden waste in a compost heap or wormery.
Take old mobile phones to a charity collection point.

Remember to keep things in proportion. Don’t become a slave to keeping things clear.

Things To Say When People Invade Your Boundaries

2007-12-20T16:21:00.000Z

Christmas is a time of giving, but make sure you don't give too much of yourself. If you have difficulty saying “No” sometimes, here are a few ideas about how you can say “No” firmly but politely.

I am sorry but I don’t feel right about doing that.
If that’s what you want, you’re asking the wrong person.
I realize many people feel fine about things like that, but it just wouldn’t work for me.
What I have done in the past is past. It is not right for me any more so please don’t ask because I won’t.
This is not the right time. I’ll let you know if I can spend time on it later.
I can see things need doing, but it is not my place to put it right.
It would be far more appropriate for you to do that yourself.
Why would you want to know that?
Unless you tell me in advance I cannot help you in future.
Please come back to me when you have the answer.

Have a great Christmas!

Team Building through Performance and Theatre

2007-12-14T17:38:00.000Z

Want to be an actor for a day? Really let go your imagination and understand what is behind a performance? We did just that recently with one of our experiential training team building sessions where everyone was put through their paces and learnt what was involved in creating the illusion of the theatre. Through a series of exercises and games, our "trainee actors" learnt about some of the discipline that is required to perform well in front of an audience and work together to make the performance really come alive.

Led by an actor and director, we had great fun and hardly stopped laughing whilst learning new skills and disciplines.

Why do we do Experiential Training

2007-11-23T18:42:00.000Z

We are sometinmes asked "Why do you do experiential training? Isn't training in the classroom just as good?"

We do Experiential Training because it involves all the learning skills: listening, watching and doing which in turn lead to:

· Better communications at all levels
· An understanding of working together to achieve a specific end result
· A common language to develop across the team based on the experience
These in turn will lead to:
· Better rapport between managers and others
· A development in sensory acuity – improving awareness of their own senses and others
· Outcome orientation – switching attention to what you want to achieve and away from reasons why it “won’t work”.
· Behavioural flexibility – enhancing the ability to recognise how to change behaviour, both in themselves and in others

team building through theatre

2007-11-08T19:08:00.000Z

The world of the performing arts and the challenge of putting on ‘a show’ can provide a range of opportunities for individuals to reveal hidden talents and skills, understand how others operate as well as bringing everyone together to work on a stimulating and rewarding task.

That may mean using acting skills to get under the skin of a different character, interpreting body language through mime, understanding how to use your voice and improve presentation skills, or simply identifying how to foster greater cooperation and work more effectively together.

Find out more.....

SE Womens Mentoring Network

2007-09-13T17:02:00.000+01:00

Did you know that although women represent almost half the workforce, studies have revealed that they reach management positions in less than 64% of UK companies.

I have recently become a mentor for the women' mentoring network, based in the SE under the auspices of SEEDA. The aim is to encourage women to tackle issues at work and at home that might be holding them back. These issues can be many and varied as I know from the training we do. So I am looking forward to working with these women to help them make the most of themselves!

Into the Woods - Outdoor Team Building

2007-08-28T20:46:00.000+01:00

Want to look at things in a new way? Go for a walk in the woods and start to really look around you. What do you see?

Try looking at the ground and counting the little creatures that live there!

What do you hear around you? See if you can hear something new today.

Try touching th bark of a tree. What does it feel like? What does it remind you of?

At JamBerry we encourage participants on our courses to use creativity to overcome barriers. By taking them out of the workplace and putting them into new and stimulating environments, they will have fewer preconceived ideas about how a challenge should be tackled and be more open to change.

We teach teams to work together to make fires, to build camps and learn a little about treelore.

Interested in finding out more....?

Using cooking for team building!

2007-08-02T15:59:00.000+01:00

Ever thought of finding an activity which is fun, fast and helps build teams! We have and this is one of them. We have introduced cooking to our team building activities. We train people , not to be chefs, but towork together more effectively as a team to tight deadlines - with hungry people waiting!

So next time you are looking for a new type of team building event, why not contact us and have a chat. We can find alsorts of differnt activites to help your team to gel more effectively, relieve stress in the workplace and to simply have some fun!

Lark or Owl?

2007-06-28T20:53:00.000+01:00

Are you a Lark or an Owl? When are you most productive?

Before 10am
between 10 am and 4pm
After 4pm

Use the time when you are most produictive to tackle difficult tasks and most difficult decisions

Ten Ways to Save Time

2007-06-11T17:07:00.001+01:00

We all complain that there is not enough time in the day to do things. Having small children makes your precious time seem even more stretched. Here are a few tips on how you can save some time in your busy life.

Make lists - don't rely on your memory
Prioritise
Delegate
Don't procrastinate
Find time for time-out
Think positive and be proactive
Remove clutter, personal and physical
Create different spaces for different activities
Learn to walk away and say "no"
Keep a diary and identify activities you don't need/like

Rewards

2007-05-24T10:34:00.000+01:00

When did you last reward yourself for achieving something you wanted to achieve? Not just the big things, but little things as well. After all you reward the dog, the children and your partner, why not yourself?

Make a list of small rewards that you can give yourself when you have done something well. They might include: reading a book, going for a walk, taking up a new hobby.. make the rewards commensurate with the task. Keep it simple but inexpensive. Try and avoid using food and drink or smoking as these will set up bad habits that you may need to change at another time!

"De-Stress You" by Berry Winter

2006-09-21T17:44:00.000+01:00

Feeling stressed. This new book might help. Go and see at Lulu.com

Spring is in the air

2006-05-17T14:46:00.000+01:00

Spring is in the air and the birds are singing so why not take advantage of the feel good factors that are around at the moment. Go for a walk, buy some fresh flowers, put on some great music: whatever makes you feel good about yourself. Often the simplest things give as much pleasure as the more expensive ones.

Remember, you deserve to have a reward from time to time for all the hard work you do, whatever your line of work, so take advatnage of the weather and get out there.

2006-03-07T13:16:00.000Z

So. Who runs your life? The boss, the partner, the kids or even the dog? Or do you run your life? Are you really in control? Sometimes life seems out of control and getting it back again seems impossible. But don't despair. It is possible to get your life back on track. Try this exercise:

Get a large sheet of paper and divide into 3 sections. Now in each section write the headings:

Great things in my life
OK things in my life
Things I don't want in my life right now.

Now you have identified what you don't want any more, you can start to eliminate it! Tackle at least one thing this week.

Good luck!