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The Power of believing you can improve

All to often we are faced with a problem which is seemingly too hard to solve.  What do most of us do?  Give up? Procrastinate?  Avoid?  We are conditioned by a system that has tuaght us to pursue the best grades at all costs and so for many the ability to set about strategising is […]

The power of doing nothing

When is the last time you did absolutely nothing for 10 whole minutes? Not texting, talking or even thinking? Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe describes the transformative power of doing just that: Refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day, simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment. Reassuringly there is no need for any […]

Wiring a Web for Global Good

In 2009 and article appeared in The Guardian which named Gordon Brown as being one of the most boring public speakers around.  Yet in the same year, when asked to speak on a topic dear to his heart, one in which he clearly believes and to an audience who are away from the &lsqulsquo;calm of […]

Breaking through to the next level of Leadership

“First rule of leadership – everything is your fault.” Wise words from Hopper (A Bug’s Life). We have all worked with great leaders and been inspired by them and then there have been those whose leadership style can be described at best as being modelled on that of Vlad the Impaler. Leadership is about inspiring […]

Do higher incentives lower performance?

The drive to do things for their own sake and because they matter is the best way to motivate people. In a high-energy and amusing talk, career analyst and former speech write to Al Gore Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don’t: Traditional […]

Who are the great leaders of the 21st Century?

Who are the great leaders of the 21st Century?  The world is full of leadership programs, but the best way to learn how to lead might be right under your nose. In this clear, candid talk, Roselinde Torres describes 25 years observing truly great leaders at work, and shares the three simple but crucial questions would-be […]

The Art of Performance Poetry

Sarah Kay is a spoken word poet and the founder of project VOICE – an organisation that uses spoken word poetry to improve literacy and empower people. Her TED talk is an enchanting combination of performance and public speaking delivered with captivating honesty.  It is a beautifully crafted and meticulously prepared simple message.  It is […]

What your words say about you

What do you do in a recombobulation zone?   Do you ever suffer from affluenza? Have you ever taken a legsie?  Or is the whole lot just one big omnishambles? The English language is ever-changing – t’was ever thus and t’will always be and with that change comes a rich seam of linguistic inventiveness. And confusion. […]

The Power of Vulnerability

Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past ten years studying vulnerability, courage and authenticity and poses the following question in an insightful and inspirational talk: How do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so that we can engage in our […]

Want to be happy? Be grateful.

If you are very clear about your key message or core theme and you have given detailed thought to what you are going to say, then all you really need to do is tell your story simply and sincerely.  Brother David Steindl-Rast does just that. All too often, the first port of call when preparing […]