Posts Tagged web-based training
How To Have Peace, Be Productive and Be Prepared For Anything by Stephen Pierce
Posted by James in Hints and Tips, Just for Fun, Thoughts on July 21, 2011
I have a friend in Texas who lives his life at two hundred miles and hour, never seems to sleep and is one of the mega-achievers in this world.
Yet when you speak with him he is always cool, calm and collected. He recently wrote this article and it is for those of us who live at a hundred miles an hour, are too stressed to sleep and really struggle to hit those daily targets.
Enjoy!
One way to have a direct and immediate impact on your peace of mind and productivity is to orchestrate an environment that seduces you into peace and hypnotises you into being productive.
You preparedness for life’s challenges is directly link to your state of mind. If your state is one of peace and you’re productive, you can handle life’s challenges as they come.
While there are many ways to manufacture an environment to support your peace and productivity, here are some quick suggestions.
Creating a Peaceful Setting to Position Yourself For Productivity:
1. Select a soothing colour scheme. Blue may be the most obvious choice, but there are plenty of tranquil hues including rose or earth tones. In fact, you can probably find a soft shade in any of your favourite colours. Save more dynamic tones for accent pieces.
2. Maximise your space. If space is at a premium, look for furniture that doubles as storage and seating. Take advantage of wall space by installing shelves and hooks. Strategically placed mirrors can open up any room, and careful furniture placement will make things feel less cramped.
3. Light up your office. If you have a window, make the most of the natural light and outdoor view. Adequate lighting around your workstation will minimize eyestrain. Adjustable lamps add additional comfort. Remember, the darker the room, the more light you’ll need.
4. Introduce some fragrance. If you have windows for natural light, try some easy-care plants like lavender or mint. Aromatic oil diffusers are also simple to use and long lasting. Scents such as chamomile, frankincense, marjoram, and sage are known for their calming and centering qualities. When you need something more invigorating, try lemon or wintergreen.
5. Play music. One of the nicest things about working alone is being able to enjoy music without disturbing anyone else. Instrumental music is best when you’re trying to concentrate. For routine tasks, play anything you want. Internet radio stations give you a huge selection.
6. Add personal touches. Spread around some treasured photos or vacation souvenirs. Post inspirational sayings or keep a book of favourite quotations on hand.
Getting Organised To Be More Productive:
1. Banish clutter. Plan for sufficient filing and storage space to help you keep clutter under control. Go paper-free whenever possible. Regularly sort through your materials for things you can discard or archive.
2. Clean regularly. Vacuum and dust every two to four days. Do a thorough cleaning at least once a month. This will help protect you from germs and create a more hospitable environment.
3. Separate your personal and business activities. When you work from home, it’s helpful to create boundaries to keep your life in balance. Keep distractions like laundry out of the office, and office items such as files out of the rest of the house. This will help you to focus and will also reduce the risk of losing things.
4. Minimise interruptions. Some people may have trouble understanding that you’re busy when you’re at home. Let your family and friends know the hours when you need to minimise calls or other interruptions. Resist the temptation to check email too frequently and put your phone on voice mail when you need some quiet time.
5. Stay connected. Take steps to avoid feeling isolated. Go out to lunch with colleagues at least once a week. Find local chapters of organizations relevant to your business and attend the meetings. Networking is good for your career and personal happiness.
6. Give yourself a break. When you set your own schedule, you need to plan your own breaks. You’ll be more effective at work if you stay active and refresh your mind. Go to the gym before you settle down to work in the morning. If you find yourself working long hours, pick one afternoon to take off and see a movie.
Create a setting that dispels fatigue and tension. Use these principles of design and organisation to feel better and work more effectively.
With peace of mind and a productive environment, I prepare myself for anything that life brings my way.
Life is about change and change often brings challenges. I accept challenges and prepare for them. Because I am ready for what comes my way, I can handle anything. Even joyful change can be stressful, but I have peace through all of life’s changes.
I am prepared and ready for life. I spend time thinking about where my life is going and map out what I want next. I prepare for change and realize that my plans may turn out differently than I expect. By being prepared, I can shape more of my own destiny.
Each day, I reaffirm my desire to accept life as it comes. I avoid becoming fearful or angry when there’s change in my world. Change is important and something that feels challenging at the time may turn out to be in my best interests.
I avoid judging each experience by itself and put it into the bigger context of my life as a whole. When I put challenges in context, they are often far different than I first thought.
In the midst of a storm, I remain calm. I think clearly and decide what the next step should be. Because I plan my steps, I can avoid getting off of my path. I make adjustments easily because I embrace change instead of fearing it. Being ready for life keeps me joyous and happy.
Today, I am prepared for my life, regardless of what it brings.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. What can I do to increase my peace, productivity and be more prepared for life?
2. How can I stay positive when negative things happen to me?
3. How can I help others who are struggling with events in their own lives?
You can visit Stephen on his Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/StephenPierceLive
Online Training, The New Essential
Posted by James in Hints and Tips, Internet Marketing, Online Learning on March 23, 2010
For the past three years we have been developing online learning platforms for use by external companies to provide a cost-effective training platform for their staff and customers. As technology advances, these systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated and interactive and even more attractive for companies to use for a multitude of purposes from product awareness to basic training on such things as installations and servicing.
We were one of the first companies in the North-East to offer web video services and definitely the first to own digital cameras so we do like to try to keep ahead of the game as much as we can.
However where we do fall short is letting our customers know just what our in-house capabilities are and just how our customers can benefit from what we offer, so starting today we a re rectifying matters with a series of communications telling customers what we do, supported by authoritative papers on how these services can benefit the user.
I have an extract from a recent White Paper on online learning that I will share with you jusst to give you an idea of the benefits of deploying these systems within your own business. The White Paper, written and created by GoToMeeting, a leading provider of facilitation software for online learning, is rahter long, so I have split it into several ‘chunks’ to be delivered over a few days so that you don’t suffer from information overload.
I hope you enjoy it and that the infromation contained therein can be used by your comapny at some time in the near future.
Online Learning and Training Systems Part 1
The worldwide economic recession has prompted companies everywhere to scour their business practices for opportunities to increase efficiency and cut costs.
That includes how they train their employees and customers.
Fortunately, when it comes to training, the pathway to meeting both objectives is clear. Companies of all sizes are discovering the benefits of Web-based training. Today’s dizzying array of computer-based technologies has radically enhanced the ability of companies to “connect” with their employees and customers. Among the most profound of these is the ability to conduct live training and meeting sessions via the computer to widely distributed audiences.
Businesses are experiencing dramatic savings by avoiding expensive travel and lodging required for in-person training, while also improving performance and morale. Web-based training applications provide an online environment that combines interactive virtual classroom learning, meeting and Web seminar capabilities to enable eLearning and collaborative Web conferencing throughout the world. They are designed to meet the needs of businesses clamoring for convenient, secure and cost-effective alternatives to in-person gatherings. Another driver for businesses is the increased emphasis on “informal” learning, which comprises most of the corporate knowledge transfer within many organizations.
Collaboration using Web-conferencing technology can be used to encourage and facilitate informal learning activities.
An obvious opportunity for cost savings within any company is the training function, typically a tradition-bound operation scattered throughout an enterprise. Its reliance on instructor-led training results in time-consuming classes that require expensive travel, lodging and lost productivity to meet proficiency training, compliance and other obligations.
Does this sound like your organization?
In many cases, on-site instruction can be successfully conducted in virtual settings via Web conferencing tools. Yet despite these obvious advantages, many companies still cling to the status quo. That invariably means strong resistance from tradition-bound managers who are reluctant to try new technologies and who remain skeptical of today’s “blended learning” solutions.
Ironically, this resistance often comes from the very executives who are seeking to reduce their company’s reliance on fixed resources such as real estate used for meetings and classrooms.
The goal of this white paper is to help professionals overcome that resistance so their organisations can benefit from the many advantages that online learning and training technologies can bring.
Next: 12 Reasons to Employ Live, Web-based Training
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