Posted on: 14th July 2008
I watch a lot of talks, lectures and speeches. Every so often one comes along that blows me away. If you have 20 minutes, check this out. It is well worth the investment of time!
Sir Ken Robinson talks about creativity.
Posted on: 7th July 2008
Have you ever noticed how much time is spent attempting to find the one ideal solution for everyone; the one message; the one slogan? This would be great if only people were as similar as we delude ourselves to think. If there is one thing that I would love our clients to take away from working with us it’s that people are not robots.
A man walks into a barber shop and says, “Can you cut my hair like David Beckham?”
The barber says yes, and then goes on to deliver an appalling haircut - half way between a short-back-and-sides and a mullet.
The man says, “David Beckham’s hair looks nothing like this!”
To which the barber replies, “It would do if he came here.”
Posted on: 29th April 2008
I have been having a conversation with one of my colleagues about pattern detection and self-calibration. In simple terms - how do you know what’s going on with you?
Have you ever heard someone shout, “I AM NOT BEING UNREASONABLE!” when you can clearly see they are. The thing is, at the time, they genuinely think they are not. Our left brain is fantastic at telling us stories, and generally has no awareness of our behaviour or attitude, only the logical part of the argument.
So, even when you are trained to spot reactions in others, it can be difficult to notice them in yourself. The only way to check in on how you are behaving is to search for the feelings in your body. When you are stressed you will almost stop breathing and there will be tension somewhere. The more you become aware of the wealth of valuable messages your body provides, the closer you will get to what’s really going on for you.
Posted on: 1st April 2008
Daryll has just returned from another week with his mentor Dr. John Grinder and is ‘bouncing off the walls’ with enthusiasm for the new coaching patterns he has been playing with.
He will be running a one-off day of New Code NLP on the 13th May at our premises in Reading.
If you have never experienced NLP before, this is a really practical introduction in ‘plain english’. Daryll will be using high performance coaching activities including the high performance game used to train pilots at NASA.
For experienced Practitioners, Daryll will be demonstrating how you can make your NLP even cleaner (with less content), more generative (working with ’state’) and more empowering for your clients (focussing on solo application).
The cost for the day is £75 (excluding VAT) and it’s open to everyone so feel free to bring a friend or colleague. The dress code is informal; ensure that you clothing allows freedom of movement.
Numbers are limited and it’s ‘first come first served’. To reserve a place today: Call Swen on 0118 900 1527 or complete the form on our contact page.
Best regards
The team at noggin.
Our premises is Davidson House, Forbury Square, Reading, Berks, RG1 3EU (25 minutes from Paddington by train).
The dress code is informal, ensure that you clothing allows freedom of movement
Posted on: 31st March 2008
I was recently asked to write a piece for an accountancy magazine on ’stress management’. The term ’stress management’ is upsetting to me in the first place - suggesting that the objective is to manage the stress you have rather than find ways you eliminate it - as if you have no choice but to be stressed.
I was asked to respond to the following five questions:
What are the most common causes/symptoms of stress in offices?
What are the Special challenges that stress poses for young, ambitious high-fliers?
What are the best ways to prevent and/or combat stress (and why) - and the worst?
Our readers are accountants - who may be regarded as more immune from stress than those in other occupations - is that nonsense and why/why not?
How should employers help their workforce de-stress? What benefits do enlightened employers provide that contribute to successful stress management?
If you want to read my rant… (more…)
Posted on: 25th March 2008
About ten years ago I worked in a bar/restaurant during my weekends and holidays. I guess you can describe it as a bit posh with its marble floor, black leather seats and impressive half-round, wooden bar. The main reason for me to be there (besides the pocket money) was to learn, it was during my time at Hotelschool.
This was a busy business and some days of the week there were a lot more people having their drinks at the bar than at others. After a while it occurred to me that this was always with the same guy behind the bar so of course I wanted to find out what it is that he does! “What is going on here?” One evening we were having some drinks after we finished and I asked him for his trick. He started laughing and gave me a one-liner that has stuck with me to this day. (more…)
Posted on: 14th March 2008
Last night I was sitting at home clicking through Stumble, one of my favorite websites, when a page was served to me about gut feelings.
A team at the University of Leeds have done research into these feelings. The research shows that on a subconscious level our brain provides us with information, in the form of gut feelings and intuition, based on our previous experiences and what is happening around us. (more…)
Posted on: 13th March 2008
It was one of those typical moments for this season; cold, windy, bit of drizzle in your face, I’m sure you know how it feels. I think it was Friday, some of my friends came around my place for a few drinks before going out.
After a while the conversation drifted from the usual small-talk catching up to something I find intriguing since I started working at noggin. Do you ever not see something that is right in front of you? Or drive somewhere without really knowing what happened along the way? Maybe you’ve seen some of the very many optical illusions (like on this website from the University of York)?
(more…)
Posted on: 11th March 2008
That’s what you would think before having had the conversation I had a little while ago.
I was in one of the coffee shops in Reading enjoying a nice, hot cappuccino with a few friends. Just a general catch-up, we hadn’t seen each other for some time and after going through the usual small talk one of them made a remark that stuck with me…. (more…)
Posted on: 11th March 2008
So we think we are pretty clever these days having so many ways to study and publish research about the brain. We have come a long way. We even have “Brain Awareness Week”
If you get the chance to see the Tutankhamun exhibition at the O2 you might be amazed by how advanced a civilisation could be 4000 years ago.
They also had an interesting take on the usefulness of the brain - given they didn’t have the technology to know what it’s role might be. Suffice to say they didn’t include it on the list of vital things to bury with the Pharoah for use in the afterlife.
Pretty stupid these Ancient Egyptians eh? Or were they? (more…)