We hear a lot of talk about content these days – particularly in terms of the popular saying that “content is king.” But is content more than a passing buzzword? It certainly is. In fact, these days it’s wise to include content curation as part of your organization’s learning and development strategy, to help create a more effective learning culture within your organization.

In doing this, you can use content curation to support corporate training – rather than replacing it – while bringing a number of benefits to your employees and your business.

Asha Pandey, Chief Learning Strategist at EI Design, agrees that companies should be using content curation to support their corporate training. Pandey defines content curation as “an exercise to continually find, filter (group, organize), and share the most relevant content on specific topics and offer it to learners as an online tool or through a portal or platform.”

Finding the best content from multiple sources, either from your existing knowledge base or external sources

Filtering, so only the most relevant content makes it through

Sharing it with the right audiences, at the right time, through the right platform

Adding value to that content with commentary, context or organization

In this way, as Pandey says, content curation “gathers and organizes all online and offline resources available in your network and allows learners to access them all on a single platform.”

The benefits of content curation for employees

In today’s workforce, employees have significantly higher expectations of corporate training programs. They want information that is relevant, up-to-date, engaging and easy to access. Taking a proactive approach to content curation will help you in consistently delivering this kind of content to your staff.

With content curation, your chosen platform will collate content for your staff. Meaning there’s no need for trawling through separate intranets, web portals and discussion boards – everything they need to know will be all in one place. This helps individuals feel empowered with the content, as they can choose which information they want to be engaged with.

As your content will be carefully filtered, you know that you’ll be delivering focused information that applies directly to your audience’s learning needs. Employees have the opportunity to share content, as well as contribute to the platform, meaning there’s potential for continual sharing and value enhancement.

The benefits of content curation for your organization

Over time, this approach to content curation will help create a more positive and effective learning culture within your organization.

You’ll be offering staff a more engaging and responsive platform, which will help improve collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation across teams. As employees share content, it also helps to establish strong connections and working relationships between subject matter experts and learners.

Using the one single platform for your content means that all information will be safely housed for long-term use, as well as easily accessible to staff at any time. Content curation can save workers significant time, helping to improve company productivity and results.

As you can see, taking a proactive approach to content curation and incorporating it into your learning strategy will result in many benefits for your staff and the business overall. Using it alongside your regular staff training mechanisms can create positive and long-lasting changes to your organization's learning culture. So what are you waiting for?

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Why content curation is important for staff training

You use knowledge and skills every day. When you’re watering the garden, when you’re driving a car, when you’re writing an email. Knowledge and skills are fundamental to human achievement. As the saying goes, knowledge is power. And if that’s true, then skills aren’t far behind. 

As the global skills gap widens and knowledge becomes more specialised and in-demand, knowledge and skills are valuable commodities. To remain future-ready, it is vital to keep your knowledge and skills up to date. Therefore, understanding the difference between knowledge and skills is an excellent first step. 

With this in mind, we’ll explain the difference between knowledge and skills, detailing everything you need to know to improve your knowledge and skills in the workplace. 

Knowledge and skills are similar but separate terms that express two vital elements of success in a situation. Many people use these terms interchangeably despite their different meanings. So, what does each term actually mean?

Here are the Oxford Dictionary definitions:

Knowledge: “facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject”, or, “awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation.”

Skills: “the ability to do something well; expertise”, or, “a particular ability.”

eLearning industry takes these definitions a step further, explaining that knowledge is “information acquired through sensory input: Reading, watching, listening, touching, etc. The concept of knowledge refers to familiarity with factual information and theoretical concepts. Knowledge can be transferred from one person to another or it can be self-acquired through observation and study.”

In contrast, skills “refer to the ability to apply knowledge to specific situations. Skills are developed through practice, through a combination of sensory input and output. As an example, social skills are developed through interaction with people by observing, listening, and speaking with them. Trial and error is probably the best way to achieve skills mastery.”

Or, in other words, knowledge is theoretical, whereas skills are practical. 

Both knowledge and skills are necessary to achieve a goal. A teacher may have a certificate showing the requisite knowledge to educate young people, but, without engagement skills, they will struggle to transfer their knowledge. In simple terms, it’s the difference between knowing something and putting it into practice.

A teacher must be able to interest students, motivate, and nurture fascination. Likewise, the best performing salesperson in a team may not have received higher education in the finer points of sales. They may not have attended seminars on communicating with clients. Nevertheless, their skills give them a knack for quickly building a rapport with clients, thereby making them an exceptional salesperson.

Many employers are concerned about the skills gap, and rightly so. The skills gap is the gap between what employers need their workers to do and what their workers are capable of doing. For example, a team leader may want an image edited in Photoshop. However, no one in their team has the skills to complete this task, as they are unfamiliar with the software. In recent years, this gap has widened. 

A recent survey by McKinsey found that nine in ten executives say their organisations either face skill gaps already or expect skill gaps to develop in the next five years. 

Additionally, 1 in 5 workers say their professional skills are not up to date, with a further 85% of employees saying they wish their company had offered more new skills training last year. Further, Skillsoft’s Mind the Gap report finds that 48% of L&D employees believe their team is underskilled to deliver what is needed for their business.

As a result, 62% of L&D professionals say that ‘closing the skills gap’ is their number one priority. 

While there are many nuanced explanations for the global skills gap, one theory is the over-emphasis on attending university for young people. While these soon-to-be employees may have gained an exceptional education during their time at university (knowledge), their lack of exposure to the practical demands of the workplace (skills) can make it hard to hit the ground running in a new job. 

In other words, they have the knowledge but do not possess the skills. This example does not mean that university isn’t worthwhile. Rather, it means that universities should encourage students to apply their knowledge in real-life situations more frequently.

For further insights on the skills gap, be sure to read our articles on how to identify your skill gaps and closing the L&D skills gap. 

To help close the skills gap, organisations can use a number of strategies to develop an employee’s skills. 

Offer team-building exercises: Corporate team-building exercises and holidays are becoming more popular every year. Yet, not every organisation uses them. Teamwork is a necessary skill for anyone who works within an organisation. Further, teamwork can improve the efficiency and performance of a business.

Improve communication skills: Online resources like eLearning courses offer a speedy way to improve staff communication skills. Digital learning courses that require engagement with other learners are ideal as this will allow learners to practice their new skills. Companies that offer these courses can also tailor them to the needs of an individual learner.

Constant feedback: Employees can track their performance via ongoing feedback from a manager. It is a good idea to set goals and offer incentives and encouragement to help develop an employee’s skills. 

Invest in L&D: Most importantly, companies who wish to develop employees’ skills should invest in L&D. Companies with robust L&D programs have a significant advantage in closing the skills gap. According to a report by RMIT, 52% of people value a learning culture over a fun culture at work. Similarly, The Transformation Journey report found that high-performing learning organisations are 3x more likely to “possess the right skills to exploit learning technologies for business advantage.” These figures show that learners crave consistent L&D opportunities to help close the skills gap. 

While companies should invest in their employees’ skills, this is not always the case. Unfortunately, 59% of employees have received no formal workplace training. Instead, most of their skills were self-taught. Likewise, 42% of employees have pursued training on their own. As such, many employees are forced to develop their skills independently. 

If this sounds familiar, here are a few essential tips for developing your skills. 

Public speaking: Any good public speaker knows how to tell a story. By honing your skills on PowerPoint and Keynote, you’re more likely to produce an engaging speech. Being familiar with these programs won’t be the silver bullet, but they will give you the confidence to perform with aplomb.

Empathy: There’s no single course you can complete to learn how to empathise with others. However, by practising your listening skills, you can be more aware of other people's needs. This trait is always attractive to employers — no one wants a hardheaded colleague who is never willing to co-operate.

Doing, not speaking: Being decisive and doing what is required shouldn't be a skill that needs to be taught. Yet, employers frequently complain that they have to spoon-feed employees. Work on doing rather than speaking, action rather than inaction and indecision, and employers will value you further.

Additionally, a recent report by SkillSoft identified the skills training that would best help employees adapt to the transformation of their role. These were: Microsoft Office training (59%) video-based microlearning (50%), collaboration training (48%), Social for Business training (37%), G Suite training (35%), and Adobe Creative Cloud training (34%). As such, workers may also want to focus on developing these skills.

Ultimately, knowledge can only get you so far. The practical application of this knowledge (i.e. skills) is what sets outstanding candidates apart. With the skills gap continuing to widen, ensure that your knowledge is up to date and your skill gaps are closed as tightly as possible.

Need some support developing your skills? Go1 can help. Start your free trial today to access dedicated courses on Identifying your skill gaps, Knowing your skills and gaps, and many more.

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

We’ll explain the difference between knowledge and skills, detailing everything you need to know to improve your knowledge and skills in the workplace.

The difference between knowledge and skills

We’ll explain the difference between knowledge and skills, detailing everything you need to know to improve your knowledge and skills in the workplace. 

In today’s workforce, it’s important to know how to handle complaints. You may think this is only relevant to people working in the hospitality or retail industries. But the truth is, customers can be internal, as well as external. No matter what position you hold, or industry you work in, you need to have the skills to effectively handle complaints.

Unfortunately, when it comes to handling complaints, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the emotions involved. Often the customer will be prepared before making their complaint – giving them the upper hand in the situation. When dealing with an unexpected scene, particularly when the customer is very angry or emotional, it’s easy to shut down and not know how to react.

However, with a little help, you can learn how to feel more confident and clear-headed when faced with complaints.

The most important thing to understand about these situations is that your actions and attitude towards complaint handling will have a direct impact on your organization or employer.

Did you know that 95% of customers will give you a second chance if you handle their complaint successfully? With every negative customer experience there is an opportunity to create a positive outcome. Employees who can handle complaints in this way, finding positive solutions to negative situations, are incredibly valuable to any company.

For managers and employers, teaching staff how to handle complaints effectively will help build brand loyalty and grow a successful business. While also making team members feel more comfortable in their jobs.

Learn how to use the LAST complaints handling plan

So how do you go about it? How can you teach your employees to handle complaints in a positive way?

 A structured approach to complaint handling is vital. If you try to handle complaints without a proper plan, you’re making a big mistake. With a system in place, your staff will have better control of the situation and greater ability to turn the outcome around.

The LAST Complaints Handling plan does just that, and is easy to apply to any kind of workplace or industry. Let’s take a closer look at LAST.

The first thing you need to do when faced with a customer complaint is listen! Make sure you don’t interrupt and give the person reassuring visual or verbal cues that let them know you’re paying attention. This shows that you are making the effort to empathize with their situation and understand their point of view.

The next important step in effective complaints handling is to apologize. Regardless of the situation, your customer will be looking for someone to take responsibility and offer an apology on behalf of the company. You will calm down your customer and go a long way in resolving the situation with the simple words ‘I’m sorry.’

When handling complaints, your aim is to offer the customer a solution to their problem. You can do this in a way that achieves a positive outcome for both the customer and your company, making it a win-win situation.

One of the best ways to do this is to simply ask the customer for suggestions of what they believe would be a good solution. Ask them what they would like you to do, to put the situation right and make them happy?

After apologizing, offering a solution, and resolving the complaint, you can thank the customer for bringing the problem to your attention.

This final step may sound a little strange at first, but saying ‘thank you’ to your unhappy customer helps reassure them that you appreciate their feedback – even when that feedback is negative.

Their feedback and experience will allow your company to make positive changes to the businesses, in an effort to prevent this from happening again.

Use eLearning to learn more about handling complaints

Keen to learn more about the LAST Complaints Handling system?

The 20-minute Complaints Handling eLearning course has been developed to give you the knowledge, skills and confidence you need to handle complaints at work. For managers and employers, getting your staff enrolled in this course is a great way to introduce them to the LAST system, and will give them more confidence in their own complaints handling skills.

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

Handling complaints at work is one of the most difficult things to do. However, if you know what to expect, it won't be as hard as you think.

How to handle complaints at work

Humans tend to be social creatures. In general, we like to form connections, share ideas and interact with other people – particularly in the workplace. These forms of social interaction inevitably play a large role in the way we learn, resulting in the methodology known as social learning.

If you’re involved in staff training and development, it’s wise to consider incorporating social learning into your strategic plan. Through effective social learning, you can encourage greater connection and collaboration between employees, while helping to improve their individual engagement levels and knowledge retention.

Keen to encourage social learning in your organization? Follow these guidelines and you’ll be on your way towards building a successful social learning program in your workplace.

Before you can start incorporating these social learning steps into your training program, make sure you understand exactly what is meant by ‘social learning.’

Put simply, social learning is about learning by watching, then doing. Social learning theory says that we learn through observation – by watching someone physically demonstrating a skill or task, or describing it verbally.

With social learning, students are encouraged to master the skill or task through observation and instruction. The learning process occurs in a social environment, where “learners can carefully examine and evaluate the actions of others… a behavior or idea is typically modeled for the learner, and then they are asked to imitate or perform this behavior on their own.”

Social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+

Programs such as Google Docs and PowerPoint, where staff can create content and collaborate

Online courses, or eLearning courses, that encourage employees to connect through discussion boards

Brainstorming sessions, workshops and conversations between team members

Don’t confuse social learning for social media

However, while social networks and platforms are great for helping staff to connect, they can also be a huge distraction in the workplace. You’ll also need to have a solid social media policy in place, to help staff know the difference between what’s appropriate and not appropriate to discuss on social media.

So is there a better way to encourage social learning in your workplace?

The answer is yes. You just need to invest in the right tools. And eLearning provides you with the tools you need for effective social learning.

Although online courses may seem geared towards the individual, they actually provide learners with plenty of opportunities to participate in social learning. When using online courses for staff training, make sure employees are able to connect and collaborate with one another.

Encourage staff to share content, videos and resources with one another through the eLearning platform, to promote a truly social learning environment. Sharing comments and feedback with one another helps all parties to learn, improving engagement and knowledge retention.

While it’s essential to have these kinds of open channels for feedback and collaboration, some learners may also want the option of communicating with other learners privately – away from group discussion boards or social media platforms.

Instant Messaging (IM) allows individuals to share their knowledge and experience with other employees, while also helping to build a culture of collaboration within the organization. IM can feel less formal than email, encouraging team members to chat in ‘real’ time and real tones. So make sure your eLearning course has the option of instant or private messaging.

By following these steps, you’ll be providing employees with a number of different learning environments, as well as the right tools, for social learning. As a result, you can expect to see more skilled, productive and connected employees, helping your organization to achieve its business goals.


How to encourage social learning through eLearning

eLearning courses cannot be pieced together over night. They should be drafted, re-drafted, crafted and planned if they’re to be successful and engaging for students and learners. Nobody wants to be bored while they’re studying – learning should always be fun and inspiring!

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of tips that will help you draw-up an eLearning course that will secure maximum engagement from your students. This will help both you and them; they’ll learn more and you’ll be successful in your goal of teaching. Success leads to more success, so getting it right is important.

Here are some tips on how to structure a course that will bring about maximum student engagement.

In reality, the planning of a course is the foundation of its success. Without a solid foundation, your eCourse will flounder.

Content you include should be appropriate to the topic you are teaching with a clear structure. A clear structure is particularly necessary for courses of an online nature. eLearning is student-centered, as opposed to the traditional teacher-led approach of the face-to-face class, and this places the onus heavily on the student to find meaning to their course. As students cannot interact so easily as a traditional classroom, explanations cannot be sought so easily. However, if you plan well then this purpose should be overwhelmingly obvious.

Plan, plan and plan again. Iron out confusion. Make things easy. Unlike a high school, eLearners often aren’t always required to be in the class. With poor planning you will guarantee that they are not.

Make sure there is a reason for everything students learn

Every stage of the students’ journey should be sign-posted along the way. For learners, this creates confidence, enthusiasm and engagement. Each lesson carries from the next and covers the key points of any topic. Resources are offered to make clear the necessity of learning this key point. If a student doesn’t understand why they’re learning about, for example, compliance regulations in the insurance industry, then they simply won’t engage. Nor will they learn.

The relevance of topics to the overall intention of the course is vital.

Like building with Lego, each single brick – or each class – should fit perfectly with the previous one until they reach the desired teaching objectives. As a teacher, your goal is to communicate the desired learning objectives of the overall course, so each class should be structured to add-up to this end point.

Allow students to put skills they have learned into practice 

Engagement follows successful learning, and the successfully learned skills or knowledge of your students can be exhibited through exercises where the skills they have learned can be practiced.

After each successfully learned segment of the course, allow students to show both themselves and yourself the use of their new knowledge. Affirming student learning will promote their engagement with the course.

One way to do this is with the use of interactive demonstrations, quizzes and short tests, which should reflect what has been taught. Tests like these, though they don’t need to be overly formal, can be used as a method of measuring the success of the students in meeting their learning goals.

Collaboration can also be used to demonstrate their learning. Learners can work together to produce work to show the class. Projects that require co-operation between two or more students are ideal ways for learners to practice the methods of the classroom.

It is the duty of the teacher of an eLearning course to make themselves available to be contacted as easily as possible. The lack of support for eLearning causes quick drop offs in engagement when the going gets tough. Students who cannot find support will suffer.

Learner-to-learner access points such as online forums are ideal. Questions can be asked and answered, answers can be sought between students, and teachers can log-in to ensure full comprehension if needed.

Learner-to-teacher access is always a big help. Email is frequently the easiest and most manageable route to achieve good communication.  As the teacher, you can use email to send out additional resources or class notes. Actions such as these keep students engaged in the course and receptive to instruction. With online courses, student drop-out rates are higher than face-to-face classes but with continued communication to promote a sense of involvement and intention in their learning, students can become fully engaged with their course.

So there we have it. Though we cannot tell you exactly how to go about planning your online course, these steps should help you to tailor a course in a way that will maximize the engagement of pupils. This will help students to learn and enjoy the process more completely, and bring increased success to your teaching.

How to get maximum engagement out of your eLearning course

Considering the fact that the average customer loyalty rate is only 5%, it takes little imagination to see the incredible benefits to a business if it is able to give that number a significant raise.

Indeed, customer loyalty, it’s fair to say, is one of the most important aspects in the success of a business; returning customers are the bread and butter of an organization, regardless of its size.

Consider some companies with fierce customer loyalty. Apple, for example, still has one of the most devout customer bases and they have, in effect, a generation of customers who have grown up with Apple products. Customers know the product inside out and considering a change of brand is almost unthinkable.

Though Apple is a company in a million and in many ways unique, there are many ways to carve out a loyal base of customers. The benefits are simple, but here is a small selection:

Steady Cash Flow – With a loyal customer base businesses can be more certain of a steady cash flow due to returning clients. Expansion, growth and a secure financial future are the dividends.

Referrals – Loyal clients send others your way. Simply put, clients are loyal because they think the product or service you provide is of a high standard and a fair price. Happy customers spread the word so that others march right to your door. This type of brand advocacy is worth far more valuable than even the best marketing.

Predictability – Customer behavior is far more predictable when a company has customer loyalty. Planning inventory and stock is less risky as sales forecasts are based less on possibility and more on past experience.

The customer loyalty course is designed to explain how to build a loyal fan base. To do this, the course breaks down a fair complicated process into easily comprehended stages:

Introduction – The course begins outlining the case for making customer loyalty a priority for your business. It explains how prosperity in many countries has provided many more options for consumers, and consequently, customer loyalty is on the decline.

Consumers are happy to leave one company for the benefits that new customers are offered at many others and this has created a focus on gaining new customers, but all too frequently, at the cost of losing those who are loyal.

Why is Customer Loyalty Important? – The course then goes on to explain why a focus on bringing in new customers should not be at the cost of customer loyalty. This message is underscored by revelations such as; gaining a new customer costs five times that of retaining a current one. But the reasons for a customer to stay loyal to you are not the same as those that attract new clients.

So then, what are the best methods to ensure loyalty in your customers?

Turn Customers into Loyal Fans – This section explains what does and does not work in creating a loyal fan base. For example, do most consumers treat reward cards as a way to express their brand loyalty or as a way to save money? It’s likely the latter reason. Rather than discounts or freebies, superb customer service is the best way to retain customers.

This section is also broken into three smaller parts to instruct users on the methods to improve their customer service:

Power of Surprise – Leverage the enjoyment of surprises by offering little thank you gifts, or spending time actually searching out your client to say hello.

Appreciation is Key – Acknowledge your appreciation by simply saying thank you. Touches like these stay with people and aren’t common. Stand out from the crowd.

Acknowledge Mistakes – When you provide a service that doesn’t meet customer expectation, listen and improve. Offer a small gesture of apology and they’ll likely return.

Final Summary – This section quickly ties together the threads of the course and asks how you can implement them into the business where you work.

This course covers many aspects of customer loyalty, and to do this it includes a variety of resources for the learner.

The videos act as the engine of the course to drive the learner to further appreciation of why customer loyalty is so important and how to create it. Other resources sure-up the message, but the videos are the main player. Use these to drive your understanding.

The four-page customer loyalty fact sheet feature the foundations of the course message. Without the researched facts that are provided in these pages the course would be only conjecture. All the hard details can be found right here; everything’s spelled out in black and white.

The course description is a simple one-page document that signposts the way. It allows users to easily navigate through the course and find their place. Use this if you get lost!

The market’s shifting sands always offer new customers benefits for pulling up anchor and heading elsewhere. While it’s important to gain further custom and bring new clients in, this shouldn’t be sought at the expense of loyal customers.

Like keeping a partner in your personal life, it is important to show customers that you care. Without reminders every now and again, the reasons behind why a client should use your service, the loyalty of your customer may falter.

Though rates of customer loyalty are lower than ever, those that stay are also worth more than before. Loyalty breeds trust, and with it a bond that runs deeper than the bottom line.


Customer loyalty: How to turn your customers into fans

It’s official – social media is everywhere, with the majority of people in the United States using it. If we’re not liking a Facebook update then we’re probably Instagramming our newest holiday photo. But what happens when our use of social media enters the professional realm?

There are now a growing number of social media mishaps that can play havoc on the reputation of businesses and individuals. With too many examples to name, this is an issue that organizations need to get right, so that they don’t fall victim to a mistimed hashtag or unintended Tweet.

If you still need convincing, then here is a quick list of the benefits derived from social media awareness:

What is and isn’t acceptable – issues like bullying in the workplace can become uncontrollable problems if taken over to social media. This blurring of lines between professional and private spheres makes these sorts of problems very difficult to resolve.

Keep a clean reputation – when a problematic tweet is sent that includes a company name or logo, a company might unfairly reap the consequences. Keep a good reputation by setting clear guidelines.

Hold on a second – explain how private and public spheres are so porous now and that what a person might post can be seen by anyone – including bosses. Remove the risk of error by understanding simple rules. Before posting employees should give themselves a second to think – do they really want colleagues to see this?

Social media is unavoidable. It’s likely that a company uses Twitter or Facebook to promote itself and communicate with possible clients, and if that’s not the case, then your colleagues will almost certainly use social media to some degree.

And social media has blurred the lines between public and private life. They are, to some extent, now one and the same. It is therefore very important to understand what is and what is not acceptable to post on platforms that are public.

Not only can social media mishaps cost money and hurt the reputation of a company but personal attacks carried out via social media can cause a great deal of suffering to staff and destroy workplace unity.

Social Media Awareness training is a valuable tool to reduce the possibilities of these dramatic problems and offer leverage for a company should a social media mistake be made.

The use of social media shows no sign of falling away, so it is important that you act now to protect yourself and your business.

For more insights, be sure to subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.


Social media awareness is essential for any high-performing organisation. As such, we'll analyse what you need to know about social media awareness.

Why social media awareness matters

Social media awareness is essential for any high-performing organisation. As such, we'll analyse what you need to know about social media awareness. 

If you’ve read our previous article on the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace, you’ll know that the statistics speak for themselves when it comes to EQ. This is because research shows that emotional intelligence is one of the most important factors in maintaining successful relationships – both personal and professional.

Employees with highly developed emotional intelligence, or EQ, are far more likely to be successful in their careers, professional working relationships and personal lives. Did you know that 90% of top performers have high levels of EQ? And can expect to earn $29,000 more annually than employees with lower levels of EQ? These individuals are also more effective when it comes to handling conflict, performing well under pressure, and leading and managing teams – all of which are very desirable traits for an employee.

Fortunately, your level of emotional intelligence can be developed and improved over time. As with other soft skills in the workplace, such as active listening or effective communication, you can learn how to develop and use your EQ, to improve working relationships and help keep your emotions in positive balance.

As Travis Bradberry, author of the best-selling book ‘Emotional Intelligence 2.0’, explains,  “emotional intelligence is the other kind of smart.” When you start to develop your EQ, you’ll notice a greater ability to monitor your own and others’ feelings and emotions – and to use this information to guide your thinking and actions.

Have you ever worked with someone who seemed to know exactly what was needed in any situation? It may have been a colleague who instinctively knew if you needed some alone time. Or a manager who could always sense when you needed a little extra support.

These people most likely had high levels of EQ. Because social awareness and empathy are a large part of emotional intelligence, these kinds of employees and managers bring a comforting and comfortable presence to the workplace. They know how to recognize and manage their own emotions, without becoming overwhelmed by them, and are therefore able to be more productive, effective and happy workers.

Develop Your Emotional Intelligence Through eLearning

Keen to get started on developing your own levels of EQ? Why not start by learning more about emotional intelligence in the workplace, through the short online course Emotional Intelligence.

During this interactive eLearning course, you’ll learn how to improve and use your emotional intelligence for better workplace outcomes. The course will give you an insight into the different elements that combine to form emotional intelligence. While there are various approaches and theoretical models associated with emotional intelligence, there are four fundamental ways you can develop your EQ and boost your career:

Self-awareness – recognizing and identifying your emotions, reducing their intensity and allowing you to manage emotions more easily

Self-management – learning that your emotions and behavior come from you, not from anyone else, and you are responsible for them

Social awareness – paying close attention to how you’re interacting with others, through body language, active listening and asking questions

Relationship management – developing the ability to listen, empathize and respect others to build positive working relationships.

As you can see, by taking this course you’ll be on your way to becoming a much happier and more successful employee. You’ll feel more confident, empowered and effective in your actions and relationships, with these positive benefits also overflowing into your personal life.

Everyone, at all levels of an organization, will benefit from taking this short eLearning course. Enrol today, and get started online, all in the convenience of your own home – in just 30 minutes!

Improve your emotional intelligence and boost your career

Do you often feel as though there’s simply not enough hours in the day? Like no matter how hard you try, you can’t quite get through your never-ending list of things to do? You’re not alone. Trying to stay on top of work, life admin, family commitments and relationships can be challenging, to say the least.

Why is it then, that some people seem able to achieve much more with their time than others – even when they lead incredibly busy lives? The secret is in good time management. These people know how to maximize and manage their time. They know how to avoid the pitfalls of procrastination, stay on track and be productive, and keep their work and social lives in balance.

If you’re tired of feeling snowed under at work, want to improve your work-life balance, or are keen to boost your productivity, you’ll benefit from learning how to take charge of your time. By mastering this ability, you’ll soon be able to better organize, plan and prioritize tasks, allowing you to make the most of the hours in your day.

The Benefits of Taking Charge of Your Time

Time management is high on the list of desirable skills for employees, across all industries and job descriptions. This is because how you manage your own time has a direct impact on your employer and the business. Employees who are able to manage their individual workload, maintain productivity, and meet targets and deadlines without stress are invaluable to any organization.

Mastering time management is also essential for your own wellbeing. Running on panic and adrenaline each day is a sure-fire way to end up burning out at work, leading to high stress levels and low productivity rates. Holding onto perfectionism can also be a road block to productivity – while perfectionists may appear to look super busy, the need to do everything perfectly can have a negative impact on their ability to deliver and achieve. It’s vital to learn how to proactively manage your workload without procrastination or perfectionism, for your mental, emotional and physical health.

It’s not just your own life that’s affected by poor time management. When work is particularly demanding, our social and family lives are also likely to suffer. And when we’re stressed, it causes havoc on our close relationships. Time management takes discipline, planning, and a positive attitude. When you start to make improvements in this area, and feel more relaxed and on top of things, you’ll find that your relationships with workmates, friends, family members and partners become much smoother.

Learn Time Management Skills Through eLearning

Ready to get some help with your time management? The good news is, there are plenty of resources and techniques available to help you improve your time management skills. These days, we’re very lucky to have the convenience of eLearning, allowing us to easily study and complete online courses on our laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Why not start by taking a look at the short online course Productivity and Time Management? This 30-minute eLearning course is ideal for anyone who wants to improve their time management skills and get more out of their day. By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills, confidence and knowledge to start taking charge of your own time, once and for all.

The interactive online course covers the four essential pillars to time management, explaining why they work, how you can incorporate them into your work and the benefits these techniques will bring to your life and career.

The time-management techniques explained in this course will help you improve your ability to function more effectively – even when dealing with tight deadlines, high pressure work environments and multi-tasking. You’ll also learn how to avoid procrastination, to help you maintain your focus and productivity.

This exciting animated explainer course allows you to learn at your own pace, at a time and place that’s convenient to you. While it’s up to you how you use your time traveling to and from work, you could even think about using your commute to focus on your professional development. Your daily bus or train trip presents an excellent opportunity for individuals to learn new skills, such as improving time management and productivity. Enroll and get started online today.


How to improve your time management skills

Today’s job market is not like that of yesteryear. There are fewer jobs for life, competition is fiercer than ever, and the pressure to hit targets is a frequent source of stress. In fact, work is the number one source of stress for most people. The need for a resilient mind – one that’s able to overcome challenges and face tough tasks with a can-do attitude is key.

But this is not just true for your working life, either. Of course, in our private and personal lives there will always be bumps in the road – some of which might be devastating to come to terms with – and so resilience can improve your mental health too.

There are ways to build resilience that can provide help over time. Yet one of the best ways is with the helping hand of an online course, guiding you with professional experience towards a goal that is vital yet difficult to attain.

Reasons to develop your resilience at work are:

Being able to bounce back – There is nothing in work, nor life generally, that is worth having if it’s easy to obtain. We all know this, yet many of us are frequently terrorized by the possibility of difficulty and failure. But failure is necessary to learn from, if you are resilient enough to understand this. Resilience allows you to move forward, not give up all together.

To be committed – A lack of resilience will cause people to give up when they’re finding something difficult. Commitment is all about dealing with adversity, acknowledging that work can sometimes be difficult, and continuing undeterred.

Being able to learn from mistakes – When a task has gotten the better of you, it’s only in trying again that you can put what you learned from failing, into practice the next time. This is a highly sought after skill, and one that is a real asset to have.

Cognitive distortion – This section explains how our brains like to spot and form patterns, but that, unfortunately for us, they don’t always see the right things.

For example, we assume that the angry reaction that our manager had this morning is because we did our job poorly, but perhaps they were just having a bad day; we don’t have all the facts we need to make a proper judgement. Cognitive distortion is the phenomena whereby our minds cause us to believe in something that is not actually true. For many, this is where doubt creeps in.

Cognitive restructuring – This next section begins the process of developing resilience by firstly restructuring our response to a negative situation, and then using it to our advantage. This middle section uses the book Mind Over Mood by Dennis Greenberg and Christine Padesky as a general guide. This is broken into chunks:

Identify the situation – When a situation arises that has a negative effect, take a second to describe the situation to yourself.

Identify automatic thoughts – Be conscious of the automatic assumptions you have made, which are frequently negative. For example, “I’m not good enough”.