These days, it seems that many workers are leaving high-paid corporate positions to pursue a more meaningful career. For these people, finding a job that’s emotionally rewarding is top priority, and far more important than financial gains. While the concept of ‘meaningful’ work is obviously different for everyone, it can almost always be linked to an individual’s personal values.

To understand this, it’s important to see the connection between personal (or core) values and job satisfaction. One of the main reasons why people are unhappy in their jobs is that their work, career or employer is at odds with their values. Often, employees won’t even realize their dissatisfaction stems from this mis-match – there’s just a general feeling that something isn’t quite right.

For someone who values fairness, for example, it could be very frustrating and upsetting to work for an organization that frequently rewards or tolerates unjust behavior. For workers who strongly value compassion, finding out that the company they work for is testing on animals could be a sudden deal breaker. Public servants may also experience discomfort when the government they work for changes, or alters policy.

When your work collides with your personal values

Over time, this discordance of values can lead to negative consequences for both employee and employer.

Working in an environment that goes against your core values is not only frustrating, but can also lead to serious health issues, as both mental and physical wellbeing are affected by stress. We can see this in people who have burnt out at work, after many years of trying to fit square-shaped values into a round hole.

In contrast, individuals who consider their work to be meaningful are generally more productive, motivated and happy in their jobs. As Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, author of The Talent Delusion, explains, “when people pick jobs that fulfill basic psychological needs, motives, and values, they immerse themselves more in their work, experience higher levels of job satisfaction, and their productivity rises.” This has benefits for the whole organization, leading to a more positive work culture and better business results.

To determine your core values, you need to be aware of what motivates you. Individuals are motivated by many different things, especially in the workplace. Are you driven by money, power, recognition by your peers? Or perhaps your idea of meaningful work is connected to altruism, the desire to help people?

Once you find what motivates you, you’ll have a far better idea of what’s most important to you and how to get where you need to be. If you find that helping and connecting with people is top of your list, you might decide to explore teaching or social work, rather than continuing to work 9-5 in a job with no human interaction.

Dr Chamorro-Premuzik says, “if you know something simply doesn't motivate you, like a fat paycheck or great travel opportunities – even if it motivates others – don't regard it as an incentive for your next job.”

The interesting thing about values is that even if you’ve never consciously considered them before, your values are still an intrinsic part of you. Many people aren’t even aware that they exist until something happens that questions or threatens their values. Taking the time to figure out what’s really important to you, and exactly what it is that motivates you, will help you to be more prepared and resilient when your values are tested.

The benefits of working in line with your values

Once you’ve clarified your personal values, you’ll find it far easier to understand and trust any gut feelings that arise when you’re on the wrong path. Defining your values also allows you to “set goals that resonate, as opposed to frustrate,” says Associate Professor Anthony Grant, from The University of Sydney's Coaching Psychology Unit.

“If your goal is aligned with your core values, the thought of it will trigger a positive gut feeling. That feeling is what will keep you ploughing ahead until you've nailed it.” When you feel good about your work, career and employer you’ll be able to achieve far greater motivation, success and happiness.

To return to Dr Chamorro-Premuzik again: “we work more effectively when we're invested in what we do. And one of the keys to feeling engaged at work is aligning your own idiosyncratic values with those of your organization, your team, and your direct manager – when you're all working together towards something you believe in.”

Set aside some time to think about what it is that you believe in. What motivates you? What are your personal values? Figuring out how you can work in line with your values could be the best step of your career, as well as your life.

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Why your career needs to align with your personal values

Preparing your L&D budget is no small undertaking. Sometimes it can seem like you are going out and fighting a battle every time you attempt to justify it to the higher brass! However, if you perform your due diligence and truly take a strategic approach to the budget, then you are far more likely to get approval for it.

Here are a few ideas that will help you make the process more effective:

Before you prepare your budget, you will need to identify exactly what the macro and micro objectives are within your learning strategy. You should put together a document that identifies key deliverables, short and long-term objectives, and most of all, the return on investment. You should be able to clearly articulate how this program will pay for itself over and over again.

Research is a huge part of the process when you create your budget. First you'll want to have a look at what's going on in the industry and where other organizations are allocating funds. The truth is you don’t have to look far—you can do a tremendous amount of research these days with a simple Google query.

You also want to look at what your own internal numbers look like. Where have you needed funds the most in the past? Where did you fall short of your target before due to financing obstacles?

For each one of your line items, you should ask yourself how much of a direct impact it will have on the bottom line. If you are acutely aware of profits and the processes that drive them within your Learning Department then you'll know which items to “zero-in” on.

When you create your research documents, make sure that you highlight the industry standards so that you can compare where your organization is right now versus where it should be in the near future to maintain a competitive edge.

The "powers on high” that have the authority to approve or deny your requests will want to know exactly how you came up with each item within your budget. This means you will likely need to justify your requests and provide the data that backs up your findings. If you can't explain why a budget item is the number that it is, then you will be fighting an uphill battle that you will likely lose. Again, it's a good idea to focus on explaining the return on investment so that stakeholders feel confident in handing you the money.

Your budget should be oriented towards measurable results and there are a few metrics that you can use to measure your success. Cost-per-learning-hour is one of the easiest to start out with. Following that, you should look towards outcome-based metrics, like improving employee satisfaction scores, reduction in compliance issues, sales growth, and so on. If you stay focused on the numbers that provide a way to measure your success, then you will be able to better understand and justify the financial resources required to obtain them.

Before you complete your budget you should spend some time evaluating opportunities that may have been overlooked in the past. What changes are happening in the industry right now that could affect your people? What new developments are taking place to improve eLearning deliverability, for example? Are there new tools and resources that can cut down on costs?

This is a fantastic opportunity to sit down with leadership and your key team members and brainstorm about the opportunities that could be out there. This may change the budget, but it could be the very thing that convinces stakeholders that you are on the right path. Innovation is one way that companies maintain their competitive edge and if you can discover innovative ways to deliver your learning material, for example, then you might have a much more attractive budget in the end.

Prepare a document that discusses worst-case scenarios and alternatives

This goes back to the justifying process that you may need to do. It's a fantastic way to present your argument because you will be illustrating what could happen if funding is not acquired. How might a compliance issue affect the company as a whole? What would the legal costs be?

Always be prepared to talk about the lost opportunities in the financial obstacles that could come about if your Learning budget isn’t met. Some of the results may not be disastrous but they could certainly be cases of lost revenue. If you can articulate these clearly then you will be able to attack any objection head-on and you’ll be much more likely to get the funding you need.

Some might argue that preparing your L&D budget is one of the most important parts of the eLearning process. After all, nothing happens without acquiring the funding to do it, right?

This is a part of the job that requires meticulous research and evaluation, while at the same time understanding how to sell your ideas to stakeholders. So don't forget the “human” aspect of the process. While you might be dealing with numbers, the real test will come when it's time to hold your hand out and ask for the money!

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.

In this article, we'll show you how to create an effective L&D budget. We'll also share some tips on how to manage your L&D budget effectively.

Preparing your L&D budget is no small undertaking. However, if you perform your due diligence and truly take a strategic approach to the budget, then you are far more likely to get approval.

When talking about leadership, we often make mention of highly skilled public speakers – leaders who know how to motivate and encourage teams with their powerful words. While certainly, strong public speaking skills are highly valued in any leader, listening is also an incredibly important and underrated skill for effective leadership. 

You can probably think of someone you’ve worked with who never really pays attention to what you’re saying – they may appear to be listening, but often have a glazed look or appear lost in their own thoughts. A lot of people, particularly in the workplace environment, are also more interested in thinking about what they’ll say next, than paying proper attention to what’s being said by others.

It can be quite uncomfortable talking to any of these people. And particularly frustrating if the person is your boss! When faced with a manager or supervisor who doesn’t ever seem to really listen, it’s easy for employees to assume their leader simply doesn’t care. Team members can feel unheard, unsupported and unsatisfied in their jobs when working under this kind of management.

Why Listening Skills Are So Important for Managers

All managers have a responsibility to listen to their staff – to understand their individual perspective, provide support and professional development, and act as an effective link between employees and upper management.

As Taylor Berens Crouch, doctoral candidate in clinical psychology says, "if we’re trying to lead people in a direction that they want, it’s absolutely necessary that we understand people’s desires and perspectives and thoughts, and listening is necessary to get that information."

If you’re a manager or employer, you’ll find that being a good listener will turn you into a far better leader. Let’s look at how you can work to improve your listening skills and leadership style.

You probably hear a lot of talk about “mindfulness” and “being present.” But when it comes to listening, presence really is key to mastering this skill. 

To be a mindful listener, it’s important to be aware that your own thoughts have the ability to distract you from really listening. Whenever you feel your brain drifting away into your own thoughts, consciously push them away and bring your focus back to the person in front of you.

Judith Humphrey, founder premier communications firm The Humphrey Group, believes “good listeners have a physical, mental, and emotional presence, and they know how to integrate all three.”

You can take conscience steps to listen with presence by:

Turning your body and head towards the speaker

Putting smartphones or computer screens away

Avoiding crossing your arms or forming any barriers

Saying phrases such as “yes” and “I understand” 

These steps will serve to reinforce your listening, showing staff members that you are paying attention to their words and engaging with their thoughts. Managers who learn how to listen with their whole body, giving their employees their whole attention, have far greater potential as leaders. 

Connect While Listening to Your Employees

When you listen to someone speak and make the effort to connect with their feelings, you are practicing emotional listening. This ability to read nonverbal signs – through a person’s facial expressions, tone of voice and posture – is also connected to greater emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is a very valuable trait for managers, allowing them to better handle conflict, perform well under pressure, and lead and manage teams. EQ is also very highly regarded in today’s workforce, with studies showing that 90% of top performers have high EQs.

Emotionally intelligent individuals can also expect to earn more, possessing attractive skills for employers in any industry, such as calmness, clarity of mind and the ability to conduct more satisfying relationships. These are all very positive traits for those in a leadership position.

The Benefits of Being a Leader Who Listens

Practicing mindful and emotional listening, while connecting with your team members and putting aside your own emotions to feel theirs, will make you a more effective and appreciated leader. This will have great benefits not only for the employees who report directly to you, but also for your organization as a whole.

As Humphrey suggests, “the raw material that you and your company need to move forward together lies in the hearts and minds of those around you.” Strong leaders are able to successfully draw that raw material from their employees, for the greater good of the organization.

So start improving your listening skills today. By listening – really listening – to your employees properly, you’ll make each person in your team feel more valued and connected. You’ll also be working to improve creative and collaboration processes, enhance work relationships and contribute to a more positive work culture.

Improve your listening skills and become a better leader

Gender equality is one of the hottest topics in compliance today. Over the past few years we’ve watched the national spotlight turn to the persistent wage gap, lack of promotion, and other gender issues that Americans are unhappy with. While the United States is miles ahead of the pack in many ways, we still have a long road ahead before gender inequality is completely done away with.

That’s just one reason why access to effective corporate training is so critical. Gender equality issues hold organizations back and can set them up for costly legal issues that hinder growth dramatically. Luckily, as technology continues to advance, so too does our ability to deliver powerful and effective training programs for employees.

Today, more and more companies and employees are embracing the eLearning model and turning online for their gender equality training. Here are just a few reasons why:

Online gender equality training is more cost effective.

Traditional training systems are expensive. Not only are you forced to pay for specialized training personnel, you’ll also likely need to cover classroom rental fees, transportation costs, and physical training materials. Since most corporate training is delivered in large chunks of time, you also have to factor in potential productivity issues.

eLearning solutions are far cheaper to implement. Since the material is delivered to portable devices and desktop computers, there’s no need for your employees to relocate. They can go at their own pace and study the materials in smaller chunks of time—and at periods when it’s less likely to have a serious impact on productivity. In some cases, there’s no need to foot the bill for developing these courses, since there are plenty of effective gender equality training programs that have already been created.

Traditional training programs can be tedious affairs. After the first hour of training, it’s easy for a fatigued employee to “zone out” and miss important details. On the other hand, online solutions can be better customized to the individual learner. If something is missed, then all the learner has to do is access the material from their device and review the section that he or she didn’t catch.

Research has proven that eLearning increases knowledge retention by up to 60% and this means that your staff will be much more likely to adhere to gender equality policies in the long run.

Online gender equality training causes less anxiety. 

There are some compliance issues that can cause more anxiety in learners than others. Gender equality is a complex topic and many learners don’t want to be “put on the spot” about what they don’t know by a trainer in front of a classroom. Online training allows learners to make mistakes and even participate anonymously if they choose. This lowers the amount of anxiety involved in the process and is another reason why the retention rate is so high with online learning.

Online learning is the ideal method for training Millennials. 

Millennials are now the largest generation in the United States workforce and these individuals have grown up with hyper-connectivity as a way of life. They came of age with text messaging, social media, high-speed internet, and unlimited information at their fingertips.

When it comes to training, this is a boon.

Millennials are accustomed to acquiring information through mobile devices and in many cases their primary education was delivered through 21st century technology. Their university experience was certainly more digital-based than not. So when it comes to learning about gender equality compliance, Millennials clearly will prefer an education process that they are accustomed to.

Mobile learning promotes a social learning experience.

Humans are social creatures, so it makes perfect sense that we would respond well to opportunities to learn in a social environment. While traditional gender equality training programs tend to be more lecture-oriented, mobile platforms promote true collaboration between learners.

Online applications allow learners to bounce ideas off of each other, discuss case studies, participate in simulations and take advantage of discussion groups and chat functions. These features help reinforce the material that’s being learned, while at the same time promoting a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect between employees.

The best companies understand that interaction is an absolutely critical aspect of gender equality training. Gender equality is a social issue that requires individuals to internalize the concepts so they can relate to those who are potentially discriminated against. Online training platforms promote discussions that do exactly that.

More and more companies are embracing the remote work model for their employees, in part because it helps with reducing overhead. Even companies with a large in-house staff still have executives and sales personnel who spend a great deal of time “on the road.” This can make bringing everyone together for a training event a logistical nightmare.

Online training, however, can be accessed 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Learners can log on from their iPad on a red-eye flight to Los Angeles, just as easily as they can from their home office in  New York. This is another tremendous opportunity to save time and money on gender equality training.

The best companies in the world are addressing gender equality issues head on. As we move forward into 2017 and beyond, it’s clear that eLearning is the most effective and efficient path to training your staff and maintaining compliance.

Why people are heading online to learn how to improve gender equality

As 2016 drew to a close, media attention revealed claims of workplace bullying being made against Bunnings – Australia's largest household hardware chain and retailer. 

Bunnings employee Bruce Johnson was sacked, after lodging a complaint with the Fair Work Commission against the company for bullying.

Many Australians were surprised and shocked to hear of the accusations. Was the popular warehouse store, famous for its smiling staff and weekend sausage sizzles, hiding a workplace culture of intimidation and bullying?

The consequences of fostering a culture of bullying

high levels of absenteeism and sick leave

It also has severe consequences for individuals who experience bullying in the workplace. Let’s look at how bullying affected long-term Bunnings employee Bruce Johnson.

Bunnings: an entrenched culture of workplace bullying

Employment lawyer Alana Heffernan said the alleged bullying Mr Johnson suffered was "at the more severe level in terms of what we see".

Over time, the Bunnings department manager saw his weekly hours increase to up to 60 hours a week, with no extra pay, meaning he often worked from 5.30am to 9.30pm. His own manager would frequently assign urgent tasks to Mr Johnson at the end of his shift, meaning he would have to stay back to complete them. 

Bunnings management also directed Mr Johnson to manage people out of their jobs if they were "too old" or “too expensive” – for example, if they’d been injured at work or were long-term employees who had earned a higher rate of pay.   

Mr Johnson stated that he was “asked on a number of occasions to terminate a number of people for various reasons, none of which had anything to do with their job performance." When he refused to dismiss members of his team, he was warned his own job was at risk and that a manager known as "the terminator" would replace him.

Mr Johnson also alleged that there was a decrease in the number of workplace injuries reported, because employees who did so were criticised, intimidated or sacked. According to Mr Johnson, Bunnings employees could also be “sacked if they were caught not smiling at customers on three occasions.”

Turning a blind eye can be just as bad as bullying

As employment lawyer Alana Heffernan says, "it's important that larger companies are held to account in how their middle managers treat their staff on the floor and the law recognises that inaction can be just as bad as bullying." 

It’s wrong to portray your company as a positive and supportive place to work, while failing to protect employees and promoting a culture of intimidation. As an employer, you have a responsibility to make sure all staff feel safe while carrying out their work duties. They should also feel comfortable and supported in reporting workplace injuries, harassment or bullying.

Review your policies around workplace bullying

If you’re unsure about the kind of work culture you’re creating for your employees, start by making sure you have strong anti-bullying and harassment policies in place, to show your commitment to promoting a positive work culture for all staff. If you’d like to learn more about creating an effective anti-bullying policy, you’ll find our previous article on bullying and harassment policies useful.

For employees, your anti-bullying policy will help them to accurately recognise and define unacceptable behaviour in the workplace, while guiding them to the appropriate resources and contacts for assistance. As an employer, this policy will also ensure your organisation is compliant in this area, protecting you against claims and legal ramifications.

The Productivity Commission recently reported that more than two million Australians have experienced some form of bullying at work. So it’s crucial that Australian employers, and their workplace managers, know how to handle these situations.

You’ll find more helpful advice on the best ways for employers and managers to deal with bullying here – the article also contains links to three popular online courses that will assist you in managing this topic and practicing zero tolerance towards bullying in your workplace.

Bunnings and allegations of workplace bullying

Business is a very dynamic undertaking. One of the main reasons why a company may pull ahead or fall behind the competition boils down to the performance of its staff. It’s easy to see when you look at the numbers, too. According to Harvard Business Review, a high performer can be 400% more productive that an average performer.

It’s easy to see why underperforming employees can hold back growth in a big way. Here are some solutions that HR managers can use to try and bring under-performing personnel up to speed as quickly as possible.

Simply listening to your staff can be essential in getting to the bottom of why things are not going as well as they could be. It may be they are not properly equipped or that overly complicated processes are hindering productivity. Perhaps your employees are missing the required training to understand their roles effectively or perhaps there are external factors that are proving to be a problem.

Holding meetings is a great way to get to the bottom of why things are not going to plan and once you know the problem, you can then begin working on a solution. Once a solution is in place, performance will begin to rise quickly.

Morale is something that is key in getting people to perform well and if your workforce is low on morale, it can truly be a productivity nightmare. Letting your workforce know that you appreciate them is a great way of helping to keep morale high. Another is to make sure that they have access to comfortable facilities and that the working conditions they are exposed to are as positive and encouraging as possible. Also, make it clear that there are clear paths for development and career advancement so that they know that their efforts will be rewarded further down the line. It’s also essential to be sure that your workplace is fair for all, with equal opportunities regardless of race, gender or any other demographic.

It could simply be that your workforce is unaware that they are under-performing and they may think that they are meeting or even exceeding expectations. For this reason it’s important to give staff regular evaluations to let them know where they are doing well, and where there is room for improvement. Most people would want to feel as though they are meeting expectations and would respond positively if being told, in a professional manner, that they are not. ­

Establish benchmarks so that your workforce has something to gauge their performance by, because only then can they tell if they are underperforming and need to “step it up.” Let your people know that they are not meeting expectations and you could see them transform overnight.

If employees are working hard but begin to feel that their efforts are going unnoticed or are not appreciated, it’s understandable that they may begin to lose their enthusiasm. Recognizing the strong performers in the workforce encourages them to continue to work hard, while also acting as an inspiration to others that their efforts will be recognized if they step it up and contribute the best that they can.

The rewards don’t necessarily need to be huge. Often all it takes is to let the person know that their hard work has not gone unnoticed. As for more significant rewards: promoting from within is a great way to reward your hardest working employees.

Make sure the workforce has adequate training

Poor performance is often a result of individuals not having the required training to know what needs to be done. While more complex tasks may require extensive training, other tasks may simply require a few minutes of instruction to bring them up to speed. Spend some time with individuals in the workforce to find out what they do and don’t know so you can devise a plan to help make sure that everybody is on the same page regarding proper procedures.

Of course, training up a whole workforce quickly is a tall order, so you will likely need to recruit some people to help you. Hold meetings with departmental and team managers to let them know what you need and they can take care of the heavy lifting for you. With a workforce that is now adequately trained, you will find that your workforce’s performance will improve considerably.

Sometimes, no matter hard you try, some people will prove to be simply incapable of performing to a reasonable degree, or they may just be deliberately uncooperative. If your best efforts at bringing an individual up to speed have failed, then you might want to consider moving them into a more suitable role, or even moving them out of the company altogether.

Just one ‘bad apple’ in the workforce can be enough to affect everybody else, and removing troublesome employees can make an instant positive impact on moral. Even if your team does go a man down temporarily, you can still find that their performance is improved overall.

The ideal way to help ensure that your workforce is performing well is to make the right appointments in the first place. Once you have taken measures to improve performance in the short-term, then you can begin looking at ways to improve things further and into the foreseeable future. 

Keys for HR managers to improve employee performance

With the month of January now well underway, many employees are preparing to return to work for the new year. For many people, the holiday season is a good time to take a break from work, celebrate career achievements from the previous year and set goals for the shiny new one.

The new year always brings with it a sense of motivation, positive energy and fresh inspiration. There’s something about looking at a crisp new calendar or diary that encourages the shedding of bad habits and a resolution to form new, better habits and improved work processes for the new year. 

This time of year also presents workers with an opportunity to assess their career. Some people, after having some time to reflect during vacation, may wonder if they’re still heading in the right direction. Others may realise they need to boost their career to achieve their goals and get to where they want to be.

Whether you’re deciding to make a big change in your work life, or want to improve your work performance, here are some steps to help you kick start your career in the new year.

Be Real with Yourself About Whether You’re on the Right Path

If you’re unhappy in your current job, the fresh energy of the new year may give you the motivation you need to make a change.

Ask yourself if you are really doing what you want to do with your life? Is your career aligned with your own personal values and authentic self? We spend so much of our lives at work – more time than we spend with our families or friends. It’s important to feel positive about your job and the company or organization you work for.

If your career doesn’t reflect your true personality or sense of self, a career assessment may be in order. Write down where you want to go. Then find out how you can get there. Are there people in your life that you could ask for help or guidance? Having a mentor, or just someone you can talk to honestly about your work situation, can be invaluable in figuring out the answers to these questions and getting started in the right direction.

Talk to Your Manager About Your Career Development

Your manager should also play an important role in your professional development, supporting and encouraging you in your career goals. 

In the new year, ask your manager to book out some one-on-one time, to talk about your career development. A good manager will have a professional development program in place for all team members, to ensure each individual is continuing to learn, grow and develop within their role and the organization.

With your professional development program, you’ll work closely with your manager to define your goals and the practical career steps you need to take to achieve them. Your manager can help you join a professional organization or find a suitable mentor.

With the new year, you might like to offer to take on some new responsibilities, or tasks relevant to the position above you, to show your commitment to achieving your development goals.

Towards the end of the year, when many employees are at risk of feeling fatigued or burnt out, things can get a little chaotic. You may have noticed your work habits sliding as you rushed to meet deadlines, juggle projects and wrap up work for various clients.

The new year presents the perfect opportunity to take stock of your organizational skills – or lack of – and set up some new processes and habits that will make your daily work life smoother. And less stressful!

These days, we’re lucky to have technology to help us get organized. There are many apps available to help workers stay focused and be more productive. Check out our list of top productivity applications that can help you get more done in less time. Find technology solutions that work for you, then stick to them, incorporating them into your daily routine. 

You should also set some time aside to get your CV up-to-date and in order – you never know when a new opportunity may come knocking at your door. Being prepared to step up into a new role, or explore an exciting new path, will make that shift a whole lot easier when the time comes.

Learn a New Skill Through Online Learning

In a recent article, we looked at how you can improve your job prospects with online learning. eLearning is an excellent way to improve existing skills or learn something completely new. If you’re keen to move up within your company or branch out in a new direction, expanding your skill set is an ideal way of setting yourself apart from the competition. You can even use your daily commute to advance your career, investing this time in learning new skills, grow your professional network and keeping up-to-date with industry news.

Through online learning, you’re also being continually challenged and engaged, which is a vital part of feeling satisfied and happy in your job. Whether you’re looking for specialized industry courses, or simply want to improve your interpersonal skills for better work relationships, there’s bound to be an eLearning course to suit your needs. So-called “soft skills” such as learning how to actively listen, or improving your level of emotional intelligence, are very highly valued in the modern workforce, particularly for managers.

Online courses can also help you to confront old fears, helping you to feel more comfortable about public speaking, for example. This year, why not make a promise to yourself to make the most of any opportunities that come your way – accepting invitations to chair a meeting, give a presentation or judge on a panel. Stepping out of your comfort zone, and succeeding, is a hugely rewarding experience and something to celebrate at the end of the year.

Happy new year and good luck kicking your new career goals!

The new year is here, and we have some great new platform updates to the Go1 system to make sure you start the year off learning in the best way possible. Over the next month we have some very exciting new features to unveil for you, but in the meantime here are some improvements to our system which will help you to personalize the way your portal looks, and communicates with your users.

It’s now quick and easy to update the welcome message that your users see when they log into their portal using our text editing tools. You can include HTML functionality and give your students the information they need to navigate their portal.

Portal administrators a number of images located throughout their portal via the Portal Settings section in their user menu. This includes being update to update login screen images, the login page background image, and the featured image within the portal.

Images file types that can be uploaded include JPG, GIF and PNG with all images must be less than 5MB in size.

This update allows administrators to personalize emails that are sent out to their users based on using tags referencing stored profile information. This includes adding the user first and/or last name and their email address. As well as being able to add portal URLs and verification links for any user.

If you have any questions about any of the updates and improvements listed above, please let us know and our Customer Success Team can help you out!

Check out our January Go1 platform updates to kick off 2017

Online courses have become an incredibly popular way for students and employees to advance their education or professional development. Teaching an online course requires different methods from the traditional classroom, so it’s important that teachers adapt or develop their skills to the online learning environment, to make their materials effective and engaging for learners. Let’s look at 5 strategies you can implement to improve your online teaching and make your eLearning course a successful experience for both you and your learners.

Without your physical presence in the classroom, it’s vital that you establish a virtual presence at the very beginning of the eLearning course. Online teachers need to be engaging and supporting students right from the start and for the duration of the course, to maintain an effective learning community.

By establishing your teacher presence, you’ll show students that you’re both visible and available. You’ll also be welcoming them to their new learning community – just as you would in any traditional classroom.

Let your students know what days or timeframes you will be online and how they can contact you outside of those hours.

Engage with your learning community through online posts, forums or social media – when people see teachers putting time into discussions and engagement, they’ll be more encouraged to participate themselves. Through this engagement, you’ll also develop professional relationships with your students and make their experience far more personal and memorable.

2. Create a supportive learning environment

As an online teacher, you have an opportunity to create a supportive online community for your learners.

The best way to achieve this is through encouraging both teacher-to-student engagement and student-to-student interaction. Dr Judith V. Boettcher, PhD and author of A Faculty Guide for Moving Teaching and Learning to the Web, suggests the following strategies:

At the start of your online course, get the ball rolling with a personal introduction post, and encourage participants to contribute their own short bio or introduction to the group.

Create an open forum or discussion board where learners can post to request help and assistance from each other, developing peer-to-peer support.

Set up small groups, similar to traditional study groups, for supportive mentoring of fellow learners.

These strategies will encourage learners to work together as an active learning community, which brings benefits to all individuals involved.

3. Use a mix of learning tools for better engagement

These days, we’re fortunate to have the technology to create virtual learning environments that allow us to collaborate and engage just as well as if we were in the classroom.

As Dr Boettche says, “the variety of activities that are now possible online makes it possible to create many types of effective learning environments.”

The best online teachers use a combination of both synchronous and asynchronous activities, creating a blend of traditional online learning styles with newer, more collaborative audio and visual tools. Working with a mix of activities makes the content more interesting and exciting, increasing student engagement with both the teacher and other learners.

You can learn more about blended learning models in Teaching Online, a short 2-hour course that looks at the differences between online and face-to-face classroom teaching, as well as ways to introduce collaborative learning into your online program.

Feedback is an essential component of all effective learning environments – including online.

As an online teacher, your feedback will help to create an eLearning experience that is informative, engaging, and motivational for the learner. Your feedback should be continuous during the eLearning process, with constructive feedback offered as soon as possible so that students can clearly identify which behaviors or skills need to be improved.

You can encourage group feedback through collaborative exercises, which also helps to promote peer engagement.

It’s wise to acknowledge the importance of mobile learning for online teachers, with students and employees now accustomed to using their mobile devices for learning.

Mobile learning holds key advantages for learners, allowing them to access up-to-date course materials and relevant content anywhere, anytime. With bite-sized pieces of information available to be digested quickly and easily, learners can work through course materials at their own pace, assisting both performance and productivity.

Make sure your eLearning content can be easily accessed via smartphones, laptops, and iPads to maximize your teaching methods. You’ll also be demonstrating to your learners that you’re in touch with the needs of today’s modern workforce and its relevant technology.

With these strategies in place you can feel more confident about your online teaching skills and eLearning materials. You’ll also know that you’re working to create a more positive and collaborative learning environment for your students.

Improve your online teaching in a few simple steps

Even the greatest of leaders are nothing without the support of the people behind them. Getting people behind you is often the hardest part of being a leader, though, which is why doing so is one of the easiest ways to identify a truly great leader. Here are some characteristics that great leaders show when looking for support from others.

Work can be challenging at times and even the strongest of people might sometimes feel as though they should just give up. Showing people that you understand the challenges they are facing and that you sympathize with the difficulties that may be having is a great way to help people connect with you and have confidence in what you are saying.

Finding familiar ground with people is a great way of showing that your empathy is genuine. Let your people know that you identify with their situation. Once people know that they are dealing with a real person rather than an un-feeling robot, it will be much easier for them to get behind you with enthusiasm.

Also, it’s absolutely critical to be humble when speaking with others. After all, as this study has shown, humble leaders are more likely to have committed employees behind them.

Your people will respond better if they know that you have their interests at heart as well as the company’s, so it is always helpful to listen to them whenever you can. Holding meetings at regular intervals will give others the opportunity to pass on their opinions and concerns. At the same time, you should let people know that your door is always open should somebody have something they want to say in private.

Be willing to make changes where possible so your people can provide you with valuable and constructive feedback. A workforce that knows you are willing to listen to them when needed will be inspired to get behind you and work towards accomplishing big goals.

You can’t expect people to have confidence in you if you don’t have confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. One effective way of having confidence in what you are doing is by gaining the appropriate knowledge before taking action. Armed with knowledge, you can act with conviction and this will convey to the people that are looking to you for leadership.

Speaking clearly also matters. If you speak with clarity then you will show that you have confidence in your actions. Simply put, speaking clearly about the tasks ahead will let people know that you really do know what you are talking about. When they have confidence in YOU, then your workforce can have confidence in what they are doing as well.

People find it easy to relate to others that have found themselves in similar situations, making anecdotes a very effective way to connect with others. Stories about other people who have solved particular problems or gotten promoted through the ranks can inspire others to do the same and give them lofty goals to aim for at the same time. Much of the method behind inspiring people is to show them that it can be done. Anecdotes are a great way to demonstrate that something can be achieved, and by people just like themselves.

Be sure to use genuine stories though, as making something up can backfire terribly and cause your workforce to lose trust in you. People have a fairly accurate “inner radar” for detecting made up stories.

If you are honest with your workforce, then they will know that they can trust you in the future and trust is an essential part of getting people to follow you. Being honest helps people to accept both criticism and praise, meaning that they are then likely to react positively moving forward. Show dishonesty and people will immediately question the integrity of every subsequent word and action in the future.

On the other hand, it’s important to remember that brutal honesty is sometimes not the best option and a more diplomatic approach might be needed in these instances, particularly in sensitive situations. In sensitive situations, it is best to balance honesty with the need to be considerate.

People like having something to aim for. It allows them to check their progress along the way and see how close they are to reaching a destination. Achieving goals also gives the person a sense of achievement while letting them know that they need to push harder if they wish to achieve even bigger things. Great leaders will use goals to measure progress and persuade their teams to make bigger strides. These goals can give your people a competitive edge and a sense of pride in knowing that they are out-performing others and could be in line for rewards such as promotions in the future.

However, the critical detail here is to make sure that any goals you do set are achievable or your efforts are likely to backfire. You can always re-evaluate the goals further down the line if you think they are not challenging enough for your teams.

How the best leaders use persuasion and influence

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