Practice Notes

Tea and Toast learning sessions

If you haven't been along already, then come along to one of our hour-long sessions. They're free and open to everyone.

It's a funny thing humour - particularly at work

Get an overview of the role humour plays at work.

Date Wednesday 4 August

Time 8am - 9am

Venue The Training Practice Boardroom, Level 5, Newspaper House, 93 Boulcott Street.

All welcome - email katherine@trainingpractice.co.nz if you want to come.

Coaching and mentoring - practical tips and approaches

Approaches to help you coach and mentor staff and recognise the value of coaching and mentoring.

Date Monday 16 August

Time 8am - 9am

Venue The Training Practice Boardroom, Level 5, Newspaper House, 93 Boulcott Street.

All welcome - email katherine@trainingpractice.co.nz if you want to come.

Two more meeting ice-breakers

Here are two more ice-breakers for meetings you might want to try out.

1. Let's get positive.

Get everyone to write on a piece of paper one negative event that has happened in the last month (or since the last meeting).

Put the pieces of paper into a hat and ask everyone to draw one out. (Make sure they don't draw out their own.) Each person then has to write a positive consequence of the original negative event.

Each person then reads out their positive consequence.

2. Yes but and yes and

Divide the group into pairs and allocate each person A or B. Ask the As to start talking about a work-related idea. Then ask the Bs to respond, Yes but etc etc. After a minute ask the Bs to start talking about a work-related idea and ask the As to respond Yes and etc etc.

Lastly debrief the pairs. The point of the exercise is to allow ideas to flow with Yes and and cut down on the number of times we use the dreaded but!

Managing stress - a sample policy and brief survey

Our responsibilities to manage stress in the workplace have been enhanced by the 2002 Health and Safety Act amendments.

If you would like a copy of a model stress policy and brief survey (to gauge stress among your staff) from the UK, please let us know. We don't have it electronically, so can you email us your postal address and we'll send you copies.