We're all guilty of procrastination at some point, when we just can't get the motivation to start the report, tackle the paper work, clear out the shed, make the phone calls, organise the filing cabinet, repaint the bedroom.

Not only that, ever notice how easy it is to get distracted when ... Click to read the article details

These days everyone has to be able to influence in some aspect of their lives, be it the workplace or on the personal front. Good influencing is a great skill to have and some people are just naturally adept at it. Whether using a charm initiative, empathy, business acumen, humour, persuasiveness, ... Click to read the article details

There are many qualities that people look for in a leader: the ability to see what's going on, a high level of self-awareness, the skill to motivate and inspire others, good communication and listening skills, the ability to see the big picture and bring others along.

One thing that isn't ... Click to read the article details

Restructuring, redundancy, redeployment; mergers, acquisitions; downsizing, upsizing, expansion, streamlining; cost cutting, cost savings, cost justifications.

All the above signal change, and if you're like most people, change might just sit a bit uneasily with you. This is true ... Click to read the article details

Ever been accused of being aggressive when you thought you were simply being assertive?

This is actually quite common because usually it takes so much effort for unassertive people to stand up for themselves that their behaviour can often look more aggressive than ... Click to read the article details

We've written before about Impact Factory's brand of Professional Personal Development (Professional Personal Development What is it?), but we're just going to take a little side step here to talk about the broader issue of Personal Development.

This is because there's an awful lot of ... Click to read the article details

Let's take a good look at self-esteem. First of nearly everyone wishes they had more self-esteem?.

What tends to happen around self-esteem is that most people assess themselves through externals and tote up their self-esteem by how well they've done in comparison to some impossible ... Click to read the article details

Once you've been hired to do a job, particularly if it's a well paid and/or high-flying job, you're supposed to know everything, be able to handle everything with ease, deal with other people's problems and in general be super-person. Right? Well, not exactly.

There are loads of people ... Click to read the article details

It is important for you to define where you find your behaviour beneficial and where you find it a liability. See where you fit into the wide spectrum of our definition of nice behaviour.

Below is a list of some of the things that adaptive people do. It will help you identify for yourself ... Click to read the article details

We think the term 'training' is too restrictive, and we only use it because that is the context within which many organisations can understand what we do. But whether you call it people skills training, interpersonal skills training, soft skills training or professional personal development, what ... Click to read the article details

Organisations are turning more and more to external training companies to develop the 'soft' skills of their staff. With so much expertise available what do people need to look for to get the best from the training they buy in?

At Impact Factory we have evolved a way of working with our ... Click to read the article details

What makes a good leader?

Leadership development

Ever since we started Impact Factory, lo these many years ago, we have struggled with the whole notion of leadership development or leadership training. Indeed, we have resisted writing about it in much detail because the subject ... Click to read the article details

Ever thought of becoming a magistrate, opening a soft furnishings shop, training as a counsellor, planting a show garden, writing for the local paper? All of us have dreams, yet too few pursue them. Going after the dream can feel so daunting it's often easier to have the fantasy than to live it. ... Click to read the article details

There is no right way, nor is there only one way to influence others. Everything, but everything, is a factor when influencing people.

And we are, all of us, influenced by people, places, events and situations at all times. Sometimes we are affected more or less by these things, but we ... Click to read the article details

Good Communication Skills are essential

Being an effective communicator takes real skill. Communication skills have to be developed, honed and added to on an on-going basis. They are the heart of interpersonal skills and the greater your awareness of how it all works, the more effective ... Click to read the article details

Why executive coaching services are expanding and how best to use an executive coach.

Why use an executive coach?

Nothing to be ashamed of

Unfortunately, for years, the idea of using an executive coach was looked on as a weakness. Somehow, the higher up people got in a ... Click to read the article details

This document is all about understanding teams and team building training; the purpose of team building activities; why corporate team building events can be effective; planning a team building strategy; building creative teams.

Why have a team building activity or event?

This is ... Click to read the article details

You hear all sorts of rules about job interview success:

* people decide about you in the first 10 seconds
* you have to make a good first impression
* always ask insightful job interview questions
* learn as much as you can about the company
* they'll probably ask ... Click to read the article details

People development has long been recognised as a primary need for any growing and developing organisation. However there seems to be little agreement as to what people development really is. What tends to happen is that companies, once they do decide that something is needed (through annual ... Click to read the article details

Procrastination - well, we all suffer from it at some point (often many points in our lives).

Sometimes we can get completely paralysed when we think of just how much we have to do.

"Don't put off until tomorrow...". Somehow turns into "Don't do today (or even tomorrow) that ... Click to read the article details

'Let's face it Jo Ellen, you're a loser magnet.' Encouraging words from my sister a number of years ago, after another short-lived relationship bit the dust.

It's not as though the meagre procession of men in my life really were losers - they were mostly successful, functional guys. It ... Click to read the article details

There is a lot of talk about "change" - how important it is, how we should alter the way we do to things at work and in our personal lives in order to be more effective. Sometimes we even hear how it is essential to change even if just for change's sake.

At Impact Factory, we too think ... Click to read the article details

The current trend is for an increase in coaching and mentoring in the workplace.

Coaching and mentoring, whether on an executive level or for overall staff, are increasingly being recognised as important in employee development. It is acknowledged by senior management in many ... Click to read the article details

What exactly is The Art of Saying No?

A lot of people just don't like the idea of having to tell people they can't do something. Or they feel obligated when a colleague asks a favour; or feel pressurised when someone senior to them needs something done.

There are even some work ... Click to read the article details

How do you speak naturally while all those people are watching you?

This document covers hints and tips on public speaking and presentation skill, dealing with public speaking nerves and anxiety, public speaking skills and public speaking techniques, public speaking ... Click to read the article details

There are increasingly two schools of thought (we're sure there are probably 2002): one for and one against Appraisals. And in both, the bottom line still is that they will cost your company money if not handled well. As we know, in vast numbers of cases they aren't.

Although the ... Click to read the article details