Back Issues - October 2004

• Why run training courses?
  Peter Honey wears his heart on his sleeve and explains why he has a love-hate relationship with training courses.
• Advanced consultancy skills: what you need and why
  Barbara Kenton highlights the distinction between fundamental consultancy skills and a more advanced skills set, focusing on reflective practice, heightened self-awareness and the importance of paying attention to ‘self’ in consultancy interventions.
• International opinion
  Pat Costine brings an Irish perspective to work-based and lifelong learning.
• International opinion
  Pat Costine brings an Irish perspective to work-based and lifelong learning.
• Appreciative Inquiry: what it is and how it works
  In a practical look at this approach to development, Steve Philips explains its history and growth, how it works in practice, how you can use it and some of its many applications.
• It's not what you say ...
  Most of us are not taught to communicate; it’s just something we do. Yet a subtle change in approach here and there can often alter what could be a negative response into a positive and cooperative one. Terry Gillen provides a thought-provoking insight into the hows and whys of effective communication skills.
• Research on learning at work and its implications for our work as development professionals
  Ian Cunningham takes a look at how learning really happens in organisations and comments on the role of training and trainers.
• How to apply objectivity in the workplace
  Chris Sangster reviews objective thinking in business and examines how associated concepts relating to blending, competencies, programme design and widespread internal coach/mentoring strategies can be brought together holistically under the objectives banner.
• Spotlight on Dr Dean Spitzer
  Dr Dean Spitzer explains to Mike Levy the inevitable changes about to take place in training and learning.
• Focus opinion
  What kind of training, development and education prepares a board to communicate its vision and strategy? What produces a CEO able to expose his leadership assumptions and to make such productive use of his board? Jonathan Gosling provides his view.
• The psychology of leadership: six main approaches
  How would you define the term ‘leader’? What do you expect leaders to do? Can you identify different types of leadership? Charles Woodruffe provides a practical guide to increase and reinforce your knowledge base on the subject.
• Creating a cultural revolution: the 21st century challenge for HRD
  At the beginning of the new millennium, we are in the midst of a transformation that compares with the agricultural and industrial revolutions. We call it globalisation. It affects all aspects of our lives and institutions of every kind – including community, family and individual lifestyles. Bruce Nixon explains how we can understand and work with this change.
• Tainted learning
  In her new regular spot, Gilly Salmon outlines what she thinks are the best strategies for e-learning.
• Netcheck
  First, think of a topic - any topic. Next, to begin delving into that topic on the Internet, Clare Forrest recommends www.About.com which covers over 50,000 topics managed by an elite force of guides.
• Virtuous cycles ...
  Andrew Mayo takes a look at what really makes an organisation work and asks us to consider its greatest assets.