Category For freelancers, consultants & small businesses

Can you teach self-belief?

Notebook with text  I'M A FAILURE crossed off to  LEARNING, replace negative self-talk with positive thoughts, learn to build self-acceptance and embrace failure as part of growth and learning

Confidence is not fixed: it rises and falls with meetings, roles and the way feedback lands. Penny Haslam shares research with Northumbria University showing measurable gains from confidence training, plus three memorable tools to challenge self-talk. Lasting change needs commitment,…

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New leader, old story: How teams decide before you speak

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Reputation walks into work before you do, and teams cling to old stories. Chris Dodd explores how labels form, why cynics shape perceptions, and how leaders earn credibility socially through visibility, listening and consistency. Behaviour, not title, rebuilds trust, lifts…

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The Platinum Workforce – book review

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In The Platinum Workforce, futurist Trond Arne Undheim maps how AI, IoT and biotech could reshape jobs and spawn new roles. Catherine Dock reviews the book’s practical role frameworks, credible case studies and warnings about disruption for white-collar work, and…

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Decision armour is the new normal: Supporting clear thinking across a changed workforce

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Design work that protects thinking under pressure, and decision quality follows. In this article, Amy Brann and Dr Jessie Gulsin share neuroscience-backed ways for L&D to reduce cognitive load, reframe resilience for shifting values, and strengthen connection in hybrid teams.…

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Why people quit e-learning and what to do about it

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E-learning completion rates are a symptom, not a learner flaw. When courses feel like early-2000s slide decks, attention evaporates. This article argues better design wins: show value fast, respect time with bite-sized sessions, use narrative, cut friction and drive practical…

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Conference overload? Why L&D events need creative reflection

TJ 60 conference creative session (C) AMC Newton

Conference days can feel like a firehose: keynotes, chats, slides, then a tired journey home and a notebook nobody opens. AMC Newton and Amelia Wakeford show how intentional reflection breaks overload, helping brains consolidate learning. Their Creative Download approach uses…

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The skills obsession is creating a performance blind spot

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Charles Jennings highlights the issue no training programme addresses: behavioural patterns inside teams that derail performance. He shows why Behavioural Risk should be on every L&D leader’s agenda, shifting focus from individual upskilling to interaction. Diagnose dynamics, track psychological safety…

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TJ podcast: The rise of the supermanager: Why AI transformation still needs human leadership – episode 330

Julia Bersin joins Jo Cook to explore the rise of the supermanager and why AI transformation still depends on human leadership. As organisations rethink management layers, managers remain critical to trust, experimentation and adoption, helping teams turn AI investment into…

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Research: CIPD Skills and Learning at Work Survey 2026

Analyzing Market Data On Corporate Software

L&D professionals have a valuable and important opportunity to share the reality of workplace learning today. Honest responses will help benchmark current practice, shape future tools and resources, and inform national policy, making it vital that voices from across the…

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SOFest: A learning festival where everything is an invitation

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Kirsty Lewis shares what makes SOFest different, from focused speaker sessions and practical workshops to silent discos, sound baths, business development and creative reflection. With everything framed as an invitation, delegates choose their own route through learning, connection, rest and…

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