"Helping you gain
.control of your career"

In this issue we look at the steps you need to take to make the most of your life; how to present a verbal report with confidence and some tips on keeping your stress levels under control.

• Editor's Desk
• Bite 1
• Bite 2
• Bite 3
• Working Web
• Last Word

In this month’s issue we’re first going to be turning the spotlight on you. We’ve got a great piece by Stephen Downes called ‘Things you really need to learn’. He covers ten areas that he feels everyone should concentrate on if they want to make the most of their life. I won’t spoil the piece for you by telling you too much about it, but I particularly agree with what he has to say on the need to empathise with others and also how important it is to value yourself.

Next we’re going to look at how to present a verbal report. Having to stand up in front of an audience or group of colleagues is something that makes many people quake in their boots. But it’s far from stressful if you’re properly prepared and take on board some of the hints and tips in our article. Incidentally, this is an extract from Business Training’s Report Writing course; so if you feel that you also need your writing skills in this area upgrading, check out this short, concentrated course.

In difficult times it can be all too easy to start doubting yourself as a business person or as an individual.

But there are a number of things you can do to overcome this. Probably the most important of these is to decide what you want and then go for it. In order to do this you need good information – facts at your fingertips. Don’t assume anything and always separate facts from assumptions. Watch what other people are doing, ask questions and learn from them – in other words, keep an open mind. And if you do make mistakes, learn from them and move on. Remember – you’re in control!

Even following this advice it can sometimes be difficult to avoid feeling tired and stressed; so our final article this month provides some great tips on how to cope with stress.

And before I leave you, don’t forget to check out Sue Metcalfe’s blog. This week she’s looking at how to conduct successful interviews so that you get the right person for the job. Plus, we’ve got a new short course available that looks at this topic in more depth. It’s called Recruiting Staff and Integrating them into the Workplace.

Diana Nadin
Editor