Dawn B. posted an article on
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Jan 2, 2012, 2:00 am
2012. We’re full of it. The ultimate list of New Year Resolutions. It lasts about as long as it takes to polish off that monster bag of liquorice.
Replace achievements with direction
Replace achievements with a direction you’d like to move in. A healthier, outdoor lifestyle, for example. So, ... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Dec 13, 2011, 2:00 am
This post outlines the options available in NI for those who are newly established, or those who have either no staff, or a small number of staff.
First, a definition of the options, listed roughly in increasing order of cost.
Hot-desking
Hot-desking is the option of paying (on demand, or monthly... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Nov 30, 2011, 2:00 am
While listening to a radio debate on Wednesday between Kevin Green and Richard Murphy about lowering the top rate of tax in order to boost the UK economy, I became violently angry. All Green could do was threaten in a fairly limp and vague way that wealth-creators might leave the country unless ta... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Nov 28, 2011, 2:00 am
A caveat before I begin. So the haters can go elsewhere. I’m addressing people who use Twitter to help raise their profile, and connect with professionals.
Never Have a Blank Avatar
The blank avatar space is filled with a Twitter bird or an egg shape. Neither adds anything to your profile.
Add ... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Sep 19, 2011, 3:00 am
This blog post title is very long. And, yet it should be longer: Why Your Non-Enterpreneurial Family and Friends Don’t Understand What You Do, And Why You Should Stop Trying to Make Them.
When they Hear the Word “Business”, They Think Tesco, HSBC or the Local Hardware Store
They do not th... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Sep 12, 2011, 3:00 am
Since we’re apparently approaching hallowe’en, going by the number of corporate emails I’m receiving with a suitably ghoulish theme, I thought I’d scare you a bit.
If you don’t network, your business is going to die.
Yes, I can hear the bleating already. There is more to business than ne... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Sep 7, 2011, 3:00 am
Business is for the optimistic, extroverted and hard-nosed. So the story goes. Problem is, the story is wrong. At least, that is, according to a few business gurus and authors out there. Speaking as an introvert, a pessimist and a businessperson, that makes me do something akin to smiling. ... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Sep 5, 2011, 3:00 am
Forget about emotional capital, or even its left-wing neighbour, social capital. Make way for the latest trend – erotic capital! Less ooh-er matron, more ooh-er manager…
While out and about in the car last Thursday I was listening to Radio 4 – between REM songs – and I overheard an inte... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Aug 29, 2011, 3:00 am
Facebook now allows you to profile Pages you’ve liked, from your Page. And, likewise for Page Owners. If you want to highlight key staff, clients, partners, suppliers, this is a convenient way to do it.
Log into Facebook
Navigate to your Page
Click Edit Page
Click Add featured likes
Select the... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Aug 25, 2011, 3:00 am
Hello restaurant owners. Look at your business. Now back to me. Now back at your business. Now back to me.
Sadly, a professional is not running your restaurant. But, if you started doing the following things, it could look like it.
Look down, now back up. Where are you? You... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Aug 21, 2011, 3:00 am
According to BBC news, “There’s a new political party in Switzerland and its sole aim is to have the PowerPoint presentation outlawed.”
Actually, no, it isn’t. Its real aim is to make “a bit of money” from it.
According to Anti PowerPoint Party’s website, the nefarious MS presentat... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Jun 15, 2011, 5:30 pm
Allen and I attended Pecha Kucha Night Belfast tonight, as part of Belfast Book Festival.
The Storytelling theme attracted our attention.
What is it?
The formula was a new one on me. This is taken from the PechaKucha website:
PechaKucha 20 Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
Sensei
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Jun 13, 2011, 3:00 am
Hannibal, a 3BC military leader, when faced with an apparently insurmountable problem – the Alps – said:
I will either find a way or make one.
In his mind, the answer to an obstacle in the path and the lack of means to overcome it was not to retreat, surrender, or wail. How can we imbibe som... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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May 11, 2011, 3:00 am
Following hot on the heels of The 10 Worst Business Phrases of All Time and The 8 Worst Written Business Phrases of All Time, we begin a new series on The Apprentice, focusing mainly on the contenders’ communication skills.
Series 7 is under way. The first episode on the current series was show... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Apr 19, 2011, 11:39 am
The following list is compiled from ways in which we have used online tools to help promote events. (Don’t forget the offline stuff too. Blog post in the making…)
Twitter
It makes sense that if you’re using Twitter already, you tweet information and links to events you’re running or he... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
Sensei
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Mar 28, 2011, 3:00 am
So I saw Bradley ‘Faceman’ Cooper’s new movie Limitless on Saturday night. It’s about a washed-up writer dude who gets a cutting-edge pill that multiplies his IQ into a four digit figure… with dark consequences. “I wonder what you made of it?”, I hear you think. Well, wonder no m... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Mar 24, 2011, 6:45 pm
Especially for Andrew…
From the Google Chrome toolbar, click the wrench icon, and select Bookmark Manager.
From the Organise menu, click Export Bookmarks, and save the file. (It saves automatically in .html format.)
From Firefox, from the Bookmarks menu, select Show All Bookmarks. The Library... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
Sensei
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Mar 21, 2011, 3:00 am
On the 8th of this month we had our first BookCamp event. BookCamp is a business book-club designed to aid skills development, idea generation and networking among local entrepreneurs, professionals and businesspeople. We studied Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, and enjoyed so... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Mar 19, 2011, 11:59 am
Before you begin, you may wish to read Profiles and Pages on Facebook: The Difference. Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Mar 7, 2011, 2:00 am
ScribeTribe is a Business and Professional Writers’ Network that will launch in Northern Ireland in March 2011. The facilitator is Dawn Baird, Partner in Sensei Learning and Performance.
It will be of interest to anyone who writes for a living, whether freelance, running their own business or ... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Feb 17, 2011, 3:33 pm
Just a quick note to let you know our website is under construction, so may look a little strange for a few days. Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Feb 14, 2011, 2:00 am
The email marketing charlatans are busy emailing us promises of thousands of targeted contacts and email addresses. They’re happy to charge for it too. And, they seem to love the colours red and yellow, which make my eyes hurt. Are their promises worth it? And, are you purchasing a list th... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Feb 9, 2011, 2:00 am
By ‘determined’ I don’t mean single-minded in your resolution to paint it black. I mean genetically determined. That’s the news anyway. Scientists have found a link between your genes and your ability to produce a brain molecule called neuropeptide Y (NPY) whose function it is to
rest... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Feb 7, 2011, 2:00 am
No, I’m not blogging about the 2006 film, satisfyingly adequate as it was. I’m talking about positive psychology, the academic movement that is turning traditional therapy – where else? – on its head. Here are two new recent tid-bits from my quest to understand, evaluate and apply this r... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Jan 26, 2011, 2:00 am
1. Consciously Construct Your Sentences
It’s amazing how much web copywriting is composed with no consideration for sentence construction. Click here to see what happens when you get it wrong. Sentences will end mid-thought. Unless you are a professional writer, and therefore know how to br... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Jan 19, 2011, 2:00 am
The Social Media Association for Business is the place to be, for all those interested in learning, discussing, questioning and answering everything around the topic of the moment.
The next meeting will be held at the University of Ulster, Belfast on 25 January from 18:00 to 20:00.
The organiser, ... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Jan 17, 2011, 2:00 am
I love Wikipedia. It’s one of those sites – along with YouTube and AskMen – that I could spend hours on. And often do. So thank you, Wikipedia, and happy 10th birthday! But birthdays can be times for reflection and questions. Is it too complicated for many to use? How much can you re... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Jan 12, 2011, 2:00 am
So you’ve heard of Freud and Jung. But there’s more psychologists out there than that pair. I’d like to introduce you to a few of them. Maybe you’ll like them too, maybe not. That’s up to the both of you. Grab an Earl Grey.
First, meet three unlikely amigos: K. Anders Ericsson... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Jan 10, 2011, 2:00 am
Happy 2011 everyone!
Yesterday I happened to catch the tail end of a fascinating discussion on BBC Radio 4 about the self-help industry.
In one corner was Oliver Burkeman, Guardian columnist on mental well-being, sceptic, and author of a new book entitled Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and G... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Dec 22, 2010, 2:00 am
We saw this on YouTube, and thought it was a very creative way to tell the Christmas story. Hope you like it!
Sensei Learning and Performance is closed from today until Monday 03 January 2011.
Please get in contact if you need to and we will respond as soon as we are open again.
Have a lovely s... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
Sensei
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Dec 20, 2010, 2:00 am
Since we started to tentatively promote the launch of BookCamp for March 2011, people have asked for more juicy details. Let me oblige.
Is there a booklist?
In an attempt to make the choice of books objective and contemporary, I’ve decided to select from the New York Times Business Best Seller... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Dec 15, 2010, 2:00 am
Networking used to be such a daunting experience. I sucked at it. I sometimes still do – when I forget to ditch the following dubious practices.
But, I’m getting better. Read the blog – it may just save your networking life.
Health warning: this blog post was written with a sarcasti... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Dec 13, 2010, 2:00 am
It’s the stuff of cheesy, pop-psychology legend. ‘Fake it until you make it’! Yeah, right! Excuse me if I refuse the snake oil and select a sick bag instead. Only one problem. It seems to be true.
First there was Aristotle:
“Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Dec 8, 2010, 2:00 am
Just a quick blog to let you know, a few of us are meeting in Maud’s, Ballyclare at 3-4pm today. Let us know you’re coming by tweeting me – @senseilp, or email info@sensei-winbeforehand.co.uk. (Non-tweeters welcome too!)
What’s the purpose of a tweetup?
It’s a get-together of anyone ... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Dec 6, 2010, 2:00 am
Ireland needs a hero. Like superficial Superman, the recent economic bailout may have saved the day, but it hasn’t solved any deeper problem. I’ve spent the last few weeks working ‘down south’ and its people are angry, worried and at a loss. Maybe an Irish superhero is required?
News r... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Nov 24, 2010, 2:00 am
Today, I’m working through our Radical Time Management workshop with a group of business owners who have signed up to QUB’s CPD programme. One aspect of today will be to discuss how to decide whether a meeting is really necessary, how to get out of meetings, delegate someone to go in your pla... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Nov 22, 2010, 2:00 am
Notes and checklists, calendars and appointment books, project timetables and reminder systems – should managing time require so much… time? And once the training session is over, how many of these tools do we actually employ to effect in our working lives?
Workshop takes place this Wednesday, ... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Nov 17, 2010, 2:00 am
OK, so not the most sexy blog title in the world. In fact, it was so dire, I added in the sound slang simply to try and curry favour with you, and to express my nerdish pleasure at the topic.
I’ve always believed that the fact our brains are split in two tells us something profound about our wo... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Nov 4, 2010, 3:00 am
You can now read our blog posts on your mobile easily. Navigate to Sensei Learning and Performance from your smartphone and read blog posts and view pages easily. WordPress is our CMS of choice. If you use WordPress, you can replicate the effect on your WordPress blog by installing the WP Tou... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Oct 27, 2010, 3:00 am
Next public social media event is a Facebook for Business Workshop. Click for full details. Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Oct 20, 2010, 9:00 am
Last night, I attended the second meeting of the Social Media Association for Business, at UUB. Here are my thoughts on the evening.
What is the Social Media Association for Business?
The SMAB is a grassroots organisation that spontaneously germinated in the mind of our very own Martin Gilchrist... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
Sensei
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Oct 20, 2010, 3:00 am
Maybe you’ve heard the saying: What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. At first flush it seems like nonsense, while sounding sort of cool. If someone almost stabs you to death, surely that makes you weaker?
The phrase is from the German philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche. Now psycholo... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Oct 18, 2010, 3:00 am
Following several recent online marketing and networking seminars and workshops, I have been struck by the number of newcomers to social media, who are still very confused by the difference between Profiles and Pages. And, I have to admit, that since Facebook made them more alike, it’s not su... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Oct 6, 2010, 3:00 am
Marketing Your Business with Social Media on Prezi
This is the presentation to accompany a seminar I delivered to a group of Associates at the Knowledge Transfer Centre last week.
The next Social Media event is Beyond Throwing Sheep: Facebook for Business Workshop, a full-day workshop taking place... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Oct 4, 2010, 3:00 am
This is another selection of juicy-but-overlooked news stories that I found interesting and that have some relevance – promise – to the services of Sensei.
How good software makes us stupid is a quality article about a fascinating book called The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to ... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Sep 29, 2010, 3:00 am
On Tuesday 9th November, we are holding a Facebook for Business workshop. Click here to read more or book your place. Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Sep 27, 2010, 3:00 am
Every now and then ‘the news’ produces an interesting story that flies dangerously close to the ground. It therefore fails to register on our radars, which are primed to catch those important-sounding-but-personally-irrelevant ones instead.
I thought it might prove useful if I gathere... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Sep 22, 2010, 3:00 am
I’m sure there is no such term, but I wanted to invoke a hint of “Social Networking” to get your attention. Did it work?
So, Nepotism? What is it?
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives or friends, with no regard to merit.[1]
This comes from Wikipedia, natch. Doesn... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Sep 20, 2010, 3:00 am
So you know my view that comics are smart and that animated superhero movies like The Incredibles can be used to teach philosophy. Well it seems I’m in good company. For a change.
William Irwin, a philosophy professor at King’s College in Pennsylvania, edits the Blackwell Philosophy... Comment - Like
Dawn B. posted an article on
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Sep 15, 2010, 3:00 am
Notes and checklists, calendars and appointment books, project timetables and reminder systems – should managing time require so much… time? And once the training session is over, how many of these tools do we actually employ to effect in our working lives?
Statistics tell a grim tale: most... Comment - Like
Dawn Baird is one of the Partners in Sensei Learning and Performance. She specialises in Training Needs Anaysis; Training for Trainers; IT Training; Induction Training; Social Media; Customer Service; and Personal and Professional Development (particularly Assertiveness).
Dawn teaches in the School of Education, Queens University Belfast and runs regular workshops on social media and the occasional workshop for CPD and NI Libraries. She is a prolific blogger and can be found tweeting from dawn ‘til dusk!
Recently she has also been delighted to join Aware Defeat Depression as a Sessional Trainer for the Mood Matters Programme.
If you’d like to find out more, you can link up on LinkedIn. A brief CV can be found on VisualCV.
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