(OR, Why I Had to Become a Learning and Development {L&D} Professional) It was 1979, Jimmy Carter was in the White House and Margaret Thatcher had become the UK’s first female Prime Minister. I ‘fell’ into a job in banking because it looked like times were about to get very hard economically in the UK, and it appeared to be […]

Social learning by Kay Buckby This blog is based on a session I facilitated for the TNN in March 2016 on the subject of social learning. I’m a facilitator. I’ve never been particularly interested in technology, but I am a dedicated Learning and Development (L&D) professional. What surprises me is how many L&D people are reluctant to embrace social learning […]

It’s occurring to me more and more that as a facilitator, trainer and coach, self care is really important.  Many of you reading this blog will ‘be in service’ of others.  You will be giving your time, knowledge, expertise and energy to others on an hourly, daily even weekly basis.  You could be travelling to far flung corners of the […]

When I started my career there were no such things as training courses or HR departments. I simply turned up and got on with it. I decided to write my personal history of training. And in the case of my very first job, turning up meant boarding a plane from Gatwick via Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico and boarding […]

Thanks to the generosity of the University of Northampton, a donation was made by members of the Trainers Network Northamptonshire (TNN) to the mental health charity, MIND. Members of the Staff Development Department, Frank Jordan and Deborah Forbes, kindly hosted the June 2016 TNN members event. Frank delivered an informative session on the Vision for the University, including the move […]

The outcomes of networking events often go unrecorded. Here’s one story of what grew out of the Trainers Network Northamptonshire.   In June 2014, I attended my first Trainers Network Northamptonshire meeting. I was chatting to an affable man over coffee. It turns out he was Alan Berck-May, and he lives only a few miles from me. We arranged to […]

Hi, I’m Paul Green and I’m sharing some of my secrets of networking with you. I’ve been networking for over 15 years now, and I’ve established what many people say is the most relaxed networking group in Northamptonshire – NN Connect. In my first blog I asked you should you build in time for networking, and I hope I’ve persuaded […]

Network Effectively By Paul Green, NN Connect I’ve been networking for over 15 years now, and I’ve established what many people say is the most relaxed networking group in Northamptonshire – NN Connect. I’m often amazed at how many people tell me that they DON’T network. I think it’s a missed opportunity, and so here are my thoughts to help […]

Julie Futcher One of the reasons why large chain coffee shops are damaging the family owned one-off coffee shops is the human need to know what we’re getting for our money. A brand is recognised, and we feel safer with a company we trust.  We feel more confidence in what we will get in return for our hard earned cash […]