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The Power of Team Building

Strengthening Connections, Collaboration, and Company Success

In today’s fast-paced work environment, teamwork is essential for productivity and innovation. While individuals may bring their own expertise, creativity, and drive, it’s often the synergy of a well-connected team that leads to breakthrough ideas and solutions. Team building, therefore, is more than a corporate activity—it’s a strategy that fosters trust, improves communication, and enhances collaboration, ultimately contributing to the organisation’s long-term success.

In this article, we’ll dive into why team building is vital, how it strengthens a company’s foundation, and some effective approaches for making it a regular part of your organisational culture.

Why Team Building Matters

  • Improves Communication

Effective communication is key to any successful team. Team-building activities encourage open dialogue, allowing team members to share ideas, provide feedback, and voice concerns in a supportive setting. Whether through structured exercises or casual activities, team building helps break down communication barriers and fosters a culture where people feel heard. Improved communication translates to smoother collaboration, fewer misunderstandings, and a more cohesive team overall.

  • Builds Trust and Camaraderie

Trust is the foundation of any high-performing team. When team members trust each other, they’re more likely to share ideas, take risks, and work together effectively. Team-building activities help individuals get to know one another beyond their job roles, revealing common interests and shared values. This trust and camaraderie enhance working relationships, making it easier for teams to navigate challenges and work toward shared goals.

  • Encourages Collaboration and Problem-Solving

Team-building exercises often require individuals to work together toward a common objective, whether it’s solving a puzzle, completing a challenge, or brainstorming ideas. These activities promote collaboration and require team members to use their unique skills to contribute to a collective effort. As a result, employees are better equipped to work together on actual projects and bring out the best in each other, finding solutions faster and with more creativity.

  • Enhances Morale and Reduces Stress

Fun, engaging team-building activities can be a breath of fresh air in an otherwise routine work environment. They give employees a chance to unwind, laugh, and connect with colleagues in a relaxed setting. This boost in morale can help reduce stress, increase job satisfaction, and foster a positive work atmosphere where employees feel more energized and motivated.

  • Identifies and Develops Leadership Skills

Team-building exercises offer a unique way for employees to showcase their strengths and leadership potential. In a less formal setting, individuals may take on roles they don’t typically handle in their day-to-day work, revealing potential leaders and allowing managers to spot untapped talents. These activities also help existing leaders strengthen their skills in a supportive environment, preparing them to manage teams more effectively in the future.

  • Aligns Teams with Organisational Goals

Team building is an opportunity to remind employees of the organisation’s mission, vision, and core values. By aligning team activities with organisational goals, companies can reinforce a sense of purpose and motivate employees to work toward the same objectives. When employees see how their individual roles contribute to the larger mission, they feel a greater sense of commitment and ownership.

Effective Approaches to Team Building

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to team building, but here are some effective strategies that can help foster a more connected and productive team:

  • Workshops and Seminars

Hosting workshops focused on communication skills, leadership, and problem-solving is an excellent way to improve team dynamics. These workshops provide structured guidance on specific skills that are essential for collaboration and offer a space for employees to learn and practice new strategies together.

  • Outdoor Activities

Outdoor team-building exercises, like obstacle courses, hiking, or even a day at an adventure park, can encourage team members to work together in new and challenging settings. These activities build resilience, trust, and cooperation, translating into improved teamwork back at the office.

  • Group Challenges

Activities like escape rooms, trivia competitions, or team puzzle challenges require collaboration and strategic thinking. Group challenges are fun and engaging while fostering problem-solving skills, communication, and trust among team members.

  • Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering together for a cause is an impactful way to strengthen bonds and promote a sense of shared purpose. When team members work together on something meaningful outside of work, it builds camaraderie and empathy while making a positive contribution to the community.

  • Regular Team Meetings and Check-ins

Consistent communication is essential for team success. Regular meetings, where team members can share updates, discuss challenges, and celebrate wins, are an important part of team building. Check-ins encourage transparency and open communication and help build a supportive environment.

  • Cross-Departmental Projects

Working with people from different departments can break down silos within an organisation and encourage knowledge-sharing. Cross-departmental projects allow employees to see the bigger picture, understand other teams’ roles, and appreciate the interconnectedness of their work.

Making Team Building a Priority

Team building is much more than a periodic outing or an icebreaker at the start of a meeting—it’s a strategy for cultivating stronger teams and setting the foundation for long-term success. By investing in team-building activities, organisations demonstrate a commitment to creating a supportive, collaborative, and positive work culture.

When teams are connected, motivated, and aligned with organisational goals, they perform at their best, driving innovation and creating an environment where everyone can thrive.

Ready to unlock your team’s full potential? Lantern Training offers customised team-building programmes designed to strengthen collaboration, enhance communication, and boost productivity. Whether you’re looking for workshops, group challenges, or cross-departmental projects, our team will create an experience tailored to your unique needs. Contact Lantern Training today to get started on building a stronger, more connected team!

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The Dynamics of Assessing Team Personalities

A Strategic Approach

When implementing personality assessments within a team, it’s essential to approach the process with a sense of purpose and strategy. Here are a few best practices for making the most of personality assessments:

Create a Culture of Openness

Introduce personality assessments as a tool for growth rather than a label or a box. Encourage team members to approach the results as a means to better understand themselves and each other. Remind them that personality is dynamic, and growth is always possible.

Leverage Strengths, Address Weaknesses

Focus on leveraging the strengths of each personality type while providing support for potential weaknesses. For instance, a highly analytical person may benefit from guidance on interpersonal skills, while a big-picture thinker might need help with detail-oriented tasks.

Emphasize Collaboration

Highlight the importance of collaboration and how different personalities complement one another. A diverse team brings a balanced perspective, and each member’s unique qualities add value to the group.

Reassess Periodically

Team dynamics and individual personalities can shift over time. Periodic reassessment keeps the team aligned and adaptable to changing dynamics. Regularly revisiting personality assessments helps leaders stay attuned to their team’s evolving strengths and challenges.

Unlock Your Team’s Full Potential with Personality Assessments

Personality assessments are a powerful tool for building cohesive, resilient teams. By understanding individual strengths, communication styles, and motivators, organizations can create a more harmonious, productive work environment. Effective teamwork isn’t just about fitting people into predefined roles; it’s about embracing each person’s unique qualities and creating a collaborative culture that enables everyone to thrive.

If you’re ready to take your team to the next level, consider implementing personality assessments to uncover the insights you need. Lantern Training offers expert guidance in assessing, interpreting, and applying personality insights to help your team reach its full potential. Contact Lantern Training today to find out how we can support your team in building stronger, more effective connections.

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The Dynamics of Personality Assessments

Uncovering the Keys to Team Success

Gone are the days when technical skills alone defined success. Now, more than ever, companies realise that personality, communication style, and interpersonal dynamics play a critical role in achieving organisational goals. Personality assessments have proven invaluable in this regard, giving leaders deep insights into how team members operate, communicate, and collaborate.

What Is a Personality Assessment?

Personality assessments are tools designed to measure and evaluate various personality traits, such as openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability. By examining these traits, personality assessments reveal insights about individual behaviour, thought patterns, and reactions to specific situations.

Popular personality assessments include:

  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) – A widely used personality assessment that identifies individual preferences across four key dimensions: Extraversion–Introversion, Sensing–Intuition, Thinking–Feeling, and Judging–Perceiving. These preferences combine to form 16 personality types, providing insights into how people process information, make decisions, communicate, and approach work and relationships. MBTI is particularly useful for building self-awareness, improving communication, strengthening team dynamics, and developing more effective leadership.
  • Lumina Spark Assessment – A modern psychometric tool that measures personality across three personas (Underlying, Everyday, and Overextended) using 24 personality qualities. It provides a nuanced understanding of how individuals adapt their behavior in different situations, making it valuable for leadership development, teamwork, and self-awareness.
  • Lumina Leader – A leadership-focused psychometric assessment that builds on the Lumina Spark personality framework to provide insights into an individual’s leadership preferences, strengths, and potential development areas. It explores how leaders naturally show up, adapt their behaviour in different situations, and may overextend under pressure, helping leaders enhance self-awareness, effectiveness, communication, and impact.
  • Gallup CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) – An assessment that identifies an individual’s top talent themes from 34 possible strengths. Rather than focusing on weaknesses, it helps people understand and develop their natural talents to improve performance, engagement, leadership, and career success.
  • Clarity4D Personality Profile – A personality profiling tool based on the four-color model (Red, Blue, Green, and Gold) and Jungian psychology. It helps individuals understand their communication preferences, work styles, and interpersonal relationships, making it popular for team development, leadership, and conflict management.
  • Leadership Circle Profile® 360° Assessment – A comprehensive 360-degree leadership assessment that combines competency-based leadership measures with underlying beliefs and assumptions that influence leadership effectiveness. It gathers feedback from managers, peers, direct reports, and the individual to identify strengths, development areas, and overall leadership impact. It is widely used for executive coaching and leadership development.

How Personality Assessments Benefit Teams

  • Improved Communication

One of the biggest barriers to effective teamwork is miscommunication. Personality assessments provide insights into each team member’s communication style, making it easier to tailor interactions and minimize misunderstandings. For example, extroverted individuals may prefer open, verbal communication, while introverted members might value structured written exchanges. Recognizing these preferences helps everyone feel understood and respected, reducing friction and enhancing collaboration.

  • Enhanced Conflict Resolution

In any team, conflicts are inevitable. Personality assessments provide a framework for understanding how different individuals respond to conflict. For instance, some team members may be naturally inclined to avoid confrontation, while others might face it head-on. Recognizing these differences allows leaders to mediate effectively, guiding teams toward resolutions that honour each person’s style and comfort level.

  • Boosted Engagement and Job Satisfaction

Understanding personality types can improve job satisfaction by aligning tasks with individuals’ strengths and preferences. When team members are engaged in roles that match their natural inclinations, they’re more likely to feel fulfilled and motivated. An analytical team member may find satisfaction in roles that involve detailed data work, while a highly extroverted person might thrive in roles that require social engagement and public speaking.

  • Effective Team Composition and Leadership

For managers and HR professionals, personality assessments offer insights that help in constructing balanced teams. By knowing each team member’s strengths and potential areas for growth, leaders can assign roles that align with each person’s strengths, improving both individual and team performance. Leaders also gain a better understanding of how to motivate and engage each team member based on their unique personality profile.

  • Increased Innovation and Problem-Solving

Diverse personalities bring different perspectives to the table, which is essential for creative problem-solving. Assessments can reveal gaps in the team’s dynamics, such as a lack of people with innovative traits or strategic thinking. By identifying these gaps, leaders can bring in complementary skills or provide training to cultivate those strengths within the team.

Lantern Training offers expert guidance in assessing, interpreting, and applying personality insights to help your team reach its full potential. Contact Lantern Training today to find out how we can support your team in building stronger, more effective connections.

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Effective Communication Practices for Business Success

In today’s fast-paced business world, effective communication is the cornerstone of success. Whether you’re managing a team, negotiating a deal, or building relationships with clients, the ability to communicate clearly, confidently, and persuasively can set you apart. While it may seem simple in theory, mastering communication in a business context requires intentional effort and strategic thinking.

Here are some proven practices to elevate your communication skills and drive business success:

  1. Clarity Is Key.

Ambiguity can derail even the best intentions in business communication. Ensure your message is clear, concise, and free of jargon that might confuse your audience. Define your purpose before speaking or writing and stay focused on that objective. For example, instead of saying, “We should probably look into improving our process,” say, “Let’s analyse our workflow and identify three areas for improvement by the end of the week.”

  1. Adapt to Your Audience

Effective communicators tailor their approach based on who they’re addressing. Are you speaking to a team of technical experts, executives, or clients? Each audience has different priorities and levels of understanding. Take time to analyse their perspective and frame your message in a way that resonates with their needs and expectations.

  1. Listen Actively

Listening is just as crucial as speaking. Active listening involves more than hearing words; it requires understanding the speaker’s message, tone, and intent. Show engagement through verbal affirmations like “I see,” or non-verbal cues like nodding. When someone feels genuinely heard, they’re more likely to respond positively to your ideas.

  1. Leverage Non-Verbal Communication

Body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice often convey more than words. A warm smile, a firm handshake, or an open posture can foster trust and connection. Similarly, avoid gestures or expressions that might signal impatience, disinterest, or defensiveness, as these can undermine your message.

  1. Use Technology Wisely

In today’s digital age, tools like emails, video conferencing, and instant messaging are integral to business communication. However, each has its best use. For example:

  • Use emails for detailed, formal communication.
  • Opt for instant messaging for quick, informal updates.
  • Choose video conferencing for discussions requiring personal connection and visual cues.

Avoid over-relying on any one medium, as each has limitations and potential for misunderstandings.

  1. Encourage Feedback

Feedback is a two-way street that enriches communication. Encourage others to share their thoughts, ask questions, or provide constructive criticism. Phrases like, “What’s your take on this?” or “How do you see us moving forward?” invite dialogue and foster collaborative problem-solving.

  1. Practice Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a significant role in business communication. This includes recognizing your own emotions, managing them effectively, and empathizing with others. EI allows you to navigate challenging conversations with diplomacy and build stronger relationships by showing genuine care for others’ feelings and perspectives.

  1. Prepare and Rehearse

While spontaneous conversations are common, crucial business interactions like presentations, negotiations, or conflict resolution discussions benefit from preparation. Rehearse your key points, anticipate questions, and plan for objections. The more prepared you are, the more confident and composed you’ll appear.

  1. Stay Open to Continuous Learning

Communication is an evolving skill that benefits from regular refinement. Seek feedback on your style, attend workshops, and learn from great communicators you admire. As businesses and technologies evolve, staying adaptable ensures your communication remains relevant and effective.

Final Thoughts

Effective communication is more than just exchanging information; it’s about understanding and being understood. By honing your communication skills and adopting these best practices, you can foster stronger relationships, inspire confidence, and drive business success.

Remember, the ability to communicate well is not just a soft skill; it’s a competitive advantage. So, invest in it, practice it, and watch your business thrive.

What is your go-to communication strategy for business success? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Introducing Game-Based Learning

In today’s fast-paced professional environment, staying ahead means embracing innovative ways to learn and grow. That’s where Game-Based Learning (GBL) comes in!

GBL integrates game mechanics into training programmes, offering adult learners engaging, effective, and flexible solutions to meet evolving skills and knowledge requirements. It’s not just about fun – it’s about achieving real learning outcomes through challenges, goals, and rewards that mirror real-world scenarios.

At Lantern, we offer game-based learning specifically for leadership teams through advanced tools like Evivve. These interactive solutions make learning enjoyable, impactful, and aligned with your goals.

Evvive is a simulated online environment that immerses you in an alternate reality, paving the way for shared context, perspectives, and language to challenge you in a motivational and thought-provoking way.

During a session, you and your team will be challenged to solve ‘out of the world’ problems to test your ability to communicate, collaborate, think strategically and solve problems. The challenge tests agility and adaptability in a VUCA world; applying how you managed the challenge to your reality at the workplace.

Learn more about Evvive here: https://bit.ly/3ZOnFYO

 

 

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Ten new leadership resolutions for 2021

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Agility…. the holy grail of the modern workplace

Success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react, and reinvent. Bill Gates

 

For new businesses and start-ups, agility can be easier because they are more flexible. They don’t have many processes and are not more traditional in their ways of doing compared to more established businesses.

We are not saying that well established businesses cannot be agile. It’s very possible for them if they are strategic in doing so. They can even become more agile than expected.

Agility has been embraced by various organisations to drive change across their people and their leadership structure. In one global study, 94% of companies say that collaboration and agility are critical to their success. Another report shows that companies with highly-agile executives have 25% higher profit margins than their peers.

 

So, what is agility?

As defined by Agile Alliance, agility is the ability to create and respond to change in order to succeed in an uncertain and turbulent environment. It means organisations that are dynamic and move along with the changes in their industry.

An agile organisation is one that is stable at its core but can quickly change to meet any needs of the environment.

 

What is the importance of agility?

  1. An agile organisation is more likely to be innovative. This is because they are more likely to think outside the box and outside the established ways of doing things. A lot of businesses will focus so much on attempting to be innovative, but they don’t think about agility. To have one, it’s almost always necessary to have the other.
  2. Creates an agile culture in the organisation. Employers need to work on ensuring that they cultivate behaviours that exemplify agility. For example being adaptive to change, creative and easily able to move along as change occurs are all values of an agile organisation.
  3. Leads to better organisation of staff. This is a concept important to agility in the workplace. Staff come together when needed and in ways they see appropriate for specific situations rather than following the traditional ways. They create an opportunity for brainstorming and discussions.
  4. Helps organisations stay focused. Sometimes a business isn’t able to be agile nor innovative because it’s so bogged down in the details. Rather than focusing so much on the unnecessary details, it can be valuable to focus on a few primary, critical objectives. These don’t necessarily have to be long-term. Often in agile organisations, the approach is more short-term when it comes to specific objectives.
  5. Leads to accelerated delivery. They say if you want something done fast, give it to a busy person. How many of you need to get things done faster? Now significantly multiply that need for speed when you’re dealing with a crisis scenario. Agility helps us deliver faster and efficiently because people look for faster and easier ways of handling tasks.
  6. Agile organisations increase their productivity. Many of us are trying to do more with less. When times are tough and budgets are cut, agile and lean businesses can still deliver on their promises.

 

Agility and Growth Mindset

For an organisation to achieve agility, there is great need to adopt a growth mindset, which is very different from a fixed mindset. Here are some differences between the two:

Fixed mindset

Growth mindset
Avoids failureDesires continuous learning
Desires to look smartConfronts uncertainties
Avoids challengesEmbraces challenges
Sticks to what they knowNot afraid to fail
Feedback and criticism is personalPuts lots of effort to learn
They don’t change or improveFeedback is about current capabilities

 

Agility for Individuals and Teams

Organisations need people in order to succeed. In the same way, agility in organisations cannot be achieved if the individuals and teams in these organisations are not agile. Below is an outline of ways an individual can integrate agility in their daily life:-

  • Set goals. Give your life a direction by creating and setting goals. Ask yourself what you want to achieve at the end of every week, month, and year.
  • Be flexible and innovative. Identify the barriers that prevent you from hitting your target and change your strategy if there is a need to.
  • Plan ahead. Spending a few minutes managing your schedules and checking your progress won’t hurt your time. Planning ahead can be a life-changing habit, so make this a routine!
  • Manage goals. Make your goals manageable. By breaking your goals into chunks, you’re making them more realistic and achievable.
  • Be committed to your tasks. Block out a specific time in a day or week to work on your tasks. Know what needs to be done, what needs to be fixed, and what your goal for every task is. Make this a habit and stick to it.

 

As a team, agility can be achieved through some of the following practices:

Acceptance — As teams work on new projects or solutions, there can be a lot of challenges on the way.  If things don’t work out the way they should, it’s important to identify the reason behind it, accept the failure and then think of a new way to avoid the same failure from happening again. Don’t hesitate to change approach if required.

Trust —Team leaders can help establish trust by creating a workplace where everyone feels comfortable about sharing their new ideas, and giving their opinions with openness and respect.

Communication.  Agile teams don’t think alike and everyone has a different idea. When these ideas are shared and discussed in one room, it can spark curiosity and creativity to the team.

Patience. Agile teams do not need to rush into things at the expense of seeing the greater outcome. They should trust the time and the process as they are working on a common goal and success.

Learning. Agility is innovation and openness to new information. Agile teams should be encouraged to think outside the box and work closely with their clients so that they can innovate and find better solutions to the clients’ needs.

 

Our goal is to increase your organisations ability to adapt to the changing times and prepare teams to respond to these changes.

How is your organization fostering agility?

 

 

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Self-aware teams and leaders perform better – it’s a fact!

High level of self-awareness means really understanding who you are, why you act, communicate and respond as you do, truly knowing your strengths, weaknesses, positive and negative emotions and what motivates you.

When you are self-aware, it is easier for you to understand other people and be aware of how they view you. It also allows you to notice how your behaviour impacts others around you so that you can adapt accordingly. High levels of self awareness equals high emotional intelligence and that is one of the most important factors to success.

Improving self-awareness is a life long journey, but a journey you can accelerate at any time. One thing for sure is that throughout your career you will either work as part of team or you will lead a team. Self-awareness can be a game-changer for either!

 

Self-awareness for leaders

High levels of self awareness as a leader is the foundation of a strong character, where leaders lead with purpose, trust, authenticity and openness. Leaders have a clear understanding of who they are and what they need most from other people to build a successful team.

Self-awareness ensures leaders can identify the gaps and weaknesses in their management style, clearly shows up the areas in which they are effective and where they might need additional effort and focus. Such leaders positively motivate their employees, inspire and engage their teams to perform better, are constantly looking at ways to improve their leadership skills and nurture a more supportive and effective business culture.

 

Self awareness for teams

Teams with high levels of self awareness feel accountable for each other’s success, and willingly provide support and candid feedback to help each team member be their best.

Self-aware teams are:

  • More likely to spend time debating, discussing problems, and making decisions
  • More likely to address unacceptable team behaviors promptly
  • More likely to give each other tough feedback
  • Less likely to have “undiscussables” that the team can’t talk openly about

These team members talk honestly and openly about team and individual team members’ strengths and challenges. And, because team members trust each other, they assume positive intent when the tougher conversations happen. Therefore, authentic and candid feedback is more easily heard and valued. It feels okay to be imperfect or to experience setbacks. It is less scary to be vulnerable.

 

Creating these teams takes time, but is well worth the effort! Think about how your team is going to pull together through our current crisis and invest in raising their self awareness now.

Email us at info@lanterntraining.com for more information.

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Workplace Diversity!

What is workplace diversity?

Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between individuals in an organisation. Diversity not only includes how individuals identify themselves, but also how others perceive them. Diversity within a workplace encompasses race, gender, ethnic groups, age, religion, personality, sexual orientation, citizenship status, as well as other distinct differences between people.

Importance of workplace diversity

  1. Mutual Respect Among Employees

Whether employees work in groups or teams comprised of co-workers with varied work styles or who represent different cultures or generations, a synergistic work environment should become the norm. Employees who recognise the many strengths and talents that diversity brings to the workplace, gain respect for their colleagues’ performance.

  1. Conflict Reduction and Resolution

Employees who acknowledge others’ differences often find similarities, particularly when there are common goals, such as production and quality. Respect for co-workers either reduces the likelihood of conflict or facilitates an easier road to conflict resolution. Workplace diversity preserves the quality of employees’ relationships with their co-workers and their supervisors.

  1. Business Reputation Enhancement

Diversity in the workplace is vital for employees because it manifests itself in building a great reputation for the company, leading to increased profitability and opportunities for workers.

An organization known for its ethics, fair employment practices and appreciation for diverse talent is better able to attract a wider pool of qualified applicants. Other advantages include loyalty from customers who choose to do business only with companies whose business practices are socially responsible.

  1. Job Promotion and Employee Development

A global marketplace opens doors for employees of different ages, physical and mental abilities, and ethnic backgrounds to build global profit centres. Employees interested in learning multinational business strategy and who are available for possible expatriate assignments may also find new career opportunities.

  1. Increased Exposure to Different Kinds of People

Employees learn from co-workers whose work styles vary and whose attitudes about work vary from their own. Traditional-generation workers learn new technology and processes from workers who belong to the tech-savvy millennial generation.

  1. Variety of Different Perspectives and Creativity

People are more likely to have a variety of different skills and experience.

Employees will have access to different perspectives which is highly beneficial when it comes to planning and executing a business strategy. When you put together people who see the same thing differently, you are most likely to get new ideas thus improving the creativity of your workforce.

  1. Better Decision Making thus Increased Profits

When employees with different backgrounds and perspectives come together, they come up with more solutions which leads to more informed and improved decisions making process and results.

Delayed processes impact the ways of the business and in turn affect the profits.

  1. Reduced Employee Turnover

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace cause all employees to feel accepted and valued.  They become happier in their workplace and stay longer with the company and in turn, the company has low turnover rates.

Tips for managing diversity in the workplace:

Prioritise communication

To manage a diverse workplace, organisations need to ensure that they effectively communicate with employees. Policies, procedures, safety rules and other important information should be designed to overcome language and cultural barriers by translating materials and using pictures and symbols whenever applicable.

Treat each employee as an individual

Avoid making assumptions about employees from different backgrounds. Instead, look at each employee as an individual and judge successes and failures on the individual’s merit rather than attributing actions to their background.

Encourage employees to work in diverse groups

Diverse work teams let employees get to know and value one another on an individual basis and can help break down preconceived notions and cultural misunderstandings.

Base standards on objective criteria

Set one standard of rules for all groups of employees regardless of background. Ensure that all employment actions, including discipline, follow this standardised criteria to make sure each employee is treated the same.

 Invest time in helping teams work together

Team building, whilst important, has moved on. Invest in developing your team’s self-awareness and helping them to appreciate why others in the team may be different. Globally recognised programmes such as Lumina Learning (https://luminalearning.com/), can completely transform the way your teams work together.

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Tips on delivering the best presentation

Presenting can be tough especially for those of us not born with natural eloquence. To be a better public speaker, one has to develop a personal speaking style. You can do this by packing the presentations with enthusiasm, unique data and having plenty of jokes and short stories relating to the topic.

 

How do you deliver a great presentation?

Practice

Rehearse your lines in various positions – standing up, sitting down, with arms open wide. The more you mix up your position and setting, the more comfortable you’ll feel with your speech. You can also do a practice run for your friend or colleague and evaluate areas that you need to work on. The more you practice, the more your confidence grows.

 

Arrive Early

It’s always best to allow yourself plenty of time to settle in before your talk, preferably 45-60 minutes before your presentation. Extra time gives you a chance to check the room out and make sure the layout is the way you want it, to test and re-test all the equipment and ensure that everything works for you. Don’t trust the sound guy or computer tech who says, “I checked everything and it works fine.’’You also get a chance to do some meet and greet and this makes the attendees feel more at ease.

 

Smile

Smiling replaces anxiety with calm and makes you feel good about your presentation. Smiling also exhibits confidence and enthusiasm to the crowd. This tip works even if you’re doing a webinar and people can’t see you. Just don’t overdo it!

 

Work on Your Pauses.

When you’re nervous, it’s easy to speed up your presentation and end up talking too fast, which in turn causes you to run out of breath, get more nervous, and panic! Pausing helps to emphasise certain points and to help your talk feel more conversational. If you feel yourself losing control of your pace, just take a nice pause and keep cool.

 

Actively Engage the Audience.

People love to talk and make their opinions heard. Asking the audience what they think, inviting questions, and other means of welcoming audience participation can boost engagement and make attendees feel part of a conversation. It also makes you, the presenter, seem much more relatable. Don’t be put off by unexpected questions – instead see them as an opportunity to give your audience what they want.

 

Be Entertaining.

Even if your presentation is packed with useful information, if your delivery bombs, so will your session. Include some jokes and light-hearted stories in your presentation to help you feel more comfortable especially when presenting a great deal of heavy information. .However, it’s important to maintain a balance.

 

Attend other presentations

Attending some of the earlier talks by other presenters give you a chance to scope out their presentation skills and get some context. Deconstruct their speech by highlighting their approach, tactics and execution. You can always borrow something from other speakers that you can use in your own presentations.

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