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On-demand resources, in-demand skills

Our ever-growing digital learning library is enlightening, evidence-led and driven by the curiosity, challenges and opportunities live in your team right now. Experts on video, bitesize eCourses, micro-learning and more — it's updated daily, and yours to explore.

Resources

Talking

J Zicon

A quintet of curious and purposeful questions, that can pull out powerful perspectives when interviewing someone for a role.

Five powerful questions for adding impact and insight to your next interview.

Car Words

If you’re going to interview someone for a role, this easy and enlightening framework will arm you with some prompts and cues to unlock a deeper level of insight. The steps and examples shared below will help you to confidently give it a go.

Try out the CAR technique, and upgrade your understanding when interviewing someone.

Good Qs

When it comes to questions, you get out what you put in. Considered, well-framed questions lead to insightful and propelling answers, making the art of questioning key to the success of any mentoring relationship. But what makes a good question? And what kinds of questions tease out actionable next steps? In this handy resource we’ll work through some examples, demonstrate some helpful reframing and leave you clearer on how to get curious with purpose.

Smart ways to frame questions in your next mentoring session

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A simple and effective framework for collectively identifying the root causes of a problem, exposing aspects you may have overlooked, and making up your mind about what to act on.

Try the 5 Whys to invigorate your problem solving and add depth to your decisions.

Allyship CP

This pack of resources supports much of the content covered in our Effective Allyship workshop. Included alongside a pic'n'mix of curated resources are our session slides, for internal sharing and refreshing on key themes and ideas.

Course Pack: Effective Allyship, with Abi Adamson

This pack of resources supports much of the content covered in our Voice Gym workshop. Included alongside two video warm-ups from vocal coach Ingrid Gray, are a mix of curated bits to help you keep practicing what you covered.

Course Pack: Voice Gym. Building your vocal confidence

For people to build their self-belief, they must feel and know that others believe in them too. This five minute action-oriented reflection comes from the practice of coaching pioneer Sir John Whitmore, and all you need to experiment with it is a place to think in peace.

A three minute mindset exercise, to support a coaching approach

Hear

This five-minute mindful means to a deeper connection with what people (and the world around us) are saying comes courtesy of screenwriter and author Bobette Buster.

Try this deep listening exercise for deeper connection and better conversations

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This tried and tested decision making tool was popularised by doctors and midwives, but is useful in any context and for any conundrum. It offers a stepped out roadmap to help you get from problem to solution, and helps to interrogate and illuminate the next steps to take.

Experiment with the BRAIN model for confident decision making and problem solving

This super simple daily ritual for creating and nurturing connection is shared by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis in their brilliant book You Coach You. Follow the steps below to give it a go.

Discover the impact a five-minute-favour can have on your relationships, and network building

Homework

Developed by writer and speaker Matthew Dicks, Homework for Life is a ten-second daily ritual that helps you develop a storytelling lens, build a personal treasure trove of moving stories, and gets you recognising the explosive emotional impact of seemingly subatomic everyday moments.

Homework for Life: A ten-second daily ritual for noticing, capturing and practicing stories

This pack of resources supports much of the content covered in our Leading with Stories workshop. Included alongside a blend of curated resources are session slides — perfect for internal sharing and refreshing on key themes and ideas.

Course Pack: Leading with Stories

Do Story

Bobette's punchy and enlightening publication Do: Story is a goldmine of practical pointers for storytelling at work, in presentations, in any and all contexts. Here, alongside her 10 core principles for successful storytelling, we share some lateral thinking of our own and five key takeaways from the book for you to experiment with.

Practical storytelling principles from Bobette Buster's book — Do: Story

Mentorsqarer

In The Mentor Manual, a practical guide to becoming a a better mentor, coach and writer Julie Starr sets out this simple exercise. It blends some questions and reflections, and results in some areas for improvement and practical first steps towards them. It's especially helpful when you've a specific relationship in mind, and you can experience the exercise in five minutes by going with the flow below.

Evolve your 'inner mentor' — a short reflective exercise to focus your development, and the ways you can better support others

Spring

In The Leaders Guide to Storytelling, Stephen Denning introduces the idea of a Springboard Story. It offers a way to communicate a complex idea and connect people to it in a way that will build belief and inspire action. Here we share an example of a Springboard Story, and some simple steps to follow if you'd like to develop your own.

Experiment with a Springboard Story to communicate your change idea, and take people with you towards it.

N Ngrab

This pack of resources supports much of the content covered in our Natural Networking workshop. Included alongside a pic'n'mix of curated resources are our session slides, for internal sharing and refreshing on key themes and ideas.

Course Pack: Natural Networking

When someone responds to something that's been raised by re-directing attention to the way it's been raised, that's tone policing. It's not always done with a toxic intention, but it's always unhelpful when safe and inclusive cultures are sought. Here we share some more insights into the concept, some examples of it in effect and ideas for how to purposefully challenge it.

Tone Policing - What it is, why it's unhelpful and how to helpfully notice it.

Coaching Criticism

Feedback is crucial for our learning, growth and relationships. But it doesn't always come our way in brilliantly packaged doses; perfectly framed and easy to process. So tools and techniques for helping those 'feedback givers' to help us will always be handy. Here's one to experiment with.

Find the Coaching in Criticism. Things to try when feedback doesn't quite land

4 Ds

Psychologically safe work environments rely on our ability to open conversation around interactions that make us, and others, feel uncomfortable, excluded or offended. This framework can help you be intentional and considered in the way you approach doing just that.

The 4Ds. A practical framework for acknowledging microaggressions

Breathman

Short, intentional bursts of deep breathing are the scientifically proven and surest way to bring a greater sense of control, calm and focus to your mind and body. The simple steps, and audio guide, in this resource will easily get you experimenting.

Mindful breathing — the foundation of focus and flow

Get some powerful perspective at moments of self-doubt, by trying out this simple ‘distancing’ technique. It’s encouraged by psychologist and author of Chatter Ethan Kross, and expanded upon by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis in their book You Coach You. Here’s how you can use it.

Channel that fly on the wall. Try some purposeful self talk to mitigate moments of doubt

Friction

The danger with distractions is that they're so available to us; more often than not they're just a click, thought or wander away. In their super-practical book, You Coach You, Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis introduce the idea of adding 'friction to distraction' and getting intentional about what's in the way of getting the right stuff done.

Add some friction to your most common distractions

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A ‘Done list’ is a quick, effortless and effective tool — shared in Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis’ book You Coach You — for finding resilience in the week's small wins.

Build your resilience and belief by recognising small wins — Try a 'Done List'

Silent Meeting

There's lots that can derail a meeting and tip the balance of participation. Dominant voices, a lack of agenda, or distinct absence of purpose can all play their part. The good news? There are plenty of practical experiments we can run towards more meaningful and motivating meetings — and a 'Silent Meeting' is one of them.

Make your next meeting a Silent Meeting

Can If Go

‘Can-If’ statements, shared in the brilliant book You Coach You, are intentional gear-shifts away from fixed modes of thinking that allow us to see positives, and practical ways forward in all kinds of contexts. They're a timely tool for turning up our confidence, and really simple to get started with.

Immediately build your confidence, with a 'Can-If' statement

To Think

We discovered the timely tactic of a ‘To-think List’ when reading Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis’s book You Coach You, and hope we can tempt you to experiment with it too.

Don't forget to diarise thinking time — experiment with a 'To Think' list

Setback

Build self-belief and self-awareness simultaneously with this super-simple method for overcoming setbacks and re-discovering resilience. Introducing Setback Stories — a tool we discovered in the brilliant new book You Coach You. Here’s how to use it.

Smarten your approach to setbacks, by trying out a Setback Story

CLAP

A simple, physical and sensorial technique for bringing your attention to what's within your control and finding the focus to move forwards.

Get clear on control with a Clarity Clap

PP Ticon

“PowerPoint is the software we hate to love”. Russell Davies’ lovingly written and beautifully designed book is a highly recommended read for anyone keen to sharpen their communication skills, and dive into the fascinating history of a ubiquitous work tool (and the mind of its creator Robert Gaskins). Here we share some key takeouts, lateral learning and ideas to try and apply.

Everything I Know about Life I Learned from PowerPoint — What we learned and where it led...

Circlestwo

About to begin a mentoring journey? Want to bring some mentoring skills into your work? In this episode of their excellent Squiggly Careers podcast, Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis — co-founders of workplace learning practice ‘Amazing If' — offer practical advice for your most meaningful mentoring relationships.

How to be a meaningful mentor, insights from a purposeful podcast

If Then New

A simple solution for getting ahead of unhelpful distractions, as well as making positive behaviours a habit, is an 'If > Then' statement. Pre-meditating these purposeful prompts, making them visible to ourselves and known to others, offers a scientifically proven approach to committing to focus. Here's how you can give the approach a go.

Design (and share) your If > Then statements, for a purposefully prompt towards action

Orange

In a 2021 Knowledge Project, podcast with Farnam Street’s Shane Parrish, social psychologist and master of influence Robert Cialdini talked through his principles of persuasion; sharing actionable insights into harnessing the power of influence. Here are six keys takeouts from the episode, linking into some lateral courses and resources to further your exploration.

Practice the principles of persuasion from 'Godfather of Influence,' Robert Cialdini.

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Flow is a state of deep focus where work and pleasure are one and the same. You'll recognise the feeling if you've ever lost track of time doing something you love. Here are the six steps to bring more flow into the day-to-day, drawn from the thinking of the father of flow himself.

Six steps for finding focus and flow, with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in mind

This pack of resources supports much of the content covered in our Making Time course. Included alongside a blend of curated resources are our session slides, for internal sharing and refreshing on key themes and ideas.

Course Pack: Making Time

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A growing list of curious questions, often referenced in training workshops on topics like coaching, leadership and having effective 1-1s. They're gathered from a range of sources, and are yours to scan and try out in all kinds of conversations. And if you've your own to add, please do share them in the form at the bottom of this resource.

Great questions to ask in coaching conversations, 1-1's and other curious contexts

<title>For you, new and popular | YCN</title>

An edit of newly added resources and those proving consistently popular among our partners' teams.