Introduction to Never Mind the BuzzWords

[email protected] www.nmtbw.com

Introduction to

…in a nutshell

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.nmtbw.com/


It’s time to tear up the rule book on learning and development,

and do something different.

NMTBW was set up by two learning professionals with 40 years international business and

coaching experience between them

We design and deliver programmes, as well as offering learning consultancy services

People learn by DOING…not just by talking about models and theories and second

guessing what they might do with these in real life. Experiential learning underpins our

work.

Based in Glasgow, we develop and deliver programmes for clients across the UK, Europe,

the Middle East and Far East.

Our Approach

We take a very creative approach to clients’ business needs

We aim to build people’s character, skills and behaviours for the workplace

We consider not only what you want your people to KNOW and to DO….but how you want

them to FEEL because if they aren’t motivated to change their approach and their

behaviour, they just won’t.

Our programmes range from those formally accredited by the Institute of Leadership and

Management to experience-based workshops.

We invite participants to learn from sectors, experts and experiences well outside their own

environment, and bring fresh perspectives and skills to the workplace.

We deliver our own programmes or we can devise and deliver something especially for you.

We work with a range of specialists and experts from an array of different walks of life,

including singer – songwriters, circus skills experts, actors, anthropologists, zoologists,

sports coaches, orchestral / choral conductors and many more. We can learn important

business lessons from them all.




Areas of expertise

In essence, we focus on behavioural change, in all its contexts:

Culture, Engagement and Leadership

Inspirational Change, visioning and delivery

Personal Impact

Sector experience:

Between us, we’ve worked in most sectors, and our portfolio is constantly expanding. Current and

past clients include:

Aerospace & Defence: BAE Systems, Ministry of Defence, Rolls Royce Smiths Industries

Business & Financial Services: Aviva,, Coutts, HSBC, National Australia Group, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, NFU Mutual, Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Life

Charities: Action on Hearing Loss, Cancer Research, Cyrenians Edinburgh, United Response

Energy & Power Supply: EDF Energy, Risort Power, Scottish Power, UKAEA,

Healthcare: Abu Dhabi Health Authority, Health and Safety Executive, Johnson and Johnson, NHS, Johnson and Johnson, , Unilever,

Hospitality and Tourism: Ayrshire and Arran Tourist Board, Hilton Hotel Group

Media and Communications: BBC, BSkyB Group, various PR agencies

Oil and Gas, Chemical, Materials: Amoco, BP, Burmah Castrol, Glaxo SmithKline,, Kuwait Petroleum, Petronas Malaysia, Qatar Petrochemical, Schlumberger, Western Geco

Public Sector: Careers Scotland, Cumbria Council Dept of Works and Pensions, Glasgow City Council, Perth and Kinross Council, Renfrewshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Qualifications Authority

Retail: Avon Cosmetics, Hästens.

Utilities: Aggreko, Anglian Water, Biwater International, OFWAT, Severn Trent.




The Manufacturing Case Study

The brief: At the time, one of our client’s manufacturing sites had a number of issues:

health and safety compliance behaviours were not up to standard

unproductive habits had been developed by some members of staff

corners had been cut, leading to lost work time incidents which might have been avoided.

Our brief (Anna Beckwith working with associates at Smith Beckwith) was to develop a drama

based approach that would raise awareness not of the expected compliance behaviours, but on

the rationale behind them. In short, to give staff a ‘what’s in it for me’ reason to comply with

requirements.

The approach: working with professional actors, our intervention had three strands

a) ‘invisible theatre’, where, following the site directors Health and Safety presentation an actor

dressed as a member of staff stood up and said exactly why they couldn’t comply with the

expected standards. In effect, the message to staff was “we know that this is what you’re thinking

– let’s get it out in the open”. Once the audience realised that it was an actor making these

pronouncements, it opened up discussion and questions from the floor.

b) a comedy sketch, based on a horse race, with the actors playing the jockeys, in which common

reasons for non-compliance were undermined and presented as weak excuses.

c) a hard-hitting drama and multimedia presentation in which the potential consequences of non-

compliance were brought home – the protagonist knows that corners are being cut here and there,

but does not feel it’s his place to address the issue. An accident occurs which is the fault of

someone else, but he is the victim. The scene concludes with the observation ‘John’s family come

and visit him every weekend. It’s not clear if he knows who they are’.

Impact: at the time, the presentations had made health and safety compliance (in the words of the

site director) ‘the talk of the town’. Several years on, the Health and Safety record of that site have

improved significantly, and the drama intervention was part of a sequence of interventions which

brought that about.




The Retail Case Study

The brief: the client is a successful family business based in mainland Europe who wanted to

build on its existing international reputation to grow its luxury brand.

As part of this, it was recognised that a comprehensive programme to develop the leadership and

management of its staff at all levels was vital: hitherto, training had focused on technical and

product-based aspects of the business.

Our approach: our approach was first to consult with the client to establish exactly what they

wanted to achieve from a training intervention. We then devised a programme covering a range of

topics which the company had identified as its priorities. The workshop element of the programme

was to be underpinned by projects undertaken in the workplace, and with e-learning.

Each workshop revolves around practical activities and takes an experiential slant, with business

games and scenarios that challenge participants’ current way of thinking, and prompt action in the

workplace. Examples include a ‘murder mystery’ to test communication and problem solving skills,

a range of business scenarios for analysis and action planning, and our ‘Landscape of Change’

map, which invites participants to think strategically about change as a journey.

As a fore-runner to the programme, we ran a ‘train the trainer’ workshop for sales training staff.

Impact: the leadership development project is still ongoing. The Train the Trainer programme

resulted in some ‘night and day’ transformations amongst the participants during the workshop

itself, and ongoing feedback from the field is indicative of a lasting change in the approach and

delivery style of those who attended the course.




The Charity Case Study

The brief: our client is a charity which operates across England and Wales, and supports those

with disabilities living in the community. The brief was to develop and deliver an ILM Level 5

Senior Leadership programme, covering key areas that were immediately relevant to the

organisation, including culture and ethics, change, strategic thinking, and building mental

resilience.

Our approach: We devised and delivered a programme involving 3 practical two-day workshops,

supplemented by e-learning. As part of the ILM programme, participants are required to complete

their own assignments, applying the principles covered on the course to their organisation.

The programme involved the use of:

A 360 questionnaire, based on core competencies

A ‘mental toughness’ questionnaire, to asses participants levels of resilience to stress, and

to develop personal strategies to address problem areas

A range of activities to spark a different way of thinking about the issues, including analysis

of holiday brochures and ‘trip advisor’ information as a pre-cursor to considering corporate

culture, and a bank robbery activity to

consider project planning and risk

management

Detailed business scenarios (written by Ian

Thomson) as a focus for strategic thinking

Use of our ‘Landscape of Change’ map as a

working metaphor of the change journey, and

how to get through it.

The client was offered the option of coaching

sessions for participants, but this was carried

out in house.

Impact: As part of the programme, participants were required to give a presentation based on

their work and on their research for the ILM assignments to some of the organisation’s directors.

Their analysis of the status quo and suggestions on moving forward not only concurred with what

the directors thought themselves, but has resulted in a cross-departmental working party being

established to looks at some of the issues, with a membership drawn from all levels of the

organisation.




The Financial Services Case Study

The brief: the team had a new chief executive and new members. There had been a very strong

leader in the past and the new team needed to consider how to build trust and confidence and

understand how to be most effective in working with each other. This small team needed to work

together to deliver projects, based around their different knowledge and skill sets. We created a

one day event.

Our approach: the day began with a review of profile reports, outlining behaviours, team styles,

transactional and transformational leadership and emotional intelligence. The individuals were

mapped to the various models and discussions developed on how this might impact on working

relationships, communication, team working and culture. This raised interesting discussions on

differences and similarities.

This was followed by the Leadership Challenge, an interactive approach to learning. On this

occasion, there was only one team who appointed a leader – in this case not the CEO. While the

leader went off to study the brief, the team considered some leadership issues – characteristics of

a good leader, importance of a leader to the team and then an evaluation sheet of what good

leadership would look like in action. When prepared, the leader briefed the team of their

objectives, gained agreement on what additional information was required and then created a plan

to accomplish the outcomes. At the end of the project time, the team reflected on successes and

improvements they could make in working on a project. They further evaluated leadership

performance according to their evaluation sheet – of course, considering not only the nominal

leader but all members of the team.

The team then continued their discussions with dinner at the end of the day.

Impact: the team were highly motivated during the day to learn about each other and understand

how they could impact positively on their colleagues. Following the day, the CEO confirmed that

people were sharing more knowledge and skills in support of their clients and anecdotally, the

team appeared to be working more efficiently and with a higher level of commitment. Each year,

we have returned to the company to work with their team which is changing and growing in

alignment with their five year strategy to double financing for projects.




The Regional Team Case Study

The brief: The small team at the Scottish branch of a national organisation wanted a team

building workshop to draw together the various individuals involved. From a selection of options

including an outdoor excursion in the woods of North Ayrshire and a drama based ‘play-in-a-day’

option, they chose a music making workshop.

Our approach: working with professional musician and conductor, the group learned the basics

of percussion based music making, and the core principles of ensemble performance (including

timing and listening skills).

They were given violins (none had ever played before) and by the end of the afternoon had

practiced and performed a short pizzicato piece written specially for them.

Rather than being overly structured about the academic content of the workshop, participants

drove their own agenda, and the practical sessions were interspersed with best practice models

and theories and related activities that came up in discussions ‘in the moment’. As such ALL of the

workshop content was of immediate relevance to participants.

The impact: through the violin playing and the necessity to listen to each other acutely and work

together, participants became aware that this was not always happening in real life. Some tough

issues came to light that had not been discussed before, and the workshop had the impact of

‘lancing the boil’ and providing a forum for a robust conversation, carefully facilitated to ensure that

the focus remained on potential solutions.




The Women in Leadership Case Study

The brief: our client was an overseas training

provider who specialises in bringing

international trainers to Malaysia to deliver on a

range of issues. They had received requests

from clients in the engineering and

petrochemical sectors for a programme for

women in leadership roles.

Our approach: in devising a programme we had to be mindful of the objectives of the programme,

but also the culture of the country in which we were delivering the training.

Our programme was based on an extensive amount of research that we’ve done on women in

leadership positions throughout history, focusing on the skill and mindset of successful female

leaders from a range of cultures to draw out key lessons which are applicable to women in today’s

working environment.

Participants focused on a range of characters, including Queen Elizabeth I, Oprah Winfrey and

Nusayba Bint Ka’b, the first woman warrior of Islam. Rather than starting with leadership models

and theories, character profiles, quotes and images underpinned the content and structure of the

workshop, with a range discussions and activities where the participants recognised key

challenges that were common to all, and more importantly, what these women did to overcome or

work round these…and finally considered elements of accepted best practice that were relevant.

Impact: Participants left the programme with a range of personal strategies to help them to move

forward in their leadership roles, as well as a new network of women in leadership positions to

communicate with in the future. Participants have been recommending the programme to others,

and more are scheduled for the future.




ABOUT THE TEAM

We’re Never Mind the Buzzwords’ founders, Ian Thomson, Charlotte Cameron and Annabelle

Beckwith. Between us, we have over 50 years experience of developing and delivering high

impact training programmes that work.

Ian Thomson

Experience in international business

Has worked in over 30 countries during the last 30 years

Former Finance Director of John Brown Engineering

Recognised provider of leadership programmes by the Institute of Leadership and Management.

Ian’s clients include: : Thai Automotives Thailand, Adam & Co, Bank Negara, Bank of Malta, Coutts Private Bank, GE Life, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Life International BSkyB, BAE Systems (Cultural change), Emirates Airlines, Hainan Airlines, KPMG, Unilever

Contact: [email protected]

Annabelle Beckwith

Varied career in TV, as an MP’s researcher, and in marketing, PR and

corporate communications prior to training

Former Head of Development and Public Affairs at the Royal

Conservatoire of Scotland (then the RSAMD)

Specialist in devising and delivering experience-based learning and

challenging businesses to ‘get out more’ in order to learn best practice

from sectors well outside their own.

Has worked in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. She has also lived and worked in Hong

Kong, and has extensive experience of Indian business culture.

Annabelle’s past clients include The Peugeot Motor Group, BAE Systems, Rolls Royce,

Ministry of Defence, Royal Bank of Scotland, Glaxo SmithKline , Burmah Castrol, Johnson

and Johnson, EDF Energy, Sky TV, Scottish Enterprise, Avon Cosmetics.

Contact: [email protected]






TESTIMONIALS

Whilst Never Mind the BuzzWords is new, its people have been around for a while.

Here are a few testimonials:

“Ian Thomson is one of the best training specialists I've ever seen during my 10-15 years in this

global business. His intense, personal approach and multiple perspectives in training of trainers

and leaders, is to my knowledge simply unmatched. Whenever you have the opportunity to work

with Ian, I strongly urge you to take the opportunity. Neither you or your team will ever forget it.”

Soren Ellegaard, CEO, TRAIN! Company

“One week later and I just wanted to thank you both hugely and from the bottom of my heart for letting my have this amazing experience. I can't express the impact, sincerely. I think I am still on a high from it, I can't stop talking about the day and evening.” Caroline Allen, Personal Impact course participant

"Annabelle has delivered management skills training to Avon - Saudi Management Team. Once this training was completed, both I and the team realised what a step forward it had been. As HR Manager, I can comfortably state that Anna is one of the best trainers I’ve worked with. I strongly recommend her services: she made a clear impact, which has reflected on to the Company growth. I would like to have her deliver more training to our team and associates again." Ahmed Hassan, Human Resources & Administration Manager, Avon Beauty Arabia – Saudi Arabia

Ian is a highly creative and innovative leadership trainer and coach with huge International

experience. He is an entertaining and authoritative presenter who really knows his subject. When

you work with him you will find that your organisation will gain significant performance benefits

within a short timescale. Don't just take my word for it - Meet him, talk to him and experience the

magic. Gavin Meikle, Presentation Doctor and Copy Writer Extraordinaire.

“I’ve reflected on the team dynamics and the management style within the organisation when discussing future work plans, stating my views clearly but also listening to others more objectively. I have acknowledged my learning/working style and those of the others within the team. I thoroughly enjoyed the team building day and have recommended this to others at a recent training course I attended.” Teambuilding course participant, Scottish Drug Recovery Forum, Glasgow, UK

“Anna was clearly very knowledgeable on the subject overall and taught the theory in a very involving manner. Time was allowed to tailor the subject matter to our own experiences where possible. One of the best instructors I've experienced on such courses.” Course participant, Shell UK

AND FINALLY

WHATEVER your learning and development needs, let us pitch to you!



Documents

Introduction to Never Mind the BuzzWords