When you traditionally talk about communication in the learning & development space, thoughts of the fundamentals skills of learning delivery are brought to the front of the mind. Interpersonal concepts such as voice tone, body language NLP meta models, influencing and questioning skills. Or you may think of the way we communicate through delivery tools…
Establishing Yourself As A Trainer
The Middle East is as a melting pot for a wide variety of cultures and nationalities who call the Middle East home. As a result, the competition for those key positions in the corporate arena has been relatively strong – the training arena being no exception. Initially it was believed that to be a Trainer…
Challenges Delivering Training In The Region
80 years ago, if you had said that you were going to do business in the Middle East, you would have been advised to stay alert for the cultural differences. Middle Easterns have different views for time, they are conservative when it comes to females, and personal bonds are a prerequisite for professional relations. If…
Case Study: New Land Of Opportunity
Recently, a client wanted to open a business in the UAE. He had a great idea that he wanted to move from concept stage to reality. It was a copy of Airbnb.com for the Middle East (basically an ecommerce site for residence sharing). He began by writing a strong business plan with the help of…
Communication Matters
Typically, communication (from Latin commūnicāre, meaning “to share”) is a purposeful activity of exchanging information and meaning, using various technical or natural means, whichever is available. The first major model for communication was introduced by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver for Bell Laboratories in 1949. The original model was designed to mirror the functioning of…
Achieving The Best Training Outcome
At the end of a training session the ultimate question is ‘What is the outcome?’ In fact, prior to the post training assessment and evaluations tests many other factors before and within the training sessions can help define the targeted outcome and can clearly guide the trainer to ensure the best impactful outcome possible. It…
Case Study: Doing Business In The Middle East
Having worked in the Middle East for a short while now, I am very aware that in a number of the GCC countries there are nationality “quotas” to be met by organizations in order for them to continue to operate in said countries. Terms (or initiatives) such as Saudisation, Emiratisation or Omanisation are commonplace when…
Coaching Leaders of the Future
What are the problems that keep CEOs awake at night? According to the World Economic Forum: poverty, climate change, water scarcity, food scarcity, energy volatility, and cyber attacks top the list. These issues are not company centric, but externally focused and global in scale. They are complex, global problems, with no right answer, requiring collaboration,…
How To Innovate Using Design Thinking
Organizations are constantly on the look out for ways to grow and stay ahead of the competition. The ones that succeed will have fostered a culture of innovation where creativity and disruptive thinking can thrive. A recent poll by Bayt.com of over 6,000 professionals in the MENA region revealed that 89% believe creative thinking is…
How To Train Tomorrow’s Leaders
I couldn’t believe my eyes when my 2-year old daughter grabbed the iPad from my hands, flicked through it until she found her favorite game, started playing and when she was done, she switched off the iPad and handed it back to me! The question is, “What is the relation between this and leadership?” I…