As a new learner with us, we are really excited about supporting you on your career and learning journey. Here’s our top tips so you can prepare for joining us and ensure you have the very best experience:
1. SWOT!
It’s important you recognise what your starting point is with your skills and knowledge base and where there are gaps that need filling.
We encourage you to conduct a Personal SWOT before you join us a learner and then to schedule in a regular SWOT every 2-3 months. You can read more on this here.
2. Be kind to yourself
Know where you are on the learning ladder and acknowledge that every expert was once a beginner. This should alleviate some of the frustration you might feel when you don’t immediately understand a newfound topic or theory.
Be kind to yourself when you start applying your newfound skills and learning too. It’s going to feel a little “clunky” at first and that’s normal! You can read more on this in our article here.
3. Ask away! Be curious – just like a 6-year-old!
Be ready with your questions – ahead of the training, during the training and after your training session.
We want you to get as much out of your learning journey with us as you can, so ask away! No question is a silly question.
Channel your curiosity and read our article “Act your shoe size, not your age” as we encourage you to step into the shoes of your 6 year old self.
4. Take a break
We’ll ensure that we spend no longer than 90 minutes on line with you per session.
Use your break time wisely to refresh your energy for the next session with us. A blast of fresh air, a healthy “mood food” snack and a drink to hydrate, taking a walk or stretching out your body will all help. Move away from that laptop/computer screen to give your eyes a rest too.
And if you’re feeling a bit saturated with your learning, let our Your Excellency trainer know and we’ll schedule an extra break for you and your fellow cohort of learners.
5. Keep notes
For our Essential PA Programme learners, we’ll provide you with a personalised delegate course workbook. We’ll encourage you to print this off and keep handwritten notes. Psychological theory advocates this can optimize your learning experience – you’re thinking about what you’re going to write, you’re actually writing it and you’re then reading it to reinforce what you now know! Plus you’ve now got a handy record of your learning to refer to later too. Remember, we’ll provide you with copies of the PowerPoint slides we use throughout your training session so you’ll have these as a handy resource. And we always include additional reading/weblinks and recommendations for you to complement and supplement your learning experience. We will absolutely advocate continuous professional development.
6. Remove or limit distractions and interruptions
According to research, every time your train of thought is interrupted, it takes 23 minutes and 15 second to get that train of thought back. Shocking hey? Think about what or who is likely to interrupt or distract you throughout your training session with us? Limit or remove these things. Can you book out a separate meeting room/space to remain focused on your learning? Let your household or team members know you’re investing in your development and will be attending training. Unless something is uber-urgent, tell your team you don’t want to be interrupted (quote those shocking stats to them – 23 minutes and 15 seconds!) Turn off your email pop ups and silence your phone.
7. Think Ergonomics!
That’s the posh word for your working environment and how you can optimise it. Think temperature, lighting, workstation set up and head on over to my recent LinkedIn posts here to learn more…
Make sure you’ve got a drink to keep your hydrated throughout the training session. Consider a little pot of mood food snacks. Organise pens (a spare is good in case the ink runs out), paper, a notebook, your personalised delegate course workbook. Ensure you’ve got power on your laptop/computer (plug in!) to avoid running out of power part way through a session!
8. Set your Attitude
“If you believe you can or can’t, either way you are right” said Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor company. You can, and will, have a productive and enjoyable session with us based on your attitude. Have a little word with yourself…
