Entries by Matt Wright

,

Five tips for successful networking groups

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

People, events, traditions  – everything comes and goes at some point, very few things remain unchanged over time.

The same is true of networking groups. Anecdotally, attendance for most groups has yet to get back to pre-COVID levels and a number have met their demise. However, those groups that have managed to adapt have survived, and some have even thrived.

One such networking group (a not-for-profit one) of which I’m a member of is in danger of fading from existence, so at a recent meeting, we sought the advice of an experienced networker who had set up and run a number of groups himself over the years. read more read more

December 12, 2023 /0 Comments/by
,

BLT: Planning – Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face

Tell that to Liz Truss, who received more than just a bloody nose, stepping down after just 45 days as PM with her long-term economic plans in tatters. So, if events moved that quickly for somebody at the very heart of power, what is the point of multi-year planning for everybody else?

BLT topic for discussion: Three-year plans – do you have one? Should you have one?

 Thoughts from around the BLT table

• Our company ditched its five-year strategic plan post-COVID – there was no point in having one.
• Should 2023 be treated as the new Year 0, with political uncertainty, BREXIT, and rampant inflation already baked into the system?
• Alternatively, should 2023 instead be treated not as Year 0, but as a reset?
• Focus on the controllables – use SWOT analysis to identify your core
• Alternatively/in conjunction, use PEST analysis to try to understand the effect of the macro environment on your business read more read more

October 20, 2022 /0 Comments/by
,

Coaching the coaches: what are your three biggest blogging fears?

Weblog: “Blog: a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.”

-Source: OED

Coaching the coaches

On Monday 15 November I was invited to present to an online audience of coaches by Helen Isacke of the Trusted Coach Directory. The topic was ‘blogging’, so I put together a Powerpoint presentation and off we went.

I must admit though, I’m feeling slightly more nervous than normal when it comes to writing this blog, knowing that it will be scrutinised in considerable detail by the above-mentioned audience…so I’d better be on-point! read more

November 17, 2021 /1 Comment/by
,

Phobias: where they come from (linguistically)

Phobias

“Phobia: an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something”

The form -phobia comes from Greek phóbos, meaning “fear” or “panic”, although phobias are more acute than fears. They develop when a person has an exaggerated or unrealistic sense of danger about a situation or object.

Simple phobias usually stem from a stressful event in childhood (e.g. claustrophobia), whereas complex phobias (e.g. agoraphobia) are more difficult to pin down, being driven by a number of different factors. However, no matter what the phobia, the body perceives the ‘threat’ as real, causing the release of adrenalin and the attendant symptoms of sweating, trembling and shortness of breath. read more read more

October 11, 2021 /0 Comments/by