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Be Assertive - A trainer's insight

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:35:15 +0000

JCI Cambridge's January 'Be Assertive' workshop trainer Garin Rouch, explains further about what was covered during the session.

In the session we looked at what assertiveness is, what stops people from being assertive and a structure for tackling the often difficult task of saying 'no'!

In a nutshell, assertiveness is being able to express your opinions and feelings, but in a way that also respects the rights of others. Assertiveness isn't about being aggressive or always getting your own way. It is about standing up for yourself constructively. It's not about winning, but about being able to walk away feeling that you have successfully and clearly put across what it is you wanted to say.

Asserting yourself means:

You can say 'Yes' when you mean 'Yes' and 'No' when you mean 'No'
You can communicate to others what you are feeling clearly and calmly
You do not let fear of conflict stop you from speaking
You feel good about yourself
You feel entitled to be who you are and to express what you feel

Being assertive has many benefits; others have more respect for you, you don't allow yourself to be mistreated, you benefit from healthier relationships and you have the confidence to make decisions and have a voice.

So if being assertive is the most effective and positive way to behave and communicate, why do we sometimes find it so difficult and end up behaving in ineffective negative ways?

We are heavily influenced by our flight or fight response, originating in prehistoric times. Thousands of years ago, human's response to dangers such as wild animals or opposing tribes was either to run away or attack the danger.

Today, our society is a lot more complex meaning we can't respond to danger in the same way. For example, if our boss threatens us with the sack we can't respond by jumping over the desk and attacking them with a spear (no matter how tempting it may be!).Alternatively, we can't just run out of the building back to our home!

Our modern non-assertive responses are:

Aggressive: Being arrogant, forceful or determined to get your own way.
Passive: Deferring your own needs and wishes in favour of others' needs and wants.
Passive-aggressive: indirect and manipulative communication and behaviour

In some situations you may feel capable of being assertive. But in other circumstances you may find it difficult to express yourself honestly and clearly. We asked JCI members to self-assess themselves and recognise their levels of assertiveness in 2 different contexts; at work and with friends. A lot of people were surprised with the results and took time to reflect on the reasons why they found it more difficult to be assertive in one area of their life compared to another.

There are a number of reasons why you may find it challenging to be assertive in different situations. These include your beliefs, your upbringing, relationships and levels of confidence. Your ability to assertive will also be influenced by other peoples' behaviour.

For example, with high unemployment and redundancy levels, a feeling of job insecurity means it can be difficult to assert our needs at work. We can find it difficult to say 'no' to a senior person making an unreasonable request even if it forces us into working longer hours or neglecting our own work.

As a final exercise, JCI members were given a structure for saying 'no'. In our experience as consultants to leading organisations, we found employees feel a lot of anxiety about the consequences of saying 'no'. People often don't say anything at all, agree to things they'd rather not or get landed with work that isn't theirs.

So, JCI members made a pledge to each other that they would say 'no' to a particular person or situation before the next session on the 21st February. So when you go to the next session, make sure you ask JCI members who they said 'no' to and what happened!

This is the third time Outstand has delivered to JCI Cambridge and we always enjoy delivering sessions to JCI because of the lively debate and participation. The range of questions and the personal experiences many of you shared were really insightful and made for an extremely enjoyable evening.

If you would like to learn more about being more assertive in the workplace you can contact us today on 01223 911 811 or email us at garinrouch@outstand.org

To find out what Stuart Young, one of JCI Cambridge's members thought of Garin's 'Be Assertive' workshop then read his latest blog.

Be Assertive - January 2012 business workshop

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:04:35 +0000

JCI Cambridge's Committee Member, Stuart Young gives a round up of the latest business workshop - Be Assertive!!

Wow - another engaging and worthwhile presentation for JCI Cambridge and I was impressed. Delivered by Garin Rouch of Outstand he brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with us all about being assertive to make the most of opportunities.

The evening started with the normal networking and although this can be a scary prospect for some people, I must admit that everyone at JCI was really friendly creating a welcoming atmosphere.

After a bit of networking, snacking and drinking we took our seats. People tended to stay within the groups that they had been networking in however I managed to get a seat at the back in order to observe the engagement of the audience.....

Just as we got comfy, we had the first group exercise!

Our mission (should we choose to accept it), was to line up in groups of about 7 facing each other, balancing a garden cane on both of our index fingers, and lower it to the ground whilst ensuring that we all maintain contact.

Easy, I hear you say - I think not - just try it!

After the group exercise, the workshop which lasted about an hour taught attendees what is meant be assertiveness and the skills required to find business solutions in a manner that doesn't violate other people's rights or cause undue anxiety. The session helped members' develop techniques that will assist them to find solutions to business problems without putting people down, or having to back down yourself.

Afterwards, some people stayed behind and others left - the option is completely yours. All I would say is that compared to my other options for the evening, I know I chose wisely. I met a bunch of people with similar interests, I learned how to say no effectively, and had a really interesting and enjoyable night.

With restricted resources and a higher demand for additional work, isn't it about time that you were more assertive?

Well done to JCI Cambridge and look forward to the next workshop.

To find out more about what was covered at the 'Be Assertive' workshop, then read Garin Rouch's latest blog.

For more of JCI Cambridge's upcoming events visit our Events Diary.

Blood donations welcome - 6th March

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:56:00 +0000

JCI Cambridge is supporting the blood donor service in 2012 and you can join us by just giving up a little of your time to donate some of your blood!

Blood is something we all expect to be there for us when we need it, but surprisingly only 4% of us give blood. Many people would not be alive today if it wasn't for the generosity of blood donors.

The NHS needs 7000 units of donated blood daily
One donation is broken down into three live saving products
Donations are used to replace blood loss after accidents, childbirth or surgery and to treat people with blood disorders and those undergoing cancer treatment
Most people are eligible to give blood, you just need to be aged 17 to 65 (for a first time donor), weigh over 7 stone 12 (50kgs) and be in generally good health

So why not book your appointment today for this upcoming session with the mini Bloodmobile visiting Mott McDonald in Cambridge?

Date: Tuesday 6th March

Time: Between 9.45am to 12.35pm & 2.25 - 4.55pm

Where: Situated in the Car Park, Demeter House, Station Road

Contact: BY APPOINTMENT ONLY – Please call the NBS on 0300 123 23 23 quoting postcode CB1 2RS

Can I give blood?

Most people can give blood, but you should not donate if:

You have a chesty cough, sore throat, cold sore or you are at the beginning of a cold
You are taking antibiotics
You are pregnant, or have had a baby in the last 6 months
You have had complicated work on your teeth or an extraction in the last 7 days; had a filling, scale or polish in the last 24hrs
You have received blood, or think you may have received blood, since 1^st January 1980
You are currently awaiting results for any tests undertaken by your healthcare provider.

In the last four months you have:

Had a tattoo, skin piercing or semi-permanent make up
Had acupuncture, unless this was done by the NHS or you have the appropriate certificate of accreditation

In the last six months you have:

Visited a malarial area

You can visit the blood service website www.blood.co.uk for general information or details of other sessions in the area.

Inspiration Day 2012

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:06:24 +0000

JCI Cambridge Vice President Lisa Bredahl Thomsen, writes about JCI Inspiration Day held in Birmingham at the end of January.

JCI Cambridge had 7 delegates who went to Birmingham to attend INSPIRATION DAY 2012.

The big inspiration for 2012 started with an introduction by our National President 2012 - Solveig Malvig. We then had an introduction of Marketing, personal development, and international opportunities coming up in the first half of 2012.

Richard Tong and Emma Eastwood then had three minutes each to talk about why we should select them to be the Deputy President 2012 and President 2013. This was a really good way to get to know more about where they want to take JCI UK in 2013.

An important part of JCI is community projects such as "World Clean Up - 13 May 2012. The hours we all contribute to the community can now be logged and we get awarded for the hours we give back.

A mentoring training opportunity is available for JCI members at - getmentoring.org. Here we can attend training, or get a trainer to come to our local Chapters before the end of March. This compliments JCI Cambridge's mentoring of Anglia Ruskin's University students.

The key note speaker of the day was Noam Kostucki, who made some great points how to "Turn Passion into Actions". Mr. Kostucki made us aware about how important it is to talk about what we didn't achieve last year, and what we learned from it. Did we really want it in the first place?

It's important to think about the next step, how can we take the next step?

Mr. Kostucki also spoke about how important it is to not only to put words on your visions, but to actually be able to draw pictures of your visions. This will make your visions more clear, and touchable. Another point about your visions is to share them with others, not just your plan on how to get there.

It's always important to remember to get feedback, and to get both negative feedback and positive feedback. So, know your friends, who will give you unbiased criticism of your ideas to help you gain clarity.

After lunch we have a short introduction to JCI Active Citizen Framework, which is to help the local Chapters to understand the local community, identify areas where we can help in either big or small ways.

Our big task of the day was to go out in our teams and raise awareness of JCI in Birmingham, especially regarding the re-launch of JCI Birmingham on the 9 February 2012. This was approached in different ways by each team, Many people in Birmingham saw JCI logos and talked with current members of JCI about the work of the organisation. We were very pleased that we did a fantastic job of making JCI more visible in Birmingham.

JCI Cambridge finished the day by passing over a gift to Jen Little, our past president 2009-2011, to thank her for her amazing work restarting JCI Cambridge and building it from just two members to a thriving Chamber of around 60 members in two years!

Close the Sale!

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:24:24 +0000

Marcus Evans, November's JCI Cambridge speaker, tells us how the workshop went and give us spme tips on how to close a sale:

It was a wet and windy night on the 8^th of November and the JCI were having an event to hand over presidency. There were flowers and awards and the old president stepped down in style.

Then it was a case of on to the workshop. I was taking a short training class on sales. I work as managing director of an office relocation company, but also run an I.T company that helps people with their systems and computer hardware, with no company to small. The most enjoyable part of my job is sales training which allows me to talk to people one on one, or as a group and teach them about the art of sales. If anyone is interested in this just drop me an email to Marcus.evans@nutbourne.com

Over prepared I had four topics to go through but in this case we only went through one. This is to the credit of the JCI as they asked a number of questions and had a higher level of engagement to normal audiences. We went through a number of ways to deal with objections and then split into groups of three to see how these worked in practice, with one person playing the client another the prospect and the third observing. The pitch was to sell Coca Cola to a restaurant. I chose this as everyone is familiar with Pepsi and Cokes rivalry and also it's an easy concrete product to deal with. A service based product would have been much harder to deal with.

After five minutes we broke and then one by one the observers reported back what had gone well, what badly, and how the pitch had gone. By and large the feedback was positive, and each group used different objection handling techniques to deal with the questions that arose. As with all groups it was mixed as to what jobs people did and how experienced at sales they were but it was gratifying to hear the techniques and was also a great bonus to see so many good budding sales people there, especially as I had picked the groups at random.

The techniques themselves are relatively simple with each being a logical response to an objection. Some work by using the objection as a method to close, (Conditional Closing) whilst others allow for a slow moving in on the client by building credibility and overcoming specific difficulties (LAARC).

After this we went through a round of questions before I started onto the second round of objection handling. Before I knew it an hour had passed and we were nearing the end of the talk. People asked more questions as we went and I rounded off with a very brief chat about telesales. Below this blog I have included the more lengthy chat about objection handling and if anyone who was there or anyone who missed it wants to contact me or ask me anything further please let me know.

Objection-handling techniques and methods

Boomerang: Bouncing back what they give you

LAARC: Listen, Acknowledge, Assess, Respond, Confirm

Reprioritize: So ones you can't handle are lower

Renaming: Change the words to change the meaning

Objection Chunking: Taking a higher or lower viewpoint

Writing: Write down objections then cross them off as you handle them

Conditional Close: Make closure a condition for resolving their objection

Humour: Respond with humour rather than frustration

LAIR: Listen, Acknowledge, Identify objection, Reverse it

Pre-empting: Handle them before they happen.

Pushback: Object to their objection

Reframing: Change their cognitive frame

Deflection: Avoid responding to objection, just letting it pass

Feel, felt, found: A classic way of moving them

Justification: Say how reasonable the objection is.

Don't attempt to answer an objection until you are certain you know you have identified the true objection. E.g. 'It's too expensive' could mean:

Costing more than I thought

Outside my budget

More than I can authorise

I'm not convinced of the value

I don't need the product

Four don'ts

Pouncing: Don't pounce, let them talk

Glibness: Don't be glib, you'll sound like you have eaten the sales manual and appear slippery

Don't argue: If you argue you become the enemy

Don't point score: Bluntly proving them wrong will make them unhappy

JCI Cambridge goes speed networking!

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:22:24 +0000

As a change to the usual workshop style business events JCI Cambridge are famous for, this month we decided to mix things up a little!

Speed networking. It's like speed dating. Fast, fun and frantic!

We are extremely grateful to the highly energised and incredibly organised Sarah Butler-Ford for organising and running the event. Using a chart that I can only describe as looking like some sort of explanation on aerodynamics, speed dating is more than just a stop watch and some chairs. People have to be numbered, some people move seats, others stay put. Using a mathematical formula that is beyond the comprehension of us simple folk, Sarah ensured that every single person in the room got their chance to pitch to every other person for 60 seconds.

That's no mean feat!

A fantastic turn out of 25 attendees ensured a mix of all professions and personalities. From graphic designers, to tax accountants, event organisers and fruit sellers, we all got the chance to chat.

Thank you once again to Sarah Butler Ford for all your hard work. Sarah ensured JCI Cambridge had a fantastic evening, creating an amazing buzz and ensuring everyone made many new, valuable connections!

Do something amazing and become a blood or platelet donor!

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:01:44 +0000

You can do something amazing and become a blood or platelet donor!

Blood is something we all expect to be there for us when we need it, yet only 4% of us give blood. Many people would not be alive today if it wasn't for the generosity of our donors. The NHS needs 7000 units of donated blood daily and one donation is broken down into three live saving products. These donations are used to replace blood loss after accidents, childbirth or surgery and to treat people with blood disorders and those undergoing cancer treatment. To be eligible to give blood you need to be aged 17 to 65 (for a first time donor), weigh over 7 stone 12 (50kgs) and be in generally good health.

There is always an urgent need for whole blood but you may not be aware that there is always the same need for platelets as well - every bit as urgent. Most platelet donations are given to patients who are unable to make enough platelets in their bone marrow. For example, patients with leukemia or other cancers may have too few platelets as the result of their disease or treatment. Platelet donation takes place in a special clinic on the Addenbrookes site (there is free parking for donors) and we ask our Platelet donors to give at least 10 times a year. You need to give a small sample to see if your platelet count is high enough and if it is, and you can make the extra commitment, we will welcome you as a platelet donor.

The need for both whole blood and platelet donors is a great one so if you are interested please visit www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23 to find more information or to find a local blood donor session.

Eversheds hosts Social Media workshop - BOOK NOW!

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:58:27 +0000

Get the Inside Track on... the rise of online social media.

"To what extent can we discipline employees for comments they make on Facebook?"

"How can we best use sites like LinkedIn and Twitter to boost our online profile and recruitment reach?"

"Can we control or monitor the way in which our employees use social media sites, especially if there is a risk of employee bullying or harm to our business's reputation?"

The rapid rise of social media has added an exciting but often bewildering dimension to business activities. Although there has been a broadening of opportunities for businesses who use their online presence effectively, this has been accompanied by a variety of new and unfamiliar challenges for HR professionals. These challenges include issues of privacy, online misconduct and liability and implementing effective social media policies.

If you are interested in these issues, then Eversheds' first Inside Track event is for you. We are hosting a roundtable discussion on Wednesday 12 October 2011 to address the ever-increasing use of social media and the employment law implications of this trend. The discussion will be held in the private Wine Shop section of d'Arry's Cookhouse restaurant in Central Cambridge and will be the first in a series of roundtable discussions on topical employment law issues that are affecting HR professionals today.

About Inside Track

The series is aimed primarily at more junior HR professionals who are starting out in their careers and who would like to get up to speed with important issues, whilst gaining the opportunity to network with their peers from other organisations in a relaxed environment.

We aim to achieve a lively and informal atmosphere, where attendees feel confident in debating issues and sharing their experiences over great food and wine. Each roundtable discussion will therefore be limited to a maximum of 15 to 20 attendees, including both HR professionals and Eversheds solicitors specialising in employment law.

The programme will be as follows:

18:15 Arrival and drinks

19:00 Dinner and discussion

21:00 Close

The event is free to attend. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis and this event is already proving very popular.

We still have a couple of spaces left so, if you or one of your colleagues would like to attend, please email Frances Butler at francesbutler@eversheds.com to reserve a space.

JCI European Academy 2011 – Was the TIME of my LIFE!

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:54:17 +0000

JCI Cambridge committee member, Lisa Bredahl Thomsen, recently attended the JCI European Academy in Sweden. She explains what the Academy is, why she enjoyed it so much and why you should go next year:

One of the best decisions I have made in my life was to go to the JCI European Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden this summer.

You are probably wondering how I can say it was one of the the best decisions of my life? Well, you experience intense training at the JCI European Academy. You learn that every single minute is about you and your choices.

You will learn new things about yourself and the people you work with. By being able to understand people, what motivated the and why they do things the way they do, you will know how to motivate and inspire them.

At the JCI Academy you also have the opportunity to use your own leadership skills and styles in a "safe" environment, with great feedback and support from your team-mates. This focusses you on your ability to do a great job; not focus on yourself but concentrate on getting the very best from the person you are dealing with.

Besides developing your own skills, you also get to experience all your team-mates leadership styles, and understand the importance in being able to adapt different styles. You will understand the team's development process, its strengths and weaknesses, in order to get the most out of the team.

In the Academy you also strengthen relationships with colleagues across JCI Europe. You meet around 100 inspiring people from Chapters all over Europe. These include future JCI leaders on a local, national and international level.

The skills learnt at the academy can be used in many scenarios; at JCI, at work, and on a personal level. It will equip you with the skills to develop great opportunities for the future.

It's YOUR choice to make the best out of YOUR life!

Are you in the right job? Well, JCI Cambridge members found out...

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 22:48:37 +0000

One of our guest speakers this year has been Sharon Ferguson from Thomas International. Sharon presented a workshop to help JCI Cambridge members decide if they were in the correct job, or not!

The workshop consisted of behavioural questionnaires identifying their personality traits and Sharon provided individual feedback to all attendees. Sharon explains what the tests are and how the workshop with JCI Cambridge went:

Formerly a Personnel and Training Manager with a large Blue chip company, my passion has always been in developing people to be the best they can be.

After several years in a variety of H.R. positions, I wanted a new challenge and moved into a Regional Sales Managers Position for Sainsbury's Bank. Finding I had a natural flair and ability to develop people to achieve excellent sales results I realized that I had been stifling my natural talents and amending my behaviour to be successful in my previous career. But, it was much easier to achieve results in a role, which aligned my preferred behaviour and strengths.

I joined Thomas International in 2009 as a Business Consultant covering East Anglia with responsibility for developing a portfolio of clients across, Cambridge, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Thomas International helps clients recruit, retain, develop and manage their people. We'll give you insight into your staff - what motivates them, their core strengths and limitations, and their potential. And we'll add a high level of certainty to all your people-related decisions.

Thomas is different because our assessments are straightforward to understand and quick to use, with rapid results.

I tell people their PPA (Personal Profile Analysis) is the most important piece of information they have ever received. It is like holding up a mirror it really helps people to understand their behaviour and how others perceive them. By improving self-awareness PPA gives individuals the opportunity to make choices about their behaviour.

PPA gives an accurate overview of an individual's work behavioural preferences and describes it in terms of four opposing factors:

D = Dominance, I = Influence, S = Steadiness, and C = Compliance.

It assesses an individual's behaviour in the work environment and can answer questions such as: what are their strengths and limitations? Are they self-starters? How do they communicate? What motivates them? Providing a valuable insight into what careers might be suitable choices.

Once aware of the DISC profile this can be used in a personal capacity to identify characteristics and aid personal communication.

As a high I Influence my preferred approach to Sales is via networking, this is where I met Jo Evans from Emerald Frog Marketing, committee member for JCI Cambridge. Jo asked me to undertake a presentation to members to increase awareness of their personality types and strengths and limitations.

The presentation evening was extremely enjoyable proving to be a very interactive workshop, with lots of positive energy and questions from the members.

For more information on Thomas International visit: www.thomasinternational.net

Book now for JCI Presenter Course

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:46:03 +0000

Looking to enhance your skills as a presenter? JCI London are running their much acclaimed JCI Presenter course!

Then JCI Presenter is for you!

This one-day course on Saturday 17 September will equip you with all the tools you need to develop and deliver an effective presentation, using visual aids and competent delivery, while keeping in mind the needs of your audience. You can use it as a one-off presentation skills course or as the first step to becoming an accredited JCI Trainer.

Why do JCI Presenter?

People who have strong presentation skills are promoted faster, paid more and are generally more successful than those who are less proficient. Learning to present yourself and your ideas effectively can improve your negotiation skills and also lead to stronger interpersonal relationships.

JCI Presenter forms the first rung of a structured global programme designed by JCI to equip members with all the skills you need to deliver first-class training in the workplace or outside.

Read more about JCI Presenter on JCI London's blog

Price

JCI members - £35
Non-members - £90

Places are strictly limited and advance booking is required. Price includes training, lunch and materials.

Trainers

The head trainer for this course will be Lina Derkeshli, a JCI Trainer since 2007 and Certified National Trainer since 2009. Lina was an active member of the JCI Syria National Board for several years before her move to London.

Lina will be assisted by Simon Bucknall, JCI London Business Director and Deputy President. Simon is a professional speaker who runs his own consultancy called The Art of Connection. He won the JCI European Public Speaking Competition in 2008.

September's JCI Cambridge Events

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:30:03 +0000

Our next event is on September 13th. Lorraine Warne will be talking about "Making the most of your networking" and Katie Morris from Anglia Ruskin University will be explaining the University's mentoring scheme:

Make The Most Of Your Networking

I went to a great networking event Last Friday (9^th Aug). It was the Chamber's annual Riverboat Georgina Networking lunch, which combined a relaxing river cruise with the prefect opportunity to build relationships with existing and new prospective business contacts. The atmosphere was very proactive and I just felt that this was going to be a great opportunity for me to meet new people. There was a great buzz around the inside of the boat, people talking about their work and other areas of their life. It was also good to view the beautiful areas of Cambridge I wouldn't normally be able to see.

I was chatting away to someone on the boat and after a short period of time, the person I was talking to, asked if we had spoken before, as she felt she knew me. This was the first time we had met and what she was experiencing was a feeling of rapport. Rapport is when two people or a group of people feel comfortable with each other - this is extremely important when networking successfully.

We all actually do rapport naturally. Have you ever seen two people in a bar, or at a networking event talking to each other and you instinctively know they are getting on well with each other, even though you can't hear what they are talking about. This kind of rapport normally takes quite a while for the connection to build up. We normally build rapport by asking questions to find out the things we have in common. This all takes a great deal of time. So it's important in business to build rapport quickly and easily rather than through questioning. Would you like to know how to do that yourself easily and effortlessly?

This is where I come in. I will be giving a workshop on how we can indeed build up rapport within seconds rather than taking 15 to 20 minutes through questioning. Sounds good eh? It will be really good fun too and after a quick discussion around the theory, there will be lots of activities to practice and link the activity to the theory.

So I hope you can come to the JCI workshop in Cambridge on the 13^th September for a mind gym experience, in the context of business. This is my specialty and I love sharing this knowledge with people, so that they can get the results they want and get success.

I also have a NLP taster workshop on the 7^th October, on how to motivate and get success within business. As a special offer to all JCI members, if you book on the night of the workshop, or before, you will receive a 40% discount. For more information please click on:

http://www.advancecoachingconsultants.co.uk/events.html

Here's to a great kick-start after the summer break and to a fun, informative, proactive workshop. See you there!

Katie Morris - Employability/Careers Adviser at Anglia Ruskin University.

I have been running the Employer Mentoring Scheme in Cambridge since 2004. Mentoring is increasingly recognised as an important skill to develop within today's business enterprises. The scheme gives people in our business community the chance to gain some direct Mentoring experience, at no cost, within a closely managed timescale - and, in the process, to give something really valuable to a graduate preparing to enter the workplace themselves.

The scheme is designed to match up students from the Anglia Ruskin University (in their second year) with people in relevant jobs who can help them gain an understanding of their work environment, its culture, its expectations, its demands and even its frustrations. This is where you come in!

Could you help an Anglia Ruskin student get a realistic picture of the workplace, the opportunities - and obstacles - they're likely to face?

Find out more from Katie Morris at the next JCI training session on 13 September 2011

Venue:	Eversheds, Kett House, Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2JY
Date:	13th Sep, 2011
Time:	6:30pm
Price:	Free for members and first timers, £15 all others

For directions to the venue click here

A word from The President!

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:23:50 +0000

Jen Little, JCI Cambridge President, looks back on the year so far and the Chamber's future plans.

JCI Cambridge has had an amazing year so far! Having only been re-established for a year we have gone from strength to strength; having new members join each month, a strong committee of enthusiastic and very capable young professionals, a vibrant business and networking programme of events each month coupled with the opportunities of the wider JCI UK programme.

It is difficult to pinpoint one experience of life within JCI Cambridge this year. In our first training session of 2011 business guru Philip Morley explained ""Why it pays to be clear - communication with clarity". Philips' session covered the commercial advantage of clarity and how dangerous it is when clients, customers, colleagues and investors get the wrong end of the stick.

February saw the amazing Marcus Orlovsky give a talk on "Packed up...how to be in the right place, at the right time" - a truly inspirational speaker! I was amazed at the power and strength of conviction of the conversations in the pub after this event! We have also covered topics such as "Massively Improve Your Results : The Secret of Success", "Time Management", "Personality Profiling in the Workplace", "Emotional Intelligence" and "Negotiation Skills".

We also hold our social networking events once a month and have had a full house on most months - so much so we have had to find a new venue!

We held our inaugural Business Skills day in April and were the hosts of the President and Deputies day. We had a great night out with both JCI UK members and visitors where we were able to showcase our beautiful city.

We also had a very enjoyable JCI Cambridge summer party which included punting, cocktail making and dancing.

In August we held a Wine Tasting in Conjunction with Cambridge Wine which was very successful with over 30 people attending.

We also hold special interest groups to give LinkedIn training and shortly will be including Twitter to this highly informative scheme.

I have thoroughly enjoyed attending both the JCI Presenter and Trainer courses - a must for anyone and being a trainer at the JCI UK Marketing Academy was great fun. We are also extremely proud that one of our committee members attended the European academy.

We have built some strong business relationships and have corporate partners in place who sponsor our events - a big thank you to Eversheds, Emerald Frog Marketing, WKH, Pure Resourcing Solutions, Works In Print, Cambridge Wine and Oxbridge Tours.

JCI Cambridge go Wine Tasting!

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:27:17 +0000

In a change from the usual workshops and seminars, JCI Cambridge's August event was Wine Tasting. Over 30 people attending to learn the art of wine tasting and feast upon cheese and biscuits afterwards. Our man on the scene, cheese (and now wine) connoisseur, Works In Print Director Patrick McCrae gives us the low-down on how the evening went:

In keeping with our JCI Cambridge goal to provide business-based personal development-focussed training events we invited Buying Director, Lyndsey from Cambridge Wines to run this months' session.

Pour, examine, swirl, sniff, taste... spit. Well, let's be honest, no one spat their wine out. Gallant neighbours of designated drivers took blousey, deep purple, fruity, high minty noted bullets while we all sat around and dredged our memory for adjectives.

She was not there to tell us about the 3500 wines she personally tastes and buys for their now 8+ shops around the UK, her seven years as the incumbent, nor indeed to tell us about staff management (she is recruiting, by the way) but to tell us how to taste wine!

"What does it look like?" , "What does it smell like?" asked Lyndsey. Of course our hilarious responses to glass one, the veritable (and the best) [insert name]: "tastes of wine", soon depreciated into people shouting out Oak! TCP! Metallic things! Or my personal favourite Cotton wool! My neighbour (and designated driver bullet-taker) noted that he had just not smelled enough things in his life to fully take part.

As the evening progressed and we evolved from "Buy One Get One Free" wine drinking troglodytes it seemed our focus may have waned. Much how Come Dine With Me can make a man superbly hungry, so Lyndsey's descriptions of edible accompaniments to the fine wines made everything grumble. Evidenced by President Jen and Membership Director Nick's hurried arrangement of our cheese selection, as we worked out that bottle five of six would probably sit well with rare steak.

We had six wines in total, plucked from Cambridge Wine's '(affordable) bring this to a party and people will love you range' and I know a few people will soon be feeling the love.In short, if you weren't there, you missed out. Superb night. People stayed right until the end when we were possibly overstaying Eversheds' generous hospitality. Luckily for some hangers-on not all the wine was finished so some (unnamed) parties could be seen exiting with half-empty bottles!

Apparently JCI Cambridge does it again!

LinkedIn: Setting up a good profile

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:40:10 +0000

Are you making the most of your LinkedIn account? Jo Evans from Emerald Frog Marketing explains how you can make the most of your online networking.

LinkedIn is one of the most powerful business tools on the web. And it's free! By using LinkedIn for just a few minutes daily you will become more searchable on the internet, increase your business connections and promote your brand online.

LinkedIn has really taken off in recent months and, used properly, can increase your leads and contacts.

Here are our top tips to maximise your LinkedIn profile:

Ensure that you have set a good personal profile. This will be the first thing people read so is worth spending a bit of time over.

Summarise your key skills and experience in the "Summary" section and select keywords that will be picked up in searches

Make sure you include a sensible photograph!

When adding your web address, select "other" so that the address itself appears on your profile

Contact some former colleagues/customers and ask them to write you a recommendation

If someone you wish to connect with has a blue number "2″ after their name, it means that they are already connected to one of your contacts - so have a look at your shared connections. You can ask your contact to "introduce" you to that person, which is much better etiquette than sending them a request out of the blue.

If you do not want other people seeing who you are connected to, then go to "Settings" then "Connections browse" and turn off the public view. This is especially important if you have confidentiality sensitive customers.

If you do not wish to know whose profile you have been looking at, go to "Settings" and then "Profile Views" and go invisible!

Make a point of updating your status everyday so you appear in people's newsfeeds. Don't forget, this is not Facebook - so keep it professional. Perhaps, where you are going or the project you are working on that day.

You can also set up a company profile so people can keep track of your news and blogs

Now you have your LinkedIn profile set up, make sure you promote it! Add a "widget" to your website, connect with those you meet at networking events and search for events in your area.

Oh, and most importantly, make sure that you join the JCI Cambridge LinkedIn group and contribute to discussions. It's a great way to network with members of the group online and see details of forthcoming events.

JCI Cambridge's President (and resident LinkedIn expert!) will soon be running a special interest group on LinkedIn for members...watch this space!

Punts, Pimms and Partying - The JCI Cambridge Summer Party

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:39:07 +0000

July 2nd was the JCI Cambridge Summer Party. If you didn't go, you missed out!

Patrick McCrae, JCI Cambridge Committee Member and Director of Works in Print gives us the low down on how the day progressed.

Meeting at Corpus Christi clock probably wasn't the best idea of the evening, but it certainly set a precedent for loud, expensive, shiny things.

A quick stroll down to the punts and we were on it. No, literally, we were. Five O'clock means JCI Cambridge Pimm's a go-go. Delighting in the information gleaned from our punter. We now all know about the Night Crawler's Santa Hats, why Queens' College is so name and all about Prince Charles and his bodyguards.

Not long after disembarking the punt Jen, the JCI President, me, the VP, and Lisa the ascending, were seated in hierarchical order in the Cambridge Union. A brief history of the place was given, famous speakers listed off, but we were all keen to get on and make some cocktails. Of course it really went downhill from here.

Gin Martini

Something that tasted like cake

And Mojito.

All brilliant and all made by us. Wasn't long until we'd left the allocated room and found ourselves moving garden furniture outside to make our own little JCI cocktail bench. Lovely.

Not wanting to miss our reservation at Cambridge's fine Crowne Plaza we trotted off and sat down to a salubrious three course meal. Melon, Pork and then something delicious. It was getting quite late by the time we'd all finished discussing the finer points of the JCI Creed, so we decided it was probably time to head over to Lololola, Cambridge's newest (and frankly best) club.

VIP entry of course (they even took my sunglasses into the cloakroom). Well, up the stairs we went into the main room where cocktails were served in carved our Easter Island heads. It had a real Tiki feel. Basically amazing.

Of course the rest of the evening is really a blur, because it went with such speed. Snippets: excellent service, Tiki Beats, massive sound system failure, JCI committee all getting down and grinding, broken glass, high-end free BBQ on the terrace, more dancing, cigarettes, more dancing, the return of my sunglasses! Various chance meetings for some members of our party....! Macdonald's. Taxi. Sleeping in the car. Bed. Is everyone still alive? Yes. Brilliant.

Another wonderful party hosted, presented, funded and recounted by JCI Cambridge.

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership - June's event with Kevin Bullock

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:30:00 +0000

On 14th June, Kevin Bullock addressed JCI Cambridge in a talk about Outstanding Leadership.

Kevin believes that our effectiveness as professionals is not so much based on technical competences as personal effectiveness.

The key skills/attributes that make outstanding professionals and leaders are; Emotional Intelligence, effective communication and high expectations.

According to Kevin's research, the worst part about being a leader is working with adults who will not change. He believes that it is almost impossible to change people as they don't often see life the way it is - they see it the way they are...at a particular moment. He states that what is needed to truly change a person, is not so much a persuasive argument as a perspective prodder.....it's changing perceptions, not circumstances that moves a person forward!

Kevin has recently and very successfully rolled out a popular and innovative new project called Excellence Through Employees which a High Impact/Simple Strategy programme that can transform any organisation. It is based on the latest research focusing on the skills/attributes of outstanding leaders and organisations. It also reflects best practice in organisational leadership

The programme supports an organisation in refocusing (realigning its energies) on its core purpose

It identifies how every employee/volunteer can have a high impact on the core purpose
Helps identify key deflectors from core purpose
Supports the organisation in distinguishing between activity and accomplishment whilst ensuring the wealth of excellence in the organisation is re-channelled towards key outcomes/goals.

"All too often I would witness very hard working schools and companies wasting time and energy focusing on irrelevant or low impact strategies peripheral to the organisation's core purpose. I truly believe that effort and energy without a core purpose is like speed without direction!"

Kevin's innovative and refreshing approaches to leadership and communication coupled with his wide experience in both the educational and commercial sectors have resulted in continuing success in his role both as a consultant, speaker and head teacher. Kevin maintains that it is not his ability so much as his approach that has led to this success.

For more information on Excellence Through Employees or Leadership Courses, please contact Sue Ling on 01638 720296 or visit our website www.kbconcepts.co.uk .

NLP and happiness in business

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:25:52 +0000

Lorraine Warne from Advance Coaching Consultants (and September's JCI Cambridge speaker) explains what NLP is and what it means for business:

When I was young I would scribble away at making up stories and dreaming of being one of the characters in the 'Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe'. Now I can combine my daydreaming in writing with one of my big passions in life which is part of my work called Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) Yup I know it's a really weird name and John Grinder and Richard Bandler the founders of NLP are the first to admit that back in the 70's when they were completing their research at University they were not the sharpest marketers in the land.

I personally love NLP (loved it that much I am now qualified to train 7 day personal development and communication skill courses using NLP tools and techniques) because it gives you the results that you want. The tools and techniques can allow you to decrease frustration, anger, guilt and increase things that are useful to you such as motivation, confidence and self-belief, so that you can be happy. Since I began my own training - many moons ago now - I have changed and evolved and now have a great social, health and work balance, just as you can have too. In fact we all can. How cool would that be?

The JCI Cambridge workshop presented by Kevin Bullock (brilliant by the way for those of you that couldn't make it) explained what makes a good leader. He said the 3 key areas of effective leadership are; communication, emotional intelligence and high expectations. In the 7 day workshop all these areas are covered and then practiced. It really brought it home to me how special NLP was. It embodies these three things and when you work in your own context and needs, it really comes alive when you begin to apply it to your own situation. He also said about changing habits that don't work for you... Yes I thought - because in NLP that's what we work on. We can change habits that don't work for you to habits that do... I wanted to shout out 'Yes!' and stopped myself just in time - didn't want to get thrown out or banned ;-)

It's all linked with happiness. I was lucky enough last week to be working with one of the top Leadership Coaches at the Institute of Directors at the Pall Mall building in London last week. Ooohhh by the way it's a beautiful building and has a fantastic bar in the basement. Not that I get excited going there because of the bar of course... hehe. Anyway, Peter was telling me about how important it is to find happiness first and then success will happen naturally. There is a professor at Harvard University; Tal Ben-Shahar. He runs the most popular course at Harvard - a positive psychology course for businessmen/women on how to be happy in business - always over-subscribed. The book is called "HAPPIER" . Let me know what you think of it if you get chance to read it.

I'm off to the Glasto Festival on the 23rd^th June. I'm so excited and can't wait to see all those amazing bands there. So this weekend I'll be buying lots of wet wipes , and searching for me ol' rain coat and wellies ... just in case. Well must go and tara for now. Have a fun and positive rest of the month.

Networking for the shy: A guide.

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:36:22 +0000

Are you new to networking? Or does the thought of networking with a room full of strangers instantly make you panic? JCI offers a great introduction to the art of networking and will help you gain confidence and new business contacts. So, how do you go about networking if the very thought of it makes you shudder?

In this blog post Jo Evans from Emerald Frog Marketing (and JCI Cambridge Committee member) gives a few tips on networking for the shy:

"It's not what you know, it's WHO you know". Otherwise known as "networking". It's a very effective form of marketing your business.

Now, networking might come naturally to you, but according to the Shyness Research Institute (yes, really!) at Indiana University, approximately 40% of people describe themselves as shy. This can mean that the prospect of "networking" is one that brings many business owners out in a cold sweat.

So how do you master the art of the "schmooz" and maximise your chances of seizing an opportunity through networking?

Here are our top tips for the shy:

1. Start close to home. If you are shy, a bit of a hermit even, there are probably friends and family that you have not caught up with for a while. Dust off your address book, go through the numbers in your phone and make contact to see how they are. Drop a friend an email, arrange to go out for a drink or invite them round for a cup of coffee and practise your small talk. Practising socialising with people with whom you have lost contact to warm up your skills for when you have to meet strangers.

2. Get a gregarious friend. I used to have a friend called Lara who was a brilliant networker. At parties, whether they were hers or not, she would manage to get everyone in the room talking with each other. She would ask lots of questions then, at a relevant point in the conversation, introduce another person in the room- then discreetly slip away when the new connection was firmly established and moved onto the next wall flower. A Lara is a great person to know. She takes away your nerves and does the introducing for you. Obviously you can't drag your Lara everywhere, but watch how they do it and learn their skills.

3. Ask questions and listen. Talk to your new contact by asking them questions about what they do. Most people love talking about themselves and this keeps the heat off you! Ask lots of "open questions" that begin with a who, how, when, where or why. A question that results in a yes/no answer will be as painful as pulling teeth. If you are at an event ask others what they thought of the speaker/programme/show.

4. Watch your body language. Smile, don't slouch, make eye contact with people, don't fold your arms or talk too fast. If you don't know what to do with your hands carry a pen!

5. Don't scoff all the buffet. It may be tempting at an event to simply avoid people and make a beeline for the buffet. While everyone else is networking you have troughed your way through four platefuls of sausage rolls instead. Not a good start.

6. Be realistic. Talking with two or three people in a room is better than not talking with anyone at all.

7. Watch out for self effacing comments. Don't put yourself down/belittle your job or achievements/apologise all the time.

8. Be a greeter. If your company is holding an event and you have been drafted in to help, offer to be the person on the front desk. Hand out the name badges, say hello to people, tell them where the bar is. You will get to know who everyone is and soon people will approach you for a chat. Or join the JCI Committee and get stuck in. We'll happily give you a role to help you engage with others!

9. Go online. Networking doesn't always mean face-to-face (although this is the most effective way). Get networking via Facebook and LinkedIn. Join online groups and discussions to get your name about.

10. Get over your fear of rejection. You won't be interesting to all people, nor will your product or service be of use to all you meet, so don't worry if the conversation doesn't go anywhere or you never hear from your new contact again. Do drop them an email to follow up after the meeting, but don't take it personally if they don't respond! The beauty of networking is that your business card may get passed to a contact of a contact, so you never know what opportunities are open to you further down the line!

So take a deep breath, relax and enjoy!

June 14th JCI Seminar - Emotional Intelligence, Kevin Bullock

Thu, 26 May 2011 14:55:11 +0000

Networking group JCI Cambridge are hosting a seminar on emotional intelligence for businesses. The workshop will teach young professionals how to communicate and lead others effectively by relating on an emotional level. Learn how to understand and empathise with customers and colleagues on a deeper level to increase sales and improve your leadership

Kevin Bullock is one of the country's leading headteachers, gaining the rare accolade of achieving a hat trick of outstanding Ofsted reports for his school. Ofsted have described him as an inspirational/outstanding leader who is innovative, skilful, resourceful and radiates passion.

Kevin has advised the Department for Education, Cabinet Office and a variety of ministers at the House of Commons. His recent research focusing on the most effective leaders in both education and industry leads him to believe that his own, and the success of others, is down to emotional intelligence as opposed to brain related intelligence.

The evening will begin at 6.30pm at Eversheds on June 14th at Kett House, Station Rd, Cambridge with light refreshments and will provide a great opportunity to network with others.

To book your place, please email info@jcicambridge.com