n this podcast, Justin Smith-Essex, Group MD of ted Learning, speaks to Claire Morton about the benefits of mental health and wellbeing in the new normal and how we need to balance our physical and mental wellbeing.

In this podcast, Justin Smith-Essex, Group MD of ted Learning, speaks to Katherine Mount our Inclusion & Diversity expert trainer on the value of having an inclusive workforce both to the business and the

Everyone keeps talking about the new normal and in this podcast, we are exploring the impact this has had on our emotions, and in particular our emotional intelligence.    Justin Smith-Essex Group, MD of ted Learning, is joined by Brian Dannatt, one of ted's associate trainers and an expert in psychology and emotional intelligence. 

Brian is one of our training team who delivers our Emotional Intelligence, Unconscious Bias and Leadership Training.  He is an organisational and coaching Psychologist. With over 20 years of experience working with people to identify pragmatic solutions for developing potential and effectiveness.  Brian’s focus is on assisting people in building and managing highly effective relationships. His main areas are Leadership & Management & Personal Success and Change.

There is much concern, and quite rightly so, about the potential negative impact of Covid-19 and the lockdown.  In this podcast, we explore those concerns and ask ourselves "Is this also an opportunity to start to connect with what is really important".

Patrick has been part of the ted Learning team since soon after the business was formed. He has worked extensively within transport, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors as well as in hospitality.

His specialities for ted Learning include key behaviour skills such as personal effectiveness, customer service, handling conflict, and leadership and management development. Patrick has been instrumental in delivering many of our ILM Programmes and is a key ambassador in our business for delivering joined up, sustainable learning. He has an ILM Level 5 Excellent Trainer Award 2015 with The University of York.

Patrick has been part of the ted Learning team since soon after the business was formed. He has worked extensively within transport, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors as well as in hospitality.

His specialities for ted Learning include key behaviour skills such as personal effectiveness, customer service, handling conflict, and leadership and management development. Patrick has been instrumental in delivering many of our ILM Programmes and is a key ambassador in our business for delivering joined up, sustainable learning. He has an ILM Level 5 Excellent Trainer Award 2015 with The University of York.

During my time as a Learning and Development Manager with TransPennine Express, one of my responsibilities was to organise the Annual Management Conference which I had done for a couple of years. Each time we would organise a series of activities and speakers throughout the day. Everyone would sit around the cabaret-style tables, sticking with the colleagues who they knew and worked with regularly. As soon as it came to coffee time, delegates would grab a cup of coffee and then go in search of a quiet space so that they could catch up on their emails.

Patrick is the Director of Product & Delivery at ted Learning. Patrick has been part of the ted Learning team since soon after the business was formed. He has worked extensively within transport, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors as well as in the hospitality sectors.

There is nothing worse than the absolute fear that overwhelms some people when they have to stand up and present – sweaty palms, pulse racing, can’t focus, worried they will forget key points.  It’s also no fun being on the receiving end of this quickly realising this will be an uncomfortable presentation and hoping it’s not a long one. 

In this podcast, Katherine Mount provides help and advice for anyone who is going to present any type of information or message to someone else.  Follow the simple steps she describes and we believe you will be on the road to deliver a presentation that engages your audience. 

A survey in the  Daily Mail  in 2018 of over 1,100 decision-makers found that three out of five agreed a woman should have to disclose whether she was pregnant during the recruitment process and almost half thought it was alright to find out if women had young children.

Asking any of these questions would be illegal and a breach of the Equality Act 2010. So why do employers still want to ask this type of question?

As they do in every area of our lives, our emotions can influence the way we act and react in the workplace.

Emotional intelligence is about developing the skills to better understand both our own emotions as well as those around us, and effectively managing how we react to them so that we can be more productive in our work life.   The objective is not to suppress or ignore difficult emotions or feelings but rather learning to handle them intelligently when they arise.

Emotional Intelligence (or EI for short) is what makes the difference between top-performing leaders and the rest. Managers with strong EIs are measurably more successful in recruitment, employee retention, productivity, and customer service.

But EI is not just for Managers and Executives; it is critical for success at any level in your career.  If you want to rise to higher levels of responsibility in your job, having a strong EI is essential.

We are all unique. We all have different experiences with diverse backgrounds and perspectives of the world which means we can respond differently to situations at work. This has an influence on our relationships with those around us. Our diversity of experience and thought is a positive thing, but sometimes it can also lead to misunderstanding and conflict between us.

What we consider to be conflict differs from one person to another. Our perception of a difficult situation can differ from someone else’s. A degree of conflict can even be positive, a bit of healthy competition in achieving goals can be a good thing. Different opinions on a project help us to reach a creative solution.

Managed well, these conflicts correctly we can up with a really positive outcome.