Six Thinking Hats® and Lateral Thinking are two of Dr Edward de Bono’s best-known tools, and people often treat them as alternatives. Combined, they cover both halves of a good decision: generating ideas worth considering and deciding which ones to … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Soft Skills
Stop arguing. Start Parallel Thinking®.
A good argument feels like progress. Voices get raised, points get scored, someone “wins”. It looks like a team that cares. But, Parallel Thinking®, where everyone looks in the same direction at once, usually leads teams to better decisions. Yet … Continue reading
AI can give you lots of ideas. Challenge, develop and pick the right one with Lateral Thinking
Ask most AI tools for a plan, a campaign idea or a solution to a problem, and you’ll get something usable within seconds. It reads well, sounds confident and it may even look finished. And for a lot of teams, … Continue reading
Stop waiting for creative people, build the skill.
Most businesses can tell you exactly who on the team is “creative”. It’s usually the same two or three people with everyone else being quietly opted out. That’s a problem, because demand for creative thinking isn’t holding steady while businesses wait … Continue reading
Question. Challenge. Evaluate. Decide. AI can’t do that.
Ask a business leader whether AI matters right now and you’ll get an answer before you finish the question. Ask them whether their people are equipped to judge what AI actually produces, and the answer comes much more slowly. That … Continue reading
Creative thinking skills training: Why every business needs a creative thinking strategy – not just a skills wishlist
Creative thinking is becoming one of the most important workplace skills for businesses to develop, but many organisations still treat it as an innate ability rather than something employees can learn. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report identifies … Continue reading
The price of hesitation: What an unclear answer costs the Civil Service
Nobody puts “unclear answer to a journalist’s question” or “caseworker couldn’t explain the decision on the phone” on a risk register. But trace the paper trail on enough complaints, escalations and difficult media enquiries, and you’ll often find a verbal question … Continue reading
How Civil Servants can communicate clearly under pressure – the fifteen-second test
Civil servants regularly need to answer questions, explain complex issues and handle challenging conversations with no time to prepare. Learn why thinking on your feet is a critical communication skill and how it can be developed. A press officer picks … Continue reading
When seniority derails a meeting – how to get thinking back on track
A senior colleague raises an objection. The room changes. The idea being explored suddenly feels too risky to discuss. The person who suggested it goes quiet. Others who were about to contribute decide it is safer not to. The meeting … Continue reading
How many bad decisions are hiding in your meetings?
Not every bad decision looks bad when it’s made. Some are nodded through because the meeting is running out of time. Some happen because the most confident person in the room sounds more certain than everyone else. Others are agreed … Continue reading
Why some people never seem to freeze under pressure
The three seconds that decide how you’re remembered Someone asks you a question in a meeting that you didn’t see coming. For a moment, nothing comes out. You fill the silence with “um…”, start talking before you’ve decided what you’re trying … Continue reading
Your team talks too much. You just want them to get to the point.
Ever found yourself thinking, “Just get to the point”? You’re not alone. Whether it’s a colleague updating you on a project, a direct report explaining an issue or a customer describing a problem, three minutes in, you still don’t know … Continue reading
Ineffective meetings are expensive, so is explaining decisions badly.
The problem: this is costing you real money, right now For a 100-employee organisation, unproductive meetings cost an estimated $2.9 million a year. At 5,000 employees, that climbs to roughly $145 million (Business Insider, via Flowtrace’s 2026 meeting data). Zoom … Continue reading
How to think on your feet when you’re put on the spot
The question that empties your head You’re in a meeting. Everything is going fine. Then someone asks a question you didn’t prepare for – a client, a director, a journalist – and for a moment your mind goes completely blank. … Continue reading
Thinking on your feet – how to speak clearly under pressure
You know the moment. You’re presenting to a client. Leading a meeting. Sitting in a boardroom. Everything is going well until someone asks the one question you weren’t expecting. For a split second, your mind goes blank. You know the … Continue reading
Can AI really think creatively and strategically?
There’s a version of the AI conversation that goes like this: AI will automate the routine, freeing humans to focus on the creative and strategic work that really matters. It’s an attractive idea. The problem is that most organisations don’t … Continue reading
Six Thinking Hats®: the meeting method that changes everything
Think about the last difficult decision your team had to make together. How did the meeting go? Did everyone contribute? Did you explore the risks thoroughly, without getting stuck in them? Did someone come up with a genuinely new idea … Continue reading
The human edge: why soft skills are the new competitive advantage
Something interesting is happening in the UK jobs market. At exactly the moment artificial intelligence is automating more tasks than ever before, the demand for distinctly human skills is going through the roof. It sounds like a paradox. It isn’t. … Continue reading
Why the best project managers aren’t the most technical ones
When senior leaders hire project managers, they don’t prioritise technical skills. They rank communication and stakeholder management first, by a wide margin. PMI’s 2025 Pulse of the Profession report surveyed almost 3,000 project professionals and 587 senior leaders. When those … Continue reading
Curiosity, Courage, Creativity, Compassion, Communication: the skills AI can’t do for you
LinkedIn’s CEO just challenged one of the biggest assumptions about work: the skills that matter most aren’t technical. It’s a striking claim from the leader of a platform built on job titles, qualifications and professional credentials – one we think … Continue reading
Creative thinking: your secret weapon for AI adoption
Six in ten FTSE350 employers reckon they need more creative thinkers, yet almost none are training for it. A Universities UK survey found 61% of senior leaders say creative thinkers are essential to getting the most from AI. Another 63% … Continue reading
Communication skills: the hiring gap that won’t close
Communication has been the number one soft-skills gap for a decade – nothing has changed. Employers across the UK continue to struggle to find candidates who can write clearly, speak persuasively and collaborate effectively. While technology evolves, the human ability … Continue reading
Why your best people struggle to communicate under pressure – and what to do about it
Picture this. Your senior manager – smart, experienced and well-regarded – gets asked a direct question by a director in a meeting. Everyone turns to look. And they ramble. They lose their thread. The moment passes, and something shifts in … Continue reading
The curse of expertise: when you finish explaining, they’ve stopped listening
Concise communication in government is not a writing problem. It is a thinking problem. The expert’s instinct There’s a moment that happens in most government meetings. Someone who knows their subject exceptionally well is asked a direct question: “What’s your recommendation?” … Continue reading
Where sales teams are really losing deals
Most sales leaders invest heavily in getting their teams ready to pitch. The presentation is polished. The value proposition is clear. Objection-handling techniques have been practised and refined. Yet deals that looked promising still slip away. If that sounds familiar, … Continue reading
Same thinking, same problems – is your organisation struggling to solve problems?
Many organisational challenges persist because of how the problem is approached, not because of a lack of capability. Most organisations don’t lack intelligence, capability or data. The challenge is that established ways of thinking are often applied to problems that … Continue reading
Change Management starts with good ideas
Change initiatives frequently fail due to unclear thinking, emotional resistance, poor communication and a lack of creative problem-solving. Traditional change models (e.g., Kotter or ADKAR) provide structure, but they don’t always equip individuals with how to think during change. The … Continue reading
The harder the conversation, the harder it is to be clear
When the stakes are high, communication rarely breaks down because someone doesn’t know their stuff. It breaks down because they can’t get what they know out of their head and into words – clearly, quickly, and under pressure. We’ve all … Continue reading
Why do capable claims professionals still find themselves in difficult or escalated conversations?
It’s rarely a knowledge issue. More often than not, it’s a pressure issue. The ability to think clearly, structure responses and stay in control when conversations become challenging. The hidden cost of unclear communication Under pressure, even small communication breakdowns … Continue reading
Too many meetings. Too much conflict. Still going round in circles?
“Fast, complex, collaborative but more time spent debating than deciding”. That’s how one leader described their business to me. And they’re far from alone. Unstructured thinking is frustrating and costly. Time is wasted, good ideas get lost and decisions often … Continue reading
When times are tough, it’s time to tighten your projects
Why every organisation needs a project management survival strategy Uncertainty isn’t new. What is dangerous is being unprepared for it. Across industries, organisations are facing rising costs, stretched teams, shifting priorities and tougher stakeholder expectations. In this environment, even strong … Continue reading
From drift to delivery – the real reason projects miss deadlines
tMost projects don’t fail overnight. They drift, they overrun, they take more time and resources than planned. Deadlines slip. Scope expands. Confidence erodes. By the time a project lands on the ‘at risk’ list, the warning signs have often been … Continue reading
The 6 communication gaps holding back Civil Servants (and how to close them)
Your credibility is tested in an instant – during a meeting, a briefing or an unexpected question. Too often, you walk away wishing you’d been clearer, more concise or simply more confident. Under pressure, these fears manifest as gaps in your … Continue reading
Stop explaining, start influencing: The Civil Servant’s shortcut to clarity
Policy isn’t the challenge; it’s explaining it. When the pressure is on, we often hide behind technical terms, adding more detail just to be safe. This means your main point gets lost, your confidence drops and everything slows down. In … Continue reading
Think on Your Feet®: The Civil Servant’s secret to clear communication
The Clock Plan is a core technique from the Government Campus approved Think on Your Feet®. It’s a simple, memorable tool that helps you organise your thinking in real-time, ensuring you lead with what matters most. This is one of … Continue reading
Mastering the moment: Think on Your Feet® in Government
If you work in government, you’ll know the pressure to perform can strike at any moment – a senior manager’s off-the-cuff question, a Minister’s urgent query or a journalist pressing for answers – all with no time to prepare, no … Continue reading
Think fast. Speak smart.
“I know everything about my product, business and industry”, …but can you explain it clearly when you’re put on the spot? Most of us are experts in what we do. We know our stuff inside out – the data, the goals, … Continue reading
Why project management skills matter for everyone – not just Project Managers
These days, you don’t have to have ‘Project Manager’ in your job title to be running projects. Whether you’re a team lead, analyst, operations manager or anyone else juggling multiple tasks and deadlines, project management skills are essential for getting … Continue reading
When strong voices dominate the room: why HR leaders are turning to Six Thinking Hats®
If you’ve ever sat in on a senior team meeting and thought, “This isn’t a talent issue – it’s a thinking issue,” you’re not alone. HR and L&D leaders across industries are telling us the same thing: their leadership teams … Continue reading
Poor communication costs UK firms £7,000+ per employee – learn how to close the gap
Poor communication is quietly draining money and energy from UK businesses: Clunky meetings and muddled messages cost over £7000 per employee every year. Mitel/Vanson Bourne study, Computer Weekly Royal Mail saved £500,000 in just nine months by rewriting letters in plain English, … Continue reading
The Complete Presenter™: Your shortcut to sales success.
Let’s be honest – your sales team doesn’t lose deals because your product isn’t good enough. They lose them because the message doesn’t land. In sales, how you communicate matters just as much as what you’re selling. Whether it’s pitching … Continue reading
Present with impact. Every room, every audience, every time
We’ve all had those moments when presenting – a big client pitch, a tough client question or a high-stakes update. How you communicate in those situations shapes how others see you – and what comes next in your career. It’s … Continue reading
Navigate crucial conversations with confidence and Think on Your Feet®
We’ve all been there – caught off guard in a meeting, faced with a tricky question or needing to address a sensitive topic with a colleague. These kinds of conversations, where the pressure is on and the stakes are high, … Continue reading
If a tree falls in a forest – the power of speaking up for career advancement
We’ve all heard the philosophical question: If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound? While the debate continues in academic circles, one thing is clear – if you’re doing great work … Continue reading
Think on Your Feet® and storytelling
Storytelling in business is a powerful skill because it makes ideas memorable, persuasive and emotionally engaging. Here’s why it’s such a valuable tool: Captures attention and engages emotionally – people connect with stories more than facts or data alone. A … Continue reading
The best story wins – facts tell, but stories sell
Ever found yourself struggling to get your point across? Realised too late that you’d lost your audience with too much information? You’re not alone. Every day, businesses lose opportunities – not because they lack great ideas or produce poor products, … Continue reading
Take control of your AI-assisted writing
AI is revolutionising how we write. It’s speeding up the drafting process, suggesting alternative phrasing and even correcting grammar. But here’s the catch AI lacks human judgment. It often produces content that’s generic, unfocused or even misleading. Without a strategic … Continue reading
Lateral Thinking: Your secret weapon in the ChatGPT era
I get it. We’re all a bit freaked out by how good AI is getting at doing our jobs. I recently heard that a client generated an entire business plan in under a minute. My first thought? ‘Well, there goes … Continue reading
Enhancing stakeholder engagement with AI-powered training
In today’s dynamic business environment, effectively engaging and managing stakeholders is crucial for success. AI is revolutionising how you can develop these skills, blending technology with expert-led training to provide a cutting-edge learning experience. Our Stakeholder Engagement™ workshop integrates advanced … Continue reading
Structure and communication: the keys to project success
Projects are everywhere. You’re either part of one or managing one, even if you aren’t qualified to do so! In fact, many people have received little to no training in project management, but manage to deliver with structure and clear … Continue reading
