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The purpose of this paper is to consider how effective training can address the issue of long‐winded and impenetrable business writing.

The paper reviews the key elements of the award‐winning Writing Dynamics approach and how it is being applied at The City of Edinburgh Council to improve the service this Council provides to its community.

Professional writers in particular are found to spend far more time in planning and editing than one might expect and there are some extremely practical techniques that can speed up and improve the writing process.

With people in business being bombarded by ever‐increasing amounts of information it has never been so important for people to get their message across clearly and persuasively. The conclusion that this article draws is that here is a method that is both extremely practical and beneficial for writers and readers alike.

This paper will be of particular value to training managers who want to know how a writing course can impact on their organisation's written communication as well as evidence of it having done so. It will also be of real interest to managers, marketeers and all staff who want to improve both the quality and speed of any business writing that is core to their work.

To investigate practical methods of generating creative thinking in business. Includes De Bono's Six Thinking Hats approach.

To articulate issues and challenges, highlight some of the key techniques and how they work. Also to provide case study evidence to demonstrate measurable benefits of the techniques.

When creative thinking is applied it breaks through fixed thinking patterns but creativity also needs nurturing.

Simple techniques can generate new perspectives for people management and problem solving.

Stimulates management thinking.

The purpose of this paper is to suggest that when it comes to information overload, executives need to be more proactive in their approach.

A three state approach to overload is considered in the paper which is underpinned by continuous assessment on the part of the manager or reader. Within each of these states there are a set of tools outlined which help with this assessment.

The paper finds that assessment and evaluation are critical for anyone who needs to manage information overload at work.

The new approach to managing information overload in this paper offers executives a practical solution to major work problems.

There is something appealing about the idea of mentoring as a form of management development. In the fiercely competitive business world, the notion that a “wise or trusted advisor or guide” (to use the Collins English Dictionary definition) will be assigned to help young people who are breaking their free enterprise teeth, is attractive. Mentoring has become established, of course, for the highly pragmatic reason that organizations will gain some benefit from lessons learned by their emerging talents.

To provide a concise briefing on the most topical issues and relevant implications from the top 400 management publications in the world.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the argument in context.

In “Take TIME for effective learning”, Albrecht puts forward a theory that the best training should contain four specific elements – theory, instruction, modeling and experience. Albrecht explains the reasoning behind his claims for each of the four elements, and shows how they can be effective. The TIME model is said to be adaptable in line with the level of knowledge of the trainees and their learning styles. The article finishes by illustrating how the benefits of training can be transferred to the workplace, and then providing examples of how to use the TIME model in practice. Heather Johnson's article describes how Lucent Technologies has increased participation in training by 400 percent in 18 months. She argues that Lucent's success is a result of linking training with a particular business objective. Johnson also draws attention to the mistake Lucent made in switching to mostly Web‐based training, and how the company has recognized and rectified this bad move. Finally, the article affirms that this training program has been successful, with increased profits and attained targets. “Sales training bags the results for Cleanaway” describes a new sales training initiative that helped Cleanaway significantly boost profits. In 2002, high new targets meant the focus of the company and the attitudes of the sales team had to be redeveloped. Landale explains how external training specialists STC were hired to develop and deliver a tailor‐made training program that responded to the firm's objectives. The article argues that STC's work was successful because it was supported by one‐to‐one executive coaching for managers as well as motivation and confidence classes for the whole sales team. Cleanaway has achieved more than double the previous number of sales visits, and big increases in written contracts.

Provides implementable strategies and practical thinking that has influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

A new sales training initiative has helped waste management company, Cleanaway UK, to boost its profits significantly. The focus of the company has been to generate more business in higher margin sectors and underpinning this initiative has been the requirement for the sales team to take a new approach to planning and prospecting. Training delivered by STC has helped to motivate the sales team as well as teaching them how to maintain a regular pipeline of new prospects. Additionally STC has helped participants to develop key skills in the areas of managing their territory and their relationships. One to one executive coaching has run alongside the training to provide support and skills tuition to Cleanaway's sales managers. The results for the company have been stunning with sales consultants more than doubling the number of visits they are making to clients and achieving substantial increases in written contracts.

If you are in the business of selling, the question you have to ask is how to add value. At Finning UK, the distributors for Caterpillar, training delivered by STC has been designed to help the sales team develop a range of skills and techniques that enable them to get closer than ever to their customers. This included ways to develop the customer conversation so that you build trust and qualify the sale. So what impact has this had on the business? According to the company’s figures, Finning’s market share of retail orders rose from 6.7 per cent to 10.0 per cent following the training and not surprisingly that’s a result with which they are delighted. So what did the STC training deliver that proved so successful?

The purpose of this paper is to look at how an integrated program of formal learning, coaching, business mentoring and project work is delivering results for a television solutions company, NDS.

Presents the comments of Philippa Davidson, human resources (HR) director at NDS, and Peter Ferrigno, NDS vice‐president of communications and HR, plus the viewpoint of R&A training consultancy, which has sought to develop a program that inspires people and ensures real performance improvement.

Describes the key elements of the program as: four training modules spread over six to eight months, to awaken participants to their leadership potential and provide creative training around teaming, negotiation, decision‐making and leadership coaching; executive one‐to‐one coaching input for every participant between the modules, to help them to address issues particular to their development or working circumstances; mentoring for every participant from senior managers selected from outside their own area of activity; and a work‐based project as an integral part of the program which has to be presented to the participants' mentors and senior managers on the final module. Argues that the dovetailing of the one‐to‐one coaching and project work with the formal learning is critical.

Demonstrates that organizations that wish to awaken management talent should not rely solely on training: it is the wraparound activities of mentoring, coaching and project delivery that ensure the learning is transferred into the workplace.

Provides a useful case study of a modular leadership‐development program that has delivered improved results.

Ratcheting up the pressure on staff never works for long, but soft‐soaping employees does not get results either. So how can organizations help overloaded staff to improve their performance? At the Common Services Agency (CSA), the body that plays an active role in NHS Scotland by providing support and advice for Scotland’s health and patient care, they believe they have found the answer – mental agility.