This training [Motivational Interviewing] should be compulsory for all staff, but only if delivered at this high standard.
Mental Health Team leader

Thank you for coming today and providing such a good foundation for our staff. I could see they were very engaged all day and that is exactly what I hoped for. The information was pitched at the right level and I hope you are pleased with feedback.
Commissioner, Clinical Lead Mental Health, London PCT

I found Alasdair an incredibly calm haven to turn to at a time when work was becoming increasingly fraught and stressful. He was a voice of calm, reassurance and common sense – not least because he was completely separated from any other aspect of my professional life. I so looked forward to our sessions and he has given me advice and guidance that I think will serve me the rest of my life. He has given me nuggets that I am sure will help me build my confidence and enable me to be more assertive in the future.
Arts Manager (Coaching)

How often do you hear the expression “I’m no good at names”?

Recently in a training session, I learned twenty six names in just under five minutes. I find this helps enormously when establishing rapport with a group, communicating that each individual matters, rather than being just another group.

These tips work for me and are worth trying out:

I can trace this back to my first week of teaching in a London Comprehensive school. All the student teachers were summoned to the Deputy Head’s office where as part of our induction we were told to learn the name of every child in the school (700) by half-term. I foolishly said “I’m no good at names”. I got a strident response, most of which is unrepeatable

She maintained that we were not in this school to further our own careers, but to be there for the students, each of whom mattered. “At least make the effort – commit to the task, and you may be surprised”. She then gave us some practical tips and off we went. Just before half-term a random quiz on names showed there were gaps, but I was pleasantly surprised at what I had achieved.

Looking back, I now realise I’d had a limiting belief about my own ability to remember names. Hence I made little effort, quickly forgot names and confirmed my belief that I was ‘no good at names’.

I am still certainly not perfect at names, but I do make the effort and have perhaps trained my brain over the years. 

Thank you Eileen Parsons!