This is just a great video with really great animation for Dan Pink’s talk on Motivation. I loved it.

Lisa our new Centre Administrator is working towards her NVQ Level 3 in Management, so we’ve been thinking a lot about management ‘motivation’. How do you motivate your team?

So we took a quick peek at our customers here at Burraton.

Well, some really know about motivation. They are the lovely bunch from Lyreco, the stationery people. They have team meetings here. Dull meetings they are definitely not. Talk about buzz, energy and high spirits.

They are launching a new promo for their clients. Spend £200 and get the chance to win a trip to New York.  Not bad….

So what did they do at their team meeting?

They all turned up in full ‘Yee Ha’ kit – complete with waistcoats, Stetsons and cowboy boots, check shirts, string ties and American flags. They then had their meeting to the sound of Alicia Keys singing ‘New York, New York.’ Great atmosphere.  Laughing and singing. The only thing they didn’t do is line dance. How good is that for motivation?

Caroline, their manager, is upbeat.

“OK, it’s a competitive market but we have a lot of fun and positive motivation by putting our customers first. Lyreco’s products and promotions and our ‘Yours tomorrow or yours free’  make a great customer offer. A motivated and happy team do the rest.”

We made the Lyreco team a special ‘American’ themed lunch which included Jumbo Hot Dogs, American style pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, (yes – they ate the lot!), hot chocolate brownies and a baked American Cheesecake.

“We look forward to our team meetings at Burraton House. Great service and fantastic food,” says Caroline.

Thank you Caroline!

Our baked American Cheesecake might have something to do with it. The recipe for happiness is below:

500 gm Philadelphia Cream Cheese

100 gm caster sugar

Juice and rind of 1 lemon

3 tbs double cream

3 eggs whipped until frothy

12 crushed McVities Digestive biscuits

100 gm melted butter

Make a base with the crushed biscuits and melted butter. Press well into 9 inch tin.

Thoroughly mix the remaining ingredients until very smooth. Pour in tin and bake at 170 for 1 hour 15 mins.

Enjoy.

At Burraton House (left to right): trainers David Murdock, Nicky Donnelly, Julia Macmillan and Stephen Higgins.

A wide range of new one-day business courses are launched this autumn at the Burraton House Business Centre, Poundbury.

Presentation, leadership, HR and customer service are among the subjects covered in Essential Short Courses running at Burraton House in September, October and November.

Stephanie Murdock, director at Burraton House, said: “All companies have regular staff training needs, and in current business conditions they need the training to be provided cost-effectively and locally.

“A number of very experienced and highly-qualified trainers already use Burraton House, and have joined us to create a series of one-day courses that are professionally delivered in a dedicated training environment.

“These are very focused and intensive courses focused on the needs of busy professionals and small business owners.”

At Burraton House (left to right): trainers David Murdock, Nicky Donnelly, Julia Macmillan and Stephen Higgins.

Management and HR trainer Nicky Donnelly said: “At a time when many companies are cutting back on training budgets, this is an ideal opportunity to continue investing in staff. For individuals, it is a chance to continue to develop skills and business knowledge.”

The first course, Essential Change Management, is on September 22, followed by Essential PR for Small Business on September 29.

Other courses include Customer Service, Social Networking, Team Leadership and Time Management.

For people who may be considering a career change or new options, there are one-day courses in presentation skills, job application and self-promotion.

More information can be obtained from Burraton House on 01305 251070 or info {at} burratonhouse.co(.)uk

David Murdock, MPR Media