Leading from the front

Tuesday 9 June

'Getting Leaders Talking', Redhouse Lane's latest Talk Tuesday session, made quite an impact, as trainer Jeremy Todd brought to life an apt topic for the age.

Jeremy, from experiential learning company Impact factory, led a lively ninety-minute session on leadership, presentation and listening skills – qualities that come at a premium in these times of economic upheaval and job pressures.

An actor and presenter with hundreds of corporate training sessions under his belt, Jeremy focused on practical ways for leaders to open up and listen to people.

From a manager to a chief executive, a good leader needs to relate to employees to get the best out of them. When the attendees were asked to describe leadership, over a dozen attributes such as vision, empathy, congruence, confidence and integrity were thrown up.

Taking up the theme of confidence, Jeremy then used a pack of playing cards to lead the group in an exercise on thinking and acting confident, describing visualization and influencing techniques.

Another exercise focused on listening skills; invitees paired up and used differing levels of eye contact, body language and verbal input to discover the power of listening.

Jeremy also covered the themes of emotional intelligence and motivation, as well as the best ways to discuss issues with senior leaders.

Winding up with a question-and answer session, the event was an emphatic success, with attendees finding it insightful and engaging.

Redhouse Lane's Talk Tuesday sessions will recommence in the autumn. More information will be available on the Redhouse Lane website in due course.