As coaches, trainers, writers, therapists, sales-people and leaders it's good to be able to tell powerful stories. 

Stories with metaphors. Stories about real-life events. Stories about magical miracles. Stories that inspire. Stories that make sense. Stories that make us laugh. Stories that make us wonder. Share your stories, cases and anecdotes with others on this brand new LinkedIn group: Powerful NLP Stories!

Or, feel free to browse and comment on other stories...

Another excellent RSA animation! Jeremy Rifkin on the dynamics of empathy.

As an NLP Master Practitioner, I've come the understand the concept of time orientation. American psychologist Philip Zambardo takes this concept towards the future. Beautifully animated.

Since this week, ubeon offers a podcast named "Inspired Interviews". The purpose of this podcast is to offer valuable content on topics like collaboration, systems thinking, corporate social responsibility, etc. to our audience.

A few weeks ago, our Collaboration Expert Erik Lauwers interviewed me as a pracitioner of collaboration on the founding of ubeon, which is a collaborative enterprise. You can download the interview from the podcast section of the ubeon.com web site.

This is just the first part of the total interview, which took about an hour. I trust that Erik will post the other parts online soon…

I'd like to share some of the ideas that came out of a discussion yesterday, when Julian Still and I were discussing the structures that underpin the story of our new book.

To be able to coach is to be able to think in systems. Systemic coaches do not merely work with loose elements and trends; they examine the underlying structures and interdependencies. Understanding these structures and systemic relationships enables you and your coachee to find (and influence) the driving forces for certain behaviour and phenomenon. Approaching the individual as part of a whole system, the systemic coach considers both the individual and the group dynamics.

Most of the time, reality eludes us because reality seems overwhelming (there’s a lot of data to process), dynamic (everything changes all the time) and overly complex (there’s no clear cause or reason for certain phenomenon or behaviour). The brain uses different strategies in order to cope with complexity. It filters (removes data), reduces (chops up) and recognizes patterns from the input. 

The brain then constructs abstract models (maps) for us to be able to process the input more efficiently and act more effectively. 

But the brain doesn’t stop there. It actually will construct a ‘version’ of reality based on the models it holds. Or as neuroscientist Henry Markram explains:

“The brain creates, builds, a version of the universe. And projects this version of the universe, like a bubble, all around us. […] 99 percent of what you see is not what comes in through the eyes. It is what you infer about [reality].”

So where’s the good news? We know that our observation of reality is really limited. And now it’s also distorted, because the brain actually builds its unique ‘version’ of reality? Well, the good news is that, as a coach, we can help people by:

• helping the coachee to build richer models of the world, by pointing out the deletions, distortions and generalisations he or she uses;
• pointing out the sensory input filters;
• making sure that the coachee understands that what he or she always thought was real, is actually their own ‘version’ of reality;
• inviting the coachee to explore other ‘versions’ of reality by associating in different perceptional positions;

PRINCE2 (Projects IN Controlled Environments) is a process-based method for project management. It widely recognised and used in the private and the public sector, both in the Belgium and internationally.

In this two hour introduction, people who are new to PRINCE2 will learn:

• the PRINCE2 Process Model:
• the relationship between processes and components:
• how projects start and how they move from one process to another:
• when, where and by who the important documents are created:
• the role of the Project Manager and Project Board:
• how the project board control the project, and
• how a typical project closes.

The presentation is given by Frank Turley, an independent and certified PRINCE2 practitioner and trainer. He will make sure that you:

• will understand some of the basics about PRINCE2
• will be able relate PRINCE2 to how your work today
• will have the opportunity to ask questions

Date & Location

22nd of June, 18h30 - 20h30
ubeon | business experts
Cederdreef 9
9230 Wetteren

Price & Registration

This is a free workshop!

The Global Compact Network Belgium organizes a new workshop together with Transparency International and KBC on anti-corruption and anti-bribery.

Corruption represents a major challenge to sustainable development and a quest of titanic proportions for poorer communities around the world. It represents also a very costly imposition for business, with the extra financial burden added to the cost of doing business in many parts of the world. The World Banks has stated that “bribery: has become a $1 trillion industry”. Corruption faces business in different industries, taking many devious forms which prove deadly all the same.

Join us and discover what UN Global Compact members are doing about it at this workshop!

Date and venue

June 10th 2010
KBC, Havenlaan 2, 1000 Brussels

Registration

This is a free workshop!
Click here to register online

Here's an unedited excerpt of my phenomenal TED Talk:

"If you look at the science behind it, happiness can only be achieved by connecting with the world. I would like to share my experience with this. You are looking at the health of the United States. We a real choice to make something happen the same way that others have before us. Consider French intellectuals ridiculing these things. And - admittedly - when you look at the middle there was a guy named Howard. I'll give you a glimpse of his wisdom. He told me to look into the mirror might be helpful the same way that it has been before. I then remembered the story of a patient that ended up doing good for the world. I'll give you a couple of examples. You will see this idea stretching everyone's spark the imagination. (Applause.) Thank you very much. I want to use this data in this world. I would like to make you think of it as coffee that you won't like if you look at how it was made."

As I didn't have much time to prepare, I used the TEDpad to generate this talk using the top 10 TED keywords: "Happiness", "You", "Choice", "French", "Middle", "Mirror", "Patient", "Data" and "Coffee", as explained by TEDster Sebastian Wernicke below.

Generate your own phenomenal TED Talk with the TEDpad: www.get-tedpad.com

"What software can help me to perform better?"

It's a question I often receive so here's a list of productivity apps that I use and that have proven to be very useful for independent professionals. I can certainly recommend them all! 

		Address Book (Part of MacOS X) The default contact application on the Mac currently serves all my needs, with the added benefit that it is totally integrated in the Mac operating system, and is thus used by many other applications.
		AddressBook2CSV (Free) This is a helper app for Address Book that makes it easy to export your contact data in Comma-Seperated-Values, which can be imported in many online applications (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) and Excel.
		Address Book Sync (Free) This is a helper app for Address Book that easily syncs your contact data with the data from your friends on Facebook.
		AppFresh (Free Beta) This keeps all your Mac software up-to-date! When you run AppFresh on a regular basis, it will automatically find all the updates for your apps and with a single click, you can download and install all updates!
		AppZapper ($12.95) Uninstalling software on the Mac can be done easily by dragging the app to the Trash. But that doesn't install any of the files and preferences that the application put in your system. AppZapper takes care of that.
		Automator (Part of MacOS X) This is one of the hidden gems in MacOS that can make your life a lot easier! Do you perform regular tasks? Then Automator can help you!
		Chrome (Free)  This slik and speedy browser is a must have if you need to access the web fast and efficiently.
		Default Folder X ($ 34.95) This is an extension to your system and helps you to find your files more efficiently and more effectively.
		Dropbox (Free) This is an online file sharing service that seamlessly integrates with Mac and Windows desktops.
		Excel (Office: $ 149.95) Part of the Microsoft Office suite that is essential for working with data. I recommend using Microsoft Office for easy exchange with your clients and colleages (who will most probably use Microsoft Office on their Windows computers).
		Firefox (Free) Currently one of the most popular browser out there, because of its stability and extensibility.
		Flip4Mac (Free) This is a QuickTime plugin that will open and play Microsoft Windows Media Video files.
		Fusion ($ 79.99) This allows you to run Windows software on your Mac, seamlessly. Windows programs can run a bit slow in Fushion, though.
		Growl (Free) This is a system extension that centralizes all the messages and warnings that applications want to send you. Use it to filter and block unwanted notifications so you don't get distracted!
		iCal (Part of MacOS X) This is the calendar application that changed the way people used calenders. iCal allows you to share calendars with others and seamlessly integrates with Apple Mail and Address Book.
		Intellimerge ($ 99.00)  Do you need to send out lots of personalized e-mails? Then Intellimerge will help you to compose text or html e-mails and send them to your contacts. Integrates with Address Book.
		Keychain (Part of MacOS X) Another valuable utility that comes with the MacOS for free! The keychain holds all your passwords, electronic certificates in one system-wide database. Forgot a password for a particular site? Have a look in your keychain application!
		Mail (Part of MacOS X) The default Mail application that comes with your Mac is a powerful mail client. Set up multiple accounts. Automatically filter unwanted messages. Mail has a very powerful search and integrates seamlessly with iCal and Address Book. Mail manages your mail for you so you don't have to!
		Mindmap (€ 169) There are quite a few mindmapping applications for the Mac, but I found ConceptDraw Mindmap the easiest, most efficient for fast and effective mindmapping.
		OmniGraffle Pro ($ 199)  Probably one of the best apps for the Mac! With OmniGraffle Pro, you have a powerful and intuitive tool for all your drawing, mapping, graphing and charting needs! OmniGraffle creates beautiful graphs!
		PathFinder ($39.95) This replaces the Mac's finder with a versatile, multipane file management tool. I now always use PathFinder to organize my files.
		Picturesque ($29.95) This is the app that turns you into a top graphic designer without the need for designing skills. Easily add drop shadows, reflections, borders to your images before you post them on the web!
		Plaxo (Free) This is an online services that keeps your contact data up-to-date. Plaxo integrates with iCal and Address Book to share back-up your data online!
		Powerpoint (Office: $ 149.95) This is probably the best version of Powerpoint that Microsoft has produced so far! I recommend using Microsoft Office for easy exchange with your clients and colleages (who will most probably use Microsoft Office on their Windows computers).
		Preview (Part of MacOS X) Another app that comes free with MacOS X. Preview is actually a very powerful swiss-army-knife app to open, preview and the convert most popular image file formats (PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, PSD, …).
		Skype (Free) With Skype, you can chat and talk with anyone in the world for free. The Mac version of Skype allows you to share your desktop.
		SpamSieve ($30.00) Do you get a lot of unwanted mail? Then SpamSieve is your way out of the junk! SpamSieve learns which messages are good and which are spam. After a few thousand messages, Spam is something from the past! Integrates with all popular mail clients.
		Tags ($29.00) Online tagging has become a very popular, pragmatic method to add meta-information on the web. So why don't we tag our data instead of trying to decide in which folder to put it? I still have to test this out, but it looks promising!
		TextWrangler (Free) This is a powerful and free app for working with all kinds of text documents.
		Things ($49.95) This little app puts the Getting Things Done methodology at your fingertips. Intuitive and non-intrusive. Integrates with Mail and iCal. Uses tagging. Helps you to put your mind at ease.
		Time Machine (Part of MacOS X) Before Time Machine, backing-up was expensive and often forgotten. Time Machine comes free with your Mac! Lost data is something from the past! I use Time Machine with Apple's Time Capsule for automatic wireless backup.
		VLC (Free) Not really a productivity app. Unless you're spending hours to figure out which movie player you need for that movie you've received from your colleague. VLC is a video swiss-army-knife. Having VLC and Flip4Mac, you can open and play every video file on your Mac!
		Word (Office: $ 149.95) Without question the most widely used word processor. I recommend using Microsoft Office for easy exchange with your clients and colleages (who will most probably use Microsoft Office on their Windows computers).
		Xtorrent Pro ($ 20.00) There are many filesharing clients available. I found Xtorrent to be one the most intuitive, stable and useable torrent apps currently available. Xtorrent allows me to find the content I'm looking for easily. It has an excellent download manager.

With a small investment you can be up and running! Many apps are free and you can try most software before you buy them! So go right ahead and achieve more faster and with less effort!