So you want to increase your personal impact within the workplace but unsure of where to start? There’s no quick fix, however developing new habits will help create firm foundations. Why not take a look at our five top tips to help you get started!

Believe in yourself

It’s important to be confident, if you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else? Remember to get your point across clearly and confidently, to ensure your message is clear and concise.

A simple tip to help you communicate more effectively is the ‘Rule of Three’. This powerful tool, used by the likes of Julius Caesar, Abraham Lincoln and Steve Jobs in their speeches, breaks your message into three clear points, which are easy for listeners to understand and recall.

Remember to set very clear goals. Goals become the centre of your focus, in which you can concentrate your efforts on.

Do you know yourself? Confident people tend to have a very good understanding of their self-awareness. 360 degree feedback sessions are a fantastic way to find out about how you impact on the people you work with. 360 degree feedback is a process in which employees receive confidential, anonymous feedback from the people who work around them.

Assertiveness

Do you have the ability to say ‘No’? If not, you may need to improve on your assertiveness skills. Greater workplace impact requires you to be assertive. Ensure you know the difference between assertive, aggressive, passive and passive aggressive behaviours.

Assertive people have no problem stating what they want and stating it very clearly. Being assertive enables you to provide good feedback to colleagues.

Influencing and persuading

The ability to influence people is a vital skill. It allows you to help people to do better and encourages them to see things from your point of view.

Make sure you demonstrate interest in others. In order to make a good impression, you need to show an active interest in the person you're talking to. Listen to what they are saying and just remember a good listener learns a lot from people.

Address people by name. People are more likely to respond when they hear their name as the use of their name makes a message more personal to them.

Stay relevant

Industries are foreverchanging, so it’s a good idea to keep learning. Stay up-to-date with the latest changes and trends, and don’t be shy to let people know you’re doing your research too.

It also pays to learn new things, develop new skills, and to expand your knowledge.

And remember...

You are your own brand. After all, you have certain values, things that you care about and the way that you work. Your personal brand is how you appear to the world so make it count.

For more helpful tips, please follow @RHThinking!

From 13th January 2017, Roundhouse Thinking’s training will no longer take place at The Johnson Building, Locomotive Way, Derby, Derbyshire, DE24 8ZS.

Instead, all management, compliance and IT training will take place at the Broomfield Hall estate, The Old Hall, Morley, Ilkeston, DE7 6DN.

The relocation comes as a result of Roundhouse Thinking’s phenomenal growth over the past two years, which has seen us deliver training to over 600 organisations.

Farming has been a major feature of the Broomfield Hall estate since the early-20th century, with the creation first of the Derby Farm Institute and then later the renowned agricultural college, founded in 1947.

The Broomfield Hall estate is the perfect venue for training, boasting ample parking, large training rooms and a spacious area to enjoy lunch.

There are a whole host of commercial businesses on Broomfield Hall estate, including a Dog Grooming service, providing a professional service, that strives towards providing learners with the skills required to go out into the grooming industry.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the equestrian centre has experienced considerable growth, now offering full-time part-time horse care and core management, as well as holding competitions and elite training from industry professionals.

Home to the Broomfield campus is also Little Explorers Forest School, a unique 54-place nursery, who have recently been awarded an ‘Outstanding’ accreditation from Ofsted.

Getting to Broomfield is easy - It’s just a ten minute drive from Derby’s City Centre, or a 15 minute bus journey on the H1 or Y1 service. Both buses to Derby City Centre/Broomfield run every 15 minutes throughout the day on Monday to Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sundays.

To follow our journey, follow us on Twitter @RTHhinking or search 'Roundhouse Thinking' on LinkedIn.

As the new year fast approaches, are you prepared for the new challenges that 2017 may hold? As we continue to grow our offering, we introduce new courses which will help you overcome obstacles and allow for increased professional development within an ever developing world. From Building Information Modelling, to Cyber Security Awareness courses tailored to suit the needs of your organisation, we look forward to delivering a wide variety of training courses and exciting leadership programmes in the new year.

Building Information Modelling 

Did you know? By 2016, all centrally procured government construction projects must be delivered using Building Information Modelling, otherwise known as BIM. We offer a 12-hour practical course designed to instruct you on how to draw a 3D model in Revit which will include how to input and output data from the drawing including: schedules, specifications of materials and components, quantities and cost information.

Cyber Security Awareness 

In October 2016, the government introduced their five-year National Cyber Security Strategy which aims to ensure Britain is confident, capable and resilient in a fast-moving digital world. Much of the Britain's prosperity now depends on the ability to secure technology, data and networks from the potential threats we face, that is why we deliver a Cyber Security course, designed specifically to suit the whole workforce.

Manufacturing Skills Partnership

In collaboration with Rolls-Royce, Roundhouse Thinking engaged in The Manufacturing Skills Partnership to develop their supply chain and support apprentices and their peers across the wider Engineering and Manufacturing sector.

• Worked with over 50 organisations
• Supported over 120 Apprentices in the workplace
• Delivered Coaching and Mentoring to over 250 delegates
• Offered a variety of CPD to organisations such as Project Management, Creating a Lean Environment and Finance for Non-Finance Directors

Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner

This 5 day course aims to train delegates on how to fully apply the Prince2 principles to the running and management of projects. The course will take you from beginner level all the way through to a registered Prince2 Practitioner through expert tuition and coaching.
In February 2017, Roundhouse Thinking are going to be delivering a Prince2 Foundation and Practitioner course.

Microsoft Excel Suite

A good knowledge of Microsoft Excel is essential for a number of positions, therefore for 2017 we are introducing a complete suite of Excel courses, including Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. This gives delegates the opportunity to learn Excel through a series of levels with the same tutor, providing both consistency and quality of training. The tutor is then able to understand which level you are working towards and is then able to tailor activities to individual requirements.

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project is designed to assist you in creating, maintaining and tracking your project plans. Learn how to use this software to become more efficient when managing projects. We highly recommend this course to be delivered bespoke to your organisation in order for you to see the full benefits.

To book, register your interest or for further information on any of the courses above, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..