Handling effective meetings: The general principles for holding successful and productive meetings are valid for all types of meetings, whether traditional, face-to-face or electronically linked.

Evaluating training: The evaluation of training should be a more thorough approach than completing a "happy sheet".

Preparing presentations: A checklist intended for those who need to give any form of presentation. It covers all the stages of preparing a talk, from accepting the invitation to checking the venue, and gives advice on presentational style.

Business ethics: A code of ethics can provide clear guidance for existing and new employees on what is expected of them, and send a signal to others, such as customers and suppliers, that unethical practices will not be tolerated.

Choosing a second career: Addressed to those who wish to choose a second career and to those who, for a variety of reasons, feel that pursuit or continuation of an earlier career is either impossible or undesirable.

Developing passive people: Handling individuals who are too compliant, too conciliatory or too self-effacing to make a positive impact. The aim is to help managers identify the problem and tackle it.

Leading from the middle: Leadership is often seen as key to improved performance. It is needed at all levels in an organisation - not just the top. Think about situations you have seen and you may recall people who were at the bottom of the hierarchy, or in positions with no formal authority, but were still able to provide a lead for others.

How to manage bullies: Bullying at work damages the health, self-esteem and morale of those who feel they are being bullied and those who see it occurring. Bullying can also have serious effects for employers, possibly through legal cases, but also as a drain on resources that will undermine productivity and performance. If undetected, one bully can increase staff stress levels and resignations, causing associated costs in absenteeism, recruitment, and job training.

How to motivate staff: Some would argue that people are not unmotivated; it’s just that the right motivation triggers have not yet been found. It’s largely a question of identifying what you have not been getting quite right and working on what makes the apparently unmotivated tick.

Organising the induction of new recruits: It makes good, as well as economic sense to help new recruits to integrate as quickly as possible into their new surroundings and to become efficient and effective in their work. Failure to do so can, at the very least, lead to erratic progress, with possible hidden costs such as waste of materials and loss of customers.

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