What I want for Velsoft Christmas
Happy Velsoft Christmas! As is our annual tradition, I thought this week I’d find out what each Velsoftian wants most for Christmas. My list includes a column of items they each asked for, as well as things they…
Promoting a Marketing Webinar QRG
Webinars are an affordable and effective tool for connecting with your staff, customers and your online community. As someone who already has the skills to create webinars — from the structure and content to how to use webinar…
The gift of giving
As a result of the efforts of Velsoft’s Chief Happiness Officer Michael and his friends, 31 children will have a better Christmas this year. Michael and his friend Jay Perrier have organized Rappin’ Gifts annually for five years, and…
What is a Webinar? Why Use Webinars?
Webinars are now a common and effective tool being used by thousands and thousands of companies and people, across all industries. They are being used for everything from training to customer service, and education to marketing. Webinars are…
Stop missing out on webinar marketing benefits
Have you ever thought about using a webinar as part of your marketing strategy? If you haven’t, here’s why it’s a good idea. Webinars can help drive sales, through new prospects, lead conversion, and the development of a…
Getting to Know the designers at Velsoft
This Weekly Update takes a look at the people responsible for making our products and communication look so good —our design department. Dylan Langille Dylan is Velsoft’s multimedia developer, which means that he does graphic design – creating…
For me, successfully managing change starts with supper
Like most of us, my family is busy. It includes two parents working full-time, running a household and volunteering in various capacities, and two teenage students involved in a myriad of extra-curricular activities from music lessons to team…
Productivity resources – just a click away!
As our world gets faster, productivity becomes more important. Most of us are being asked to do more in less time, and with fewer resources. But that presents another challenge: who has the time to learn how to…
Viola Desmond’s fight for justice and civil rights
Earlier this week, Canada began circulating a new $10 bill. But what does this have to do with Velsoft? Other than the fact that Velsoftians like to earn and spend money, the new bank note features a portrait…
Leadership Insights: Good Boss versus Bad Boss
Bad bosses. Almost everyone has had at least one in their working career. You do not want to be the bad boss in your work environment, the one who causes good employees to cringe when you enter the…
The Benefits of Staff Training
A friend of mine bought a brand new bass amp recently and returned it not that long ago for replacement. There’s an interesting story behind that. The third time he used it, the amp started emitting enough smoke,…
Do you practice tolerance?
Tolerance, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is the willingness to accept behavior and beliefs that are different from your own, although you might not agree with or approve of them. Today is the International Day for Tolerance, introduced…
Rappin’ Gifts for Christmas Daddies
When Michael Harding started out to raise funds for children in need, he didn’t know his family had once benefitted from the same spirit of giving. The Chief Happiness Officer at Velsoft Training Materials is one of the…
From Boss to Leader Quick Reference Guide
Bad bosses. Almost everyone has had at least one in their working career. You do not want to be the bad boss in your work environment, the one who causes good employees to cringe when you enter the…
Remembering the sacrifices
Over my years as a student I’ve learned a lot about the world wars and the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who fought for our country. Each year we learn what it means to wear a poppy and…
Getting Started with PowerPoint Online
PowerPoint Online is the cloud-based version of Microsoft’s powerful word processing program. Using PowerPoint Online, you can create professional presentations of nearly any type. You can also add videos, pictures, and much more. Best of all, PowerPoint Online’s…
How to become a good leader when you’re a bad boss
I once had a boss who occasionally terrified me. He left passive aggressive notes on our desks and when he got angry -- he cursed, yelled, kicked the garbage can and threw things. Believe it or not, he…
If I could turn back time
In 1989, Cher famously sang "If I could turn back time..." and this weekend we can! Because the clocks fall back on Saturday at head office due to Daylight Saving Time coming to an end for this year,…
The Birth of Instant eLearning Technology
Welcome back, folks! This edition of Favorite Features will open your mind to a new reality, which until a few years ago, was considered impossible — instant eLearning. To understand how instant eLearning conversion came to be, it’s…
Emotional intelligence equals more success at work
Whether you’re a sales rep, a designer, a programmer, a manager, or even a writer, I think we all want to be the best at what we do here at Velsoft. Something that can help with that is…
A Quick Look at HTML Basics
The HTML computer programming language is an invaluable tool in creating and editing webpages. A basic knowledge of HTML will allow you to assemble the basic components of a webpage, and organize them exactly the way you want.…
How Training Improves Productivity
A friend of mine once told me a story about his days as a sports reporter: “I looked through the viewfinder at the four impatient women staring at me. I asked again for their indulgence while I silently…
Cannabis use: What you need to know
On Wednesday recreational cannabis use became legal here in Canada. What does that mean for Velsoft employees at HQ in Nova Scotia and for team members who visit from our other offices? Here’s what you need to know:…
Cannabis awareness: Preparing workplaces
How much do you know about cannabis and its legalization? In Canada, the use of recreational cannabis is now legal. Even if you’ve been following the news and think you have a fairly good idea of what this…
Cannabis and Your Body
Cannabis and Your Body is an excerpt from Velsoft’s softskills course: Cannabis and the Workplace. Cannabis is one of the most commonly used mind-altering substances in the world. The laws on growing, selling, possessing and consuming cannabis vary greatly…
Three ways to increase accessibility in your eLearning
As trainers, we sometimes take for granted that our students are able to experience a course setting in the same way that we ourselves can. The reality now is that many of the students we teach will come…
Train Your Brain with interactions
Today, Oct. 12, is National Train Your Brain Day. This is a day created to encourage people to exercise their brains through skills such as reading, word puzzles, number games, brain teasers, trivia games, riddles, and word games. The…
Introduction HTML and CSS Coding QRG
Today’s digital marketplace enables companies to use a variety of methods to better connect with their customers, most notably through the use of websites. A well-designed website provides customers with easily accessible information about the company, details on…
World Teachers Day — Celebrating the Adult Educators of Velsoft
My desire to teach at college was solidified when I had my first teaching job -- a Grade 7 class of students who had all failed at least one year of schooling. (Yes, I'm old enough to have…
Why having a well-designed website doesn’t matter
There’s a pet store down the street from my office. I went there once. I will never go back. When I walked into the store, no one was there to greet me. The store didn’t seem to be…