A heatwave hits Velsoft
At the Velsoft head office it doesn’t look like we’re experiencing a heatwave here in Nova Scotia. Cindy and Sandra have shawls draped around their shoulders. I’m sitting at my desk with a blanket across my lap, I’m…
Using icebreakers to enrich training
At Velsoft, each one of our softskills courses begins with an icebreaker. Icebreakers are used as part of training courses for several reasons. They can help introduce workshop participants to each other, they add energy, and at Velsoft,…
Seven Types of Activities to Enhance Your Training
When conducting training, choosing the right activity is really important. Because you may run into groups who have tension about “games” at work, you may want to refer to games as activities. Often used to make dry topics engaging,…
Why your company needs a fall training program
With summer in full swing, the last thing you may want to do right now is think about students heading back to school in the fall. But it’s actually a perfect time to think about the workplace classroom…
The Velsoft Vipers and the Race on the River
I’m trying desperately to put my paddle in the water at the exact same time as Cindy, who is sitting in front of me and setting the pace for our boat. At the same time, I’m trying to…
National Talk in an Elevator Day Icebreaker
National Talk in an Elevator Day is tomorrow, July 27. It's a day designed to encourage people to break the awkward silence that happens between people riding in an elevator. I’m not sure why most people are silent…
GDPR: Getting the Message Out QRG
An important aspect of privacy compliance is communication both internally and externally. Employees need to know that privacy-related policies and procedures exist in your organization, and they need to be instructed on their use. Customers also need to…
Behind-the-Scenes Work for GDPR Effectiveness
So, in your company’s efforts to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, you have updated your privacy policy, and written some new internal procedures around data handling. With all that paperwork done, you must be ready now,…
Happy Space Exploration Day
Today is Space Exploration Day. I thought I’d write about Star Trek and their five years (turned out to be 50 plus years) of space exploration. Kirk, Scotty, Bones, and of course, Spock, Uhura, Checkov, … Gothos, Haven,…
Why we don’t observe Get to Know Your Customers Day
Get to Know Your Customers Day is celebrated each quarter — in January, April, July and October — as a way for businesses to take the time to understand their customers better and make them feel special. Today…
Word Online Quick Reference Guide
Word Online is the cloud-based version of Microsoft’s powerful word processing program. Using Word Online, you can create professional documents of nearly any type. You can also add tables, images, and much more. Best of all, Word Online’s…
Email Marketing and the GDPR: It’s Not All Bad
Though a big win for consumers, the General Data Protection Regulation has become a bit of a downer for many businesses, especially in the domain of email marketing. Gone are the days when a business could simply buy…
Introducing Velsoft’s summer students
Back in May, through Getting to Know Velsoft, we introduced summer student Luke Henderson. Recently, two other students joined the Velsoft team, so we thought we’d get acquainted with them as well. Although they’re sitting on the advertising…
What are learning paths?
As Chief Happiness Officer with Velsoft, my core role is to train each new customer on the use of the znanja Learning Management System. I talk with customers daily about their use of the LMS and help them…
Communicating with Contacts in Skype
This excerpt, Communicating with Contacts in Skype, is from Skype for Business 2016, the latest computer course released by Velsoft Training Materials. In this section, we will talk about communicating with contacts using Skype for Business 2016 using instant messaging.…
7 Advantages of Collaboration for Business
What are the advantages of collaboration? Collaboration in the workplace is not a new concept. However, it is becoming increasingly important as we become more connected around the globe. When you think of organizations, what comes to mind?…
Take Your Webmaster to Lunch Day at Velsoft
Among other things, today is Take Your Webmaster to Lunch Day! Brandon is Velsoft’s webmaster extraordinaire. If you’ve been reading these Weekly Update blogs, you’ll remember that Brandon spent some time as a vegan. This didn’t affect his…
How to Keep Staff Up to Date
Challenges abound in running a business. One of them is how to keep staff up to date. Making sure that your staff has the latest information has a lot of advantages. It shows you’re invested in them and…
Microsoft Skype for Business 2016 QRG
Microsoft Skype for Business 2016 is an instant messaging platform that includes voice calling, video conferencing, and a variety of collaboration features. Velsoft's Skype for Business course will show learners how to communicate with their colleagues in different ways -…
Silos, lack of collaboration cost this company billions
Ever wish you had invented the iPod? The device, which was launched in 2001, revolutionized the way we listen to music with the introduction of portable digital players. And it turned Apple into a household name and into…
Velsoft’s connection to the Tropics
On June 3, Volcan de Fuego erupted in Guatemala, spewing volcanic ash and hot gas over the surrounding area, and creating violent and fast-moving mudflows. About 18 kilometres away where he can see the volcano from his office…
Six things we learned about social media
As part of Velsoft’s marketing strategy, last fall we embarked on a renewed effort to write blogs for our website, and post more offerings on Facebook and Twitter. At first, we were hoping these efforts would boost sales…
Six strategies for making your business a top performer
Today is Micro-, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Day. MSMEs — businesses that employ fewer than 250 people — comprise more than 90 per cent of all businesses worldwide and account for 60 to 70 per cent of total…
Data Privacy Plan Quick Reference Guide
The Data Privacy Plan is the best way an organization can document and enforce the privacy of personal information it holds. A plan puts in place procedures and guidance for how to properly handle data, respond to information…
Velsoft Vipers get set for dragon boat races
Last year, when I worked as a reporter at the local daily newspaper, I went to the East River in New Glasgow to take photos of dragon boats being unloaded from a truck with a crane and placed…
Stressed at work? Try this
An acquaintance of mine is a yoga teacher and when she operated her own studio, several times she encouraged me to come try out the practice. When I told her I couldn’t possibly do yoga because I’m about…
From unjust experience to a teachable moment
My youngest son recently returned from a school trip to Quebec. He had many experiences that created memories he will carry throughout his life. He will undoubtably reflect upon this trip and smile, laugh and remember that one…
Privacy by Design: 7 Important Principles
Many businesses are reactive when it comes to data privacy, which was highlighted with the recent enactment of the General Data Protection Regulation. We see that when a new privacy regulation or law is enacted, many businesses have…
Velsoft Smile Power Day Story
Happy Smile Power Day! It's not Smile Power Day unless you put a smile on someone else’s face too! So I thought I’d ask everyone to create a Velsoft story by filling in the blanks in the story below.…
The 7 Most Important GDPR Principles
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a massive 261-page piece of legislation. It contains 173 regulations and 99 different articles, all outlining proper data privacy practices. With all of this information, it seems like a completely daunting…