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…
Why fake news is so dangerous
I remember reading a newspaper story years ago about a car getting swallowed up by a giant pothole in the community where I lived. Along with the story was a photo of a small car in the crater-like…
Pulling for Change: Velsoft plays tug-of-war with fire truck
How does it feel to pull a 20,000-pound fire truck? For employees of Velsoft, it feels fantastic, surprising, and exciting. Last weekend, Team Velsoft – made up of eight staff members, one spouse and one friend – participated…
Identifying and Combatting Fake News QRG
Building and maintaining trust is essential to attracting and retaining customers. What the public sees and hears about you is crucial to building that trust. That is why the emergence of fake news is so unsettling to businesses…
Happy World Dream Day!
A while ago, I was listening to the radio on my way to work and they were talking about dreams. According to the radio announcer, the top three types of dreams are: falling, being chased, and being at…
Recognizing the contributions of business women
One of the reasons Jennifer Hatt enjoys being a business owner is also one of things that frightens her a bit. “It’s that dual-edged joy of charting your own course with the responsibility of, well, if this doesn’t…
No robots here: Velsoft’s Text-to-Speech technology
Welcome back to another edition of CHO’s Favorite LMS Feature! To reintroduce myself, I’m the Chief Happiness Officer with Velsoft. I focus my time on new customer training and prospect demonstrations related to the znanja learning management system.…
Getting Started with Microsoft Excel Online
Excel Online is the cloud-based version of Microsoft’s spreadsheet program. It offers many tools for managing numerical data, as well as the ability to add charts, shapes, and much more. Best of all, Excel Online’s interface is intuitive…
What is a Growth Hacker and Growth Hacking?
The term growth hacker was created by Sean Ellis in 2010. He used the phrase in a blog post seeking people to take over the rapid-growth systems he was creating for start-up companies. In sifting through resumes he…
Getting to Know Velsoft’s IT Department
In honor of Programmers' Day, which was yesterday, today we’re celebrating by getting to know two members of Velsoft’s IT department. Ian Taylor Ian is the IT manager at Velsoft, and he’s been working here for the past…
Celebrating programmers to the stars and beyond
When NASA’s Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1977, they each had a mission to conduct close-up studies of Jupiter and Saturn. Now, 41 years later, the twin spacecraft that were designed…
Creating a Positive Work Environment QRG
Not all of us have had the opportunity to work in a truly encouraging and upbeat environment. A positive work environment is important for the productivity of a company, but it's also important to us personally. Our emotional…