If I had to choose, which one of these famous people would I most like to emulate? Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, Queen Elizabeth II or Madonna? As it turns out, I’m a bit like all of them when…

Can you learn to train others? Yes. That’s the answer. Here’s the proof. My father-in-law worked for several years in heavy industry in a variety of production positions. Eventually he moved from the shop floor to the office…

Late last year, the Velsoft team decided to create a series of free guides as resources for clients and others. The Conversations That Matter guides are intended to provide useful information, and to begin a conversation, with the…

Although it was quite a few years ago, I remember vividly being hired into my first supervisory role. I was fresh out of university and was put in charge of the field crew at a Department of Fisheries…

This is an excerpt from Power BI, the latest computer course released by Velsoft Training Materials. The courseware shows learners how to link and model data in Power BI and create visual reports that reveal data insights. Your…

Digital transformation is a fundamental shift in how a business operates – from internal processes to front-end changes – in order to improve efficiency, take full advantage of changing technology and to meet customer needs in an increasingly digital…

The concept of storytelling might be worrying if you think you have to write a literary novel or even a children’s picture book. But, that’s not the case: storytelling simply helps you to build pictures and connect with…

What do a grocery store chain, a foundation that aims to eliminate pediatric AIDS, and an airplane engine company have in common? They all use Microsoft Power BI. Power BI is a suite of tools that helps businesses…

So you’ve heard about digital transformation and you’re thinking about doing it at your place of business. But you’re not really convinced that it’s necessary. I’m going to tell you why it’s essential that you do it. But…

According to the International Labour Organization, an agency of the United Nations, every day people die as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases. This is more than 2.78 million deaths annually. And each year 317 million…

Generating ideas is important to business processes. There are a number of methods to generate ideas, as well as to reduce the number of ideas, to achieve better consensus. Here are four tools for producing them: 1. Brainstorming…

I recently finished reading a book that I received for Christmas – Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand. (Spoiler alert: I’m going to write about an incident that takes place in the novel.) One of the characters, Jennifer, is…

It’s all about needs. You need students (staff) and you need material. In this chicken-or-egg scenario, it makes no sense to have one without the other. You need buy-in from your staff, since they have to want to…

Working with Files As Google Drive acts as an always available storage space for your files, it is important to learn how to manage those files and add new ones. Over the course of this topic you will…

Like Star Wars, you cannot have the light side without the dark side. This is true of most major decisions — there are pros and cons. The good and not so good! This also applies to taking on…

Many of us know instinctively what strategies help us to learn and retain information. Using these natural strategies when trying to teach others creates sticky training. 1) Simple Keep it short and sweet. Bullet points and short phrases…

If you’re looking for a recommendation about which office productivity suite to use, you won’t find it here. Why? I’m not an expert in computers or software. But what I can tell you is that I’ve read a…

Do a bunch of these words describe your company? Innovation, opportunity, growth, caring, achievement, adaptable, purpose, flexibility. If they do, then your organization might be considered progressive. Think about your definition of a progressive employer, and whether the…

Many people like to think of themselves as progressive in some fashion, but is this usually the case? Employers can be considered progressive for numerous reasons, from the way they treat their staff to their approach to technology.…

There are lots of good reasons to offer training, and even more reasons to participate and take training. But there is also an accountability element requiring measuring training results. We need to ask ask ourselves: What was the…

Are you happy when you’re at work? Because today is the International Day of Happiness, I’m writing about how to increase contentment in your job. If you haven’t heard of the Day of Happiness before (I hadn’t until…

When Ava Foote lost part of her right hand in a household accident last June, it looked like her hockey playing days were in jeopardy. But fast forward nine months, and the now eight-year-old is back on the…

In the Outlander book series, written by Diana Gabaldon, Jamie Fraser has the ability to hide his feelings behind an impassive face. However, the heroine of the story — Claire — doesn’t share that particular skill. “He gave…

I’m planning a trip to England for later in the spring, and as I was researching Microsoft’s Sway application, I decided I have to use it during my vacation. I’m an avid photographer and scrapbooker, documenting special occasions…

Young women are raised to think they don't have the natural skills to succeed in a “man’s world,” writes Reshma Saujani. But the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code says she’s hopeful that this will change, and…

When we stop learning, we start to stand still. It’s true in both our personal lives and careers. But we can avoid inactivity and keep our momentum with training. What better place to experience training than in your…

This is an excerpt from Velsoft's March computer course release: Sway. Create Cards In the last section, we learned that a Microsoft Sway project is made up of cards. These cards provide an easy way to create, organize,…

You are confident. You have rehearsed. You have a powerful, logical argument. You are ready to take on the task of presenting your points in a way that does not distract from your argument. In business presentations, the…

Confession: This is my first attempt at writing a blog. While conducting research on how to accomplish this, I read blogs from numerous websites. Many of the pieces were interesting and entertaining reads, but a few I didn’t…

In any organization, open communication is the most important single factor for success. This is also essential in creating a positive work environment. Open communication begins by letting everyone in the company know how the company is doing,…