https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/ Practical skills development for UK teams en Mon, 09 Nov 2026 15:15:16 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/train-fare-already-spent-making-anchor-days-worth-the-journey/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/train-fare-already-spent-making-anchor-days-worth-the-journey/ As more UK employers firm up office attendance through 2026, the shared day in the building is becoming the most expensive block of time a team owns. Here's a low-fuss format — short skill clinics, a ten-minute peer demo and a twenty-minute close — that turns anchor days into genuine capability building without adding a single evening webinar. John Waghorn Training Learning Culture Mon, 09 Nov 2026 14:10:27 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/expert-two-desks-over-repeatable-team-training/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/expert-two-desks-over-repeatable-team-training/ Most UK teams already have the expertise they need — it is just sitting in someone's head and a dozen quick questions. Here is a practical way to spot those internal experts, brief them properly, and turn everyday know-how into short, repeatable sessions without a train-the-trainer course or a booked venue. John Waghorn Training Learning Culture Mon, 09 Nov 2026 05:48:46 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/single-points-of-failure-understudy-rule/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/single-points-of-failure-understudy-rule/ Every team has a task only one person can do, and it's usually said with a bit of pride. It shouldn't be. Here's the case for the understudy rule — a named second person for every critical task, built without a single training day. John Waghorn Training Team Development Sun, 08 Nov 2026 18:52:58 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/before-the-goodbye-email-skills-handover/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/before-the-goodbye-email-skills-handover/ The exit interview captures how someone felt about the job. It rarely captures how the job actually works. Here's a short, repeatable handover session that gets the unwritten know-how out of one head and into the team — ideally before the leaving card goes round. John Waghorn Training Learning Culture Sun, 08 Nov 2026 18:52:58 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/no-projector-no-problem-workshop-without-slides/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/no-projector-no-problem-workshop-without-slides/ Slides are comfortable. They're also the reason half your training is forgotten by Friday. This is a practical, slightly opinionated blueprint for a session with no deck at all — plus how to sell the idea to the people who approve the budget. John Waghorn Training Team Development Sun, 08 Nov 2026 13:55:26 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/already-paid-for-turning-levy-pot-into-real-skills/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/already-paid-for-turning-levy-pot-into-real-skills/ Most levy-paying employers treat their apprenticeship pot as a tax with a nice logo — paid, filed, forgotten. It's better understood as a ring-fenced training budget with an expiry date. Here's how to point it at genuine gaps without tripping over the rules. John Waghorn Training Learning Culture Sun, 08 Nov 2026 13:55:26 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/ask-about-the-stuck-bits-not-the-wish-list/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/ask-about-the-stuck-bits-not-the-wish-list/ The usual 'what training would you like?' question feels fair, but it tends to reward the loudest voices and produce a wish list rather than a plan. Here are the diagnostic questions that surface where work actually snags — and why they matter more than ever when budgets are tight. John Waghorn Training Learning Culture Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:54:34 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/quiet-month-advantage-december-start-date/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/quiet-month-advantage-december-start-date/ Hiring into late November or December often tempts everyone to push the start date into January. But the quietest month can give a new starter the best attention they'll ever get — if you plan it properly and go in with your eyes open. John Waghorn Training Team Development Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:54:34 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/boring-training-budget-reinforcement-line/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/boring-training-budget-reinforcement-line/ Most training budgets buy new content and hope the follow-through happens for free. It rarely does. Here is the case for a small, unglamorous reinforcement line — and how to make it stand up in front of finance. John Waghorn Training Learning Culture Sun, 08 Nov 2026 05:58:30 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/one-hour-secondment-cross-team-shadowing/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/one-hour-secondment-cross-team-shadowing/ Short, structured shadowing can build real capability without a formal course. The trick is keeping it to one hour, one workflow and one useful follow-up question. John Waghorn Training Team Development Sun, 08 Nov 2026 05:58:30 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/bring-it-back-to-the-desk-why-training-dies-by-friday/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/bring-it-back-to-the-desk-why-training-dies-by-friday/ People come back from a course buzzing, say all the right things in the lift, and then get swallowed by the inbox. This is an argument for one simple rule — bring it back to the desk — plus a realistic framework for making it happen without rebuilding your whole L&D strategy. John Waghorn Training Learning Culture Sun, 08 Nov 2026 01:59:37 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/skills-audit-that-doesnt-feel-like-homework/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/skills-audit-that-doesnt-feel-like-homework/ Most skills audits collapse under their own paperwork long before they produce anything useful. Here is a lighter way to find the real gaps — using data you already have, twenty-minute conversations, and a one-page scoring grid you can actually keep alive. John Waghorn Training Team Development Sun, 08 Nov 2026 01:59:37 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/45-minute-friday-skills-review-uk-team-leaders/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/45-minute-friday-skills-review-uk-team-leaders/ A low-bureaucracy end-of-year exercise for UK team leaders who want to spot skills gaps before 2027 planning takes over. Use three columns, a notebook and 45 minutes to turn vague concerns into a short, realistic training conversation. John Waghorn Training Team Development Sat, 07 Nov 2026 22:03:58 GMT https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/retire-soft-skills-rename-capabilities-uk-teams/ https://johnwaghorntraining.co.uk/retire-soft-skills-rename-capabilities-uk-teams/ The phrase 'soft skills' quietly undermines investment, status and learner motivation in UK workplaces. Here is a practical case for plain-English replacement terms — and the phrases L&D teams can use in training requests and performance conversations. John Waghorn Training Learning Culture Sat, 07 Nov 2026 22:03:58 GMT