• At Swindon New College to deliver some sessions on Leadership. Smart campus #

“Always seems to me, that ‘Sorry’ seems to be the hardest word….”

-Elton John and Bernie Taupin

We all know it’s hard to say sorry. Even when we know we are wrong, or have wronged someone else, even when we know we should apologise, it can be the hardest thing in the world to do.

Maybe it’s the loss of face involved, the admission that we are failable. Maybe it’s the fact that we are making ourselves vulnerable to someone else, to scorn or ridicule. Even though we know that most apologies are accepted gracefully, we still have to find some inner strength to find the right words to say.

These Sorry Cards are designed to reduce the barriers to saying sorry. With groups of young people, I introduce them at the start of a course and let them know that they are available should the want them. If they need to apologies to someone they can come and get a card from me, no questions asked and give it to that person. If we have a base to work from I put them somewhere where they can help themselves.

By reducing the need to find the right words for the apology, and by turning it into a simple action, it reduces the feeling of exposing oneself to scorn, rejection or ridicule.

The have a number of different designs to let the giver chose a pattern they like, or think the receiver would like. You could of course create your own, or even get the group to create their own at the start of the course, in case they are needed.

Like all reviewing techniques it doesn’t work with every group, but if you have a fiery group where conflict is common, try it.

PDF: Sorry_Cards

It was midnight and my finger was hovering over the transmit button on the radio microphone. For the first time in 40 years of sailing I was about to call the Coastguard for real. Suddenly without warning the static ceased and the speaker spluttering into life.

“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday…”

Someone else had beaten me to it!

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• Early meeting, good job Radio 4 is so engaging. #

These are my two remaining business cards.

I started with a pack of 500 twelve months ago, so I’m reckoning I’ve met a lot of interesting people since then. Some of those cards sit forlorn in people’s desks and folders, many are probably in the bin but one or two have created a connection. A chance to work with someone who shares our ideals or who can benefit from our services. Someone we can help or who can help us. Or maybe, as a friend put it, I’m just a networking slut?

In this age of email, LinkedIn, Facebook and Plaxo, it’s amazing that business cards even have a place any more. But that little 8×5 card has a physical presence that is a lot more difficult to ignore than a transient stream of electrons.

I’d better go order some more…

The Yes Man

Danny Wallace
Publisher: Ebury Press; New edition edition (6 April 2006)
ISBN 978-0091896744 Paperback, 416 pages

Danny Wallace is probably best known for appearing as a slightly mad-cap, very enthusiastic comedian, presenter and guest on various TV programmes. His writing style is not dissimilar tp his stage presence.

Meeting a man on a bus one evening and lamenting the lack of excitement in his life, he is struck by the simplicity of the advice the stranger offers him; “Say ‘Yes’ more”. Taking this advice to heart, he makes a bet with a friend that he will say ‘yes’ to every opportunity that is presented to him in the next six months.

What follows is an amazing journey, both geographical and emotional as he visits people and places he didn’t know existed, runs up huge debts, gets a nursing degree, develops an attachment to a painting of an Alsatian and makes some life changing decisions. He even starts an anti-war group called “Geese for Peace”.

Presented as a light-hearted comedy, the story romps along barely pausing for breath. Some bit are laugh out loud funny, others quite touching and there is a genuine sense of anticipation as the book builds to it’s climax.

However, hidden under the comedy is a deeper layer of thought about making the most of opportunities presented to you and having a more proactive approach to life. Wallace handles these with humour but without dismissing their importance. While unlikely to change your life completely, this book may just cause you to look at it carefully and examine whether you could say ‘Yes’ more.

‘The Yes Man’ at Amazon.co.uk