The COS Crew News

Find out what our staff and members have or will be getting up to over the Summer period.

BBQ and Variety Concert

Karen and Becky are organising and taking part in a variety concert next month. From Disney to Mel Brooks, they have all sorts in store. Bring your family along for a BBQ at Ashton-on-Mersey United Reformed Church and then watch the concert with a few beers. For more information please visit their facebook event. You Can also download their flyer here

Charity Chit Chat

A Final Curtain on our Magnificent Masquerade

On the 7^th July we hosted a charity masquerade ball in aid of Cancer Research UK. What an evening it was! England had qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup and the sun was shining. Everyone was ready to party.

Time for some jazz!

The evening began with an introduction from Becky and then the enchanting Dr Jazz and the Cheshire Cats played the night away. The guests arrived with the most wonderful masks. From long-nosed Venetian masks to Captain America, there was certainly a variety! Everyone looked spectacular.

The guests then enjoyed a delightful hot buffet with a mouth-watering selection to choose from. Then it was time for the band’s second set, we were taken back in time through various jazz and swing songs that warm the heart.

Win, Win, Win

Before we knew it, it was time to draw the raffle! From £50 vouchers to grand hampers, we had a huge range on offer. The silent auction was then brought to a close and the money sash game was drawn. A lucky guest won £90 on that one!

Time to party

Once the thank yous were done, the lights went down and the disco lights came on. It was time for the DJ to lead us into the final hours of celebration. We had clients and colleagues showing us their best moves and masks were shimmering in the disco lights.

So how much did we raise?

We raised a remarkable £1,385 considering there were just 76 guests and the tickets were just £25 a head. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped us to achieve this, from our sponsors through to our raffle donors and our guests.

Sadly, this was our final masquerade. We thank everyone for their support with our final event! It was a night to remember.

If you could pick one first aid essential for people to remember at work what would it be?

When it comes to First Aid there are lots of different techniques; acronyms; and ways to practise; to embed the learning of essential information. Whilst all this is necessary we must remember that First Aiders are NOT trained doctors or nurses, or even paramedics. On our courses we want people to leave feeling confident they can provide immediate but temporary care.

We have found that one of the most common reasons people are reluctant to provide first aid is the fear of doing something wrong. If you remain calm, use the skills learnt and always think COMMON SENSE, you can’t go wrong.

As a First Aider you can either deal with the casualty or you can’t. Memorise the drills, know the procedures and apply common sense.

How can I be better at time management and stop procrastinating?

There isn’t enough time to do everything on our TO DO list, and there never will be!

Work is a continuous task that can never be completed.  Successful people don’t try to do absolutely everything.  They focus on the most important tasks and make sure they get them done.  Our top tip for managing your time at work is to look at these three things; what’s important? what’s urgent? (and they are different!) and also what is the task that you are putting off, that you really dread?

One of the best techniques for overcoming procrastination and getting more things done (and possibly more quickly!) is to start working on doing your most difficult task first.  The one that you are putting off or procrastinating over, could be because it’s a long task or a difficult phone call or maybe it’s not within your immediate skill set –  get that done first!  You will have the satisfaction of knowing that it’s probably the worst thing you will do all day and the achievement will propel you into your next tasks.

How can I improve my confidence at work?

Confidence isn’t something that we are born with, it is built from a lifetime of personal experiences as well as what we think and feel, and our core values: what matters to us the most. It’s an interesting journey to find out what makes us feel more and less confident in different situations. Where some people thrive others can shrink.

Here are just a few quick tips to immediately think differently and increase your confidence.

• Call that inner critic out! – that little voice inside often thinks and over thinks every situation and if we listened to it all the time it would destroy our self-esteem. Prove it wrong on a daily basis.
• Get clued up – improve your knowledge and raise your profile. You are an expert in something. Sure others may know more than you but lots of people will know less.
• Handle change. Change is inevitable. Embrace change with a positive attitude and look for those who know more than you about whatever has changed and learn from them. Be that beacon to guide and help others through change.
• Talk nicely to and about others. Idle gossip is a waste of time and only puts up barriers.
• Be the adult even if those around you may want to parent you or make you act like a child or even bring out the parent in you. Adults treat other adults like adults.

How can I achieve my goals without feeling overwhelmed?

Goals are so important, they exist to serve as a driving force in producing, achieving and creating something important to you. Once that goal has been achieved, it gives you a renewed sense of purpose; empowerment; a positive attitude; a sense of accomplishment – all which propel you to create new goals and achieve even more than you thought was possible.

Often goal setting starts on the first of January and by mid-Feb we’re pushed to even remember what our goals were. Or we hit a fork in the road and forget that our goal is a journey in itself with many different possible paths to completion.

So how to start? Well, you don’t need a new year to set new goals, what you do need however is a pen. Write it down! on paper with your actual hand. You’ve committed yourself to it. Your goals can be as big as you can imagine them to be, as long as there are plenty of steps in between which are small, practical, realistic and have a timescale in which to achieve them, then aim as high you can.

What if I hit a barrier? This is probable and a good reality check. Often goals are hit because you deviated from the original plan. Always remember your intuition, your inner voice or God’s voice, whatever you call it, it works. Barriers can be swerved, crashed through and worked around. Go back to the goal and work out the steps to achieve it, what is your first step? Is it small, practical, realistic and when will you complete it? Then move on to the next step.

Training when you need it most

Go Train and Develop offer a wide range of courses to support your business and your clients. If you’d like to know more please get in touch with them:

• 07340 383062 

• info@gotrainanddevelop.co.uk

• www.gotrainanddevelop.co.uk

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