Barry Winbolt's Blog

Hastings dialogue workshop

Twenty people attended my workshop entitled Creating Dialogue; Turning the Words we use into Action in Hastings and District Interfaith Forum on Saturday 13th March. There was a great buzz and a lot of interest, and another event on a different topic is planned for June or July. To get a flavour of what was covered in this workshop go to the Downloads pages of this site free handouts on Dialogue and Listening.
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Accusations of bullying may be wrong

Nobody wins when accusations of bullying are based on a misunderstanding of what the term means.
Knee-jerk reactions based on misuse of the term do harm and conceal genuine cases of bullying.

Bullying helpline closes

The National Bullying Helpline has suspended services temporarily and announced that it is considering its future after it went public and said “three or four” Downing Street employees had called its helpline.
The HSE, in its study Bullying at work: a review of the literature, says that there are over the half a million cases of work-related stress reported each year in the UK and that, on average, each case results in 29 working days lost. Bullying is the cause of 10-20% of this, the report estimates.

The power of an apology

We can all think of festering grudges that have tarnished or completely destroyed relationships, and most of us can probably think of a time when we could have said sorry but didn’t.

Workplace mediation

The media love to remind us of the ubiquity of conflict. Stories of war, high-profile divorce, religious clashes, strikes and workplace disputes are some, and popular entertainment carries the theme into our daily lives. Conflict sells, so it was a surprise to find that the Guardian had published an article on workplace mediation in the Guardian.

Workplace valentine?

Thinking about using the opportunity of Valentine’s Day to plunge into a new realationship at work?
Tut-tut! Not finger-wagging, just a suggestion to look before you leap. Sound advice, even if you don’t take it.

What do you think?

Welcome to my new website, it went live on 5th February. I have added more information and functionality. What do you think? I’d like your opinion. Does the site work? Is anything missing? Please leave a comment.

Leadership and relationships

The much-published ideas on leadership have come under scrutiny in a new study which distinguishes truly exceptional leadership from run-of-the mill management-speak. The research, by the Work Foundation, identifies three principles of outstanding leadership coupled with nine themes that exceptional leaders adhere to.
It adds some surprising insights with practical applications.

So… why does it work?

All forms of therapy, regardless of the techniques or methods used, work equally well There is more in common among the various disciplines than separates them.

This article discusses findings which could have far reaching implications in terms of the way in which therapists and healers of all persuasions are taught their skills. This article discusses findings which could have far reaching implications in terms of the way in which therapists and healers of all persuasions are taught their skills.

Why the helping professions need SFBT

One thing that all who work in the helping professions have in common is that they all talk to those they help. Counsellors and psychotherapists do talking therapy, but everyone who supports or cares for others has the opportunity to use language creatively and therapeutically. Under Construction, download to follow