What’s new in the world of MoCo? 

A few snippets about what's new with MoCo and the world of training and development.

MoCo - it's an experience

Client feedback tells us that MoCo is more than just training, it's a development experience that stands out from other courses.  To illustrate just some of the many outstanding comments we have received, we challenged our Facebook and Twitter followers to identify the MoCo Testimonials missing words over the course of a week.  We had some interesting and amusing guesses! The real missing words are revealed below in bold:

• "Excellent and very energetic, didn't feel like three hours." Nick Porter, Steeles Law.
• "I would summarise it in one word, BRILLIANT." Hamish Riches, City of Norwich School
• "I have been on a few similar courses and this was the best." Catherine Shaw, Howes Percival LLP
• "A first class trainer who was able to engage the whole team."  Mel Whitred, Construction Skills
• "Friendly, engaging and really positive." Beth Davies, Aviva

Open Development Programme Starting September 2010

MoCo's next programme of one-day development workshops will begin in September 2010.  These provide a comprehensive and practical combination of knowledge, skills and behaviours which enhance personal performance and effectiveness in business.  The workshops are ideal for managers, HR professionals, sales people, customer service professionals and people working in teams. 

• Communication skills
• Coaching for managers
• Using NLP in business
• Presentation skills
• Teamwork
• Sales skills
• Managing stress
• Management and leadership

Delivered in Norwich city-centre.

Click here to request more information on any of these programmes. 

Do you 'haiku'?

A haiku is a a form of Japanese poetry that covers a subject in three rhythmic lines usually consisting of 5, 7 and then 5 syllables. Reading or writing haikus is often said to be great way to relax, allowing creativity to flow!  Here's an  example:

Create a haiku 
Capture thoughts and ideas
Then share with few words 

Sometimes (as the old cliche goes) less is more.  Haikus are a great example of having to filter out surplus information yet keep the essence of the message. We have adopted this approach in describing our MoCo menu.  To see more haikus in action, have a look at our menu page and hover over each topic.

Eight Behaviours to Consolidate Training

Our experience of working with many individuals and teams in business and education, has enabled us to identfy eight key behaviours that determine the success with which we put theory into practice.  These behaviours are intrinsically linked with the attributes that employers often seek in their staff.  The beauty of these behaviours is that we are able to habitualise them; they simply become the norm.  It is this stage that we know as the Moment of Competence.

We have challenged our Facebook and Twitter followers to identify these eight behaviours using the clues below.  

Spirit of Enterprise at CNS

This month saw about sixty students from the City of Norwich School, engaging their Spirit of Enterprise in trying to crack the MoCode.  The students needed to solve eight challenges, involving direction, flexibility, persistence, action, teamwork, ownership, reliability and communication in order to work out the eight digit code that unlocked their MoCode prizes.

The teams from years 7, 8 and 9 all rose to the challenge admirably, displaying the spirit of enterprise which earned them their rewards.  Well done CNS!

Look Down in Norwich

It's easy to get caught up in a routine that can often leave us unaware of other possibilities.  Our preconceptions and expectations make it easy for us to delete the things that we deem irrelevant. 

To have a little fun with this we are challenging people familiar with Norwich to spot certain features that they literally walk over on a regular basis.  How often do we look down and see what is under our feet.  Just because we don't notice it doesn't mean it's not there!

Can you pinpoint these...?

Click through to our Facebook page to see enlargeable photos

Answers (from left to right): Bridewell Alley; Top of Princes Street; Bank Plain; Near Pottergate; Maddermarket

Sharing Excellence

The Little Group of Excellence is a new forum set up to share and discuss thoughts and ideas. We know that excellence is infectious and so we would like to help spread it around a little.

Click here to have a look - your contributions are very welcome. 

Using Metaphor with Social Enterprises and Education  

There is more to learning than just theory!

Sometimes realisation comes from the most unexpected places (we call these MoCo moments). Over the past few months learners from The Work Academy and Project First at City College Norwich have found their MoCo moments using lego, potatoes and dragons! In the next few months we look forward to sharing more MoCo moments with Great Yarmouth College and Future Job Fund learners, amongst others, using pipe, foam matting and hidden tigers!

Common Factor? 

Q. What have MoCo and 

                                                                                             got in common?

A. A lot! .........the growing diversity of our clients continues to amaze us and we love it!

The Search For Excellence

The ability to engage an audience, to inspire an individual or to support a group in succeeding, even when the going gets tough, is a rare commodity.  At MoCo we recognise the spark that makes the difference and we are on the lookout for people that understand other people.  Our inititial 'shout out' for people via facebook and twitter revealed a host of individuals with a plethera of skills.  Grow MoCo!

Can You Crack the MoCode?

We are challenging our Facebook Fans and Twitter Followers to rise to the challenge and crack the MoCode.  The MoCode is our own secret cypher that will unveil the route to winning our Code Crackers £50 prize bundle (pictured)!  
 

First prize consists of an amazing book revealing the Secrets of Codes, a Wasgij Puzzle, Tantrix, a Codebreaker Puzzle Pad and the Big Brain Academy Card Game.

The clues will be broadcast via our Facebook and Twitter pages during the week of 15th February.  Solve the clues and win the prize.  All successful code-breakers will receive a prize for cracking the MoCode  - the first correct reply will win the first prize.
 

To enter, simply join as a Facebook Fan or a Twitter Follower- the clues will come to you.

Good luck!

MoCo Judge School's Business Challenge

We were pleased to be asked to judge the Federation of Small Business competition at Sewell Park School.  Seven teams joined forces with local businesses, to analyse their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats before piecing together a promotional package for each company.  The students represented local businesses,  Saffire Chocolates, Goodson Petshop, Annie's Farm Shop, The Whalebone Pub, J&B Menswear, Pure Digital Print and Play Rangers. 

Each team rose to the Challenge, with the Play Rangers winning the prize with their impressive combination of methods to promote Play Rangers to a very targeted market.

Norwich Station at Rush Hour!

Not the usual hustle and bustle this morning! A picturesque start to the day though!
 

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

The heavens have smiled favourably on our recent MoCo missions to London.  It seems that the days in which we have needed to see clients within the M25 have coincided with the few days that snow and ice have not created traffic chaos!  Will our luck hold over the next few weeks too?  Here's hoping!

'Road to Success' - Five years on and still going strong!

Last Wednesday saw Steve and Vanessa from MoCo Development facilitate The Hewett School's Year 11 Road To Success Programme for the fifth successive year.

It was fantastic to see 30 mentors giving up their time and resource for the day to work with a group of students focusing on their future paths and addressing the choices that they will need to make. The mentors who came from both the private and public sector shared their personal experiences, listened, encouraged and opened eyes to numerous possibilities; are thanks go to each of them.

The Road to Success builds on the metaphor of a journey, with different routes and choices to be made. We finished with the anchor of how choosing the right vehicle for this journey relates to choosing the right attitude, each student opted for a Lotus (fast, positive, direct and fun) rather than a milk float (slow, whilst going round in circles)! Thanks to Group Lotus Plc for sponsoring the programme and 160 Lotus Matchbox cars!
 

The All about Business Exhibition

We were delighted to be involved in the inaugural "All About Business" exhibition held at Carrow Road, Norwich this month.

What a great turn out and an opportunity to share some of our own 'moco moments' with alot of local businesses.

Teaming up with Emily from 'The Perfect Wine' was a great (and very tasty) way of demonstrating the metaphor of change.  Many lucky people got to sample Emily's wines and experience the difference that changing wine choice can make to how the accompanying food tastes. 

It's always nice to get noticed so we were very happy that the MoCo stand received a special mention!

One For The Ladies!

We were very happy to he asked along, as speakers, to the Kester Cunningham John ladies networking lunch at Beluga's Restaurant in Norwich. We enjoyed meeting the members of the group and sharing some simple yet practical and effective business Networking ideas.

Networking is a process that can be intimidating so we were very pleased with the positive feedback about the ideas we shared with the group.

What's the Picture?

Our September 'MoCo bulletin' showed a close-up picture taken of an object.  We asked you to identify the object.  The September close-up was this biscuit.

And the winner is Katie Lansdale who is the proud new owner of a MoCo Tshirt.  Well done Katie. 

email bulletin@go-moco.co.uk to receive the 'MoCo bulletin'

City College Young Parents demonstrate just what it takes to be a MoCo team! 

 

MoCo Development are currently delivering a 10 week programme in conjunction with City College Norwich. The programme is designed for a selected group of young mums and expecting parents. MoCo are nearly half way through and are thoroughly enjoying engaging and working on a range of emotional intelligences with particular focus on self esteem and future aspirations.

Last week's session saw Steve and Vanessa from MoCo develop team skills which included listening, respect, coordination and participation. The young parents excelled with one of the many exercises resulting in 'Mr Bob Lego', throughout this exercise the young parents overcame challenges set to their communication skills.

Thanks to Becky, Jazmin, Alix, Amy, Sammy-Jo and of course Bob for a great session!

 

MoCo T-Shirts - They're out there

When you are out and about - keep an eye out for proud punters sporting their very own MoCo T-Shirts.  Is this a new fashion phenomenon? Not exactly - these masterpieces of design are evidence that the wearer has had their very own 'moco'. They have experienced a moment in which something has suddenly become clear. 

Share your 'moco' moments with us and get your very own MoCo t-shirt.
 

'Look Up' in Norwich. 

Have you ever noticed something for the first time despite having walked past in many many times?  Have you ever looked at something from a different angle only to find it seems completely different?  At MoCo this change in perspective is a key part of our development programmes.  Changing perspective can (and does) open up a vast array of options that previously didn't appear.

Where were these pictures taken?  If you frequent Norwich, there is a good chance that you have seen them many times - but have you ever noticed them? If you know, email your answer to look_up@go-moco.co.uk.


The answers:

From left to right:
The Old Corn Exchange (Exchange Street)
The Natwest Bank (London Street)
The Royal Arcade
The Royal (Home of MoCo)
Above Premier Stores (Prince of Wales Road)
 

MoCo Tweets

MoCo has joined the wonderful world of twitter. Follow us (@gomoco) for tweets, hoots, chirps and chirrups about applying Moco to the world around us and other things! 

 

And the answer is......

A battery! 



To find out the question subscribe to the MoCo bulletin!  email bulletin@go-moco.co.uk 

 

Past the 100 fans mark

This week saw our 100th 'fan' join up through our Facebook group. Congratulations to Sophie Desgland who has won a £25 MoCo moments voucher for being number 100.

If you would like to be kept posted with Monday Motivators, Wednesday "Wassups" and Friday Facts aswell as other MoCo events then join us under "MoCo Development Ltd" on Facebook.

 

"Feedback is the breakfast of champions"

Recent feedback from a group of leaders half way through a six month programme.

100% are rating the overall MoCo workshop content and delivery as excellent.

"I'm definately learning so much more and introducing it into my daily activities" Gareth Morgan.

"This programme is helping me realise more about myself and how to become a good leader" Laura Coull.

"This programme has helped my development within the company, I feel like the course has changed myself in the way I deal with my peers and different situations" Katie Hennelly.

 ....and this one made us smile - "Hot stuff" Ross Whiteman.
 

Schools Enterprise Challenge

We were delighted to be asked to present to a group of 8 high schools involved in the Schools Enterprise competition.  The competition, run by Norfolk Network and the Hethel Engineering Centre, aims to engage 14-19 year old students in the creativty and enterprise of new product development.

MoCo delivered a workshop, to approximately 150 students, on how to present the idea effectively, enthusiastically and clearly.

 

MoCo Swearing on the Radio?

Breakfast radio is not normally associated with offensive language, so why were MoCo asked to discuss swearing on Radio Norfolk's 'Breakfast with Bumfrey' programme?

One of our courses, entitled "Swearing" caught the interest of Mr Bumfrey - "What is this about?".  It's amazing how just one word can grab someone's attention - and that is the intention of the course. Our "Swearing" course is all about obtaining impact through language rather than a lesson in how to turn the air blue!  The title itself demonstrates the fact.

"Swearing" is just one of 30 'MoCo moments' courses that guarantee to provide a new perspective on a subject. To see the whole range, click on our MoCo moments page.
 

Spread a Little Happiness and Wisdom

In the spirit of abundance (have you ever seen a bun dance?) we love to share a bit of positivity and knowledge with the world. Feeling good is a mindset - a nice habit to develop.  Supporting this mindset with relevant knowledge ensures that the happiness is more than deluded optimism!  

In order to share this with others we will be posting a Monday Motivator and a Friday Fact through Facebook every week.  Fun and useful!

Come and join us on Facebook under MoCo Development Ltd

MoCo - It's "Wikid!"

Many people have commented on our definition of moco. It's something we all experience but don't always recognise - Wikipedia are the latest people to take it on board and share the concept.

Have a look at Wikipedia's outlook on MoCo here.  Next stop - The Oxford English Dictionary!

The “Dedicated to Development” Fund

MoCo Development Ltd have launched the “Dedicated to Development” Fund, providing £1000 worth of funded places on the MoCo Moments courses running between June and December.

These courses offer a bit-sized, practical and enjoyable approach to developing skills in a range of areas from communication to confidence, teamwork to timekeeping; 30 topics to enable people to create their own unique programme.

To enquire about funding, email info@go-moco.co.uk

 

MoCo Go Local

MoCo are very pleased to be part of the innovative "Buy Local" scheme in Norfolk. 

The buy local scheme, as the name suggests, encourages growth and stability in the local Norfolk economy. There are huge benefits for all of us in sourcing goods and services from local suppliers wherever possible. By supporting one another, we increase the amount of money available for companies to purchase further local services - a really smart way of working.
 

Join MoCo on Facebook

 
It's always nice to be connected!  Get connected with MoCo through Facebook.  We'd love you to join us, let us know your "MoCo moments" and keep abreast of all things MoCo.  

For all you "Facebookers" out there - look us up under MoCo Development Ltd.
 

Some Client Comments From April

"Very motivating and enthusiastic presentation" Louise Ives, East Anglian Energy Assessors.


"Excellent and very energetic. Didn't feel like three hours" Nick Porter, Steeles Law.


"It was great to have the opportunity to look at what I perceived as a really scary thing from a completely different angle. You described everything in such a way as it all became very obvious - thank you so much" Judith Flowerday, BCTS Sales training.

"Was a great help. Will assist me in many aspects of my job" Pauline Shearing, HFG Farm Shop.

"Very informative and educational, but also relaxed and informal to make apprehensive clientele feel at ease" G.C. Ferris, Libby Ferris Flowers.
 

MoCo on Judging Panel 
 

We were delighted to be asked to be part of the judging panel by Broadland Council Training Services on their "Our House" project.  The project involves 15 young trainees wishing to develop their skills in the building sector.  

Along the way these happy few have the opportunity to use the 44 week programme to develop the transferable skills that will hold them in good stead in whichever career they aspire towards. Four teams presented their cases for projects which they feel will make a difference to the community, whilst building their own skills. The winning project will be announced shortly!

5....4....3....2....1.... Go MoCo!

At long last ..... after months of rebranding, weeks of planning, days of organising "MoCo moment" challenges and hours of putting out food, polishing glasses and selecting playlists ...... the MoCo launch event swung into action on Wednesday 22nd April. A great turn-out and huge amount of support from clients, suppliers, colleagues, friends and family made for an interesting, fun and productive evening.

We were delighted to welcome The Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Norwich, Councillor Jeremy Hooke and The Worshipful Sheriff of Norwich, Roy Waller, to officially "kick-off" MoCo Development Ltd.  We were encouraged to hear the Lord Mayor's support for developing a truly motivated and effective workforce - an area in which MoCo Development Ltd excels.

We believe in mixing business with pleasure, indeed making business a pleasure, so keep you eyes peeled for future events. To subscribe to our regular newsletter covering upcoming events please send an email to bulletin@go-moco.co.uk.

MoCo Moments

We love new things. We love things that work. We love things that make a difference. We love MoCo moments! These are a series of two-hour development sessions covering 30 topics that improve performance in and out of work. Dip in and dip out of this flexible programme, as you wish, to tailor your own individual development schedule.

We guarantee you two things. You will leave with a new way of viewing the topic. You will leave with at least one practical application that you can implement immediately! Why do we love them? Because development is about changing behaviours for the better not simply taking notes! What else is different about these sessions? The cost. Only £25 per person per topic at a Norwich city centre location.

We love it - you'll love it. See the MoCo moment page for details of all the topics.