Have you ever been channel hopping and come across a little gem of a programme that stops you dead in your tracks and turns into the most engaging piece of television?

Such an event happened to me this week! Now, I’m a massive fan of the systems that allow you to pause and record ‘live’ TV programmes as I don’t watch much telly (apart from GMTV of course! (see blog from August 10th!)). I never, ever, ever watch adverts as I work in linguistics and if you’ve ever studied on our Conversational Decoding course you’ll never fall for them again either!!!! But this week I happened on the BBC News channel and there was a programme just beginning called ‘On the road with.. an Entrepreneur.’

This programme featured Richard Reed one of the 3 co-founders of Innocent , the drinks company famous for their fantastic smoothies and now for a range of healthy products.

Dear Lord Sugar,

Thank you for the opportunity to attend your question and answer session in Newcastle last week. It was interesting and informative, however there’s something that’s still niggling in my mind.

You said ‘it takes at least six months to make sure that you’ve got the right person for the job’ and it occurred to me that maybe you’ve not heard of or are not using the MITA IWAM system.

(Inventory of work attitudes and motivators)

I’ve noticed that it takes at least 10 weeks for you to hire a new Apprentice and from what I’ve seen you’ve hired 5 people so far and your search is still ongoing.

I’m a massive fan of watching your recruitment process. I especially like the part where the candidates go on and on and on and on about how they are the best thing since Amstrad Video Phones; are competent to the highest degree and they’re definitely your next Apprentice. It gets even better when the pressure starts and their true motivators and attitudes start to show and the inevitable cracks begin to appear!

Now, time is money to use a cliché so why go through the whole rigmarole 5 times when you can hire the right person when you need them, knowing that the whole person has shown up.

Have you considered that there could be a member of staff in one of your many organisations who you would consider to be a ‘model’ employee? An employee who you would love to have a mould of or take a snapshot of?

Do you know that there’s an online, user friendly system that can identify the attitudes and motivators of your employees and can create a ‘model of excellence’ for you to recruit to? Instead of taking 10 weeks to make sure the person is competent, then another 16 weeks to make sure they have the right attitude, we can help you to make sure you’ve got the person you’re looking for sitting in front of you at the first interview stage.

I understand that this might not make compelling viewing when you shout ‘You’re Hired’ and Nick and Margaret may be a little put out when they’ve got 9 weeks on their hands but I’m sure I’ve already mentioned that time is money….

Anyway, there are a team of professionals waiting for your call so please don’t wait until the next time you come to Newcastle. We operate throughout Europe so we can pop in for a cup of tea at any time.

The MITA Team

The following five tips for holding an effective meeting can help you engage the group, get ideas flowing and keep things positive.

1. Cancel the meeting, seriously. Ask yourself: Can the information I intend to present be disseminated using one-way communications, such as a memo or email? If so, cancel the meeting. If you actually want input and interactivity, then schedule a meeting.

2. Set a positive tone. Starting off on the right foot: pay attention to the meeting time (do not schedule a meeting just before lunch or quitting time), invite only those people that truly need to be there, and start the meeting with introductions. Asking everyone to add personal facts, such as favorite hobby or cartoon character, provides an opportunity for laughs and gets everyone interacting.

3. Plot a course. Once you have everyone engaged, the quickest way to lose them is to slow down. Prepare a complete agenda, including objectives and time allotments. Display it in the meeting, crossing off items as they are completed so everyone can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

4. Stop and feed the animals. Most people have a pretty brief attention span, usually around 45 to 60 minutes. Schedule breaks every 45 minutes. Also, rather than providing food at the beginning of a meeting, provide food on the breaks, when a boost is needed. Provide a variety of snacks, healthful and more indulgent, to satisfy every taste.

5. Divide and conquer. One great way to ensure engagement is to divide the meeting into groups; in a small group, it is easier for everyone to be active. Break a meeting of 20 people into four tables. Ask each table to ponder certain issues, then to present their thoughts to the larger group for discussion.

Be positive, let everyone get to know each other, let them rest, let them eat and keep them engaged and you will have the most effective meeting of your career.