All of our services are available online

Personal Development

HOW TO TALK ABOUT REAL SHIT • We all know we sh

HOW TO TALK ABOUT REAL SHIT •

We all know we should talk to our teams to lake sure they’re doing alright.

But how, dammit? HOW?!

Here are some quick-start tips for you.

One main point is to remember it’s more important to LISTEN than to TALK.

Ask open questions to create an opportunity for people to talk freely, and don’t be afraid to sit in silence to let more ideas come to mind.

Often, creating this head space for someone is the most valuable thing you can do.

Check out the tiles for ideas of ideal conversation starters.

This stuff is easy to learn but really difficult to put into practice, so don’t focus on getting it right first time - just taking the time to open the conversation can make a massive difference for morale.

It’s all about being consistent with your approach.

Check in REGULARLY and take a genuine interest.

Your team will thank you for it.

If you’d like any more help or advice with this, get in touch for a chat. We’ve got your back.

- ☕️ Alice

———————-

✍🏼 Slide content: @grace_r_hall and @alice.lyons.wellbeing

MENTAL HEALTH MYTHOLOGY IS EVERYWHERE • From br

MENTAL HEALTH MYTHOLOGY IS EVERYWHERE •

From broken brains to toxic positivity, there’s a lot of noise in the mental health arena that can be more harmful than helpful.

In our latest podcast, I wanted to bust some of these mental health myths and give some insights into what’s really going on.

Talking points include:

☕️ How suicide is not just a male issue and how we need to expand the conversation to include women (who make more attempts) and members of the trans, non-binary and non-vis communities.

☕️ Moving to a holistic view of mental health with the bio-psycho-social model (which reveals that our mental health is based on more than just faulty brain chemistry!)

☕️ The potential harm that can come from an over-emphasis on positivity

☕️ Redefining mental health in terms of a spectrum of experiences which can be ENJOYABLE to invest time and energy in, for example through working on self esteem, building confidence and handling stress (which we can help you with, by the way 💁‍♀️)

It’s important to talk about mental health, but the focus for providers needs to be on spreading healthy information that helps rather than hinders positive social change in this area.

Ok, off to replace my soap box now 👌🏼

🎙 Podcast link in our bio, or search ‘Dark Coffee’ wherever you stream.

- ☕️ Alice

2020 HAS BEEN INTENSE • Just a quick PSA to rem

2020 HAS BEEN INTENSE •

Just a quick PSA to remind you that if you're feeling bored, fed up, frustrated or tired of this year, you are not alone.

I'm willing to admit that I'm often in this camp myself.

It isn't a constant state of being, or an everyday occurrence, but there's a hefty chunk of time that I've spent feeling completely bloody done with the whole thing.

It sucks to not be able to do simple things, like go to the pub with friends, pop round for a cup of tea or have a meal together.

I'm bored of endless screens.

I'm not asking to go on a cruise tomorrow, but going further than 20 miles without feeling like a criminal would be nice.

If you've been feeling similarly discouraged, just know that you're NOT weird or weak or broken.

It's not that you're not trying hard enough or not cut out to be in business.

You're having a normal reaction to abnormal circumstances.

Enough of the productivity shaming and endless self-judgement on top.

- ☕️ Alice

REMOTE TEAM MANAGEMENT IS A BUGGER! • Even the

REMOTE TEAM MANAGEMENT IS A BUGGER! •

Even the most sociable, extroverted managers have struggled to manage teams remotely.

This significant cultural shift happened quickly, with very little warning, so it’s no surprise that many of us are still finding our footing.

So, what can we do to make things easier?

As with many problems, the solution lies larger in COMMUNICATION.

Doing enough of it, correctly, in the right way with the best intentions.

Hmm, simple right?

Communication takes work, but if you put it high on your agenda, it’ll get easier with time.

Simple actions can make a huge difference to team morale, mental health and wellbeing.

For example, if you send an email out of hours, do you expect a response?

If not, do your team KNOW you don’t?

Assumptions can cause ructions, rumination and resentment.

Take out the guesswork and step up the clarity with today’s handy guide.

- ☕️ Alice

————————

🎨 Slides by @grace_r_hall and @alice.lyons.wellbeing

YES, WE’RE OBSESSED WITH CAROUSELS • Because

YES, WE’RE OBSESSED WITH CAROUSELS •

Because why have one slide when you can have 6? Treat yourself!

In all seriousness, we just want to keep putting these little wellbeing reminders out into the ether because, depending on how your week is going, it’s easy to forget the basics!

Remote working has historically been difficult for individuals to adjust to.

The fact that most of the country is now doing it - within the space of a year - blows my mind.

Seriously - just think about how much we’ve collectively changed as a society this year. No wonder we don’t know which way is up some days.

Anyway, here at Dark Coffee we have decided we are experts in this uncharted territory, so here we are with another lecture in self care 😂

Spoiler alert: we’re just repurposing what we know to be true about working in teams in general.

These points are universally important, but we need to double-down on them during times of stress.

Communication.

Awareness.

Patience.

REPEAT.

- ☕️ Alice

——————-

🎨 Slide design: @grace_r_hall

TAMING THE RAGE • Sometimes, anger can be an em

TAMING THE RAGE •

Sometimes, anger can be an empowering and enjoyable emotion - it floods our system with adrenaline and energy, making us feel like we can walk through walls.

That’s great news if we’re in danger and we need to activate that ‘fight or flight’ response.

But anger can be less helpful when it becomes a natural state of being.

Of course, given the year we’re having, it’s understandable that many of use may feel slightly more triggered than usual!

So the first important step is to acknowledge that anger is very often justified.

It often arises when something is threatening our values or overstepping our boundaries.

In these instances, an angry reaction acts as an early warning system to prompt us to pay attention.

It might be a good opportunity for a discussion about said boundaries to make sure that the situation doesn’t arise again.

Sometimes, we get angry because our most basic needs aren’t getting met.

Being hangry is a great example!

Tiredness and illness can also mean that our fuse snaps sooner than it ordinarily would.

Again, check in with yourself: is there anything your body needs right now to get back on an even keel? Take a walk, have some food and have some water, then see how you feel.

If you feel the anger lingering, maybe you need some peer support to get you through it.

Message someone you trust and ask if you’d be receptive to a rant - it might be exactly what they’re in the mood for as well!

- ☕️ Alice

————————

📖 For more insights into managing anger, have a look at our latest blog (linked in our bio.)

🎨 Slides: @grace_r_hall

💫 PEER SUPPORT IS SOUL FOOD! • I genuinely f

💫 PEER SUPPORT IS SOUL FOOD! •

I genuinely feel like a new woman after tonight’s HumpDay Huddle.

It’s a free networking group that I run with @omarzlatif from @weareassif but it’s so much more than just business chat.

It’s genuine peer support from a group of professionals who get the trials and tribulations of being in business and aren’t afraid to talk about it!

We covered all sorts of areas tonight, from setting boundaries with new clients to how to get motivated, beating procrastination, the guilt of not working ‘hard enough’ and the reminder that we are still in a pandemic!

It always blows my mind how solutions can magically present themselves when you get a group of people in a room, even if it’s virtual.

Just by sharing his problem, one attendee was able to get a book recommendation, an offer of connection to other people in our combined networks and some solid advice over how to tackle the problem. That’s the wisdom of crowds in action!

If you’d like to come along next time, we host them every Wednesday, 6pm - 7pm. All are welcome whether you’re a graduate, business owner or between jobs. Check out the link in the bio or search ‘HumpDay Huddle’ on Eventbrite.

My biggest take away from tonight was to give myself a break - I’ve had a stressful and challenging couple of weeks and working harder isn’t the answer.

Now I’m off for some comfort food, cuddles and a Christmas film ☺️

- ☕️ Alice

💻 LEADING TEAMS REMOTELY • It’s fair to sa

💻 LEADING TEAMS REMOTELY •

It’s fair to say a lot of us have struggled to make the move from casual catch ups in the office to scheduled zoom calls.

But if we care about our teams, morale, productivity and general sanity, then adjust we must!

Our tips for maintaining communication across the void:

☕️ HAVE A COMMUNICATION PLAN

From the first lockdown, we brought in a new schedule of comms for the week. It’s only very basic - a group call at the beginning of the week, periodic 1:1’s and WhatsApp messaging in between.

But just having a simple framework gives structure to the week, which is a lifesaver in the weird limbo of working from home.

☕️ MAKE TIME FOR SOCIALISING

Team meetings should never just be about work. It’s nice to come away with your objectives for the day, but it’s also a chance just to check in and talk about life stuff, because those lines are very obviously blurred now.

☕️ DISCUSS AND ENFORCE BOUNDARIES

It’s important for everyone to know what the expectations are, especially around working times.

If you send an email to your team at 11pm, don’t assume they’ll ignore it until they’re next on shift - let them know they’re not obligated to respond!

A simple hack is to put in the subject line ‘Not urgent - don’t read until you’re next in!’

☕️ SHOW APPRECIATION

When we’re all working from home, it’s easy to think we’re working alone, and we can forget to acknowledge the people around us.

Simple acts like sending a birthday card, texting a daily thank you message or shouting them out on LinkedIn can mean a lot.

☕️ DON’T FORGET YOURSELF!

In taking time to look after your team members, don’t forget to extend the same compassion to yourself.

We all need support, help and encouragement, so reach out to your peers or other members of your support team to have a good rant when you need it!

- ☕️ Alice

———————

✍🏼 Slide Copy: @grace_r_hall