Category Archives: Business speak

Tread softly

This story is just one of a trillion reasons why Tim Berners-Lee deserves to stand alongside William Caxton and James Watt in the history of human connectivity. A little over five years ago, on 9 March 2011, an email arrived … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dark matter

I’ve been doing some pre-Christmas stock-taking. It’s not an inventory of goods, though the stock in question is certainly good, but of assets of a less tangible kind: the writing generated on Dark Angels courses throughout the year, which I … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Temple of Learning

Today I’m en route for Aracena, an hour north of Seville, and our tenth successive year running the Dark Angels advanced course. We’ve grown to love the sprawling red-roofed finca in the mountains, the early sun burning off the mist … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nudge, nudge

Until yesterday I had never heard of the government’s Behavioural Insights Team, otherwise known as the Nudge Unit. Last night I watched a news item about how they have been changing the way officials communicate with taxpayers and consumers to … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Laugh or cry?

We are living in exceedingly strange times. Nine months ago Scots were being cajoled and entreated to remain in the Union. Today those same beseeching voices are demonising us as the hirsute hordes, poised to breach Hadrian’s Wall and wreak … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Finding the flame

Since the beginning of the year I’ve been involved in the drafting of three large, high-profile public documents, one an urban regeneration strategy, one an export strategy for a national industry body, and one a long-term plan for a cultural … Continue reading

More Galleries | 2 Comments

Through the wall

I’m looking at a picture of the Great Wall of China. It’s on a calendar given to me by my friend and acupuncturist Wenbo Xu. There are two crane-like birds in a meadow in the foreground. Beyond them the wall … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

To the letter

Last week I spent a day with members of the housing team of a local authority. We were looking at the letters they send out to tenants on a variety of subjects, ranging from noise to rubbish to gardens to … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Nine years

It’s nine years since the very first Dark Angels course took place at the Arvon writers centre at Totleigh Barton in Devon. Even more amazingly, it seems to me, it’s seven since we held our first advanced course on the … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sin of omission?

I was listening at lunchtime yesterday to the BBC’s director of human resources being grilled about bullying and the ‘strong undercurrent of fear’ uncovered at the corporation by its recent Respect at Work review. The interviewer suggested that the human … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments