News from Grahame Robb Associates

PowerFan launch a great charity success

22 May 2010 - The launch of the new PowerFan at Wokefield (Reading) last Saturday raised over £555 for the Joe Glover Trust. People of all ages had a go (or two) at stepping off the 15m/45ft platform and enjoying the quick flight back to earth, with a gentle touchdown. There were those who thought they could not do it (but did) and others who commented on how much higher it seems when you are up there!

Some pictures. You can try it for yourself: bring your work team, friends or family. Just call us to book on 01962 779922.

The PowerFan comes to Wokefield

10 May 2010 - Last week saw the installation of the new Power Fan at Wokefield. Never heard of a Power Fan? See the first picture and try it for yourself at the charity launch on 22nd May 2010. Early booking advised!

Vitalsmarts' Joseph Grenny on ABC news

10 May 2010 - Joseph Grenny, co-author of the best-selling book "Crucial Conversations", has given a short interview on ABC News outlining some hints and tips for employees to effectively ask for holiday time and ensure they really get the time they need.

Watch the clip.

Silent danger

10 May 2010 - We are delighted to announce a new Conference on the 7th July at Wokefield Park, Reading, where you can learn about the new "Silent Danger" research. The conference will explore the 5 common, yet avoidable workplace dangers and detail how to create a culture of accountability and safety in your organisation.

March 2010 - Champagne Prize Draw

09 April 2010 - Many thanks to everyone who entered the champagne prize draw located on our stand in the Executive Centre at De Vere Wokefield Park, Reading.

The winner of this month's bottle of champagne is Bob Houghton. We will contact Bob shortly to arrange delivery of his prize.

Thanks once again to everyone who took part.

GRA climb Mt Kilimanjaro

7 September 2009 They have reached the top! Alex was hallucinating, Vicki had a sore ear. But otherwise all happy and tired.

4 September 2009 At 15.00 (UK time) Grahame called for the update, he sounded in good spirits but hadn't been in touch for the last couple of days due to poor phone signal. The trekkers are at Baranco Wall, only 2 camps away from the top of Kilimanjaro. They had a tough day of walking yesterday 9 hours in total. A couple of injuries as well, a number of people suffering from blisters and Alex has managed to burn his ears!

2 September 2009 At 09:42 (UK time) Grahame called to say they were all in the 'wagon' heading towards the face of Kili to begin their 7 day climb passing Zebra, Giraffes and Wildebeest on the way. According to Vicki the Giraffes are really cool but she really wants to see some Elephants. The weather is really nice over there, warm and sunny during the day but freezing at night apparently! Sharon isn't talking to anyone at the moment... she is psyching herself up for the climb!

1 September 2009 Grahame Robb and daughter Vicki, Sharon Clish and son Alex are climbing Mt Kilimanjaro to raise money for Wave 105 Cash for Kids! So far they have arrived in Africa a few days ahead of the climb to help them acclimatise. Yesterday they climbed Little Meru at 12,800ft (3 times the size of Ben Nevis) it took them 8 hours to summit on the second day of climbing.

Unfortunately KLM lost Grahame's luggage luckily he has it back now but his camelback was stolen meaning he is now going to have to carry bottles of water up Kili, which they set off for tomorrow. They are however all in very good spirits and have already seen Buffalo, Giraffes and Baboons!

Karen Robb: Crucial Conversations Master Trainer

19 June 2009 - GRA is pleased to announce that Karen Robb has recently achieved Master Trainer status in Crucial Conversations, and is now the only Master Trainer to be based in the UK, and one of only 36 Master Trainers in the world. This is a great personal accomplishment for Karen, which has involved months of assessment and development support from VitalSmarts. It is also a significant benefit for you as clients, as we are now able to more effectively and flexibly offer trainer certification programmes within your own organisations, as well as run our own public 'open' trainer certification programmes. For more details of these click here. Well done Karen..!

England World Cup Winners take on new challenges at the GRA Corporate Outdoor Learning Centre

27 May 2009 - Grahame Robb Associates had the privilege of playing host to the ECB England Women's Cricket Team over the May Bank Holiday weekend. After their recent success in the World Cup in Australia, the girls are now preparing for a busy summer season which contains an Ashes Series and 20/20 competitions. GRA provided the Senior and Academy squads, accompanied by members of the ECB Senior Coaching and Management Staff, with a learning and development day at our Outdoor Learning Centre in Wokefield, near Reading.

"Thanks again to you and the team for a fantastic day yesterday. What a day for it and what great fun! I think the girls collectively will have taken a lot from it, which bodes well for the coming matches against each other and Pakistan. I also think the girls got a lot out of it individually as well. There were definitely some big challenges and fears overcome yesterday in my group alone which will be priceless for some of these girls in terms of giving them the belief to perform at the next level. Brilliant!" Simon Crampton, ECB Team Sociologist

See some of the action for yourself at the ECBtv web site

GRA celebrates its 20th birthday in 2009

GRA continues to go from strength to strength and, on our 20th birthday, we are pleased to announce that the last 12 months have been the best 12 months in GRA's history. "The significant impact that our services have had with organisations in helping them develop their staff and achieve the results they require has been instrumental in our success", says Grahame Robb. "The business offerings have diversified in the last 4 years and with the successful acquisition of the 15 acre Corporate Outdoor Learning Centre in Reading in 2007, coupled with the rapidly growing business around Crucial Conversations and Influencer, we are well positioned to help our clients survive and thrive during these difficult times."

Influencer training launched in the UK

30 April 2009 - We were delighted to hold the first UK open trainer certification programme for Influencer: The Power to Change Anything in April 2009. The programme was very well received by all those who attended. They saw the power and relevance of the concepts to solving and overcoming major organisational challenges simply by changing behaviour. You may want to look at training programme dates.

Support to the British Sailing Team

April 2009 - GRA has just renewed its contract with the RYA as the Learning and Development supplier for Skandia Team GBR, the British Sailing Team in the Olympic and Paralympic Classes. We are delighted to be supporting the team up to 2012 in London and look forward to helping the team secure medal positions, as they did so successfully in Beijing.