What a busy year it has been so far!

At the end of January we had our Weekend of Inspiration.

Starting with the JCI London Annual Dinner at the House of Lords on the Friday night. I was invited to sit at the top table with so had one of the best seats to hear Lord Bilimoria talk about his JCI experiences and how he has applied those lessons to various aspects of his life.  

Moving swiftly on JCI UK Inspiration Day hosted by JCI Reading. With in excess of 50 attendees this was one of the best attended ID's in several years. Keynote talks from Graham Jones on internet psychology and Jamie Dunn on were interlaced with real JCI Members talking about what JCI means to them, and what they get out of being involved. Some of these Videos can be seen on the JCI Reading Youtube channel more will be added as I get them edited.   

For most that would have been enough for one weekend but not for JCI Reading, so we hosted the JCI Presenter Course. Head Trainer Adam Woodhall, and Assistant trainers Solveig and Simon trained 20 participants on the first rung of the official JCI training ladder. For a participants perspective of the course you can read a full report from Diane our Training Director. The following weekend was the JCI Trainer Course hosted by JCI London, I was one of 15 attendees taking the next step on the JCI Training ladder.

All of this gave me plenty to talk about when I was invited to be the lunchtime speaker at Reading Rotary. This was a fantastic opportunity to talk several past presidents of JCI Reading while also communicating the how JCI can help both individuals and businesses.  

One of the other skills I talked about at Rotary was how the Presenter and Trainer courses help with public confidence which also lead neatly into our Debating Skills workshop on the 24^th Feb.

That is what we have been up to, so what is next?  

Networking Thursday's, Red Hot Elevator Pitch, Networking Skills, JCI UK Marketing Academy, Cambridge Businesses Skills and 'Presidents and Deputies Day' More details on each of those below and that only takes us to 10^th April!

I look forward to seeing you at one of these events soon.  

Steve Wells
President JCI Reading 2011

How To Sell Yourself With A Red-Hot Elevator Pitch

31st March 2011

Each participant will build and hone their own 1-minute pitch - whether it's an idea, a product or themselves!

Find out more about the Red-Hot Elevator Pitch and sign up before places run out.

Networking Thursday's

17th March 2011
21st April 2011

Our regular social meeting given you to meet the other members and discuss existing and new projects. Let us know how we can help you get the most from JCI Reading.

How to work a room - Networking Training

14th April 2011

Walking into a room with total strangers can be terrifying, even for experienced networkers.

In this practical training we'll look at:
- How to prepare for networking
- How and when to initiate conversations
- How and when to break into group conversations
- How to end conversations
- How to follow up on contacts

If you want to become a more effective networker make sure you sign up now

JCI UK Marketing Academy

1st-3rd April (Friday optional)

Are you interested in learning about marketing?
Want to add social media skills to your CV?
Want to make the most out of marketing both for your self and for your JCI Chamber?

The JCI Marketing Academy is the place for you, book your place now

Business Skills / Presidents and Deputies Day

9th/10th April

To be hosted by by JCI Cambridge, further details will be sent out as they are released, or keep an eye on the JCI Cambridge website