Breathe Personal and Organisational Development

27/05/2026

Research your topic!

Fundamental to lesson or session planning whether you think you know your subject or not - law, policy, views of society change and it's easy to quickly become outdated.

But absolutely essential if you are going to disappear into the wilderness for 3 weeks never having done anything like it in your life before, as I did hiking the John Muir Trail (and if I was going to prove wrong those who said I couldn't or shouldn't do it).

And by heck, did I research. And just like I would for developing a lesson or session plan.

This is vlog 2 of 9 short vlogs. If you missed the first or want to race ahead, the links to the other vlogs are in each of the 'Descriptions'.

https://youtu.be/D0PVsWM0CKk?si=P5ZnmG9fiJ55OC_e

09/05/2026

When I was planning to walk the John Muir Trail last year, several people advised me against it as I had never backpacked before and so I would be taking too much of a risk. I thought there were very few risks, if my planning was thorough.

I did plan thoroughly, and I leant on my approach to lesson planning - which got me thinking ... why not create some vlogs on how to lesson plan using my John Muir Trail experience. So that's what I did.

I have made 9 short videos / vlogs (28 minutes in total), recorded while I was on the trail, describing how to plan a lesson or session, and added them to my YouTube channel.

If you are interested in seeing them, the link to the next vlog / episode can be found in the description field of any you are watching. Here is the first:

This is the first of nine short videos covering how to plan and create a training session or lesson plan, using my experience of planning for and completing ...

29/07/2020

"I Googled for John Heron's 6CIA the other day, and you came top of the listings!", so a friend recently told me. Surprised, so checked it, and it is true! Very happy with that, as I see it as one of the most helpful coaching models around. Mildly disappointed that as I travel the world making my vlogs, the only one I have made at home gets 64% of all my views. Fascinated that 160 people in New Zealand watched it on 20 & 21 May (when it normally gets 5-10 views a day across the world). Amused that someone has linked it to an information page on a 15th century financier called John Heron .... ah, the internet ...

John Heron's 6CIA model is, arguably, the best guide to the most fundamental foundation stone of coaching and developing performance in individuals - effecti...

21/07/2019

Just less than two years ago, I travelled to the site of the Battle of First Manassas, one of the early battles of the American Civil War. I went there to create a vlog on how language can be so powerful in promoting prejudice and discrimination. After some of the events of the past 7 days it seems even more relevant now than it was then

How relevant is Gordon Allport's model to America today? This short vlog, recorded from Manassas National Battlefield, scene of the first battle of the Ameri...

24/03/2019

I found this Disney Pixar video Short recently. I was interested in the comments on LinkedIn about it - some people thinking it is great, others that it is juvenile. Interestingly, I thought, those who thought it juvenile predominantly see it as about gender equality … but I think it's far more than that … it's about being different … size, shape, hair colour, clothes, mug you drink out of … everything. I used it on a diversity and inclusion course a couple of weeks ago and it generated some great discussion. What do you think about it?

Purl, directed by Kristen Lester and produced by Gillian Libbert-Duncan, features an earnest ball of yarn named Purl who gets a job in a fast-paced, high ene...

14/02/2019

"Seven in 10 (70 per cent) L&D professionals said they felt pressure from their organisations to measure the business impact of learning. The researchers said that represented a 38 per cent increase on last year." And so they should do! The real story is that 30% aren't under any pressure to measure their impact - what exactly are they contributing to their organisations?

CIPD calls for ‘step-change’ in how learning leaders use data, as survey suggests competing priorities hold them back

24/01/2019

Hi all! What does it do for you? Do you believe this? Paul

09/11/2018

Having made my Rio Grande vlog, I drove 1,200 miles to Badlands National Park to make this "Achieving the Seemingly Impossible" vlog. Imagine being in a position where you keep failing an exam. You try your hardest, but you don't get there, so you start losing hope. A few years ago, I discovered that I could help people pass who didn't believe it was possible any more. In fact, I have worked with nearly 20 such people, and everyone has passed after we have worked together - a couple with distinctions. These people achieve what they have started to believe is impossible to achieve. And none have failed. This vlog summarises how I do it with three key layers we all have the ability to use - Emotional Intelligence, Transactional Analysis and Neuro Linguistic Programming.

Imagine being in a position where you keep failing an exam. You try your hardest, but you don't get there, so you start losing hope. A few years ago, I disco...

22/10/2018

I'm at the CIPD Self Employed Professionals Group in Harrogate this evening doing an input on John Heron's '6 Category Intervention Analysis' - St Aidan's School, 6.45 pm if you can make it ... if not, here is what it's all about!

John Heron's 6CIA model is, arguably, the best guide to the most fundamental foundation stone of coaching and developing performance in individuals - effecti...

11/10/2018

In Glasgow doing a piece of needs analysis work with Immigration Enforcement ... first meeting ... unfortunately got my words mixed up and instead of asking about their "Pin and passwords", I asked about their "Pan and pisswords" ... created fits of laughter and I seem to have become instantly memorable - but probably not for the best reasons - but I guess if people remember you it's a win?!?

25/09/2018

As some of you know, I record nearly all my vlogs in the US. For my last trip, I decided to do one on Responses to Dominance, Power v Negotiation and the CUDSA Conflict Management model. Where to do it? The US / Mexico border seemed perfect ... so after flying to Dallas, taking an 11-hour overnight Greyhound coach to El Paso and then driving 7 hours to a small border crossing in the Big Bend National Park, here it is! ...

When we face conflict it can often generate emotions - which can make the situation difficult to manage. This may lead us to address the issue from a positio...