Blog

Janis Slingsby writes about her profound, funny and fabulous learning journey on the beginners' Xhosa course Speak Xhosa in Eight Weeks, offered by UCT's distinguished teacher Dr Tessa Dowling via Skillfully... I first signed up for Tessa Dowling’s ‘Speak Xhosa in eight weeks’ in July, and what an extreme privilege it is to have Tessa as my teacher. Learning Xhosa at this stage in my life, when my brain is just like my computer - outdated hardware, not enough RAM and not enough storage c...

In this engaging and insightful discussion, Skillfully’s Dr Greg Fried had the privilege of hosting Professor Mark Graham, a renowned expert in accounting, finance, and integrated reporting. With a stellar career that includes leadership roles at UCT's College of Accounting and Graduate School of Business, Professor Graham has left a great impression as an educator of thousands of professionals and students. Mark Graham's past students and course participants describe him as a captivating...

At Skillfully, we’re committed to the value of upskilling. With the right training, professionals can advance their capacities and careers while helping colleagues, clients and others. That’s why we host the Skillfully High Achiever Award. The award celebrates young professionals in financial services who have upskilled themselves, and by doing so boosted their own work performance and brought benefit to others too. Click here to apply. You’re eligible for the award if this describes y...

Financial services professionals play a crucial role in the economic landscape of South Africa. To protect consumers by maintaining the high standards of these professionals, the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS) sets out “fit and proper” requirements to ensure that professionals are competent, ethical, and trustworthy. This article describes these requirements and their significance for financial services professionals. To whom do the fit and proper requirements apply? ...

If you’re interested in the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, the global standard for investment industry knowledge, then you’ll want to know about the recent updates to the CFA curriculum. At Skillfully, where we help firms and professionals find great courses, many of our client firms have been asking us about the changes. Below are some common questions, and our answers. We’ve drawn on the expertise of Tim Davies from FTS, the training provider that features its excellent CFA I,...

This article first appeared on CHRO South Africa. As an HR professional, you may be involved in learning and development. You might also know that ChatGPT, the AI software that will converse with you in an amazingly human way, can be a powerful learning partner. This growing range of AI software can be a useful assistant to enhance upskilling, but must be used with caution. The hallucinating software AI often generates text in a tone of confident authority, as if from an expert. Don’t...

Many people aspire to a management role, but the transition to management is often more challenging than anticipated. To shed light on the challenges, Skillfully interviewed Rob Broster, an instructor and coach renowned for his expertise in management training. Rob dives into the complexities of stepping up to management, shares insight on why it can be a tricky transition, touches on current management and leadership theory, and emphasises the importance of starting your journey by understa...

In this interview, Skillfully speaks with the inspiring Verity Price, the first African and sixth woman ever to become the World Public Speaking Champion. Verity, who is also a TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, musician and actor, shares her expertise and tips for discovering the keys to happiness and positivity. She discusses the importance, for corporate employees and teams, of learning practical skills to increase happiness and positivity, and the profound impact of these qualities in the workpla...

Listen as Greg Fried, co-founder of Skillfully, interviews Tim Davies, a CFA holder and the co-founder of Financial Training Solutions. With their CFA level 1, level 2, and level 3 courses available on Skillfully, Tim and his team have successfully trained over a thousand candidates to pass their exams. Join Tim as hedelves into the value of pursuing a CFA, describes common habits of successful candidates, gives tips for balancing CFA preparation with a busy lifestyle, identifieschallenging ...

Did you know that Beyoncé gets so nervous when she has to perform that long ago she invented an alter ego, Sasha Fierce, to help? Apparently, Queen Bey first has to become Sasha before she can strut out onto the stage and be the global megastar that she is. We may not be wearing her heels, but most of us have to strut a bit – according to a Prezi survey, presentation skills are vital for 70% of people. And, like Beyoncé, we all need a little help: three-quarters of presenters wish to improve ...

Listen to Skillfully co-founder Greg Fried and Nikki McNaught of the Business Presentation Group as they discuss what is needed to create and deliver an outstanding business presentation. Nikki's vast experience has helped many to produce compelling presentations that have yielded greater business success, more sales, stronger client relationships, and numerous other positive results. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW Nikki, an expert trainer for the Business Presentation Group's...

Skillfully co-founder Greg Fried sits down with John French of Communication Guru, communication expert and designer of the Face-to-Face and Virtual Presentation Masterclass. John discusses essential skills for presentersin today's rapidly changing world and offers valuable tips and advice for making a lasting impression, presenting professionally online, managing nerves, and building a professional brand. He also touches on the art of reading an audience and tailoring presentations to your stak...

In this fun skit, Dr Tessa Dowling, course trainer for Speak Xhosa in Eight Weeks, surprises her colleague Thembelihle as she speaks to her fluently in Xhosa. If you're looking for isiXhosa lessons for beginners and want to learn Xhosa online, these brilliant Xhosa language lessons from a UCT academic will show you the basics ofhow to speak Xhosa. You'll have a new way to connect withyour fellow South Africans and understand more about Xhosa language and culture. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SKI...

CapeTalk's John Maytham recently interviewed Dr Tessa Dowling, course trainer for Speak Xhosa in Eight Weeks and Senior Lecturer in African Languages and Literature at UCT. Tessa, who holds UCT’s Distinguished Teacher Award, shared insights on how to learn Xhosa and become conversationally competent. She emphasised the importance of learning Xhosa phrases toserve as the building blocks for conversation. For those with limited time, Tessa suggested receivingpositive affirmation bypracticing ...

Skillfully co-founder Greg Fried speaks to Dr. Tessa Dowling, Senior Lecturer in African Languages and Literatures at UCT, on practical tips for learning Xhosa, the benefits of knowing some Xhosa, and more. Tessa is an acclaimed Xhosa lecturer with a Distinguished Teacher Award from UCT. We’re delighted to feature her course Speak Xhosa in Eight Weeks on Skillfully. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW

How should we handle hard conversations with colleagues, strengthen bonds with clients, and connect with fellow South Africans despite our differences? I asked Michael Walker of Language Boss about all this and more. As an expert in workplace conversations, Michael had strong and practical advice. It was such a pleasure to listen to him – try it! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW

Thinking of changing jobs? Maybe there’s a solution to your workplace frustrations that doesn’t require quitting. Nzinga Qunta interviews Greg Fried, co-founder of Skillfully, on the prospects for South African professionals upskilling to enhance their job satisfaction. Greg highlights the importance of directing one’s own upskilling journey and making informed choices about the courses that suit one best. Skillfully offers courses for professionals and firms in a market where information abou...

Jimmy Winfield, co-founder of skillfully.co.za, recently spoke with Africa Melane of CapeTalk about the Great Resignation among South African professionals. If you’re looking for career advancement, Jimmy recommends thinking twice before quitting, and rather working with your employer to upskill yourself. As Jimmy explains, it can be hard to find and book the right courses. Skillfully.co.za makes it easy, empowering you to make your own training decisions and optimising the process of finding ...

The rise of virtual presenting has changed presenting forever. Your old presentation skills are limited. Here are the new presentation skills trends you need to know. Just when millions of people had mastered presenting and had overcome their public speaking fears, Covid changed presenting forever. The sad truth is that your old live presentation skills are now hugely limited. The new truth you need to connect with is that you are now a BROADCASTER, and your home has become your RECORDING STUD...