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Insights

Practical thinking on learning and performance, from people who do it every day. Straight answers, tactics you can use tomorrow, and the occasional opinion.

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How-to

Elevate Team Spirit: 12 New Year Resolutions for a Learning-Centric Workplace

Foster collaboration, recognition, and growth in the year ahead

January 31, 2024

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News

Merry Seek-mas 2023!

Find the hidden Kiwiana essentials so the Opti-Kiwis can enjoy their Christmas get-together!

December 12, 2023

News

Kiwi Christmas Connections!

Find the connected categories to help Ollie decorate his tree!

December 12, 2023

How-to

Turn new employees into early ambassadors

Surprise and delight your new employees, and make them early ambassadors for your company.

December 7, 2023

Induction App, on two screens, self service out now text

News

The Induction App - Self service out now!

Onboarding your employees has never been so easy.

December 4, 2023

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How-to

Artificial Assistance : The best AI tools '23

Check out these AI tools to improve your content output!

December 1, 2023

office worker, reaching for the stars, orange theme

Our thinking

Navigating business evolution: The power of adult learning

How workplace learning promotes business growth

November 27, 2023

Mouth, orange texture, saying hey in 4 different languages

How-to

The best online translators

Awesome means the same thing in every language

November 17, 2023

empty wheelchair sitting in an orange space

Our thinking

Ensuring worker safety in the construction sector of New Zealand

A critical lesson from recent events

September 29, 2023

Remote working woman sitting outside, on her laptop.

Our thinking

Hybrid hustle: Winning learning

Building a robust learning strategy in a hybrid business environment

September 21, 2023

businessman standing next to orange robot.

How-to

AI: Your content co-pilot

Supercharge your learning content creation with AI

September 21, 2023

Woman in orange suit, happy, on laptop, with key in background.

Our thinking

Learning and development: The key to employee retention?

Navigating the secular labour shortage and utilising L&D effectively to retain existing employees.

September 11, 2023

Corperate woman walking up stairs made of the word ADVANTAGE

How-to

The A.D.V.A.N.T.A.G.E Approach to Learning

Follow the ADVANTAGE approach for creating accessible and absorbable learning!

September 8, 2023

man exiting office building in corporate attire.

Our thinking

Corporate training or talent draining

It's your decision, either invest in your workforce or witness a talent drought in your organisation.

September 4, 2023

Silhouette of a woman sitting at an office desk with the sun setting in the background.

Our thinking

The great gloom

Employee happiness is at an all-time low. Find out which industries are hit the hardest and what you can do to mitigate worker woes.

September 1, 2023

construction worker with bandaged eye, surrounded by falling money

Our thinking

The price of neglect

Training your workers not only keeps them safe, but saves the country billions of dollars.

August 30, 2023

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Our thinking

Are you being stung by drip pricing?

And how is your business being impacted by it?

August 23, 2023

How-to

Got a performance issue? Get your SKOM on!

Take a look at our SKOM diagram to assess what needs attention within your workforce to better improve performance.

August 16, 2023

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News

Kiwi Christmas 2022

Meri Kirihimete!

December 1, 2022

News

It's 2022!

What will 2022 bring for you?

January 1, 2022

Happy person sitting at his desk behind a laptop

Our thinking

Protect Your Investment in New Talent

We know that the research shows the first three months for our new employees are critical.

November 25, 2021

Business professionals strategising on a whiteboard

Our thinking

Get Strategic with Learning & Development

Do you need to address an area of learning and performance, but don’t know where to start?

October 1, 2021

Business man standing in a orange room, walls are lined with paper, overwhelmed with information

Our thinking

Reduce the Opportunity for Misconduct

How confident are you that everyone understands the company’s policies, and knows what is expected of them?

January 11, 2021

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Our thinking

The Case for Better Induction

Enhance your onboarding with better employee induction. Read more about the impact of effective employee induction on business performance.

May 10, 2020

News

EO Awards For Sussan

Sussan was super delighted to receive these awards from her entrepreneurial peers.

February 11, 2020

Man in PPE with his arms folded reading about health and safety requirements

Explainer

Why use eLearning for Health and Safety compliance training?

Discover the benefits of eLearning for Health & Safety Compliance Training. Cost-effective eLearning modules tailored for your workforce.

Our thinking

Why Careless Induction Is Costing You Millions!

Stop the cost of careless induction. Discover the impact of ineffective onboarding and uncover expert insights to enhance your employee induction process.

business woman, looking through binoculars, wearing orange trenchcoat.

Our thinking

Where are the skilled employees hiding?

If you’re still finding it really hard to hire skilled people, do you know why that is? It might not be what you think.

Sussan presenting her Health & Safety eLearning tips

How-to

When is eLearning for Health & Safety a bad thing?

Watch out for these 5 common pitfalls when creating Health & Safety eLearning. Engage your employees in Health & Safety training for a safer workforce.

Coffee cup, pot plants and a work laptop sitting on an orange desk

Explainer

What is espresso learning?

Join Louise as she gives you a snapshot of what micro/espresso learning is and what it can be used for.

Woman with VR headset surrounded by abstract shapes from the augmented reality world

Explainer

The Next Idea: Augmented Reality

Embrace the future with augmented reality. Discover the next big idea and unlock insights on AR's potential with Optimism.

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News

Making induction easier for everyone

Simplify employee induction with the Induction App. Enhance onboarding and engage your team from day one.

Espresso exploding out of a computer screen

Explainer

Take a shot at espresso learning!

What is espresso learning? We break down information into small learning chunks and use learning activities to develop knowledge and fill skills gaps.

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Our thinking

So you think you’ve got it covered?

Is your company fully covered for Health & Safety? Discover comprehensive solutions and expert insights.

Man sitting at a messy desk with his hand on his head looking fed up

Explainer

Prepare & Prevent instead of Repair & Repent

Find out more about the Health & Safety Work Act and the move towards "Prepare and Prevent".

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Explainer

Boost Workplace Performance

Are you focussing on performance improvement training?

Two construction workers building a bridge foundational framework

Explainer

Organisational Capability Framework

Develop a strong capability framework to drive business success

News

Optimism Wins eLearnz Award

Optimism was awarded overall Winner of the eLearnz Award in New Zealand.

News

Optimism Wins At LearnX 2015

Partnering with Coastguard Boating Education, Optimism received the Silver Award for Best eLearning Development Company in the 2015 LearnX Impact Awards.

Optimism Silver winner Learning impact award from LearnX

News

Optimism wins again 2016!

Optimism wins the Silver Award for Best Interactive Scenario at the LearnX Impact Awards in 2016.

News

Optimism Wins Again!

Victorious again - Optimism celebrates another triumph. Explore our award-winning insights and innovations at Optimism.

Nicola (Optimism) and Michelle (Ports of Auckland) receiving program of the year runner up award

News

NZATD Programme of the Year Runner-up 2016

Sussan Ockwell (Optimism) smiling while receiving Practitioner of the year award

News

NZATD L&D Practitioner of the Year Award 2016

Sussan Ockwell (Optimism) recieving L&D person of the year award from Beryl Oldham (Complete Learning Solutions)

News

NZATD L&D Person of the Year 2016

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How-to

Making the most of video

Are you making the most of video for impactful learning? Why video is important for training your employees and how you can use it.

Employees on the right path towards meeting learning targets

Our thinking

Learning & Performance Management

Optimise Learning and Performance Management for Business Growth

Illustration of a girl staring at her computer looking bored with the elearning she is doing

Our thinking

It’s Online, but is it Learning?

Discover the three key aspects of effective eLearning. Elevate your understanding of impactful online learning.

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Our thinking

Is your L&D aligned to your strategic business goals?

When your L&D feels bitsy, fragmented, ad-hoc, or reactive, it can be hard to know how to get out of that cycle.

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Our thinking

Is there a development pathway for that?

Mapping out the capabilities of your company's roles to design a development pathway for your employees

WFH setup with quote "Your people are mobile... Is your learning?"

Our thinking

Is it time to mobilise your people?

We’re all used to being able to find the information that we need within seconds and at the touch of a button.

close up of a dress watch on a business-mans wrist

Our thinking

Is it taking too long for new people to become operationally competent?

Investing into your people, for mutual benefit.

Illustration of an empty handed boy in the middle of a supermarket isle

How-to

How do I choose between bespoke & off-the-shelf eLearning?

Choosing between bespoke and off-the-shelf eLearning solutions is getting far harder, with off-the-shelf ones getting more tech savvy and certainly more widely spread.

Business people standing next to a white and orange mosaic wall of puzzle pieces and cogs

How-to

How can L&D increase engagement?

Engagement means different things to different organisations or people but, above all, it comes down to people enjoying coming to work – and, as a result, contributing to high performing teams and stronger business results.

Cambodian woman balancing a large plate of food on her head

News

Helping Cambodian women start and grow their own business

Optimism NZ is working with NGO Flame Cambodia to help the women in Cambodia’s slums to start and grow their own micro-businesses so that they can feed their families and communities.

Our thinking

Harnessing the power of AI

How we are using Artificial Intelligence to maximise efficiency and improve productivity

Our thinking

Getting It Right From The Start

The word ‘guidance’ might be used in many contexts, but its meaning when it comes to safety is HUGE.

How-to

Free 10-Minute Induction Review Checklist

Our free 10-minute induction review checklist will help you complete a quick check of your induction process to find any gaps in your current process.

Hand putting the last puzzle piece that completes 'strategy' in place

How-to

Effective L&D Strategy Framework

The process behind crafting an effective strategy framework

New hire satisfaction rating improvement

Explainer

Effective Induction Programmes

The Importance of an Effective Induction Programme for New Staff

Explainer

Considering Digital Learning Solutions?

Harness digital learning to future-proof your workforce

Mobile phone displaying high level eLearning

Explainer

Demystifying mLearning

What is mLearning? Find out more about how mobile learning can benefit your company and help your employees enhance their performance.

eLearning developers constructing and planning a custom solution

Explainer

The Power of Custom eLearning

Is it time to consider a tailored approach to your workplace development?

How-to

Creating a Strong First Impression

Top tips on how to provide a great onboarding experience for your employees. Engage and boost productivity with expert induction strategies.

business-man confused, paper flying all around

Our thinking

Content ≠ Results

Content doesn't translate to results, why is that? Creating content for the sake of absorbable learning, not content for the sake of content.

Explainer

Building Capability in the Workplace

Capable and adaptable workforces are key to organisational success

Explainer

Benefits of Animation

The benefits of using animation within eLearning and how we utilise animation to captivate learners and simplify content.

Question: What is scenario based learning?

Explainer

Ask Optimism – What is scenario-based learning?

What is scenario-based learning and how can this improve your business performance? Find out more with Optimism.

Two people in hazmat suits sitting in a corporate office reading paper based learning materials.

Our thinking

As a learner, which eLearning module would YOU rather be doing?

Develop more engaging eLearning with scenario-based learning. Talk to Optimism about how to get real results using this approach.

Lela Awards honourable mention digital plaque

News

Another award for Optimism

Optimism shines again with another award. Discover our award-winning insights and innovations.

Man happy after discovering the wealth of knowledge/eLearning he can access from his laptop. Paper learning flys away in the background.

Explainer

9 Key Benefits of eLearning

9 key benefits of eLearning and how this can help your organisation, compared to more traditional methods.

Illustration of a person standing at the top of a mountain celebrating; bright sun directly behind them.

How-to

4 tactics to promote wellbeing through L&D

How often do your people switch off from the responsibilities of work? What’s their work life balance like? How’s their mental and physical health?

Illustration of an athletic man posing with a glowing orb and circular lines around him.

How-to

3 Tactics to Fight the ‘Forgetting Curve’ in L&D

You invest heavily in learning for your people; workshops, courses, eLearning and more. Your people give good feedback, say thanks for the lunch, score highly in the quiz...

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