Story telling is so important when you're trying engage your audience, whether you're giving a presentation or a pitch. You should do whatever you can to make your presentations fun and engaging, you want people to remember and understand what you're telling them, and stories are the way to do it. And the best thing is, it's fairly easy to add storytelling in; you don't have to be a natural, you can learn how to do it.

Have you ever wondered what it is that those people who always seem to be happy have in common? What characteristics or habits do they share - and how can you get them? Online and in books a thousand gurus offer their own ways for you to find happiness. But how do we know which of them works? The scientific method is probably best. We have seen an upsurge in scientific studies on positive psychology and the science of happiness or, to put it simply, discovering what makes happy people happy. 

We went to see the film About Time last week. If you haven't seen it, it's the new movie from Director, Richard Curtis, and it's about a young man who has the ability to time travel. Sounds strange? It is, but it also allows him to replay the things that don't go so well. In the end after facing some tough decisions (spoiler alert!) it has a brilliant positive psychology message. He stops replaying time, and just lives each day as if he has replayed it – looking out for the good every normal day brings. It struck us that it has a brilliant positive psychology message. That got us thinking about what we can learn about living happier lives from the movies.

Harris + Hoole are one of our valued clients; they are small but rapidly growing chain of coffee shops and the brainchild of three siblings - Nick, Andrew and Laura Tolley. Their vision is to bring great tasting speciality coffee to the high street, which we believe they do – with bells on.