Mar 11, 2014 | News
Now that we’ve rolled our clocks forward one hour into daylight savings time, the 23-hour Sunday means a sleepy week for everyone, especially those who aren’t morning people, as we see less sunlight in the morning and more in the evening. While it takes a few days to adjust for each hour of time change, there are healthy ways to ensure a smooth transition without feeling tired.
1. Soak Up The Sun During Waking Hours
After growing tired of the cold winter days, and leaving the office in the dark, one of the best ways to reset your internal clock is to soak up the sun during the day. Exposing yourself to light during waking hours will help suppress the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. It is important to avoid exposure to bright light when it’s dark out. Melatonin production can be thrown off from sleep deprivation during the day or too much exposure to artificial light at night, especially from electronic devices. If you use the bathroom in the middle of the night, try not to turn the light on.
2. Exercise In The Sunlight Before 5 p.m. Daily
A brisk walk or run in the sunlight can make it easier for people to adjust to daylight savings time. Sunlight and exercise can boost serotonin production, and its release, in the brain, says Psychology Today. This can offset the effects of daylight savings time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends going for a 10-minute brisk walk, three times a day, five days a week, to meet 150 minutes moderate-intensity activity every week, along with muscle-strengthening exercises.
3. Avoid Caffeine After Noon & Limit Alcohol Consumption After Dinner
Although you may feel the need to indulge in caffeine more so than usual this week, it’s best to avoid it after noon. A study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that 400 milligrams of caffeine consumption even six hours before bedtime can have significant and disruptive effects on sleep. And alcohol can disrupt your sleeping pattern, preventing you from achieving a deep sleep. If you want to consume alcohol, make sure it’s at least an hour before bed.
4. Follow A Consistent Bedtime Schedule, Even On The Weekends
Waking up and falling asleep at the same time every night will help strengthen circadian function, and help you fall asleep easily at night. According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and WGBH Educational Foundation, the body clock adjusts to schedule changes slowly. For example, people who switch between day and night work may find that it takes several days to feel as alert or get a good night’s, when compared to someone who has a consistent schedule.
5. Launch Your Career in Insurance with ILScorp
Be sure to register for ILScorp’s upcoming Virtual Classroom program this week using the promo code DAYLIGHT and save $100 off the price of any of the virtual classroom programs: The ILS Introduction to General Insurance level 1 licensing program, Level 1 licensing exam prep, and CAIB 1, 2,3, and 4 exam prep courses. This promotion ends Friday, March 14, so book today and start daylight savings time with a spring in your step.
Mar 6, 2014 | News
Quebec agents – if you have not completed your ChAD professional development units, your deadline has been extended to March 31, 2014. That leaves you only a few more weeks to complete your mandated hours. As well, Continuing Education deadlines for insurance agents in BC and Manitoba are coming up for May 31, and Alberta’s requirements must be met by June 30 this year. Now is the time to start working on completing your mandatory CE hours to avoid the last minute rush.
Quebec Agents: ILScorp’s ChAD Subscription offers unlimited access to our accredited ChAD courses (over 100 credits!) for six months for only $185. Are you not the only one with hours to complete? If your brokerage has more than five people who need to complete their training, consider joining our ChAD Broker Network Program, and save $50 per person on a ChAD Subscription!
ILScorp’s continuing education catalogues feature hundreds of hours of accredited courses, that you can complete anywhere you have an internet connection.
The ILScorp general insurance catalogue offers more than 300 hours (160 courses) of accredited Continuing Education training, so you’ll find courses that are of interest and relevance to you and your business. More than 50 courses have recently ben updated and re-accredited. Six-month subscriptions, which prvide access to the entire general insurance catalogue are only $185. Discounts for groups of five or more are available.
Our Life / A&S course catalogue includes more than 75 CE courses (185 hours). A new online Professional Liability course: Introduction to Errors and Omissions Exposures Insurance for Life / A&S Agents, which is also included in the subscription option.
Individual Courses start at $85. Six month subscriptions to the entire Life/A&S CE course catalogue are $260.
Advantages of all of the ILS continuing education course subscriptions:
- Once you purchase your subscription, you can begin taking your courses immediately! If you are a new subscriber, you will receive an automated username and password by email.
- All material is viewed online. All you need is an internet connection!
- Courses can be accessed any time and you can log in and log out as many times as you wish during the course period.
- Quizzes and Final exams are offered in most of our courses to help you retain the information.
- Should you require any assistance at any time during your course work, we are here to support you 5 days a week, 0800 – 1700 PST.
Join the more than 22,000 Canadian insurance professionals who develop their skills with ILScorp each year! Visit ILScorp.com today to get started, or call 1-800-404-2211.
CE Credits with ILS – Fast, Easy, Done!
Mar 5, 2014 | News
ILScorp is pleased to offer a variety of ways to help you prepare to write the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB) exam, online, in the comfort of your own home or anywhere you have an internet connection.
Our interactive, online, CAIB Exam Preparation Video courses combine the dynamic instruction of Todd Hochban with the ease and convenience of online learning. Each course contains streaming video, and are divided into easy-to-manage chapters. Each chapter includes 10-20 video clips of the instructor, along with easy to read text. Numerous exercises and mock exams help to reinforce knowledge retention.
Complete the course anytime on your schedule, or if you need an added boost, register for the upcoming Virtual Classroom program and complete the exam prep course in only four weeks, with added support from ILScorp. The Virtual Classroom runs from March 17-April 11, and if you register by March 14, you can save $100 off the regular $550 cost of the program, using the promo code DAYLIGHT.
Benefits of the Virtual Classroom include:
- A Daily Assisted Learning calendar, which breaks the CAIB courses down into easy to manage daily study modules.
- The online CAIB video course are like having your own private tutor with the added benefit of being able to pause, rewind and review at the touch of a button. Unlike a live classroom, students can move through the material at their own pace ensuring that they understand key concepts before moving on to new sections.
- Have a question, ask the instructor! Online threaded discussions allow students to post questions, review answers, and really think about what they’re learning.
- Weekly practice exams simulate a real-exam environment so students are comfortable with the process.
- Review videos that summarize material covered. An extra study tool that students can come back to again and again.
- Live customer support throughout the program – no telephone trees or unanswered emails.
Options are also available for one-week live immersion courses in Vancouver.
Instructor Todd Hochban highly recommends using the CAIB textbook in conjunction with the ILScorp CAIB Programs to thoroughly learn the material. Please note ILScorp does not sell CAIB text books, but they can be purchased through your provincial brokers association. Contact your association directly for more information. Note: Students must register with their insurance council to write the CAIB examinations.
For more information, or to register visit
ILScorp.com or call us today at 1-800-404-2211.
Mar 4, 2014 | News
To succeed in business today, industry leaders say employees need to become stronger communicators – better at articulating their message to customers, co-workers and employers.
To meet this growing need among professionals in all industries, ILScorp has launched a new online course: “Secrets for Exceptional Speaking.” Using the trade-marked Hendrie Method, this online video course teaches an innovative approach to public speaking, presentations, and communication skills.
With this course, exclusive to ILScorp subscribers, students will:
- discover techniques to apply to different communication and interpersonal situations
- know how to bring your words to life with appropriate emotion
- sound conversational and connected in several different styles
- be able to communicate any information and connect with any listener
- enhance your reputation, improve your self-confidence and advance your career!
In an interview with Marty Hughes of HUB International, Mr. Hughes told ILS what advice he gave to a group of new insurance industry professionals:
“Get comfortable talking in front of large groups, and learn to be articulate. If you can speak well, and you are comfortable in front of groups, you are more than halfway there. It is amazing to me the people out there who are not articulate enough to present their thoughts and express them to people in a coherent fashion. Not everybody is going to be a great speaker; I get that. And not everybody is comfortable speaking in front of a large group—I know I wasn’t. But you make yourself get good at it.”
After completing the Secrets of Exceptional Speaking course, which includes practice exercises and worksheets, students will be confident speaking to large and small audiences on a variety of topics.
Whether it’s speaking at your brother’s wedding, presenting to the board of directors, addressing a lecture hall, or updating your coworkers at a weekly meeting, the Secrets course will help you share information confidently and communicate effectively.
This course will give you techniques that you can apply to different communication and interpersonal situations. By the end of the course, you will be able to communicate any information, know how to bring your words to life with appropriate emotion, and sound conversational and connected in several different styles.
“My performance as a speaker greatly improved. I felt I could be me, at last, and know that my talks will be effective, that my audience will be attentive and retain the key message. I have referred this course to many of my colleagues and they too have experienced extraordinary results. The Hendrie Method has my highest recommendation. Its simplicity and profound impact are astounding,” says John Westman, Former President, Bank One, Arizona & CFO, Bank One Corp.
This course is used by executives from Fortune 500 companies to train themselves and their employees, and is now available to you exclusively through ILScorp, online, to work through at your convenience.
Purchase the Secrets of Exceptional Speaking course from ILScorp today for only $309. This includes unlimited access for three months! Purchase online or call us at 1-800-404-2211 for more information.
Feb 25, 2014 | News
Tomorrow, Wednesday Feb 26, 2014, marks Pink Shirt Day in BC, an anti-bullying awareness project inspired by high school students in Nova Scotia, who wore pink t-shirts to school to support a fellow student who was bullied for wearing a pink-shirt. Aside from awareness, Pink Shirt Day has also become a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Sisters and Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, The Canadian Red Cross, Kids Help Phone and many other charities.
At ILScorp we encourage you to take a stand against bullying at home, school and in the workplace. We have developed a Bullying awareness course, for both employers and employees, to help you understand the meaning and consequences of bullying. With up to 40 percent of Canadian workers reporting feeling bullied at work, the issue goes beyond the school yard.
Many countries and regions already have Workplace Bullying laws in place. Ontario, Manitoba, Québec and Saskatchewan have already introduced legislation against bullying and B.C. recently enacted Bill 14 [Workers Compensation Amendment Act] to address the effects of bullying at work.
ILScorp recommends that all employees receive this training. The courses are available as part of your group membership to ILScorp and can be accessed FREE via your General Insurance Course subscription.
The PinkShirtDay.ca website offers these eight suggestions for supporting their campaign:
- Purchase your official Pink Shirt Day T-Shirt at London Drugs or online at Shop.PinkShirtDay.ca
- Share our Pink Shirt Day Public Service Announcement (PSA) on your facebook wall or twitter account View it here:
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
- Visit our partners who are raising funds for Pink Shirt Day in Vancouver (more on this soon!).
- Challenge your friends and co-workers to commit to a bully-free lifestyle and wear pink on Feb 26, 2014.
- Upload a picture of you, your school, your work, your friends on Twitter wearing pink on Feb 26th and tag it with #pinkshirtday and mention @pinkshirtday – or email to photos@pinkshirtday.ca
- Download our posters, print and hang up at your school or work and share with everyone what is going on for Pink Shirt Day.
- Share and retweet messages from @pinkshirtday on Twitter and let us know what you’re doing to support Pink Shirt Day on Feb 26, 2014. Example tweet: On Feb 26 I’ll be wearing Pink. Make some noise against bullying! Support @pinkshirtday. #pinkshirtday
Net proceeds from Pink Shirt Day activities & t-shirt sales benefit the CKNW Orphans’ Fund in support of Boys & Girls Clubs Anti-Bullying programs.
Feb 21, 2014 | News
How far could you go in your professional life if you were a more confident speaker? A more articulate communicator? Are you missing out on advancement opportunities because of poor presentations? To succeed in business today, industry leaders say employees need to develop better communications skills, to better articulate their message to customers, co-workers and employers.
ILScorp has launched a new online course: “Secrets for Exceptional Speaking” to meet this growing need among professionals in all industries. This online video course teaches an innovative approach to public speaking, presentations, and communication skills, using the trade-marked Hendrie Method.
“I find that Stephanie Hendrie has made another brilliant discovery incorporated in the ‘Secrets for Exceptional Speaking’ by identifying the Three Key Elements,” says Paul Baker, Drama Department Chairman, Baylor University; and Founding and Managing Director, Dallas Theater Center. “Stephanie has also developed vivid and fantastic exercises to help each student in developing each of the Key Elements. I believe Stephanie has been able to fathom the most important ‘Secrets for Exceptional Speaking’ and has found dazzling ways to explain the process,”
With this online course, exclusive to ILScorp subscribers, students will:
- discover techniques to apply to different communication and interpersonal situations
- know how to bring your words to life with appropriate emotion
- sound conversational and connected in several different styles
- be able to communicate any information and connect with any listener
- enhance your reputation, improve your self-confidence and advance your career!
After completing the Secrets of Exceptional Speaking course, which includes practice exercises and worksheets, students will be confident speaking to large and small audiences on a variety of topics.
Whether it’s speaking at your brother’s wedding, presenting to the board of directors, addressing a lecture hall, or your coworkers at a weekly meeting, the Secrets course will help you share information confidently and communicate effectively.
This course will give you techniques that you can apply to different communication and interpersonal situations. By the end of the course, you will be able to communicate any information, know how to bring your words to life with appropriate emotion, and sound conversational and connected in several different styles.
“My performance as a speaker greatly improved. I felt I could be me, at last, and know that my talks will be effective, that my audience will be attentive and retain the key message. I have referred this course to many of my colleagues and they too have experienced extraordinary results. The Hendrie Method has my highest recommendation. Its simplicity and profound impact are astounding,” says John Westman, Former President, Bank One, Arizona & CFO, Bank One Corp.
This course is used by executives from Fortune 500 companies to train themselves and their employees, and is now available to you, online, to work through at your convenience.
Purchase the Secrets of Exceptional Speaking course from ILScorp today for only $309. This includes unlimited access for three months! Purchase online or call us at 1-800-404-2211 for more information.
