"Both paddling and standing up on the board require a strong core foundation, which includes hips, glutes, abdominals and spine, " says Kevyn Dean, co-owner of DSC Performance, a surf-training company in Orange County, Calif.

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Another approach is to set aside time during a meeting to set ground rules, says Dana Brownlee, founder of Professionalism Matters, a corporate-training company in Atlanta.

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The London-based company Communicaid, which specializes in international cultural training for businesses, advises business travellers to Switzerland to keep small talk to a minimum during meetings and conferences, and to always stay mindful of the time.

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It declined to disclose whether the woman, a 29-year-old who worked in a leadership training institute at the company's Richfield, Minn.

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With the new venture, Apollo seeks to rebrand itself in consumers' minds as a company that offers practical training for career-minded students.

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For employees looking to enter the managerial level for the first time, the company also provides a four-week training program with a specialty coach in a particular focus area as well as job-shadowing opportunities.

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