2052 Courses in Nottingham

This 2-day workshop is offered with an internal and external focus. Day 1 will focus on building your internal network and relationships by focusing on your personal network, your brand, influencing skills and perceptions. Day 2 focuses on your external relationships with suppliers, patient groups etc. This will focus on assertiveness, outcome rather than relationship focus, and influencing and negotiating skills. DAY ONE 1 CAN YOU SUCCEED BY YOURSELF? 2 RELATIONSHIP AWARENESS THEORY 3 THE STRENGTHS DEPLOYMENT INVENTORY / YOUR FACET5 PROFILE 4 BUILDING RAPPORT 5 INFLUENCING POWER BASES 6 ACTIVE LISTENING 7 BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL INTERNAL NETWORK 8 PERCEPTIONS 9 YOUR BRAND DAY TWO 3 PREPARING FOR CONFLICT 2 THE NEGOTIATION CONVERSATION 1 YOUR STAKEHOLDERS AND WHAT THEY WANT FROM YOU 4 INFLUENCING OTHERS 5 YOUR COMMUNICATION APPROACHES FOR SUCCESS 6 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE 7 THE TRUST MODEL 8 KNOWING YOUR OUTCOMES

When managers have too many decisions to make, it can have a serious impact on the speed and efficiency of the organisation. When those decisions are commercial ones, the results can wreak havoc with the bottom line. Often the problem arises when those below them or in operational areas of the organisation aren't equipped or allowed to make a decision for themselves. Issues get passed back up and that wastes time. This programme provides a solution, giving your entire team the skills to: And most importantly, they'll be able to do this in line with the broader aims and commercial objectives of the business. By the end of the programme participants will be able to: * Fully appreciate the importance of effective decision-making in business * Use the five-step 'Stop, Think, Act!' decision-making process * Stop leaping to conclusions * Really understand the situations and decisions they are dealing with * Identify good options * Evaluate those options * Make decisions and then put them into action * Apply these tools and techniques to all their decisions in future 1 UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS WE WORK IN * What are the critical factors in our business? * What is the SWOT analysis for our business? 2 UNDERSTANDING WHAT DECISION-MAKING IS 3 BACKGROUND * Culture of 'having to be doing' * To change things we have to think about it! * We are paid to make decisions! 4 RECOGNISE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DECISION 5 THE 'STOP, THINK, ACT!' TECHNIQUE 6 STOP! * Recognise the opportunity to make a decision * Don't leap to conclusions * Get ready to think * Initial questions: * Is this my decision? (Do I have the authority?) * Who is this going to affect? (Do they need to be included?) * When do I need to make the decision? (What's the timeline?) 7 THINK! * The 3 Cs - making sure we understand the decisions we have to make * What is the context of this decision? * What is the overall situation? * Why is this decision important? * What do we need to achieve? * What will success look like? * Do I have clarity about the decision I need to make? * Can I write it down? * Can I express it clearly in two sentences? * What are the criteria? * What are the critical commercial factors that we will use to select our options? * What will we use to measure the business success? 8 ACT! * Identifying options * What data do I need to collect? * Issues with today's overload * Identifying what will help you * Select options * How many options? * Must match your criteria * Must achieve success * 'Decision compass' exercise * Analyse options * Tabular method * Risk analysis (likelihood v effect) * Head, heart and gut (is there any organisational history/bias that we are up against?) * Making your decision * Taking it to action * First actions * Planning how to make it happen

The leadership role of the project manager is increasingly recognised as a key determinant in delivering success. These skills can often be critical in project situations, where tight budgets and deadlines demand the highest levels of team performance and where the working environment presents fresh challenges on a daily basis. This programme focuses on the leadership skills required of project managers and will benefit anyone involved in managing projects large or small wishing to extend or enhance those skills. The objectives of this programme are to help the participants: * Understand the significance of leadership skills to the project manager and the impact of these skills on project performance * Review the key skills needed to be an effective 'multi-dimensional' project leader and learn how to develop, adapt and apply them in practice * Learn how to identify the preferred leadership style for the context and organisational culture of a project and how to develop personal style versatility * Understand the role of the project leader in building an effective team and the skills required to promote and sustain team performance * Gain a better understanding of the interpersonal skills needed to motivate individual team members and harness the full potential of the team DAY ONE 1 INTRODUCTION * Aims and objectives * Personal objectives 2 PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP * What is a leader? How much can leadership be learned? * The project environment and the impact of leadership skills * The characteristics of high performance project teams and their leaders 3 PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP * Some useful models and theories of leadership explored * Types of leadership; choosing how to use leadership power * Evaluating personal leadership style; how to develop style flexibility 4 SYNDICATE CASE STUDY: LEADERSHIP IN ACTION * Review of the role of leadership in a contemporary project * Feedback and plenary discussion: effective project leadership 5 TEAM EXERCISE: LEADERSHIP SKILLS OF THE PROJECT MANAGER * Teams compete in performing a project simulation * Project review and feedback * Discussion of the outcome: role and skills of the project leader 6 LEADERSHIP SKILLS FOR PROJECT MANAGERS * The 3 dimensions of project leadership: inwards, outwards, and upwards * The vital role of communication skills and how to develop them * Developing a 'project vision': strategic thinking skills * Understanding others; emotional intelligence skills * Being a visible leader; behavioural and influencing skills * Building effective relationships; the importance of trust and respect DAY TWO 7 LEADING THE PROJECT TEAM * The role of leadership in developing team performance * Understanding individual strengths; recognising team role preferences * Managing conflict and promoting positive team dynamics * Setting standards, maintaining discipline and rewarding performance * Harnessing team potential: building motivation within the team * Promoting team learning; the team leader as coach / mentor 8 LEADING THROUGH THE ORGANISATION * Gaining the support others; developing effective influencing skills * Getting empowerment from key stakeholders * Knowing when and how to take the initiative and lead * Building and maintaining rapport with key partners * Becoming an effective team player in leadership teams * Becoming a business leader; leading colleagues and co-workers 9 TEAM EXERCISE: LEADERSHIP AND NEGOTIATION * Teams engage in a negotiation exercise * Exercise review and feedback * Discussion of the outcome: negotiation skills of the project leader 10 NEGOTIATION SKILLS FOR PROJECT LEADERS * Characteristics of effective negotiators * Classic problem behaviours and mind-sets to avoid * Getting to win-win; building partnership and trust 11 LEADING MORE SENIOR STAKEHOLDERS * The challenges and skills of leading and managing upwards * Communicating with more senior stakeholders; building credibility * Negotiating upwards: knowing when and how * The role of networking skills; building and maintaining rapport * Handling disagreements; the art of diplomacy * Handling personality and style conflicts with more senior people

The aim of this course is to provide an overview of Agile approaches to product development. It explains what Agile is and when and why to use it. The scope of the programme includes: The course emphasises the collaborative nature of Agile and the flexibility it offers to customers. The principal training objectives for this programme are to help participants understand: * Why and when to use Agile * How to use Agile * The roles involved in Agile development * The cultural factors to take into account * How to manage Agile developments 1 INTRODUCTION (COURSE SPONSOR AND TRAINER) * Why this programme has been developed * Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 BACKGROUND TO AGILE * Issues with traditional approaches to product development * How Agile helps * Roots of Agile * Agile lifecycles * Product v project 3 HOW AGILE WORKS * The Agile Manifesto * Agile principles * Process control: defined v empirical * Different Agile methods * The Scrum framework * DSDM Atern 4 MANAGING AGILE * When to use Agile * Managing Agile projects * Team organisation 5 AGILE TECHNIQUES * Daily stand-ups * User stories * Estimating * MoSCoW prioritisation 6 COURSE REVIEW AND ACTION PLANNING (COURSE SPONSOR PRESENT) * Are there opportunities to use Agile? * What actions should be implemented to adopt Agile? * Conclusion

This is an essential programme for members of staff whose role exposes them to aggressive or violent behaviour. 1 WHAT'S HAPPENING? * Issues around us * Risks in context * Personal experiences 2 SAFETY FUNDAMENTALS * Following internal policy and procedure * Personal safety and lone working * Use of technology 3 NIPPING ISSUES IN THE BUD * Recognising early warning signs * Avoiding causing problems for ourselves 4 CALMING - REACHING - CONTROLLING * Tips and techniques for potentially calming a situation * Reaching and building rapport * Accelerants - tips on avoiding accelerating a situation * Assertiveness techniques * Non-verbal behaviour * Active listening and the use of questions and distractions * Exploring ways forward and identifying win/wins * Avoiding the secondary argument * Fogging * The 'drama triangle' * If all else fails... 5 HARASSMENT, STALKING AND ON-LINE BULLING * What constitutes harassment and definition of stalking * On-line bullying * Steps to take 6 REPORTING PRINCIPLES * Importance of incidence reporting * Taking care of us * What next?

This course has a simple objective: to help gain appointments with potential clients. In most consultative selling situations clients won't commit to purchases over the telephone. This means setting up a meeting to discuss the options with them face-to-face. But getting 'face time' can be tricky. This practical workshop can help. Participants will acquire essential tools, skills and methods; discuss specific organisational issues; and identify areas for improvement. They will discover how to: * Increase their effectiveness through proper preparation * Construct attention-grabbing opening statements * Help potential clients feel comfortable agreeing to a meeting * Develop tactics for responding to difficult excuses and objections * Stress the benefits of a face-to-face consultation * Develop and enhance their questioning and listening skills * Prevent customers cancelling booked appointments 1 INTRODUCTION TO APPOINTMENT SETTING * Key trends that have changed the way people buy today - and will buy tomorrow * Why many sales people avoid picking up the phone * The difference that makes a difference - what makes a good appointment-maker? 2 BEFORE YOU PICK UP THE TELEPHONE * It all starts with a plan... * Who and what to focus our attention * How much research should we undertake and why? * Setting primary and secondary objectives 3 MAKING YOUR APPROACH * Key considerations * Every call is an opportunity - creating a positive mind-set * Using a structured approach * Using partnership language 4 GAINING AN INSIGHT INTO THE CUSTOMER'S NEEDS * How to quickly 'tune in' to your customers, so that you can serve them more easily * Developing speech patterns that put customers at their ease * Using effective questioning and listening skills * Finding and building pain points 5 DEALING WITH EXCUSES AND OBJECTIONS * Pre-empting potential excuses * Developing techniques for responding to client objections * Keeping the door open for future contact 6 SECURING THE APPOINTMENT * Selling the benefits of a consultancy meeting * Techniques for avoiding cancelled appointments * Gaining commitment 7 ACTION PLANS * Course summary and presentation of action plans

How to protect your cash flow In the current economic climate more and more companies are finding that their customers are taking longer to pay - or are not even paying at all. As cash flow is key to the survival of any business, effective debt collection tactics are vital for all businesses. This workshop concentrates on the telephone skills and techniques you can use to achieve the most positive outcome in any debt collection situation - payment of money owed, as soon as possible, whilst keeping the collection cost as low as possible. The course will help you: * Understand your debtors and communicate with them accordingly * Develop a strategy for more effective debt collection * Make every call count * Handle difficult calls * Reduce the amount of time you need to spend on chasing payment * Increase your collection rates 1 THE DEBT COLLECTION PROCESS * Understanding the reasons behind payment default * Looking at the debt situation from the customer's point of view * Developing a strategy for effective debt collection 2 ADVANCED TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION SKILLS * Techniques for speaking to the person responsible for paying the debt * How to gain the customer's trust when discussing debt * Telephone collection skills best practice * Key phrases that keep the conversation positive and open 3 QUESTIONING AND LISTENING SKILLS FOR GATHERING INFORMATION * Different types of question * Using high-gain questions to uncover key information * Active listening that will help you understand what customers are really saying * Leading with examples and high-impact questions * Summarising and restating 4 OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS AND EXCUSES * Identifying objections * Preparing suitable responses * Probing objections and ways to overcome them 5 GAINING COMMITMENT AND ENDING THE CALL * Learn how to negotiate an agreement to suit both parties * Summarising actions for you and the customer * Ending the call professionally 6 DEALING WITH DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING SITUATIONS * Understand different personality types * The correct way to respond to an upset customer * Ways to calm angry customers (and handle verbal attacks) 7 ACTION PLANS * Course summary and presentation of action plans

Maximising the team's sales capability is the key aim for any sales manager. When sales people struggle to hit their targets, it falls to the sales manager to provide support and help colleagues to find their way again. One of the most effective techniques for sales managers to improve and maintain sales performance is by providing live sales coaching. Sales coaching encourages sales people to find their own solutions and take responsibility for their own development. This course will help participants: * Develop people to fulfil their sales potential * Provide motivational feedback * Identify strengths and weaknesses of their team members * Understand personal learning styles * Identify and adapt for different personality styles * Prepare and conduct on-the-job observations * Motivate sales people to greater performance 1 HOW IS SALES COACHING DIFFERENT FROM SALES TRAINING? * What is coaching? * Discover how coaching empowers sales people * Learn the best time to use sales coaching * Decide which people should be coached first * Creating a development plan 2 UNDERSTANDING LEARNING, BEHAVIOURAL AND COMMUNICATION STYLES * Use practical tools to help you assess individual styles * Tap into the essence and energy of the person you are developing * Understand your own learning, behavioural and communication preferences * Develop a strategy to adopt for each member of your team * Discover what motivates you and your salespeople to perform * Appreciate how this knowledge will improve your sales conversion 3 USING THE GROW COACHING MODEL * Learn the secrets of a successful coaching session * Discover the importance of SMART objectives and instructions * Understand and capture what coachees are currently doing right * Develop their problem-solving and decision-making skills * Help your colleagues crystalise their plans and actions * Provide follow-up opportunities to embed the learning 4 GIVING MOTIVATIONAL FEEDBACK * Understand why effective feedback is so powerful in sales * Learn key models for motivational feedback * Discover how to manage and structure more difficult conversations * Understand the power of positive reinforcement * Encourage sales people to coach and support colleagues 5 PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE * Use realistic scenarios to provide opportunities for practice * Discover what it feels like to be coached * Receive immediate feedback on your coaching style * Share common performance issues with fellow sales managers * Create a personal development plan 6 PREPARING ON-THE-JOB OBSERVATIONS AND JOINT VISITS * Build a strategy for coaching and team development * Prepare an observation template for effective coaching * Learn the key elements of preparation for your next coaching session * Agree common areas to focus on with coachees 7 ACTION PLANNING * Personal action plans

An insightful, enjoyable and experiential programme to help you analyse data and information and make a balanced decision based upon sound commercial reasoning. It will enable you to identify options, make decisions and take actions based on a thorough analysis combined with instinct and intuition to make a positive effect on profitability. This programme will help you: * Identify ways to analyse data and sort relevant from irrelevant information * Develop analytical and numerate thinking, and consider the financial implications of a decision * Make decisions based on sound commercial reasoning - a mix of intuition and analysis * Select from a range of tools to analyse a situation and apply these effectively * Understand how costs and profits are calculated * Use tried-and-tested techniques to manage and control your budgets * Appreciate the fundamentals of financial analysis * Focus on the bottom line * Identify the basics of capital investment appraisal for your business * Evaluate results and seek opportunities for improvement to your business 1 THE COMMERCIAL ENVIRONMENT * What do shareholders and investors want? * What do managers want? * Profit v non-profit organisations * Investor expectations 2 FINANCIAL AND NON-FINANCIAL INFORMATION * Risk and reward considerations * Drivers of commercial decisions 3 RUNNING A BUSINESS * A practical exercise to bring financial statements to life * Different stakeholder interests in a business * The impact and consequences of decisions on financial statements 4 WHERE DO I MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE ORGANISATION? * How can I contribute to an improved business performance? * Key performance indicators - measuring the right things * A 'balanced scorecard' approach - it's not all about money! 5 A 'BALANCED SCORECARD' APPROACH * Analysing and reviewing my contribution to the business direction * What is the current focus of my commercial decisions? * Developing the business in the right way - getting the balance right! * Where should/could it be in the future? * Do my decisions support the overall vision and strategy? 6 MAKING COMMERCIAL DECISIONS * Left-brain and right-brain thinking * Convergent and divergent thinking * Analysis and instinct * Interactive case study exercise - emotional and rational decisions * Reflection - what is my style of making decisions 7 LET'S CONSIDER THE CUSTOMER! * Identifying target markets * Differentiating propositions and products * Customer service considerations * Marketing considerations and initiatives * Pricing strategies and considerations 8 STRATEGIC ANALYSIS * The external environment * The internal environment * LEPEST analysis * SWOT analysis * Forecasting * Group activity - analysing markets and the competition * How do these improve your decisions? 9 COMPARING PERFORMANCE * Analysing key financial ratios * Ways to compare performance and results * Break-even analysis 10 PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNTS AND BUDGETING * Managing income and expenditure * The budgeting process * How does this link to the profit and loss account? * Managing and controlling a cost centre/budget * The role of the finance department * Different ways of budgeting * Incremental budgeting * Zero-based budgeting 11 UNDERSTANDING THE BALANCE SHEET * Purpose of balance sheets * Understanding and navigating the content * What does a balance sheet tell you? * How do you affect your balance sheet? * Links to the profit and loss account * A practical team exercise that brings financial statements to life 12 BUSINESS DECISIONS EXERCISE * How does this improve your decisions? * A practical exercise to apply new knowledge and bring commercial thinking to to life * The impact and consequences of decisions on financial statements 13 WORKING CAPITAL * Why is this important? * The importance of keeping cash flowing * Business decisions that affect cash * Calculating profit 14 CAPITAL INVESTMENT APPRAISAL * Capex v Opex * Payback * Return on investment * The future value of money * The concept of hurdle rate 15 LESSONS LEARNED AND ACTION PLANNING * So what? * Recap and consolidation of learning * The decisions that I need to consider * Actions to achieve my plan

The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the key principles and techniques for leading and managing project work. It will focus on the core principles and generic methods of project management, showing how these can be applied to typical projects. The scope of the programme includes: The course also emphasises the importance of the leadership and team-working skills needed by project managers and team members in carrying out their roles. The principal training objectives for this programme are to: * Explain and demonstrate the key principles of successful project management * Demonstrate a range of useful project management tools and techniques * Define the role of, and help participants understand the skills required by, the project leader * Illustrate the use of project skills through examples and case studies * Identify ways to improve project management, both individually and corporately DAY ONE 1 INTRODUCTION (COURSE SPONSOR) * Why this programme has been developed * Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 KEY CONCEPTS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS * Projects and project management * Lessons from past projects; the essential requirements for success * Differences between projects; characteristic project life cycles * The challenges of project management; the role of the project manager * Project exercise * A team exercise to demonstrate the challenges of project management 3 DEFINING PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE * Identifying the stakeholders; key roles and responsibilities * Getting organised; managing the definition process * Working with the 'customer' to define the project scope 4 PROJECT CASE STUDY: PART 1 * Defining the project objectives: syndicate teams define the objectives and scope for a typical project 5 PROJECT PLANNING * The nature of planning; recognising planning assumptions * Planning the plan; the importance of team involvement * Developing the work breakdown structure * Estimating task resources, timescales and costs * Developing the project schedule * Analysing the plan and identifying the critical path 6 PROJECT CASE STUDY: PART 2 * Creating the project plan * Syndicate teams begin development of their project plans (for completion after session 7) * Team presentations and group discussion (after session 7) DAY TWO 7 MANAGING PROJECT RISKS * Understanding and defining project risks * Classifying risks and adopting an appropriate risk strategy * Identifying, evaluating and managing project risks * Agreeing ownership of project risks; the risk register * Integrating planning and risk management 8 PROJECT CONTROL * Pro-active and re-active control; striking the right balance * Pre-requisites for effective, pro-active project control * Avoiding unnecessary 'scope creep' and controlling change * Selecting the data needed to provide early warning of problems * Monitoring project performance: 'S' curves, slip charts, earned value * Getting good data and assessing project status * Defining the roles and responsibilities for control * Setting up a routine process for keeping up to date * Managing and controlling multiple projects 9 PROJECT CASE STUDY: PART 3 * Controlling the project * Teams control their project as new developments take place 10 COURSE REVIEW AND TRANSFER PLANNING (COURSE SPONSOR PRESENT) * Identify actions to be implemented individually * Identify corporate opportunities for improving project management * Sponsor-led review and discussion of proposals * Conclusion