4 Courses in Nottingham

This two-day workshop will help you develop your skills as a strategic partner and equip you with the knowledge to take a coaching approach with both internal and external stakeholders. We will explore two perspectives: you as a strategic partner, and how you use a coaching approach to engage others to deliver. * SECURE NEW POSITIONS * BUILD THE RAPPORT AND ESTABLISH GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIPS IN SHORT TIME FRAME * UNDERSTAND YOUR WORK AND COMMUNICATION STYLES * FLEX YOUR OWN BEHAVIOURAL STYLES TO ENGAGE OTHER EFFECTIVELY * UNDERSTAND SOURCES OF 'POWER' AND HOW TO INFLUENCE WITHOUT POSITION POWER * USE COACHING SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES * MANAGE GROUP DYNAMICS AND DIFFICULT INDIVIDUALS DAY ONE1. WORKING EFFECTIVELY WITH OTHERS - YOUR WORK AND COMMUNICATION STYLE * The MBTI profile * The implications of my work and communication style * How others may perceive me, my strengths and weaknesses * What is rapport? * Flexing my style to build rapport 2. WORKING EFFECTIVELY WITH OTHERS - USING A COACHING APPROACH TO ENGAGE * 5 key coaching skills * Listening to understand * Questioning to move to effective outcomes * Co-CREATE model - coaching with an agenda * 15-minute outcome-focused conversations * Developing techniques to deal with conflict effectively DAY TWO1. POWER DYNAMICS * The sources of power in organisations * Influencing with integrity * Stakeholder mapping 2. DELIVERING DIFFICULT MESSAGES * Direct communication * FACTs coaching model - challenging with integrity 3. DEALING WITH GROUPS * 'Hot' group issues * Functional and dysfunctional group behaviour * Strategies for managing groups effectively * Practical interventions for getting effective outcomes

Successfully closing a sale and negotiating the best outcome for the business is a key skill for all salespeople, and often an area that is overlooked. Investing in this skill will have a positive impact on interactions with customers, both new and existing, and lead to improved sales performance. Whilst understanding how to reach a conclusion with a customer faster means increased efficiency and more time to invest in sourcing new business. We have developed this programme to be practical, fun and interactive. Participants will learn proven techniques for influencing, persuading and negotiating with clients, gain increased confidence and clarity when reviewing contract terms and prices, and understand how to structure and manage sales negotiation and contract review meetings. This course will help participants: * Learn a structured and proven approach to the negotiation of contract terms * Apply the key principles of negotiation, playing the person and the problem * Create a contract negotiation strategy - from opening to close * Recognize and put to use proven negotiation tactics and techniques * Learn how to embrace conflict positively - to 'say no, then negotiate' * Plan and prepare for any commercial negotiation conversations * Understand the stages of negotiation and how to move through them 1 CLOSING AND NEGOTIATING FROM A POSITION OF PERSONAL POWER * The eight steps of a sales or commercial negotiation * Ten ways to resist price pressure * How to draw on sources of power when you have less authority * The six principles of influence and persuasion and how to use them 2 EFFECTIVE NEGOTIATION - PLANNING AND THEORY * How to plan and structure your negotiation for a successful and quick conclusion * Influence: knowing how to 'push or pull' to win an argument * Achieving a BATNA - a range of practical skills and techniques * Case study: planning for a client negotiation around contract or price issues 3 EFFECTIVE CLOSING AND NEGOTIATION - PRACTICE AND REALITY * Higher-level questioning techniques to investigate and solve problems * Listening to lead - active listening and structuring your conversation * The most common 'unforced' negotiation mistakes and errors * Case study: setting objectives, sources of value, trading concessions 4 SALES NEGOTIATION TACTICS AND PLAYING THE GAME * How high - how hard - how soon; why now * How to identify hidden or perceived currencies and values * How to use these to establish a higher base price * Negotiation best-practice checklist and summary

The ability to influence others and gain their co-operation in a positive way is an essential skill for HR. The reality is that we cannot NOT influence, the question is how we influence others and what would make us more effective. This workshop will give you the opportunity to reflect on your impact at work and identify situations in which you would like to be more influential. You will learn how to achieve better results through creating rapport with others in order to win their support. You will learn a host of practical influencing tools and techniques. The workshop will focus on how you apply them in a wide range of situations and build flexibility so that you are able to adapt your approach with different people to get the best outcome. * TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF USING POSITIVE INFLUENCE AT WORK AND YOUR PERSONAL INFLUENCING STYLE * TO GAIN CO-OPERATION AND SUPPORT FROM OTHERS BY BUILDING AND MAINTAINING RAPPORT * TO DEVELOP YOUR INFLUENCING SKILLS AND ENHANCE YOUR IMPACT AND CREDIBILITY * TO APPLY INFLUENCING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES PRACTICALLY WITHIN THE WORKPLACE * TO BE ABLE TO ADAPT YOUR APPROACH WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND IN DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES TO GET THE BEST OUTCOME 1. INTRODUCTION * Workshop objectives and benefits from attending * Participants' experience and confidence in this area * Personal objectives 2. UNDERSTANDING INFLUENCE * What is influence? * Positive influence and persuasion v manipulation and coercion 3. CHARACTERISTICS OF INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE * Exercise: Who influences you and how? * Sources of power: understanding your impact * Six key rules of influence: applying these practically at work * Building and maintaining credibility and trust 4. INFLUENCE AND YOU * How do you influence others? Identifying what helps and what challenges * Identifying situations participants wish to be more influential in * Understanding the 'circle of influence' 5. INFLUENCING STYLES * Different influencing styles and when to use them * Your preferred influencing style and behavioural flexibility * Group exercise to build flexibility in approach 6. A STAGED APPROACH TO INFLUENCING * Understanding the four key stages * Preparation, the conversation, the decision and action 7. PLANNING AND PREPARATION * A checklist * Determining importance and clear outcome * Identifying beliefs and the self-fulfilling prophecy * Understanding the other party / parties. Considering their outcomes, what they value, what might they raise / challenge? * Identifying which influencing style is most appropriate * Planning your approach * Group exercise: Application to participants' real situations 8. THE CONVERSATION * A structured approach: key points to remember * Creating and maintaining rapport * Communicating effectively: questioning and listening skills * Assertiveness and influence * Reaching a decision and agreeing a way forward 9. THE PROVE MODEL * A model of persuasion * Group exercise: Application to participants' real situations 10. HANDLING CHALLENGING SITUATIONS * Handling concerns and objections * Other challenging situations and strategies * Adapting your approach to different people and different 11. NEXT STEPS * Individual learning and actions * Group review and close

This unique two-day workshop programme is focused on helping HR teams achieve new levels of peak performance. It uses a framework based on the four inter-locking strands of high-performance HR: the core skills of HR, legal requirements, best practice, and organisational policies and procedures. The precise content of the programme varies, according to current levels of HR performance in your organisation and any particular issues of concern, but the object is always the same: to enhance the participants' mastery of the core skills of HR, to ensure that they have an up-to-date knowledge of employment law and to facilitate a review of organisational policies and procedures to appropriate standards of best practice. This workshop-led approach is an ideal method for identifying the steps needed to bring all members of the HR team up to the same level of peak performance. * UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ROLE WITHIN HR AND IDENTIFY SPECIFIC CHALLENGES * UNDERSTAND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE HR FUNCTION AND TO ORGANISATIONAL OBJECTIVES * RECOGNISE THE ESSENTIAL CORE HR SKILLS, THEIR OWN STRENGTHS AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS * DEVELOP ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOUR * RECOGNISE THE POWER TO INFLUENCE, AND PLAN AN EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE STRATEGY * MANAGE CONFLICT CONSTRUCTIVELY * EMPLOY A STRUCTURED APPROACH WHEN COACHING OTHERS * MANAGE THEMSELVES, THEIR TIME AND THEIR MEETINGS EFFECTIVELY * USE THE CORE SKILLS OF HR FLEXIBLY IN 'DIFFICULT' OR 'SENSITIVE' SITUATIONS * COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY IN GROUP SETTINGS AND IN 1:1 SITUATIONS * UNDERSTAND THE OVERALL LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF EMPLOYMENT LAW * APPRECIATE THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYMENT STATUS * AVOID AND DEFEND CASES OF UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION * MANAGE SHORT- AND LONG-TERM ABSENCE LAWFULLY * ENSURE THAT THE ORGANISATION IS NOT UNNECESSARILY EXPOSED TO CLAIMS FOR UNFAIR DISMISSAL * IMPLEMENT DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES FAIRLY AND LAWFULLY DAY ONE 1. INTRODUCTION AND COURSE OBJECTIVES 2. THE ROLE OF HR * Roles and responsibilities * Your customers. Customer satisfaction. * Challenges of the role * The contribution of the HR function to organisational objectives 3. CORE SKILLS OF AN EFFECTIVE HR ADVISOR * Communication skills * Assertiveness * Influencing skills * Managing conflict * Coaching skills * Management of self and time * Other key skills and behaviours 4. IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES * Self-assessment diagnostic 5. COMMUNICATION SKILLS * Enhancing our impact at work through good communication * Understanding the communication process and its flaws * Checking for understanding and avoiding assumptions * How we communicate. Verbal and non-verbal communication. * The importance of communicating congruently * Exercise: effective questioning and listening skills * Enhancing your communication skills 6. ASSERTIVENESS * Recognising different types of behaviour * Understanding what assertiveness is and the benefits of behaving assertively * Barriers to acting assertively * The link between our beliefs and our behaviour. The self-fulfilling prophecy. * Challenging beliefs and acting assertively * Planning an assertive and confident approach * Responding assertively in challenging situations * Application to participants' own situations 7. INFLUENCING SKILLS * Understanding influence and persuasion * Identifying who influences us and how we are influenced * Identifying sources of power and how to use these effectively and appropriately * Influencing styles. Participants' preferred style. * Exercise: flexing your style * Preparation and planning your approach. A checklist. * Putting it into practice * Application to participants' own situations 8. MANAGING CONFLICT * Exploring conflict and why it is inevitable * Recognising how we perceive conflict. Reframing conflict. * Types and sources of conflict at work * Five typical responses to conflict. Participants' typical responses. * How to select the best response * Strategies to resolve conflict * Exercise: A conflict tool * Application to participants' own situations 9. COACHING * Defining coaching * Recognising the benefits of a coaching approach * What coaching involves * A structured approach to coaching. GROW model. * Opportunities to coach 10. MANAGEMENT OF SELF AND TIME * Understanding how well you use your time * Identifying key priorities and planning how you use your time * Top tips on time management * Effective meetings 11. PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE * Action planning DAY TWO 1. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK * The UK legal system and employee rights * Employment status * The contract of employment - express and implied terms * Dismissal and redundancy * Enforcement of rights through the courts * Employment law quiz on discrimination and other topical issues 2. WORKING WITH REPRESENTATIVES * Experience of working with union / employee representatives * Rights, roles and responsibilities * Informal and formal involvement * Challenging issues 3. DISCIPLINE * Conduct v capability * Purpose of taking disciplinary action * Statutory requirements and ACAS Code of Practice * Managing conduct issues informally * Formal stages in line with your disciplinary procedure * Assessing risk and determining appropriate action. Acting fairly and consistently. Scenarios. * Your role and responsibility * Legal implications and case law * Group exercise: Fair or unfair dismissals? 4. GRIEVANCES * Understanding what constitutes a grievance * ACAS Code of Practice * Resolving issues informally * Managing grievances formally * Your role and responsibility * Legal implications * Challenging situations 5. ABSENCE * Impact of absence. Managing absence v individual support. * Your health capability procedure. Informal and formal stages. * Managing short-term and long-term absence * Your role and responsibility * Understanding the law in relation to disability * Stress, mental health and other challenging issues * Other legal implications and case law 6. BULLYING, DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT * Diversity, dignity at work and discrimination * Harassment, bullying and working with respect * Managing informally and taking formal action * Assessing risk and determining appropriate action. Acting fairly / consistently. * Your role and responsibility * Legal implications and case law 7. FLEXIBLE WORKING AND 'FAMILY FRIENDLY' POLICIES (OPTIONAL) * An update on 'family friendly' policies, including shared parental leave 8. AND FINALLY... * Open forum * Legislative changes on the horizon * Action planning