1325 BA courses in Birmingham

This very practical session is designed to enable participants to improve the impact, clarity and accuracy of their reports. It focuses equally on the two key areas - structure and writing technique. This course will help participants: Scope reports based on objective and intended readership Write a structured report Use the Fog Index to ensure readability Write grammatically correct and well-punctuated text Review and edit their work. 1 Introduction Objectives and overview Introductions and personal aims 2 What makes a good report? Practical activity and feedback 3 Before you start The planning process and scoping a report Organising information Key report headings What goes where? Writing practice and review 4 Writing tips and techniques Clear English and use of language Grammar and sentence structure Refresher in punctuation Writing in the third person The Fog Index - and how to measure readability 5 Pulling it all together Reviewing and proofing 6 Review Summary of key learning points Action planning

We need to talk openly about how we are performing and we sometimes need to have an 'honest' conversation with our manager. We all know this, but it can be difficult. This short, focused workshop will give you the confidence and skills to have a conversation with your manager (or anyone else for that matter) about your performance and how you can add value. It will focus on how to get yourself heard and build better working relationships with those key to your success. The programme will help you: Overcome the barriers to effective performance conversations Receive feedback without taking it personally Improve working relationships with your manager Agree realistic expectations and targets (and get 'buy-in' for them) Improve your communication style Plan and prepare for honest conversations in the workplace 1 What is an honest conversation? Why don't we have them more often? What stops us? The cost of not having them 2 Asking for feedback 3 Preparing for challenge 4 The expectations conversation 5 Your communication styles 6 Planning and preparing for an honest conversation

Recognising the value of, and practising, clear and open communication at all levels is the first step to improving performance, whether at an individual, team, management, leadership or organisational level. We all know this, but why is it so difficult? This unique programme will make it much, much easier for you by giving you a robust framework to use - and the opportunity to practise your skills in a safe, supportive environment. It will help you have conversation that deliver tangible results. The programme will help you: Overcome the barriers to effective performance conversations Handle feedback conversations effectively Improve working relationships with your staff Set realistic expectations and targets (and get 'buy-in' for them) Improve your communication style Plan and prepare for honest conversations in the workplace 1 What is an honest conversation? Why don't we have them more often? What stops us? The cost of not having them 2 The feedback conversation Dealing with the impact of feedback conversations 3 Preparing for conflict 4 Effective working relationships 5 The expectations conversation 6 The targets conversation 7 Your communication styles 8 Planning and preparing for an honest conversation 9 Giving and receiving feedback skills

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 intensive one-day IACCM-approved programme helps participants develop the skills, knowledge and competencies required to plan for and carry out effective negotiations in a range of different environments. By the end of the programme participants will be able to: Understand the basic concepts of negotiation and how it adds value to the organisation Recognise the stages of negotiation and the skills required at each stage Make use of tried-and-tested negotiation planning tools Apply a range of negotiation tools and techniques to support the organisation in obtaining value for money, quality and fit-for-purpose outcomes Set negotiation objectives Appreciate the importance of interpersonal skills in maximising the opportunities for reaching win/win agreements 1 Welcome Introductions Aims and objectives Plan for the day 2 Why negotiate? Understanding the negotiation context Negotiating with suppliers Negotiating with stakeholders 3 Understanding the process The phases of negotiation and what to do in each phase Before During After 4 Planning Appreciating the importance of planning Different approaches Identifying the key variables Setting objectives for each of them Practical negotiation planning exercise 5 Doing The key skills required, Communication Numeracy empathy Applying these skills in a role play: practical exercise 6 Close Review of key learning points Personal action planning

This is a very popular, comprehensive, practical and experiential programme, covering: Assessing risks: Defines and demystifies risk and risk assessment. Risk assessments and a simple scoring system are introduced, and participants carry out assessments. Controlling risks: Cutting risks down, concentrating on the best techniques to control key risks and how to choose the right methods. Understanding your responsibilities: The legal framework; health & safety management systems. Identifying hazards: The main issues any organisation has to deal with: entrances and exits, work traffic, fire, chemicals, electricity, physical and verbal abuse, bullying, stress, noise, housekeeping and the working environment, slips, trips and falls, working at height, computers and manual handling. Investigating accidents and incidents: Why accidents should be investigated, why things go wrong and how to carry out an investigation when they do. Measuring performance: How checking performance can help to improve health & safety. How to develop basic performance indicators. Auditing and proactive and reactive measuring. Protecting the environment: Introduction to waste and pollution. How organisations and individual managers can get involved in cutting down their environmental impacts. The programme enables participants to: Assess and control risks and hazards Understand their own responsibilities for safety and health Investigate incidents Measure their own performance Reflect on good practice and plan how to ensure the safety of the staff for whom they are responsible

We all tend to have challenges throughout our lives that cause varying levels of pressure. It is healthy and essential that people experience such challenges because up to a certain point an increase in pressure improves performance and quality of life. Too much pressure can be harmful and affect our health and wellbeing. This participative half-day workshop will explore the causes and impact of stress and provide an opportunity to learn some new ideas and techniques to cope with it. Practical tasks and exercises will be used to promote discussion and participants will be encouraged to share their own experiences and approaches. By the end of the workshop participants will be able to: Understand the causes and symptoms of stress and how to spot them Become more aware of personal habitual behaviours and approaches that get in the way of dealing with stress productively Learn ideas and approaches that help you to cope with the thoughts, emotions and physical feelings that happen in stressful and difficult situations Review and evaluate learning and have an action plan to take back and put into practice at work 1 Welcome, introductions and objectives Breaking the ice 2 Stress Its sources and effects on you Defining stress, its signs and symptoms 3 Exploring your 'default' habits Their consequences in stressful situations 4 Dealing with perception Strategies and approaches for coping with stress 5 Setting goals with positive outcomes Review and evaluation of learning Action planning

A thorough account of the UK and European legal framework and its requirements as regards managing environmental performance. This course will help staff to understand: The framework of UK and European legislation and its enforcement The principal features of the legislation as they apply to your organisation's activity/product/service The benefit of having an Environmental Management System such as ISO 14001 How their own actions and decisions can either expose or protect the organisation in relation to its legal obligations 1 Introduction and objectives 2 Introduction to environmental law and enforcement Sources of law (European and UK) Structure and enforcement Key legislation 3 Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) and Local Air Pollution and Control (LAPC) Pollution and Prevention Control Act 1999 EC Directives on PPC The meaning of BAT Transitional provisions Fit and proper persons Control of emissions to air National Air Quality Strategy 4 Packaging and producer responsibilities Who, what and how The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations Obligations and exemptions Registration Recycling and recovery obligations Records Duties of the Environment Agency Offences Developments 5 Waste management National Waste Strategy Waste minimisation (re-use/recycling) Waste definition Disposal and recovery Controlled waste management Hazardous waste management 6 Proposed Legislation and EC Directives EU Commission's waste and resources strategies Implementation of ELV (End of Life Vehicles) Directive WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive transposition into UK legislation Other producer responsibility initiatives Other proposals from the EU 7 Conclusion Open forum Summary Close

Most people only use a fraction of Excel's capabilities. This workshop shows what you've been missing! This course will help participants: Nest formulas Get the most from pivot tables Use conditional formatting Write array formulas Explore the lookup functions Calculate by criteria Use 'goal seek' and 'scenario manager' for what-if analysis Record macros 1 Nesting formulas Principles of nesting formulas together Using IF with AND or OR to answer questions Nesting an AND function in an IF Nesting an OR function in an IF 2 Advanced pivot table reports Grouping dates, numerical and text items Running percentage analyse Running analyses to compare data Inserting Field calculations Finishing off with a user-friendly dashboard 3 Advanced conditional formatting Colour table rows based on criteria in it Applying colour to approaching dates Exploring the different rule types 4 Lookup functions Going beyond the VLOOKUP function Lookups that retrieve data from left or right The versatile INDEX and MATCH functions Retrieving data from columns with duplicates 5 Calculate by criteria Using SUMIFS to sum by criteria Finding an average by criteria with AVERAGEIFS Use SUMPRODUCT to multiply then add different values 6 What-if analysis Use Goal Seek to meet targets Forecast reports with the Scenario Manager 7 Recording Macros Macro security Understanding a Relative References macro Recording, running and editing macros Saving files as Macro Enabled Workbooks Introduction to VBA code Making macros available across workbooks Add a macro button to the Quick Access toolbar

This course follows the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's syllabus. A one-day programme, it is suitable for all people at all levels in the workplace and gives a basic introduction to the principles of environmental management. On successful completion of the course, participants will be able to: Understand the terms 'environment' and 'pollution' Understand the terms 'hazard' and 'risk' related to the environment Better appreciate environmental issues generally, and specifically in respect of their organisation Identify hazards to the environment from working practices Outline the procedures/controls necessary to prevent damage to the environment 1 What is the environment? - putting the environment in context Key environmental issues and how we contribute Definition of the environment 2 Working with the environment What is pollution? Sources, receptors and pathways Environmental consequences workshop - identifying the environmental consequences of our working practices Environmental risk assessment Effective control mechanisms 3 Protecting the environment - Environmental Management Systems What is an Environmental Management System (EMS)? What are the benefits of having an EMS? EMS structure and models Identifying what elements of EMS your company has and how they work Roles and responsibilities 4 Choice of module Option 1: Organisation-specific moduleThis module can be used to introduce environmental concepts that are specific to your activities and operations, and will be compiled through discussion with your organisation Option 2: Environmental best practiceIf no organisation-specific module is required, or if participants from a number of organisations attend, generic operational environmental best practices can be covered instead. Areas covered include waste management, fuel storage and use, hazardous materials, emissions to air and water and environmental incidents