860 Courses in Leeds delivered Live Online

About this Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT)  Electrification of the transportation sector will impact the power system in several ways. Besides the additional load, local impact on the grid needs to be managed by the grid operators. Simultaneously charging of many electric vehicles (EVs) might exceed the limits in specific locations. On the other hand, EVs can provide flexibility and other ancillary services that will help grid operators. This 3 half-day VILT course will provide a complete overview of integrating electric vehicles (EVs) into the power grid. It will cover the whole value chain from grid operations to the car battery. This includes the control room, possible grid reinforcement, demand side management and power electronics. This course will demonstrate the impact on the grid and solutions for a safe & cost-effective grid plan and operation, with examples of successful integration of EVs. The course will also provide vital knowledge about technology used for EVs such as power electronics, demand side management, communication and batteries. In this context, the focus will be on power electronics as it has the highest impact on the grid. The grid planning tool, pandapower, is introduced as an open source tool for power system modelling. The set-up of the training course allows for discussion and questions. Questions can be formulated by the participants upfront or during the training. This course is delivered in partnership with Fraunhofer IEE. Training Objectives At the end of this course, the participants will: Understand the charging options for EVs and its impact on the grid and batteries Identify system services for EVs with regards to voltage quality at the point of common coupling Discover what are the 'grid friendly' and grid supporting functions in EVs Uncover the different applications, standards and data researched on EVs Examine the application of a grid planning tool (pandapower) for power system modelling Be able to develop code snippets with pandapower Apply and execute a code example for power system modelling with pandapower Target Audience EV and grid project developers and administrators Power grid operators and planners EPC organisations involved in grid development EV/ battery manufacturers and designers EV transport planners and designers Government regulators and policy makers Training Methods The VILT will be delivered online in 3 half-day sessions comprising 4 hours per day, with 2 x 10 minutes breaks per day, including time for lectures, discussion, quizzes and short interactive exercises. Additionally, some self-study will be requested. Participants are invited but not obliged to bring a short presentation (10 mins max) on a practical problem they encountered in their work. This will then be explained and discussed during the VILT. A short test or quiz will be held at the end of every session/day. Trainer Our first course expert is Head of Department Converters and Electrical Drive Systems at Fraunhofer IEE and Professor for Electromobility and Electrical Infrastructure at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences. He received his engineering degree in automation in 2008 by the THM Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (FH Giessen-Friedberg). Afterwards he studied power engineering at University of Kassel and received his diploma certificate in 2010. In 2016 he received the Ph.D. (Dr.-Ing.) from the University of Hannover. The title of his dissertation is Optimized multifunctional bi-directional charger for electric vehicles. He has been a researcher at the Fraunhofer IEE in Kassel since 2010 and deals with power converters for electric vehicles, photovoltaics and wind energy. His current research interests include the bidirectional inductive power transfer, battery charger and inverter as well as new power electronic components such as SiC MOSFETs and chokes. Additionally, our key expert is Chairman of the IEEE Joint IAS/PELS/IES German Chapter and a member of the International Scientific Committee of the EPE Association. Our second course expert is deputy head of energy storage department at Fraunhofer IEE. Prior to this he was the Director of Grid Integration department at SMA Solar Technology AG, one of the world's largest manufacturers of PV power converters. Before joining SMA, our course expert was manager of the Front Office System Planning at Amprion GmbH (formerly RWE TSO), one of the four German transmission system operators. He holds a degree of electrical engineering of the University of Kassel, Germany. In 2003 he finished his Ph.D. (Dr.-Ing.) on the topic of wind power forecasting at the 'Institute of Solar Energy Supply Technology' (now Fraunhofer IEE) in Kassel. In 2004 he started his career at RWE TSO with main focus on wind power integration and congestion management. Our course expert is chairman of the IEC SC 8A 'Grid Integration of Large-capacity Renewable Energy (RE) Generation' and has published several papers about grid integration of renewable energy source and forecasting systems on books, magazines, international conferences and workshops. Our third course expert is Research Associate at Fraunhofer IEE. He is actively working on different projects related to the integration of electric vehicle charging into the electric distribution grid. The focus of this work concerns time series based simulations for grid planning and operation in order to investigate the effect of a future rollout of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure on economics e.g. costs for grid reinforcement. He completed his master degree (MSc.) in Business Administration and Engineering: Electrical Power Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. Our trainers are experts from Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (Fraunhofer, IEE), Germany. The Fraunhofer IEE researches for the national and international transformation of energy supply systems POST TRAINING COACHING SUPPORT (OPTIONAL) To further optimise your learning experience from our courses, we also offer individualized 'One to One' coaching support for 2 hours post training. We can help improve your competence in your chosen area of interest, based on your learning needs and available hours. This is a great opportunity to improve your capability and confidence in a particular area of expertise. It will be delivered over a secure video conference call by one of our senior trainers. They will work with you to create a tailor-made coaching program that will help you achieve your goals faster. Request for further information about post training coaching support and fees applicable for this. Accreditions And Affliations

High quality specifications are of paramount importance in achieving the right technical performance and value for money. This long-established training programme has been developed to help those involved in producing specifications to create high quality documents in an organised and effective way. It provides a sound foundation for those new to the topic whilst at the same time offering new insights to those with more experience. The programme emphasises the need for a clear definition of requirements combined with the ability to communicate those requirements effectively to third parties. A structured method of preparing specifications is provided, and a range of practical techniques is presented, to enable participants to put the principles into practice. The commercial and contractual role of specifications is also addressed. The objectives of the workshop are to: Provide a clear understanding of the role and purpose of specifications Present a framework for organising and producing specifications Define the key steps involved in creating effective specifications Demonstrate methods for assisting in defining requirements Provide tools and techniques for scoping and structuring specifications Show the role of specifications in managing variations and changes to scope Present methods to assist the writing and editing of specifications Review how specifications should be issued and controlled DAY ONE 1 Introduction Review of course objectives Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 Creating effective specifications The role of specifications in communicating requirements The costs, benefits and qualities of effective specifications Understanding the differences between verbal and written communication The five key steps of 'POWER' writing: prepare-organise-write-edit-release Exercise: qualities of an effective specification 3 Step 1: Preparing to write - defining readership and purpose; the specification and the contract Designing the specifications required; applying BS 7373 Defining the purpose, readership and title of each document Effective procedures for writing, issuing and controlling specifications The roles and responsibilities of the key players Understanding contracts; the contractual role of the specification Integrating and balancing the technical and commercial requirements Writing specifications to achieve the appropriate contract risk strategy Deciding how to specify: when to use functional and technical specifications The role of specifications in managing variations and changes to scope 4 Case study 1 Teams review a typical project scenario and identify the implications for the specification Feedback and discussion 5 Step 2: Organising the specification content Defining the need and establishing user requirements Deciding what issues the specification should cover Scoping techniques: scope maps, check lists, structured brainstorming Clarifying priorities: separating needs and desires Dealing with requirements that are difficult to quantify Useful techniques: cost benefit analysis, QFD, Pareto analysis 6 Case study 2 Teams apply the scoping techniques to develop the outline contents for a specification Feedback and discussion DAY TWO 7 Step 2: Organising the specification content (cont) Deciding what goes where; typical contents and layout for a specification The three main segments: introductory, key and supporting Creating and using model forms: the sections and sub-sections Detailed contents of each sub-section Tools and techniques for outlining and structuring specifications 8 Case study 3 Teams develop the detailed specification contents using a model form Feedback and discussion 9 Step 3: Writing the specification The challenges of written communication Identifying and understanding the readers needs Choosing and using the right words; dealing with jargon Problem words; will, shall, must, etc; building a glossary Using sentence structure and punctuation to best effect Understanding the impact of style, format and appearance Avoiding common causes of ambiguity Being concise and ensuring clarity Choosing and using graphics to best effect Exercises and examples 10 Step 4: Editing the specification Why editing is difficult; how to develop a personal editing strategy Key areas to review: structure, content, accuracy, clarity, style and grammar Editing tools and techniques 11 Step 5: Releasing and controlling the specification Key requirements for document issue and control Final formatting and publication issues; document approval Requirements management: managing revisions and changes 12 Course review and action planning What actions should be implemented to improve specifications? Conclusion

Duration 3 Days 18 CPD hours This course is intended for This course is designed for integration developers who configure service policies on IBM© DataPower Gateways. Overview After completing this course, you should be able to: Describe how DataPower gateways are configured Create and configure cryptographic objects Configure Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to and from DataPower gateways Configure a multi-protocol gateway (MPGW) to handle multiple protocols from a single service Configure a service level monitoring (SLM) policy to control message traffic Use logs and probes to troubleshoot services Use patterns to define and deploy new services Configure message transformation and routing by using style sheets (XSL) and GatewayScripts Handle errors in service policies This course teaches you the essential skills that are required to configure, implement, and troubleshoot services that are developed on the IBM© DataPower Gateways (IDG) with firmware version 7.5.0, regardless of use case. The DataPower Gateways allow an enterprise to simplify, accelerate, and enhance the security capabilities of its XML and web services deployments, and extend the capabilities of its service-oriented architecture (SOA) infrastructure. The gateways also extend these capabilities into the JSON, REST, and Mobile application areas. Through a combination of instructor-led lectures and hands-on lab exercises, you learn how to develop and debug services that are implemented on the DataPower gateways. These skills include WebGUI and Blueprint Console navigation, service type selection, basic multi-protocol gateway configuration, creating and using cryptographic objects, and configuring SSL connections. You also learn how to use various problem determination tools such as logs, monitors, and probes, and techniques for testing DataPower services and handling errors. Hands-on exercises give you experience working directly with a DataPower Gateway. The exercises focus on skills such as creating multi-protocol gateways, working with cryptographic and SSL objects, configuring service level monitoring, troubleshooting services, handling errors in a service policy, and deploying a service from a pattern. Course introductionQuick introduction to developing on DataPowerExercise: First exposure to the DataPower developer environmentServices overviewStructure of a serviceExercise: Creating a BookingService gatewayMulti-protocol gateway serviceProblem determination toolsExercise: Enhancing the BookingService gatewayHandling errors in a service policyExercise: Adding error handling to a service policyDataPower cryptographic tools and SSL setupExercise: Creating cryptographic objects and configuring SSLService level monitoringExercise: Implementing a service level monitor in a multi-protocol gatewayPatterns for service configurationExercise: Using a DataPower pattern to deploy a serviceCourse summary

This course is an exploration of our understanding of structural racism in the UK and provides a good foundation for anyone wanting to be a responsible ally. Are you working with young people, but struggling with conversations about race? Are you worried that you have been getting it wrong when it comes to race? Do you have questions about race that you are afraid to ask? This course is for you. Description  Racism is a real problem in the UK, but it is much more hidden and covert than it has been in the past. People know its not ok to say the ’N-word’, but sadly, racism has permeated British society much more deeply than this. On this course we will help redefine the idea of racism and explain the complex nature of its modern day manifestation. We will explore how to talk with young people about race and particularly how to challenge when racism occurs. To achieve this, we need to start with ourselves. We will cover the idea of Unconscious Bias making us react differently to people based on our socialisation. We will cover the concept of White Privilege making it difficult for white people to get into the shoes of someone of another race. We will cover the concept of micro-aggressions that are difficult to report to a superior because they may be misconstrued as a mere “interpretation” of the situation and not an incident of racism. We will introduce the idea of the “racism binary”, and how we need to become more accountable for our own actions, and instead of getting offended, take responsibility when someone says something we did or said was racist. This can lead to a much more useful conversation than trying to defend yourself by saying “I’m not racist”.  When we live in a world where racism doesn’t exist, only then can we say “I don’t see colour”, because it does exist, and it does have an impact on peoples lives.  When racist incidents happen, people get hurt. Unfortunately, it is an all too familiar feeling for a lot of people in the UK who have been forced to accept it as part of life. Most of these situations will never be resolved, because they will never be reported. Poor handling of racist incidents teach young people not to say anything, thinking it will only make the situation worse. A lot of people believe that racism is never going away, because their experiences have confirmed this belief. There is a lot of work to be done, and the time is now.  This course is an exploration of our own socialisation and personal expressions of race, which will leave you feeling positive and hopeful about the future. Be bold, and join us on this journey into the ever growing multicultural melting pot. Enquire for more information about this thought provoking training day.  Learning objectives  Develop understanding of modern racism in the UK Strengthen knowledge of key terminology Understanding how to think like an “Ally” Explore strategies for dealing with racism when we encounter it Developing our confidence and ability to hold conversations with young people about race Who is it for? Leadership teams seeking guidance and reflection Multi Agency Teams Social workers CAMHS teams Year Managers Primary and secondary staff teams College staff Early Years and School based Practitioners Heads and Deputies SENCOs Advanced Skills Teachers Primary and secondary teachers Local Authority Support Services Voluntary Organisations People who want to “get it right” Content AM What makes a good welcome? Why don’t we talk about race? History of racism in the UK Definition of modern racism – how racism manifests in a post-racist world Unconscious bias The ‘racism binary’ – taking accountability for our words/actions Examining our privilege What does your race mean to you? PM Trust and difference exercises – how can we become more trustworthy? What is good Allyship? What to do and what not to do Strategies for dealing with racism incidents Restorative Justice How can we create dialogue with young people about race? Affinity groups What does the ideal workplace/school look like? What actions will we take away?

About this Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT)  This 5 half-day virtual course provides a detailed description of all the methods used to reduce the heat rate (increase the efficiency) of pulverized coal and circulating fluidized bed (CFB) coal power plants. All the processes, operational and maintenance activities, capital projects, technical options, potential initiatives and incentives to implement upgrades/repairs for increasing the plant efficiency will be covered in detail. Training Objectives Calculate the Heat Rate of Coal Power Plants: Learn all the methods used to calculate the heat rate of coal power plants Benefits of Lowering the Heat Rate of Coal Power Plants: Understand all the benefits of lowering the heat rate of coal power plants Methods Used to Improve Coal Power Plants Heat Rate: Gain a thorough understanding of all the methods used to improve the heat rate of coal power plants Processes, Operational and Maintenance Activities: Discover all the processes, operational and maintenance activities used to improve the heat rate of coal power plants Capital Projects Used to Improve the Heat Rate: Learn about all the capital projects used to improve the heat rate of coal power plants Technical Options for Improving the Heat Rate: Understand all the technical options used to improve the heat rate of coal power plants Potential Initiatives and Incentives to Implement Upgrades/Repairs for Improving the Heat Rate: Discover all the potential initiatives and incentives to implement upgrades/repairs for improving the heat rate of coal power plants Factors Affecting Coal Power Plant Efficiency and Emissions: Learn about all the factors which affect coal power plants efficiency and emissions Areas in Pulverized Coal and Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) Power Plants where Efficiency Loss Can Occur: Discover all the areas in pulverized coal and circulating fluidized bed (CFB) power plants where efficiency loss can occur Optimize the Operation of Coal Power Plant Equipment and Systems to improve the Plant Heat Rate: Understand all the techniques and methods used to optimize the operation of coal power plant equipment and systems to improve the plant heat rate Coal Power Plant Equipment and Systems: Learn about various coal power plant equipment and systems including boilers, superheaters, reheaters, steam turbines, governing systems, deaerators, feedwater heaters, coal-handling equipment, transformers, generators and auxiliaries Target Audience Engineers of all disciplines Managers Technicians Maintenance personnel Other technical individuals Training Methods The VILT will be delivered online in 5 half-day sessions comprising 4 hours per day, with 1 x 10 minutes break per day, including time for lectures, discussion, quizzes and short classroom exercises. Additionally, some self-study will be requested. Participants are invited but not obliged to bring a short presentation (10 mins max) on a practical problem they encountered in their work. This will then be explained and discussed during the VILT. A short test or quiz will be held at the end the course. The instructor relies on a highly interactive training method to enhance the learning process. This method ensures that all the delegates gain a complete understanding of all the topics covered. The training environment is highly stimulating, challenging, and effective because the participants will learn by case studies which will allow them to apply the material taught to their own organization. Trainer Your specialist course leader has more than 32 years of practical engineering experience with Ontario Power Generation (OPG), one of the largest electric utility in North America. He was previously involved in research on power generation equipment with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited at their Chalk River and Whiteshell Nuclear Research Laboratories. While working at OPG, he acted as a Training Manager, Engineering Supervisor, System Responsible Engineer and Design Engineer. During the period of time, he worked as a Field Engineer and Design Engineer, he was responsible for the operation, maintenance, diagnostics, and testing of gas turbines, steam turbines, generators, motors, transformers, inverters, valves, pumps, compressors, instrumentation and control systems. Further, his responsibilities included designing, engineering, diagnosing equipment problems and recommending solutions to repair deficiencies and improve system performance, supervising engineers, setting up preventive maintenance programs, writing Operating and Design Manuals, and commissioning new equipment. Later, he worked as the manager of a section dedicated to providing training for the staff at the power stations. The training provided by him covered in detail the various equipment and systems used in power stations. In addition, he has taught courses and seminars to more than four thousand working engineers and professionals around the world, specifically Europe and North America. He has been consistently ranked as 'Excellent' or 'Very Good' by the delegates who attended his seminars and lectures. He written 5 books for working engineers from which 3 have been published by McGraw-Hill, New York. Below is a list of the books authored by him; Power Generation Handbook: Gas Turbines, Steam Power Plants, Co-generation, and Combined Cycles, second edition, (800 pages), McGraw-Hill, New York, October 2011. Electrical Equipment Handbook (600 pages), McGraw-Hill, New York, March 2003. Power Plant Equipment Operation and Maintenance Guide (800 pages), McGraw-Hill, New York, January 2012. Industrial Instrumentation and Modern Control Systems (400 pages), Custom Publishing, University of Toronto, University of Toronto Custom Publishing (1999). Industrial Equipment (600 pages), Custom Publishing, University of Toronto, University of Toronto, University of Toronto Custom Publishing (1999). Furthermore, he has received the following awards: The first 'Excellence in Teaching' award offered by PowerEdge, Singapore, in December 2016 The first 'Excellence in Teaching' award offered by the Professional Development Center at University of Toronto (May, 1996). The 'Excellence in Teaching Award' in April 2007 offered by TUV Akademie (TUV Akademie is one of the largest Professional Development centre in world, it is based in Germany and the United Arab Emirates, and provides engineering training to engineers and managers across Europe and the Middle East). Awarded graduation 'With Distinction' from Dalhousie University when completed Bachelor of Engineering degree (1983). Lastly, he was awarded his Bachelor of Engineering Degree 'with distinction' from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He also received a Master of Applied Science in Engineering (M.A.Sc.) from the University of Ottawa, Canada. He is also a member of the Association of Professional Engineers in the province of Ontario, Canada. POST TRAINING COACHING SUPPORT (OPTIONAL) To further optimise your learning experience from our courses, we also offer individualized 'One to One' coaching support for 2 hours post training. We can help improve your competence in your chosen area of interest, based on your learning needs and available hours. This is a great opportunity to improve your capability and confidence in a particular area of expertise. It will be delivered over a secure video conference call by one of our senior trainers. They will work with you to create a tailor-made coaching program that will help you achieve your goals faster. Request for further information about post training coaching support and fees applicable for this. Accreditions And Affliations

Data dashboards provide key information to stakeholders so that they can make informed decisions. While there are plenty of software solutions for building these essential data products, there is much less guidance on how to design dashboards to meet the diverse needs of users.  This course is for anyone who is building or implementing dashboards, and wants to know more about design principles and best practice. You could be using business intelligence software (such as Power BI or Tableau), or implementing bespoke solutions.  The course will give your team the ability to evaluate user needs and levels of understanding, make informed decisions about chart selections, and make effective use of interactivity dynamic data.  We’ll work with you before the course to ensure that we understand your organisation and what you’re hoping to achieve.  Sample learning content  Session 1: Data with a purpose Understanding the different types of dashboard. Information overload and other common dashboard pitfalls. Assessing user needs and levels of data fluency. Session 2: Planning a dashboard Assessing diverse user needs and levels of data fluency. Taking a User Experience (UX) approach to design and navigation. Applying an interative and collaborative approach to onboarding. Session 3: Graphs, charts and dials  Understanding how graphical perception informs chart choices. Making intelligent design choices to help users explore. Design principles for layout and navigation. Session 4: Using interactivity  Making effective use of filters to slice and dice data sets. Using layers of information to enable drilldown data exploration. Complenting dashboards with automated alerts and queries. Delivery We deliver our courses over Zoom, to maximise flexibility. The training can be delivered in a single day, or across multiple sessions. All of our courses are live and interactive – every session includes a mix of formal tuition and hands-on exercises. To ensure this is possible, the number of attendees is capped at 16 people.  Tutor Alan Rutter is the founder of Fire Plus Algebra. He is a specialist in communicating complex subjects through data visualisation, writing and design. He teaches for General Assembly and runs in-house training for public sector clients including the Home Office, the Department of Transport, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Health Foundation, and numerous local government and emergency services teams. He previously worked with Guardian Masterclasses on curating and delivering new course strands, including developing and teaching their B2B data visualisation courses. He oversaw the iPad edition launches of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue in the UK, and has worked with Condé Nast International as product owner on a bespoke digital asset management system for their 11 global markets. Testimonial “Alan was great to work with, he took us through the concepts behind data visualisation which means our team is now equipped for the future. He has a wide range of experience across the topic that is delivered in a clear, concise and friendly manner. We look forward to working with Alan again in the future.” John Masterson | Chief Product Officer | ImproveWell

Successful communications are all about making the message as simple as possible – but this can be difficult when the subjects we're talking about are inherently complicated.  Academic institutions, tech companies, health organisations, charities and many others have complex ideas, processes and systems at the heart of what they do.  This course is for anybody who needs to distill information down into key messages for important stakeholders, funders and investors, decision makers and members of the public.  You’ll learn proven techniques for grabbing attention and changing minds through presentations and public speaking, infographics and data visualisations, and written reports and online posts.  We’ll work with you before the course to ensure that we understand your organisation and what you’re hoping to achieve. Sample learning content Session 1: Understanding your audience Matching your objectives to your audience's motivations. Identifying the right tone and language. Understanding how, where and when your audience wants to be spoken to. Session 2: Refining your objectives  Breaking down strategic aims into tactical steps Metrics and milestones: defining and measuring progress and success. Rapidly building a brief for your communications. Session 3: Telling the story  Using metaphors, visuals, comparisons to frame your narrative. From slide decks to online campaigns - choosing the right formats for delivering your message. Selecting communications channels to maximise reach and impact. Session 4: Keeping it going  Processes and systems for launching and maintaining communications campaigns. Building social proof – creating and curating content. Troubleshooting and preparing for common challenges. Delivery We deliver our courses over Zoom, to maximise flexibility. The training can be delivered in a single day, or across multiple sessions. All of our courses are live and interactive – every session includes a mix of formal tuition and hands-on exercises. To ensure this is possible, the number of attendees is capped at 16 people.  Tutor Alan Rutter is the founder of Fire Plus Algebra. He is a specialist in communicating complex subjects through data visualisation, writing and design. He teaches for General Assembly and runs in-house training for public sector clients including the Home Office, the Department of Transport, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Health Foundation, and numerous local government and emergency services teams. He previously worked with Guardian Masterclasses on curating and delivering new course strands, including developing and teaching their B2B data visualisation courses. He oversaw the iPad edition launches of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue in the UK, and has worked with Condé Nast International as product owner on a bespoke digital asset management system for their 11 global markets. Testimonial “We’ve now worked with Alan for almost 3 years, and during that time he has continued to deliver the highest quality training for our clients and delegates. Alan’s passionate delivery style has continued to deliver innovative training solutions to over 1500 delegates across the public, private and voluntary sector. Each of our courses with him has always delivered exceptional feedback and satisfaction levels.” Joe Barlow | Head of Programme, Understanding ModernGov

To drive actions and get decisions made, you need to be able to present effectively to customers, clients, senior managers or colleagues. The perfect presentation is a potent combination of content, design and delivery  You need to distill down complex concepts, large data sets, intricate processes and innovative ideas. You need to make the right design choices to ensure your slide decks communicate quickly (as well as looking great). And you need the confidence and storytelling techniques to lead your audience through the content.  This course is for anyone who regularly needs to create and deliver presentations for different stakeholders. It will cover how to plan, design and deliver brilliant presentations.  Sample learning content  Session 1: Planning a presentation  Assessing the needs and level of understanding of your audience. Frameworks for building a logical and compelling narrative. Emphasising key messages, while allowing for deep dives and questions. Session 2: Presenting data and processes Understand graphical perception and how people absorb visual information. Effective charts for different types of data stories. How to display processes, timelines and organisational structures. Session 3: Design tricks Using colours to add emphasis and meaning. Creating hierarchies of information to help your audience. Building templates and style guides. Session 4: Delivery techniques Perfecting your performance in-person or online. Dealing with difficult questions and hostile audiences. Refining the beginning, middle and end of your narrative. Delivery We deliver our courses over Zoom, to maximise flexibility. The training can be delivered in a single day, or across multiple sessions. All of our courses are live and interactive – every session includes a mix of formal tuition and hands-on exercises. To ensure this is possible, the number of attendees is capped at 16 people.  Tutor Alan Rutter is the founder of Fire Plus Algebra. He is a specialist in communicating complex subjects through data visualisation, writing and design. He teaches for General Assembly and runs in-house training for public sector clients including the Home Office, the Department of Transport, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Health Foundation, and numerous local government and emergency services teams. He previously worked with Guardian Masterclasses on curating and delivering new course strands, including developing and teaching their B2B data visualisation courses. He oversaw the iPad edition launches of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue in the UK, and has worked with Condé Nast International as product owner on a bespoke digital asset management system for their 11 global markets. Testimonial "We’ve now worked with Alan for almost 3 years, and during that time he has continued to deliver the highest quality training for our clients and delegates. Alan’s passionate delivery style has continued to deliver innovative training solutions to over 1500 delegates across the public, private and voluntary sector. Each of our courses with him has always delivered exceptional feedback and satisfaction levels." Joe Barlow | Head of Programme, Understanding ModernGov

Data has become the most important resource for every organisation – but the insights gained from data analysis will only ever be truly valuable if they can be clearly expressed to other people.  This course is for anybody who works with data, and needs to communicate the meaning that's in the numbers to colleagues, customers, bosses or external stakeholders.  It will give you or your team the confidence and skills to translate raw data into compelling visual stories for your key audiences. The principles and skills covered apply to the simplest PowerPoint chart, to more complex interactive visualisations.  We’ll work with you before the course to ensure that we understand your organisation and what you’re hoping to achieve.  Sample learning content Session 1: What makes a great data-driven story The key elements of a successful infographic or presentation. Industry best practice, and discussion of good (and bad) examples. A simple framework for identifying the Audience, Story and Action. Session 2: Data in context How to balance function and aesthetic appeal. Identifying the right graph, chart, infographic or other visual. Framing the data and providing contextual information. Session 3: Designing for the human brain Using colours to add emphasis and meaning. Design and layout principles, and creating hierarchies of information. The principle of ‘self-sufficiency’, and removing clutter. Session 4: Navigation and narrative Tailoring visualisations for different types of communications. Structuring presentations and longer reports. Thinking in layers to create interactive dashboards. Delivery We deliver our courses over Zoom, to maximise flexibility. The training can be delivered in a single day, or across multiple sessions. All of our courses are live and interactive – every session includes a mix of formal tuition and hands-on exercises. To ensure this is possible, the number of attendees is capped at 16 people.  Tutor Alan Rutter is the founder of Fire Plus Algebra. He is a specialist in communicating complex subjects through data visualisation, writing and design. He teaches for General Assembly and runs in-house training for public sector clients including the Home Office, the Department of Transport, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Health Foundation, and numerous local government and emergency services teams. He previously worked with Guardian Masterclasses on curating and delivering new course strands, including developing and teaching their B2B data visualisation courses. He oversaw the iPad edition launches of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue in the UK, and has worked with Condé Nast International as product owner on a bespoke digital asset management system for their 11 global markets.
 Testimonial “I was familiar with Alan’s work as a Guardian Masterclass instructor on data visualisation and digital journalism, which made it easy for me to recommend him for onsite training at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. We had a large group of people interested in honing their abilities to depict their research and stories in engaging ways. Alan’s course provided great insight about common communication pitfalls and how to avoid them, how to become better communicators by understanding the audience diversity, and it showcased some great online tools for creating infographics. This should be mandatory training for all students, academics, report writers and those involved with conveying research to the media as it will help increase the clarity and accessibility of our own research stories.”
 Dr Lee Haines | Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Today, every individual and organisation is a publisher. You want everyone in your organisation to be a potential ambassador. And every employee has something to gain from raising their profile and showcasing their expertise. An effective content strategy allows you to deliver compelling stories to your audience in the most seamless way possible to make an emotional connection. This requires a mix of passion for the subject matter, a deep relationship with your audience, robust production processes, and the right tools.  With a background in journalism and technology, we’ve worked on many projects that combine the two – including overseeing the iPad edition launches for Condé Nast in the UK, product ownership of a Digital Asset Manager for Condé Nast International, and developing and delivering content training for telco VEON.  Publishers and brands we’ve worked with include WIRED, Time Out, GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue – as well as solo entrepreneurs and startups who are trying to cut through the noise and get their message heard.  In this course we'll cover the key elements of an effective content strategy: how to plan across multiple platforms, and how to implement your blueprint without exhausting yourself or your team. Sample learning content  Session 1: Planning a content strategy Mapping and understanding your audiences. Defining your content objectives, for you or your organisation. Common pitfalls with poorly targeted content. Session 2: A content creation framework Finding ideas to generate a consistent stream of content. Idenitfying angles that will help you stand out from the crowd. Using different formats across multiple channels. Session 3: Keeping it going Simple processes to help hit deadlines and publish regularly. Balancing content creation and content creation. Creating a mix of evergreen and timely content. Session 4: Measurement and iteration Useful (and useless) metrics for content producers. Handling comments and joining the conversation. Iterating your content strategy based on feedback. Delivery We deliver our courses over Zoom, to maximise flexibility. The training can be delivered in a single day, or across multiple sessions. All of our courses are live and interactive – every session includes a mix of formal tuition and hands-on exercises. 
To ensure this is possible, the number of attendees is capped at 16 people.  Tutor Alan Rutter is the founder of Fire Plus Algebra. He is a specialist in communicating complex subjects through data visualisation, writing and design. He teaches for General Assembly and runs in-house training for public sector clients including the Home Office, the Department of Transport, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Health Foundation, and numerous local government and emergency services teams. He previously worked with Guardian Masterclasses on curating and delivering new course strands, including developing and teaching their B2B data visualisation courses. He oversaw the iPad edition launches of Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue in the UK, and has worked with Condé Nast International as product owner on a bespoke digital asset management system for their 11 global markets. Testimonial “The EMpower Network commissioned the content creation workshop to understand how to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders. In light of covid-19, it’s more important than ever to communicate clearly especially as we’ve moved to remote meetings. The workshop was very insightful and Alan was a very engaging speaker making sure all attendees contributed and worked through real-life examples. Attendees praised the usefulness of the workshop and especially liked the content generation framework with one saying 'It has changed the way I think about communicating and given me a toolkit that I will use in both my work and personal projects'.” Shade Nathaniel-Ayodele | EMpower Network, Southwark Council