145 Courses delivered Live Online

Our excellent one to one singing courses are suitable for all adults, from absolute beginners without any prior musical knowledge to advanced amateur pianists. They can be joined at any time during the year and are provided by highly qualified and experienced singing instructors.

Supporting people managers The flagship CAPE programme is different to other management development programmes. We offer people management training that supports managers to feel equipped, enabled and empowered to make an immediate and lasting impact. You will benefit from learning how conversation styles, self-belief and authenticity matter and practice your skills with one of our many charity partners towards the end of your training. 12 month multi-element programme Learn new coaching skills Work with charities to utilise your skills Limited spaces £1,795 plus VAT per person Our mission is to help you become a brilliant manager.

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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

This highly practical one-day workshop has been designed specifically to help maximise sales where customers make contact by telephone. When customers contact us direct they have clearly already considered the possibility that they might buy from us, but we're still only half-way to making a sale. Unless we fully understand their needs and make it easy for them to buy, we may not secure the business. This workshop concentrates on the telephone skills and techniques needed to achieve the most positive outcome in any inbound customer call. A combination of excellent customer service skills and savvy sales awareness techniques will increase our chances of a successful outcome for both parties. The programme features the unique INBOUND model, to help remember the key principles for effective inbound telephone sales: Initial impressions Needs of the customer Bring them with you Open up the conversation Understand the triggers Narrow down the solutions Decision time! The programme also covers how to deal with difficult calls and challenging people - after all, every complaint is a sales opportunity! This programme will help participants: Create the perfect interaction with any customer making contact by telephone Make every call count Build rapport quickly in any situation Handle difficult calls and challenging people Create sustainable and profitable relationships Increase your sales conversions 1 The inbound sales process Each customer who contacts us will be at a different stage of the sales process. Some might be making general enquiries whilst others will be ready to commit, having made most of their decisions already. Sales and customer service people need to be ready to find out the stage the customer has reached before helping them to make the right decision for them 2 Engaging with the customer Having clarified where the customer is on their journey to making a purchasing decision, our next responsibility is to create and build a trusting relationship on both sides. This involves establishing rapport quickly to ease the communication process, thus enabling smooth transactions, both now and in the future 3 Questioning and listening skills for gathering information Developing these skills requires practice so that the communication becomes natural for the customer. This helps the customer to feel comfortable with us and work with us towards an effective solution. We discuss different types of question and how to use high-gain questions to uncover key information. Active listening will ensure that we can really help customers get what they need 4 Overcoming objections and excuses If we have followed the process properly and really understood the customer, then there should no further objections or barriers to completing the transaction. The reality is that there will still be the occasional issue that needs clarifying, so we need to prepare for possible objections and questions that customers might have. This includes probing objections so that we fully understand the customer's perspective before constructing suitable responses or solutions 5 Gaining commitment and ending the call Customers want to gain a solution to the issue they are facing and the sooner we can help them achieve that the better. Guiding the customer and helping them to believe in their own decision is part of our role. This section is dedicated to getting commitment all the way along the process, not just at the close 6 Dealing with difficult and challenging situations The realisation that everybody is different, with different personality types, different ways of looking at the world and different goals, is key to understanding sales. With this is mind we discuss these differences and how we adapt our approach to ease communication and maintain trust and understanding 7 Action plans Course summary and presentation of action plans

Wouldn't sales be a 'walk in the park' without challenging customers? Why is it that some customers are so difficult to please, so quick to call 'foul' at the slightest blip and so mean with their gratitude after we've bent over backwards to accommodate them? Whether we are looking at prospective or existing customers, there is a toolkit for dealing with the most challenging of them. This course will help participants: Use broad open questions to give the customer a platform for their opinions or issues Improve listening skills to really understand what's behind the customer's challenging style Probe specific phrases to show listening and earn deeper disclosure Use silence to let challenging customers 'blow off steam' Understand the negative impact of certain phrases on a challenging customer Summarise effectively and reassure the customer of our understanding of their needs Recognise the 'behaviour cycle' and avoid emotional escalation Understand 'transactional analysis' and how to bring people from 'child' to 'adult' state Create loyalty in customers who are slow to give trust 1 What makes a customer 'challenging'? Why customers challenge us - understanding their drivers 'Wearing their shoes' - seeing things from their perspective Understanding our own personality style How to flex with a style that is different from our own Ways to quickly recognise a customer's style The benefits of flexing with a challenging customer's style 2 Practical exercise - forum theatre Participants take it in turns to deal with the trainer (who plays the role of the challenging customer) Observers stop the action when they hear or see something they deem wrong The participant in the seat gets a chance to use a suggested alternative line The participant who makes the suggestion has the chance to occupy the seat and deliver it themselves Frequent feedback from the trainer as to how the participant's words are making him feel Opportunities to rewind the action if an ill-advised line is suggested and delivered Flipchart for capturing what worked, what didn't work and why Mehrabian principle - the importance of body language and tone over words used 3 Questioning and listening skills How to use open questions to get the customer talking What questions to avoid and why The use of pauses and silence to reduce tension and build trust What listening is and what it isn't Question funnelling - how to earn deeper disclosure through probing The power of summary 4 Transactional analysis explained What is transactional analysis (TA)? Exploring the TA states and why people behave in that way under pressure How to bring challenging customers to 'adult' state to reduce tension How 'parent' or 'child' behaviours can be inadvertently triggered Understanding the 'behavioural cycle' and how to break it Mini-role play 'vignettes' to demonstrate real time impact of ill-chosen words 5 How to build trust with challenging customers Techniques for placating current challenging customers Methods that the participants have already used effectively - understanding why those methods worked and how other participants can model them Participants' experiences of trust having been lost - understanding why those experiences had that negative outcome How to 'go the extra mile' with challenging customers 6 Bringing a 'real' challenging customer to life Participants give the trainer a brief profile of a specific challenging customer of theirs 5-10 minute roleplay in which the trainer brings that individual to life Observing participants - without interrupting - make notes on what is and isn't working Trainer stops the action half-way through to give feedback on how he is feeling Participant goes back into the roleplay having recalibrated their approach based on feedback Observers give feedback on what did and didn't work Trainer comes out of character to explain the impact of the participant's words and behaviours 7 Wrap-up Key learnings from each participant Individual action planning - steps that can and will be implemented in the workplace

Transform stress into strength with this 4-week course, enhancing resilience, emotional skills, and effective communication for professionals.

Anti Social Behaviour Course Overview This course on Anti Social Behaviour provides a comprehensive introduction to the causes, effects, and management of behaviours that disrupt community life and social harmony. Learners will explore key concepts including the influence of family environments, legal frameworks such as Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), and psychological factors like anger and personality traits. The course equips individuals with knowledge essential for understanding and addressing anti-social conduct effectively. By completing this course, learners will be able to identify different forms of anti-social behaviour, evaluate prevention strategies, and appreciate the social and legal implications involved. It is ideal for those wishing to develop awareness or advance careers in social care, community work, law enforcement, or related fields. Course Description This course delves into the multifaceted nature of anti-social behaviour, covering social, psychological, and legal perspectives. Topics include the impact of family dynamics on behaviour, the application and purpose of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, and how anger management relates to disruptive conduct. Learners will also examine antisocial personality traits and explore effective prevention methods aimed at reducing incidents within communities. The learning experience is structured to enhance critical understanding through detailed explanations and case studies, fostering skills to assess and respond appropriately to anti-social behaviours in various professional contexts. Upon completion, learners will possess a well-rounded grasp of the complexities surrounding anti-social conduct and the tools necessary to support safer, more cohesive environments. Anti Social Behaviour Curriculum Module 01: Overview of Anti-social Behaviour Module 02: Family Influences on Anti-social Behaviour Module 03: Anti-Social Behaviour Order Module 04: Anger and Anti-social Behaviour Module 05: Understanding Antisocial Personality Module 06: Prevention of Anti-social Behaviour (See full curriculum) Who is this course for? Individuals seeking to understand causes and management of anti-social behaviour. Professionals aiming to enhance their knowledge in community safety and social care. Beginners with an interest in social behaviour and community welfare. Those working or aspiring to work in law enforcement, social services, or youth work. Career Path Community Support Officer Social Care Worker Youth Worker Probation Officer Housing Officer Law Enforcement Support Staff

leadership management training course belbin team roles

Learn how to be fully effective in your role without burning yourself out. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) There are only 24 hours in a day, and only so many of those that you want to spend in the office! While many people seem to see working long hours and being highly stressed as a badge of honour you can in fact be more productive and fully effective in your role without burning yourself out. Quite simply in this whirlwind world we need to be great at managing the time and that’s what this interactive one day workshop will teach you. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: Use a selection of tools to set goals, plan and prioritise your time Stop self-sabotaging and create more productive time every day Take control of your day, the time you have available and other people who try to steal your time Hold more effective meetings Manage stress so that you can be at your peak more often Content Getting Started Understanding the need to manage your time effectively Identifying your time stealers Setting goals Getting clarity about what needs to be done Understanding what is urgent and what is important in order to prioritise your tasks Planning your time Using to do lists and other time management tools Stop Self Sabotaging Understanding your time personality and the impact it can have on how you use your time and how others perceive your time management Recognising procrastination and taking action The myth of multitasking Creating focus and clarity in your day Using the time you have to be most productive Taking Control How to assert yourself with others who might be impacting your time management Managing interruptions Saying no and feeling OK about it Negotiating workloads Delegating How to hold productive meetings Managing your meeting attendance effectively Avoiding Burnout Exploring stress and how we respond to it Shifting mindsets Thinking differently Managing overwhelm and panic Tools to manage stress at work