WE WORK HARD TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE AND AVOID WASTING TIME. THEREFORE, THE MEETINGS WE HAVE SHOULD BE IMPORTANT. In order to make the best use of our time, we need to be efficient. Our main goal is to increase productivity and avoid wasting time. Therefore, it is important that the meetings we have are meaningful and necessary. Unlike the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” we want our meeting attendees to understand the value of our work. We show them by setting a good example. Over time, they realize that our meetings are held for important reasons. When attendees know that our meetings are productive, respectful (in terms of length and content relevance), and serve a purpose, they are happy to attend and contribute their best. This class will help participants organize their ideas and communicate clearly. As facilitators, you will learn to be concise and communicate with confidence. By running more productive sessions, you will increase satisfaction and open up dialogue with your audience. FORGE AHEAD – THE REWARDS AWAIT.THROUGH THE IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS RUNNING EFFECTIVE MEETINGS CLASS, YOU WILL: Gain new perspective and methods to create better, more productive sessions; Have a clear purpose to keep focus and engage with interest; Inspire facilitator-audience dialogue, ensuring a genuine exchange of ideas; Manage distractions and disruptions appropriately, keeping efficiency; and Probe for information, getting the most useful level of detail for improvement. Online Format—Running Effective Meetings is a 4-hour interactive online class for up to six people. Register for this class and you will be sent ONLINE login instructions prior to the class date. As a trainer and human resources professional, I truly believe in the value that Dr. Atkins can add to any organization. The seminar he provided was easy to follow and thought provoking. His personable demeanor along with his humble spirit and obvious expertise make his sessions gems that you cannot afford to pass up. Deirdre Cash, PHRPaco Group, NYC
This programme helps communicators to prepare for and deliver an effective speech. Here, you learn to motivate people by speaking to them in terms of the benefits they will receive by taking action. Each instructional segment is followed by participant speeches that put the newly-learned skills into action. We cover public speaking fear and how to move forward despite it, as well as increasing enthusiasm. This builds speaker confidence. By organising information clearly for the audience, participants grow in their conviction and are perceived more as experts. Delegates will be able to: Work through fear of public speaking; Build confidence and enthusiasm by creating meaningful, memorable speeches; Develop greater abilities for thinking and speaking with less preparation; Minimise self-defeating speech and behavior; and Present ideas to, and inspire the audience. Online Format—Introduction to Public Speaking is a 4-hour interactive virtual class. Register for this class and you will be sent ONLINE login instructions prior to the class date. Working with Dr. Atkins of Improving Communications has been a very positive experience. Everything about the program is exemplary! Managers have made it a point to tell me how pleased they are with the improvements made in the communications skills of the participants. The Professional Development Workshop is an extremely effective program. The participants are looking forward to follow-up sessions with Dr. Atkins and we recommend his programs. Heather Ragone, Training ManagerNetwork General
Join us for a fun, friendly, and seriously useful networking event designed for business owners, creatives, and content-curious businesses who want to up their marketing game online. Each session features a guest expert sharing tips and real-world insights on topics like video creation, SEO, design, and more – followed by relaxed networking where you can meet like-minded people, ask questions, and share your own experiences. Whether you're a complete beginner or already posting content regularly, you'll leave with ideas you can use immediately – and maybe a few new contacts, too!
This one-day course introduces the field of user experience and provides an excellent entry point to our other specialised training courses. UX processes and practices have become a central component of product design, service design and web design.
LOOKING FOR: MG, YA, GRAPHIC NOVELS Katie Blagden is a Literary Agent at The Ampersand Agency, representing authors and author-illustrators across various genres and age ranges. She previously worked with Arabella Stein at the Bright Agency, where she helped launch their Literary list. Her notable projects include the Arcana duology by Sam Prentice-Jones (Macmillan US / Hot Key Books) and The River Thief by Hannah Peck (Piccadilly Press). In all areas Katie seeks commercial, plot-driven ideas with a great hook. In adult fiction, Katie specialises in, and is drawn to, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Magical Realism and Horror. She is particularly looking for works that cross genre lines or subvert reader expectations. She loves Babel by R. F. Kuang; Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell; Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik; Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah; Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovich; The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers; The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin; Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree; The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winters; Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel by Susanna Clarke; The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey; One Last Stop by Casey Mcquiston; Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao; The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch; The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo; Kindred by Octavia E. Butler; Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin; all and anything by Terry Pratchett! Graphic Novels favoured by Katie are across all ages and include the likes of Homebody by Theo Parish; Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe; Lumber Janes by N. D. Stevens et al; On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden; Through The Woods by Emma Carrol; The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen; Heartstopper by Alice Oseman; El Deafo by Cece Bell; Roller Girls by Victoria Jamieson; Skyward by Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett; Faith by Jody Houser. For Graphic Novels, Katie is currently only considering Author-Illustrators (or Author/Illustrator pairings). In children’s, Katie specialises in Middle Grade, YA and Crossover Fiction, She is looking for fast, funny and action-packed Middle Grade. In YA, she is drawn to grounded or contemporary SFF, queer stories and fairytale or folktale inspired works. Examples of books in this area Katie loves are All That's Left in the World by Erik J Brown; The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness; Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas; Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi; The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave; Holes by Louis Sachar; Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo; Gone by Michael Grant; His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman; Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell; The Dark Lady by Akala; Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan; The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper; Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Katie is an advocate for centring traditionally underrepresented voices, and actively works to discover and develop authors and author-illustrators from diverse backgrounds. Katie’s previous experience includes marketing, bookselling and advertising. She also appeared as a contributor on the Graham Norton Book Club for Audible for all six seasons. When she’s not reading, you can find Katie playing Dungeons & Dragons, trying a new crafty hobby (before abandoning it for something new), or spoiling her dog Poe. Katie would like you to submit a covering letter, one page synopsis and the first three chapters (Max 5000 words) of your completed manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Katie is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print). By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Wednesday 3rd September 2025
This one-day course introduces the field of user experience and provides an excellent entry point to our other specialised training courses. UX processes and practices have become a central component of product design, service design and web design.
This is our latest lead workshop/training day and is an extremely innovative, participative and practical guide to successfully creating a truly inclusive classroom in mainstream school settings for children and young people of all ages. This engaging day will equip participants with ways of thinking and planning for the inclusion of all pupils within the curriculum. Course Category Teaching and Learning Inclusion Description This is our latest lead workshop/training day and is an extremely innovative, participative and practical guide to successfully creating a truly inclusive classroom in mainstream school settings for children and young people of all ages. This engaging day will equip participants with ways of thinking and planning for the inclusion of all pupils within the curriculum. There’s no better way to get set up, get trained, and get going on your inclusive classroom. The most knowledgeable trainers will teach you all the basics in face-to-face training sessions, and guide you through more advanced concepts and ideas. So whether you’re brand-new to inclusion, a seasoned pro, or somewhere in between, we will help take your skills to the next level. Testimonials ‘Yet again inspiring and opening more doors than I can go through’ ‘This opened a lot of avenues for thought and reflection. It will help me to help colleagues to see where they can improve practice to create a more inclusive environment within the whole school.’ ‘Some great ideas and restored my self belief! Fantastic’ Learning Objectives Increased skills in diversifying/differentiating the curriculum Reflection on attitudes to individual learning and the curriculum Linking learning style research to real classroom inclusion of high profile/need pupils Improved teaching skills for those with severe and complex needs and behaviour Challenge to attitudes and mindsets Who Is It For ? School based Practitioners Heads and Deputies SENCOs Learning Support Advanced Skills Teachers Primary and secondary teachers Parents Local Authority Support Services Course Content The course answers the questions: How do I begin differentiating? How do I include a pupil with very complex learning needs? How do we go about practically including high profile children or young people? Best delivered over the course of 2 days, ‘Inclusive Classroom’ introduces participants to 6 guiding Ideas that increase effective inclusion in mainstream settings. Setting the tone for learning Resourcing schools and classrooms effectively The essential 4 questions! What is the essential learning in this lesson? How do the students learn best? What needs modifying? How will students demonstrate their learning? Building on strengths and talents Beyond the IEP The curriculum content of inclusive classrooms If you liked this course you may well like: CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SPACE WHERE EVERYONE LEARNS
Executive Coaching provides a safe space for leaders to explore new ideas and techniques without judgement, fostering personal growth and benefiting the wider business. Sessions are confidential, 90 minutes long, and tailored to individual developmental needs, with a bi-weekly schedule of six sessions suggested. These sessions are conducted via Zoom, with face-to-face options available in East Anglia and London; email engage@puritas.org.uk for details.
Performance Development Coaching provides a safe space for individuals to explore new ideas and techniques without judgement, fostering personal growth and benefiting the wider business. Sessions are confidential, 90 minutes long, and tailored to individual developmental needs, with a bi-weekly schedule of six sessions suggested. These sessions are conducted via Zoom, with face-to-face options available in East Anglia and London; email engage@puritas.org.uk for details.
Be it a career change, an exciting new hobby, perfecting existing skills or simply enhancing professional employment prospects– we help you unlock creativity through our industry aligned all-encompassing Graphic Design Course. " Having done my level 1 and level 2 in graphic design, I felt that I still had gaps in my knowledge and I wasn't comfortable with what I knew. I signed up with Blue Sky Graphics and I am really glad I did. I am definitely better now than when I started and this is all thanks to my tutor and Blue Sky Graphics 🙂 " A Comprehensive Advanced Course The graphic design course is a structured academic and industry aligned advanced course suitable for complete beginners, intermediates or those wanting to improve their existing skill set. The graphic design course is comprehensive and through our teaching methodology is designed to train participants to become professional Graphic Designers. There is an emphasis on corporate illustration, composition, painting and logos as well as advertisement designs while focusing on vectors, lines, features, shapes, and spaces. All this will be integrated into how graphic elements are printed after they are processed in graphic design software for the purpose of visually illustrating emotions and messages. During the course you will be exposed to: advertisements, magazines, newspapers, corporate graphic designs particular to company cultures and brand identity, stationery, letterheads, business cards, logos, books, packaging and much more. The graphic design course teaches you to understand and learn how to operate a labyrinthine yet amazing world of Adobe software. With this software we explore the uses of words, shapes, textures, forms, sizes and colours to communicate by combining ideas and images to make a new concept. Graphic design through common misconception is not just about layout and typography, but much more about ideas behind visual meaning. Graphic design can make a company more successful in the world if it makes communication smart, attractive and able to captivate its audience. Graphic design can effectively be used by businesses to make (or break) their brand identity, increase sales, promote web traffic or promote services and products through advertising on their websites to convey complex data to its readers in a clear way. Elements of graphic design include: Colour, Size, Texture, Line, Shape, Space and, Form. It is important that each element is understood correctly, and this is one of the key principles we teach on our graphic design course. In other terms, graphic design communicates certain ideas or messages through visuals. These visuals can be as simple as a business logo, or as complex as pages of web design. This course goes beyond just the practical side of graphic design and includes the theory and substance behind modern graphic design. Your teacher will guide you on: What salary you can expect at the start of your career? How to get new clients for your business for freelance designers ? How to find work for the new graphic designer starting out in the big world? How to quickly integrate into the graphic design field? How to combine working from home versus working at a studio ? Begin one-to-one online learning with your very own private tutor Interested? Our course is 7 months long, consisting of 1 hour 30 minutes of online one-to-one sessions. When you enrol at Blue Sky Graphics expect at least 90 minutes of class sessions and 2 – 4 hours of homework per week. If we accommodate the course delivery into a shorter time frame, (for e.g. over 4 months instead of 7 months the Flexi 3 doubles from £265.00 to £450.00 over 4 months) the instalment is billed at the delivery rate. The cost of traditional schooling is typically more expensive than online courses, but in the end it all comes down to how good the tutors are. With our online courses you can gain skills that are a necessity for graphic design remotely. That’s right! Learn the skills needed to use Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and portfolio! The online courses cost £1799.00 (VAT inclusive) with no extra hidden costs and there are affordable instalment options too. Pay via debit or credit card or use a payment plan. A deposit of £294.00 is required to secure your position.