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I want to discuss the existential-phenomenological challenges of viewing the human condition and explore alternatives for openness. We aim to explore the lived experiences on irregular perceptions of reality with an open mind. Each Saturday includes: a live dialogue between Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and an International Existential Therapist; a moment to share your thoughts and feelings with the teachers; and a final integration facilitated by Bárbara Godoy. This series of ten dialogues set out to explore the multifaceted dimentions and complexities associated with Existential Therapies. It attempts to engage with various interpretations of insanity through the lens of patients often painful, confounding, and deeply unsettling life experiences. Opening- between Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and Dr. Yaqui Martinez “From my early days studying psychology, I never felt comfortable with psychopathological nosologies. They seemed exaggerated to me and demonstrated the intense human desire to classify all possible expressions of our existence. Likewise, I have not been comfortable with the tendency to promote dualistic perspectives that compartmentalize our reality into separate aspects where one is not only different from the other but even in opposition, such as the sane/insane dichotomy. During this dialogue, I want to talk with Ernesto about the difficulties involved, from an existential-phenomenological perspective, in viewing the human condition from this position. Perhaps we can ask ourselves together what advantages they offer and what alternatives for openness we can propose.” Dr. Yaqui Martinez. Dr. Yaqui A. Martínez-Robles is a psychologist with Masters, PhD and PsyD in Psychotherapy. He has training in Gestalt Therapy; Music Therapy; Transpersonal Psychology and Holotropic Breathwork (with the Grof Transpersonal Training Association); Narrative and postmodern therapies and Social Constructionism; and in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (with the Integrative Psychiatry Institute and MAPS-Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies). He is the author of four books, and co-author of another two, focused on the existential perspective. He has participated with chapters in several books and with articles in several journals. Yaqui is the founder of the Circle of Studies in Existential Therapy, in Mexico City and in Medellin, Colombia,. He teaches existential-phenomenological psychology and therapy in Mexico and different countries of South America. He is the current president of the Latin American Association of Existential Psychotherapy (ALPE). He works in private practice as an existential-phenomenological therapist and coach, in modalities one-on-one, couples and groups. Prof. Ernesto Spinelli was Chair of the Society for Existential Analysis between 1993 and 1999 and is a Life Member of the Society. His writings, lectures and seminars focus on the application of existential phenomenology to the arenas of therapy, supervision, psychology, and executive coaching. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS) as well as an APECS accredited executive coach and coaching supervisor. In 2000, he was the Recipient of BPS Division of Counselling Psychology Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession. And in 2019, Ernesto received the BPS Award for Distinguished Contribution to Practice. His most recent book, Practising Existential Therapy: The Relational World 2nd edition (Sage, 2015) has been widely praised as a major contribution to the advancement of existential theory and practice. Living up to the existential dictum that life is absurd, Ernesto is also the author of an on-going series of Private Eye novels. Date and Time: Saturday 19 June from 2 pm to 3 pm – (UK time) Individual Dialogue Fee: £70 Venue: Online Zoom FULL PROGRAMME 2025: 25 January “Knots” with Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and Bárbara Godoy 22 February “Healing” with Dr. Michael Guy Thompson and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 22 March “Difference” with Prof. Tod DuBose and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 12 April “Polarisation” with Prof. Kirk Schneider and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 3 May “Character” with Prof. Robert Romanyshyn and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 21 June “Opening” with Dr. Yaqui Martinez and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 19 July “Meaning” with Dr. Jan Resnick and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 25 October “Invention” with Dr. Betty Cannon and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 15 November “Hallucination” with Prof. Simon du Plock and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 13 December “Hysteria” with Bárbara Godoy and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli Read the full programme here > Course Organised by:

Beginners Italian; Intermediate Italian; advanced Italian; A1 Italian; A2 Italian, B1 Italian, B2 Italian. Citizenship.

Developing creative writing skills with a focus on imaginative writing, structuring, spelling, grammar and punctuation. The aim of the workshops is to help students to have written, or have made good progress on writing, their own 500 Word Short Story. We will be focussing on increasing range of vocabulary and language technique choices, along with introducing more advanced ideas about structuring stories; developing skills specifically pertinent to the Creative Writing tasks given in the English Language GCSE. Teacher: Harry Please note: Lessons for this course will be on the 12th, 13th, 19th and 20th of August All lessons are at 10am UK/1pm UAE/5pm HK. If you cannot attend a lesson for any reason, Lauren will record it and send you a link to watch the sessions.  

Duration 1 Days 6 CPD hours This course is intended for This course is designed for students who wish to gain a foundational understanding of PowerPoint that is necessary to create and develop engaging multimedia presentations. Overview In this course, you will create and deliver an engaging PowerPoint presentation. You will: Identify the basic features and functions of PowerPoint. Develop a PowerPoint presentation. Perform text formatting. Add and arrange graphical elements. Modify graphical elements. Prepare to deliver your presentation. How do you grab and maintain an audience's focus when you're asked to present important information? By being clear, organized, and engaging. And, that is exactly what Microsoft© PowerPoint© can help you do.Today's audiences are tech savvy, accustomed to high-impact multimedia content, and stretched for time. By learning how to use the vast array of features and functionality contained within PowerPoint, you will gain the ability to organize your content, enhance it with high-impact visuals, and deliver it with a punch. In this course, you will use PowerPoint to begin creating engaging, dynamic multimedia presentations.Note: Most Office users perform the majority of their daily tasks using the desktop version of the Office software, so that is the focus of this training. The course material will also enable you to access and effectively utilize many web-based resources provided with your Microsoft 365 subscription. This includes brief coverage of key skills for using PowerPoint for the Web and OneDrive. Helpful notes throughout the material alert you to cases where the online version of the application may function differently from the primary, desktop version.This course may be a useful component in your preparation for the Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019): Exam MO-300 certification exam. Lesson 1: Getting Started with PowerPoint Topic A: Navigate the PowerPoint Environment Topic B: View and Navigate a Presentation Topic C: Create and Save a Basic Presentation Topic D: Navigate in PowerPoint for the Web Topic E: Use PowerPoint Help Lesson 2: Developing a PowerPoint Presentation Topic A: Create Presentations Topic B: Edit Text Topic C: Work with Slides Topic D: Design a Presentation Lesson 3: Formatting Text Topic A: Format Characters Topic B: Format Paragraphs Lesson 4: Adding and Arranging Graphical Elements Topic A: Insert Images Topic B: Insert Shapes Topic C: Create SmartArt Topic D: Insert Stock Media, Icons, and 3D Models Topic E: Size, Group, and Arrange Objects Lesson 5: Modifying Graphical Elements Topic A: Format Images Topic B: Format Shapes Topic C: Customize SmartArt Topic D: Format Icons Topic E: Format 3D Models Topic F: Animate Objects Lesson 6: Preparing to Deliver Your Presentation Topic A: Review Your Presentation Topic B: Apply Transitions Topic C: Print or Export a Presentation Topic D: Deliver Your Presentation Additional course details: Nexus Humans Microsoft PowerPoint for Office 365 (Desktop or Online) - Part 1 ( v1.1) training program is a workshop that presents an invigorating mix of sessions, lessons, and masterclasses meticulously crafted to propel your learning expedition forward. This immersive bootcamp-style experience boasts interactive lectures, hands-on labs, and collaborative hackathons, all strategically designed to fortify fundamental concepts. Guided by seasoned coaches, each session offers priceless insights and practical skills crucial for honing your expertise. Whether you're stepping into the realm of professional skills or a seasoned professional, this comprehensive course ensures you're equipped with the knowledge and prowess necessary for success. While we feel this is the best course for the Microsoft PowerPoint for Office 365 (Desktop or Online) - Part 1 ( v1.1) course and one of our Top 10 we encourage you to read the course outline to make sure it is the right content for you. Additionally, private sessions, closed classes or dedicated events are available both live online and at our training centres in Dublin and London, as well as at your offices anywhere in the UK, Ireland or across EMEA.

Developing creative writing skills with a focus on imaginative writing, structuring, spelling, grammar and punctuation. The aim of the workshops is to help students to have written, or have made good progress on writing, their own 500 Word Short Story. We will be focussing on increasing range of vocabulary and language technique choices, along with introducing more advanced ideas about structuring stories; developing skills specifically pertinent to the Creative Writing tasks given in the English Language GCSE. Teacher: Harry Please note: This is a four week course with lessons on the 21st, 28th of July, 4th and 11th of August. All lessons are at 12pm UK/3pm UAE/7pm HK If you cannot attend a lesson for any reason, Lauren will record it and send you a link to watch the session via the Zoom cloud. 

1:1 Parent Support Sessions – Practical Help for Big Emotions Struggling with your child’s anxiety, mood swings, or big emotions? In this one-hour session (£50), get expert guidance to help your child feel calmer and more confident. We’ll focus on one or two key challenges and develop simple, effective strategies you can start using right away for a happier home. Book your session today!

Manifesting Health, Wealth and Happiness. In the upcoming manifesting masterclass we'll cover the top blocks to your manifestation powers and how to overcome them.

LEARN HOW TO BECOME A WEIGHT MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT WITH THE CLIENT'S HEALTH & WELLBEING AT THE CORE. A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR As you enter into this study, I want you to be fully aware of what lies before you. If you save people from overweight, you will also increase life-expectancy and/or prevent the onset of serious debilitating diseases. There will also be those clients whose life has been long limited in a psychological sense and you will be able to help them to restore their sense of verve and vitality so they can again live life to the fullest extent. This will be done through learning special expertise both technically and in person-to-person relations. With these words of encouragement, I warmly welcome you to this course of study where the amount of potential job satisfaction is incalculable. DR. LAWRENCE PLASKETT Course Duration 12 months Study Hours 200 hours Course Content 13 sections Course Fee £475 Course Overview The Plaskett Weight Management Consultancy course will provide you with a detailed, systematic and scientifically-based training, fuller than any other we know of in the field. It will enable you to practise as a well-informed Weight Management Consultant and most importantly, you will be able to help and support individuals in their quest to lose weight whilst maintaining health and well-being. Learn the Basic Elements of Nutrition You will gain an understanding of the basic elements of nutrition with a focus on the key nutrients in order to avoid deficiencies when working with weight loss clients. Create Individualised Weight Loss Programmes You will develop the confidence to be able to make informed choices from a wide span of weight loss options and avoid the use of rigidly fixed methods, thereby delivering programmes best suited to individual needs. Become a Skilled Adviser You will learn the skills to be able to counsel on a one-to-one basis, we believe that this favours the resolution of individual circumstances and problems. You will receive the training to see your clients through every stage of the process, thereby maximising their chances of success. Expand Practice of Current Health Professionals In addition to those wanting to set up practice as a Weight Management Consultant, this course is ideally suited to current health & fitness professionals looking to enhance their practice. BREAKDOWN OF THE COURSE SECTIONS The Weight Management Consultancy Diploma includes the following 13 sections: SECTION 1 BASIC SCIENCE SUPPORT Whilst our main concern will be with weight loss, we need to understand some of the basic aspects of nutrition. These deal with the key nutrients that we have to control to reduce weight. They will also help us to understand how to lose weight without developing deficiencies.  In Section 1, we begin the study of nutrients and foods by looking at the main bulk nutrients that our diets contain: protein, carbohydrate and fat. Before one can consider individual vitamins and minerals, one has to know about the nutrients that make up most of our diets, namely the bulk nutrients. These are the suppliers of food energy and ultimately help to decide an individual's size. You will need to understand these so as to manipulate them with skill. Areas Covered What are the bulk nutrients? Chemical elements contained in the bulk nutrients Proteins Carbohydrates Fibre Fats The energy reserve role of fat The lipoproteins of the blood SECTION 2 UNDERSTANDING THE FIELD & NATURE OF THE PROBLEM This section introduces the basic ideas of the training. The purpose of this course of training is to enable the student to help others who are overweight or obese to lose weight, and to do so in a professional manner. At the same time, it aims to motivate you and empower you to set up a practice as a ‘Weight Management Consultant’ that will lead to your gaining a good reputation in this field, developing a panel of satisfied clients and bringing you both status and income.  Since losing weight is not easy, one has to be aware of all the different methods and ramifications that are a part of this intriguing subject. The professionalism comes from knowing a number of different “ways in” to help the clients and also from being able to develop awareness of the individuality of each client. This will put you in a position to find the best and most successful route to weight loss for each person who consults you. This will mean giving individual advice, not just the same advice to everyone. By recognising individuality we earn the client’s trust and appreciation and we also increase the chances of achieving the fullest possible success by being in a position to find individual solutions to each client’s problem. Areas Covered The aims of the work The clients’ motives The clients themselves The clients’ knowledge of nutrition The place of psychology The arithmetical equation of body weight Ways of working Getting fat is all too easy – we review how it happens Definition and classification: criteria for weight normality SECTION 3 THE THEORY OF THE CAUSES OF OVERWEIGHT & OBESITY In this section we explore 'The Theory of what Causes Overweight and Obesity'. We look at the underlying reasons for this current epidemic scale of the problem in developed societies throughout the world. Understanding this will give you an insight into what needs to be done. The Weight Management Consultant clearly needs to understand as fully as possible the causes of obesity in order to be able to formulate good advice. It is necessary to understand that, although the ultimate cause is always eating more than the body requires, that factor is modified by many subsidiary factors. One, that always interests clients, is whether or not one may be predisposed by one’s inheritance to put on and retain weight, so we deal with this question. Areas covered Relative effect of genetics and environment Hormonal disturbance in obesity Slower than normal rates of energy expenditure The role of fat cells Role of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase SECTION 4 THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF EXCESS WEIGHT It is well known that being overweight or obese increases the chances of contracting chronic illnesses. This section examines the types of illnesses involved and the way that their incidence is affected by body weight. From the standpoint of a Weight Management Consultant, the use of this information is to present clearly the vital benefits that your work can bring to your clients in terms of freedom from illness. This knowledge can augment your job satisfaction, especially when you can see the client’s health condition improving as weight comes down. That can be expected to happen sometimes, but of course not always. So, potentially this information can serve to inform your clients about the degree to which slimming down from an overweight or obese condition can help them to avoid very negative health consequences. By passing on parts of this data to some carefully selected clients, you may perhaps either improve their flagging motivation, or increase their satisfaction level with their early results or with the efforts they are making. Areas covered The connection between overweight and ill health The risk of early death Illness and death from cardiovascular disease Illness and death from diabetes mellitus Illness and death from hypertension Illness and death from respiratory problems Illness and death from gallbladder disease Illness and immobility from arthritis Illness from gout Illness and death from cancer SECTION 5 FIRST PRINCIPLES OF CORRECTING EXCESS WEIGHT In this section we approach the practical side of the Weight Management Consultant’s job. The greatest skill required of the Consultant is that of formulating the advice in a way that combines efficacy with client acceptability. The mistake most often made in the approach to weight reduction is to employ only one method yet in pursuing reduction in a person’s weight, it is best to come at the problem from multiple angles simultaneously. The person’s diet may well have to be the first and foremost approach however, the main alternative approaches involve several different ways of preventing excess food materials from being stored, leading to overweight.  If control of the diet is the only method one employs, then so much depends upon strict dietary control that the will and the motivation of the client may be too severely tested. However, an approach in which dietary control takes pride of place, but is supported by a number of other approaches, is more likely to find client acceptability and is therefore more likely, ultimately, to be successful. In this section we list these “prevention of storage” approaches before dealing more fully with the diet. Areas covered Strategy of weight control Reduction of food intake The use of balanced hypocaloric diets Strategies for reducing food intake in practice Using foods intended to increase metabolic rate Mixtures of the various strategies SECTION 6 REDUCING WEIGHT THROUGH DIET & DIETARY COMPOSITION The principal purpose of this section is to understand the scope that we have to reduce food calories in the diet without necessarily reducing the total weight of food consumed. It looks closely at understanding and measuring food energy. Working in this way with diet is kindest to the clients and makes fewer demands upon their efforts and their will to succeed. Areas covered Understanding food energy The make-up of daily diets What does the body have to do with tis energy? Water content of foods The differing energy contents of food dry matter Substituting low-calorie for high-calorie foods The first stage of calorie reduction Combining diet with exercise A further stage of calorie reduction SECTION 7 SELECTING INDIVIDUAL FOODS The previous section talks mainly about the first principles of reducing calorie intake while keeping the weight of daily food dry matter level. This is done mainly by varying the extent to which each food class contributes to the overall diet; we simply reduce the proportions of those food classes with the higher calorie content. This section now looks within food classes to pick out those foods that, individually, have lower calorie content than the average for foods within the class concerned and make the best contribution to an individual client’s diet. This is a further step to calorie reduction without loss of food bulk. Areas covered Different foods within any given class have different calorific values Choosing foods within food classes for calorie reduction Specific recommendations for individual foods within each class Care needed in using the information Calorie contents of the “more suitable foods” Dietary results from substituting individual foods The necessary provision of dietary fat The quality of dietary protein The quantity of dietary protein Choosing foods for overall dietary suitability SECTION 8 BUILDING YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF FOODS INTO DIETS In the Sections that have gone before, we have noted several key strategies aimed at reducing the client’s intake of calories. This section gets down to the key job of building and structuring a diet to help each particular client - the aim now is to address the actual prescribing of diets to enable you to build upon the principles already learned and to give the client a workable diet that can achieve his or her aims. Areas Covered The adjusting and re-balancing of the food classes Calculating the food replacements Targeting individual foods SECTION 9 FIRST LOOK AT CONDUCTING CONSULTATIONS This section takes you through managing the consultation, helping you to structure the activity to provide a satisfactory experience for your clients. This is the basis for a good approach to weight reduction.  The section culminates in the provision of example diet sheets with guidelines according to food classes and guidelines according to mealtimes and considers the benefits of both. Areas Covered The consultant’s surroundings and manner Direction of the early conversation Collection of the dietary data Weight-loss ideas come to you during the data collection Identifying the largest food contributions to overweight Balancing the food classes Writing down the guidelines Substitution of individual foods Reduction in the food bulk eaten Integrating the entire diet Example diet sheets SECTION 10 COUNTING CALORIES. BENEFITS OF EXERCISE. THE KETO DIET. In section 10 we cover the method of calculating the calories in everyday life. We look at the benefits of exercise for suitable clients and discuss more specific diets such as the ketogenic diet.  Areas Covered Calculating the calories The benefits of exercise The ketogenic diet SECTION 11 PROMOTING GOOD HEALTH. UNDERSTANDING DRUG TREATMENTS. FOLLOW-UP GUIDELINES. Brings us to the section where we set about designing slimming programmes that are not only effective at weight loss, but also promote good health. To give you an insight into the potential problems, we also look at the drug treatments given for overweight by doctors. We also take you through the guidelines for follow-ups after the first consultation. Areas Covered Slimming programmes to promote good health Understanding drug treatments for overweight Follow-up guidelines SECTION 12 USE OF SUPPLEMENTS TO PROMOTE LOSS OF WEIGHT This section deals with non-food substances, or supplements that with help with weight loss. It looks at how they actually achieve this and discuss their effectiveness and safety implications for the individual. These include some micronutrients, herbs, enzyme inhibitors and sequestering agents. Areas Covered Inhibition of fat absorption Changing body composition Substances encouraging increased thermogenesis Appetite suppressants Enzyme inhibition Prevention of fat synthesis Nutrients that may accelerate metabolism Appendix 1 – some abstracts of key articles Appendix 2 – summary of modes of action SECTION 13 MANAGING This rather substantial last section deals with a fuller and final part on “Managing the Consultations”. This further develops your consultation skills and objective setting in weight management practice. It also addresses the tricky question of compliance and weight regain and how to avoid it. Finally, it looks at “Running your Practice as a Business” to ensure that you have a grasp of the business principles that you will need. Areas Covered Managing the consultations – basic methodology Note on progressive reduction in energy needs Construction of the overall prescription – different components Running your practice as a business Appendix (more about why the slimming process slows down) TESTIMONIALS Here's what students have to say about the course Mrs E. Marriott UK “The Plaskett course in Weight Management Consultancy has been a really good introduction into the importance of nutrition and balancing food groups to make up a healthy diet plan for those who are obese and wishing to lose weight. It would be good if you want to do it for your own understanding or if you are looking for a step into a professional qualification or practicing yourself. The tutors communicate with you and give you detailed feedback on assignments and the work is achievable within a year, quicker if your apply yourself. There is a lot of information in the course surrounding basic nutrients, composition of foods and on how to set up and run your own practice”.

Duration 3 Days 18 CPD hours This course is intended for Cloud Solutions Architects, DevOps Engineers. Individuals using Google Cloud Platform to create new solutions or to integrate existing systems, application environments, and infrastructure with a focus on Google Compute Engine. Overview Configure VPC networks and virtual machines Administer Identity and Access Management for resources Implement data storage services in GCP Manage and examine billing of GCP resources Monitor resources using Stackdriver services Connect your infrastructure to GCP Configure load balancers and autoscaling for VM instances Automate the deployment of GCP infrastructure services Leverage managed services in GCP This class introduces participants to the comprehensive and flexible infrastructure and platform services provided by Google Cloud Platform, with a focus on Compute Engine. Through a combination of presentations, demos, and hands-on labs, participants explore and deploy solution elements, including infrastructure components such as networks, systems, and application services. This course also covers deploying practical solutions including securely interconnecting networks, customer-supplied encryption keys, security and access management, quotas and billing, and resource monitoring. Introduction to Google Cloud Platform List the different ways of interacting with GCP Use the GCP Console and Cloud Shell Create Cloud Storage buckets Use the GCP Marketplace to deploy solutions Virtual Networks List the VPC objects in GCP Differentiate between the different types of VPC networks Implement VPC networks and firewall rules Design a maintenance server Virtual Machines Recall the CPU and memory options for virtual machines Describe the disk options for virtual machines Explain VM pricing and discounts Use Compute Engine to create and customize VM instances Cloud IAM Describe the Cloud IAM resource hierarchy Explain the different types of IAM roles Recall the different types of IAM members Implement access control for resources using Cloud IAM Storage and Database Services Differentiate between Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, Cloud Spanner, Cloud Firestore and Cloud Bigtable Choose a data storage service based on your requirements Implement data storage services Resource Management Describe the cloud resource manager hierarchy Recognize how quotas protect GCP customers Use labels to organize resources Explain the behavior of budget alerts in GCP Examine billing data with BigQuery Resource Monitoring Describe the Stackdriver services for monitoring, logging, error reporting, tracing, and debugging Create charts, alerts, and uptime checks for resources with Stackdriver Monitoring Use Stackdriver Debugger to identify and fix errors Interconnecting Networks Recall the GCP interconnect and peering services available to connect your infrastructure to GCP Determine which GCP interconnect or peering service to use in specific circumstances Create and configure VPN gateways Recall when to use Shared VPC and when to use VPC Network Peering Load Balancing and Autoscaling Recall the various load balancing services Determine which GCP load balancer to use in specific circumstances Describe autoscaling behavior Configure load balancers and autoscaling Infrastructure Automation Automate the deployment of GCP services using Deployment Manager or Terraform Outline the GCP Marketplace Managed Services Describe the managed services for data processing in GCP Additional course details: Nexus Humans Architecting with Google Compute Engine training program is a workshop that presents an invigorating mix of sessions, lessons, and masterclasses meticulously crafted to propel your learning expedition forward. This immersive bootcamp-style experience boasts interactive lectures, hands-on labs, and collaborative hackathons, all strategically designed to fortify fundamental concepts. Guided by seasoned coaches, each session offers priceless insights and practical skills crucial for honing your expertise. Whether you're stepping into the realm of professional skills or a seasoned professional, this comprehensive course ensures you're equipped with the knowledge and prowess necessary for success. While we feel this is the best course for the Architecting with Google Compute Engine course and one of our Top 10 we encourage you to read the course outline to make sure it is the right content for you. Additionally, private sessions, closed classes or dedicated events are available both live online and at our training centres in Dublin and London, as well as at your offices anywhere in the UK, Ireland or across EMEA.

An insightful, enjoyable and experiential programme to help you analyse data and information and make a balanced decision based upon sound commercial reasoning. It will enable you to identify options, make decisions and take actions based on a thorough analysis combined with instinct and intuition to make a positive effect on profitability. This programme will help you: Identify ways to analyse data and sort relevant from irrelevant information Develop analytical and numerate thinking, and consider the financial implications of a decision Make decisions based on sound commercial reasoning - a mix of intuition and analysis Select from a range of tools to analyse a situation and apply these effectively Understand how costs and profits are calculated Use tried-and-tested techniques to manage and control your budgets Appreciate the fundamentals of financial analysis Focus on the bottom line Identify the basics of capital investment appraisal for your business Evaluate results and seek opportunities for improvement to your business 1 The commercial environment What do shareholders and investors want? What do managers want? Profit v non-profit organisations Investor expectations 2 Financial and non-financial information Risk and reward considerations Drivers of commercial decisions 3 Running a business A practical exercise to bring financial statements to life Different stakeholder interests in a business The impact and consequences of decisions on financial statements 4 Where do I make a difference to the organisation? How can I contribute to an improved business performance? Key performance indicators - measuring the right things A 'balanced scorecard' approach - it's not all about money! 5 A 'balanced scorecard' approach Analysing and reviewing my contribution to the business direction What is the current focus of my commercial decisions? Developing the business in the right way - getting the balance right! Where should/could it be in the future? Do my decisions support the overall vision and strategy? 6 Making commercial decisions Left-brain and right-brain thinking Convergent and divergent thinking Analysis and instinct Interactive case study exercise - emotional and rational decisions Reflection - what is my style of making decisions 7 Let's consider the customer! Identifying target markets Differentiating propositions and products Customer service considerations Marketing considerations and initiatives Pricing strategies and considerations 8 Strategic analysis The external environment The internal environment LEPEST analysis SWOT analysis Forecasting Group activity - analysing markets and the competition How do these improve your decisions? 9 Comparing performance Analysing key financial ratios Ways to compare performance and results Break-even analysis 10 Profit and loss accounts and budgeting Managing income and expenditure The budgeting process How does this link to the profit and loss account? Managing and controlling a cost centre/budget The role of the finance department Different ways of budgeting Incremental budgeting Zero-based budgeting 11 Understanding the balance sheet Purpose of balance sheets Understanding and navigating the content What does a balance sheet tell you? How do you affect your balance sheet? Links to the profit and loss account A practical team exercise that brings financial statements to life 12 Business decisions exercise How does this improve your decisions? A practical exercise to apply new knowledge and bring commercial thinking to to life The impact and consequences of decisions on financial statements 13 Working capital Why is this important? The importance of keeping cash flowing Business decisions that affect cash Calculating profit 14 Capital investment appraisal Capex v Opex Payback Return on investment The future value of money The concept of hurdle rate 15 Lessons learned and action planning So what? Recap and consolidation of learning The decisions that I need to consider Actions to achieve my plan