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
Click to read more about this training, in which we demonstrate a live problem solving approach which is based on the active participation of family members. Course Category Inclusion Parents and Carers Behaviour and relationships Problem Solving Description In this training we demonstrate a live problem solving approach which is based on the active participation of family members. ‘Family Circles’ is an evolving new approach to problem solving with families and is based on our years of family work and the development and use of the Circle of Adults process. Inspired by our own Parent Solutions work and the Circle of Adults process as well as Family Group Conferencing and other Restorative Interventions we bring you Family Circles. Essentially the approach involves gathering a family together for a process that is facilitated but majors on the family members offering each other their wisdom and ideas. The approach is capacity focused, person centred approach to working with families rather than the dominant deficit oriented and ‘medical model’ of viewing and planning for or doing things to families. This training can be modelled with a group of professionals or better still with a family. In our work with families we develop the importance of naming stories or theories and seeking linkages and synthesis between what is found out and explored about the family situation and its history. We like participants to sit with the uncertainty, to reflect on the question ‘why’ but without judgement of each other. Deeper reflections may span a whole range of perspectives from ‘within person’ considerations, to situational or systemic possibilities. Health or emotional issues can be reflected on alongside organisational or transactional aspects of what is going on for the family. The better the shared understanding the better the strategy or actions which emerge from these meetings. Quality hypotheses with a close fit to reality lead to more effective implementation in the real world. We encourage ‘loose’ thinking, a search for connections, deeper listening, an ‘open mind’, speculation and exploration without moral judgements. From this stance self-reflection as well as reflection on the situation can produce remarkable insights. The quality of theories or new stories generated is directly influenced by family members’ experiences and the models of learning, behaviour and emotion, systems, educational development, change and so on that they have been exposed to. Learning Objectives To provide opportunities for: Shared problem solving in a safe exploratory climate in which the family will find its own solutions. Individuals to reflect on their own actions and strategies An exploration of whole-family processes and their impact Emotional support and shared understandings of issues at a child, parent, family, school and community level. Feed back to each other on issues, ideas and strategies that are agreed to be worth sharing with them. Who Is It For? Anyone interested in working with families in a way that builds and makes use of their capacities rather than focus on their challenges and difficulties. Social Care teams School staff Community organisers Educational Psychologists Course Content True family empowerment Deepening shared stories and understandings Facilitating groups Problem solving process Handling family group communication Allowing direct feedback and challenge between participants in a safe way Building relationships Process: Family members are welcomed: Introductions are carried out, ground rules and aims clarified whilst coffee is drunk. A recap from the last session is carried out: To follow up developments and reflections after the last meeting. One issue is selected for the main focus Issue presentation: The family member who raised the concern is asked questions to tell the ‘story’ of the issue or problem. Additional questions/information from the group about the problem are gathered: Ground rules may need to be observed carefully here. Individual participants need to be kept focused and prevented from leaping to premature conclusions or to making ‘helpful’ suggestions about strategy. Relationship aspects to the problem are explored. Metaphors and analogies are invited. How would a fly on the wall see your relationship? If you were alone together on a desert island, what would it be like? Impact of previous relationships/spillage from one relationship to another are explored. Eg what situation they are reminded of? For instance, does this situation remind you of any of those angry but helpless feelings you had with your other son when he was an adolescent? This provides opportunities to reflect on how emotions rub off on other people. The parent feels really frustrated, and on reflection we can see that so does the child System/Organisation factors (Family system/school and community systems and so on): What aspects help or hinder the problem? For instance, does the pastoral system of the local school provide space, or time and skilled personnel able to counsel this young person and work actively with their parents? Synthesis. At this stage the Graphic facilitator summarises what they have heard. They then go on to describe linkages and patterns in what they have heard. This can be very powerful. The person doing the graphic work has been able to listen throughout the presentation process and will have been struck by strong messages, emotions and images as they have arisen. The story and meaning of what is happening in the situation may become a little clearer at this point. Typical links may be ‘mirrored emotions’ strong themes such as loss and separation issues, or repeated processes such as actions triggering rejection. This step provides an excellent grounding for the next process of deepening understanding. What alternative strategies/interventions are open to be used? Brainstormed and recorded. ’Either/ors’ need to be avoided at this time also. This needs to be a shared session in which the family member who is presenting the concern contributes as much as anyone. Care is needed to ensure that this person is not overloaded with other people’s strategies. The final selection of strategy or strategies from the brainstormed list is the problem presenter’s choice. Strategies might include: a special time for the young person, a meeting with the child’s parents to explore how she is being managed at home and to share tactics, a home-school diary, counselling, or an agreed action plan that all are aware of, agreed sanctions and rewards and so forth. Strategies may productively involve processes of restitution and restoration, when ‘sorry’ is not enough. Making it right, rather than punishments or rewards, may then becomes the focus. First Steps. The problem presenter is finally asked to agree one or two first steps which they can carry out over the next 3-7 days. It can help to assign a ‘coach’ who will check in with them to ensure they have carried out the action they have named. This is a time to be very specific. Steps should be small and achievable. The person is just ‘making a start’. A phone call, or making an agreement with a key other person not present at the meeting would be ideal examples. Final reflections. Sometimes referred to as a ‘round of words’ help with closure for all involved. Reflections are on the process not the problem. In large families this is best done standing in a circle. In smaller groups all can remain sitting. Passing around a ‘listening stick’ or something similar such as a stone or light heighten the significance of the process ending and improve listening. Finally the problem presenter is handed the ‘Graphic’ this is their record of the meeting and can be rolled and presented ceremoniously by the facilitators for maximum effect! If you liked this course you may well like: Parent Solutions
About this Training Course This 5 full-day course will focus on geological fundamentals: how different basin types differ in subsidence mechanisms, basin cycles, heat flow through time, depositional systems, structural styles and their type of petroleum systems. This will allow participants to make realistic interpretations in new areas; interpretations that are consistent with the specific basin type and to be expected depositional systems and structural styles. In addition, through simple paper-based exercises, the course will provide background and understanding of how some of the typical PBE products are made: creaming curves, Field-size plots and Yet-to-find. Finally, the essentials of commercial assessments will be covered. Training Objectives To provide participants with a sound understanding how, and under which conditions different basin types develop, and what the impact of their development is on the typical petroleum systems of these different basin types. To teach evaluation techniques that assist in the regional understanding and illustration of sedimentary basins and their development. While some of these techniques can be done using computers, in the course these will be done 'by hand' for maximum understanding. Target Audience This course is designed in the first place for geoscientists working in exploration and their direct supervisors. The course is also very instructive for specialist staff working closely with exploration staff such as (bio)stratigraphers, geochemists, basin modelers, structural geologists, geophysicists, reservoir engineers and petrophysicists. Course Level Intermediate Training Methods Each topic is introduced by a lecture, and leaning is re-enforced by practical exercises (on paper). There is ample time for discussions of general issues and any specific questions participants may have. For several exercises participants will be invited to do exercises on a basin of their choice, which will make the course more impactful for the participants. Participants will be provided with the following pre-read material: Concepts of Conventional Petroleum Systems. De Jager, J. (2020). Invited contribution for Regional Geology and Tectonics Volume 1: Global Concepts, Techniques and Methodology (eds: Adam, J., Chiarelly, D. & Scarselli, N. Play-Based Exploration of the petroleum potential of the Tremp-Graus, Ainsa and eastern Jaca Sub-basins in the southern De Jager, J & van Winden, M. (2020). invited contribution for Digital Learning - Multi-scale analysis of depositional systems and their subsurface workflows (eds: Grötsch, J. & Pöppelreiter, M.), EAGE. Trainer Your expert course leader has a PhD in Geology from the University of Utrecht. He worked for 31 years (1979 -2010) with Shell as an exploration geologist in a variety of functions across the globe. As Principle Technical Expert, he was responsible for ensuring that Risk & Volume assessments were carried out consistently and correctly in all of Shell's exploration units. In this capacity, he led and participated in countless prospect review sessions and developed and conducted a successful in-house course on Risks & Volume assessment. As manager of the Exploration Excellence Team, he performed in depth analysis of basins and plays and provided advice on exploration opportunities to senior management. Together with his team, he visited most of Shell's exploration offices, working hands-on with Shell's local exploration teams to generate new play and prospect ideas and to suggest evaluation techniques and technologies to apply. In 2010, he was appointed as extraordinary professor Regional and Petroleum Geology at the VU university of Amsterdam and in 2012 also at the University of Utrecht. He was visiting professor at the University of Malaya (Malaysia). Through his own consultancy, as of 2010, he provides advice on exploration activities to several companies and is regularly invited to carry out technical reviews. Activities cover all continents and include Portfolio Reviews, Prospect assessment, Play-based Exploration, and Geothermal activities. He conducts courses on several topics including Risk & Volume Assessment, Prospect Maturation, Basin Analysis, Play-based Exploration, Trap & Seal Analysis, Petroleum Geology for Non-geologists. Some of his recent publications include: De Jager, J. & van Winden, M. (2020): Play-Based Exploration of the petroleum potential of the Tremp-Graus, AÃnsa and eastern Jaca Sub-basins in the southern Pyrenees. Invited contribution for Digital Geology, EAGE special publication (eds: Grötsch, J. & Pöppelreiter, M.) De Jager, J. (2020). Concepts of Conventional Petroleum Systems. Invited contribution for Regional Geology and Tectonics Volume 1: Global Concepts, Techniques and Methodology (eds: Adam, J., Chiarelly, D. & Scarselli, N.) De Jager, J. (2021): Handbook Risk & Volume Assessment. Self-published De Jager, J., Van Ojik, K & Smit, R. (2023 - in preparation): Geological Development of The Netherlands. In: Geology of The Netherlands (eds: Ten Veen, J., Vis, G-J., De Jager, J. @ Wong, T.) 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 post training support and fees applicable Accreditions And Affliations
Overview: Storyboarding for Animation and Motion Graphics Welcome to 'Storyboarding for Animation and Motion Graphics,' your comprehensive guide to mastering the art of visual storytelling. Whether you're a seasoned animator or a newcomer to the world of motion graphics, this course is designed to equip you with the essential skills needed to create captivating narratives that come to life on screen. Module 1: Introduction to Storyboarding for Animation and Motion Graphics In this introductory module, you'll dive into the fundamentals of storyboarding, understanding its importance in the animation and motion graphics pipeline. Learn about the history of storyboarding, its role in pre-production, and how it serves as a blueprint for your projects. Module 2: Narrative Structure and Story Development Explore the intricacies of storytelling as you delve into narrative structure and development. Discover how to craft compelling stories that engage your audience and keep them invested from beginning to end. Learn techniques for building tension, developing characters, and creating memorable arcs. Module 3: Visualizing Ideas and Thumbnails Unlock your creativity as you learn how to visualize your ideas through the process of thumbnail sketching. Master the art of quickly capturing concepts and translating them into visual sequences. Explore different thumbnailing techniques and discover how to refine your ideas into polished storyboards. Module 4: Shot Types and Framing Dive into the world of cinematography as you explore various shot types and framing techniques. Learn how to effectively use camera angles, composition, and framing to enhance the storytelling in your animations and motion graphics projects. Understand the impact of different shots on the viewer's experience and how to choose the right ones for your story. Module 5: Camera Movement and Blocking Take your storyboards to the next level by incorporating camera movement and blocking. Explore techniques for choreographing movement within your scenes, creating dynamic sequences that draw the viewer in. Learn how to use camera movement to convey emotion, guide the viewer's focus, and enhance the overall narrative flow. Module 6: Visual Storytelling Techniques In this final module, you'll learn advanced visual storytelling techniques to elevate your animations and motion graphics. Discover how to use color, lighting, and visual effects to enhance mood and atmosphere. Explore ways to add depth and dimension to your scenes, creating immersive worlds that captivate your audience. By the end of this course, you'll have the skills and knowledge needed to create compelling storyboards for animation and motion graphics projects of any scale. Whether you're working on a short film, a commercial, or a feature-length production, you'll be equipped to bring your creative vision to life in stunning detail. Enroll now and unlock your potential as a master storyteller! Course Curriculum Module 1_ Introduction to Storyboarding for Animation and Motion Graphics Introduction to Storyboarding for Animation and Motion Graphics 00:00 Module 2_ Narrative Structure and Story Development Narrative Structure and Story Development 00:00 Module 3_ Visualizing Ideas and Thumbnails Visualizing Ideas and Thumbnails 00:00 Module 4_ Shot Types and Framing Shot Types and Framing 00:00 Module 5_ Camera Movement and Blocking Camera Movement and Blocking 00:00 Module 6_ Visual Storytelling Techniques Visual Storytelling Techniques 00:00