Effective communication in the workplace is part and parcel of our daily lives, but not everyone is a natural. Do you find it tough standing up in front of people? Does the thought of engaging with audiences in any setting fill you with anxiety? Is doing a remote video message to colleagues on Zoom or Teams a tough call? Do you do it regularly but need some professional guidance on whether it’s working? At CoComms we can improve every aspect of your performance and offer a range of tips and techniques to help manage these environments and keep your audience engaged and interested. Public Speaking and Presentation Training In a professional setting it’s vital to come across as dynamic, trustworthy, credible and real. You want people to trust you and in turn get behind your vision or plan or proposal. If you can achieve this you can improve your confidence, your engagement and your prospects. Our training is designed to hone your presentation skills so whether you are pitching for work, taking colleagues through change or speaking to a new audience, you can do it with a clarity and confidence that makes your messages clear and insightful. The training includes: Perfecting your slides Working to produce a clean, easy to navigate slide deck that give logic and flow to your presentation. Developing your storytelling We use our journalistic techniques to show you how to build a story to keep your audience engaged with a well-structured and entertaining presentation. Calls to Action Make sure it is clear what you want to achieve and what you want from your audience. Rehearse and Review We film and then playback a range of practical presentation exercises so we can review your performance and work to make any improvements. Conference and Panel Training The audience at a conference may be a captive one, but that doesn’t mean they are always listening and engaging with what you have to say. We can make sure your keynote speech or panel contribution is memorable, appreciated by your audience and beneficial to your business. Our training looks at preparing for and delivering a speech from start to finish and includes: Defining your big ideas What is it you want to say and what do you want your audience to remember? Develop your narrative and script How can you get across your message using storytelling. Choosing the right language How vibrant and energised language can make the difference in your speech. The tips and tricks to make sure your speech is memorable How vocabulary and delivery techniques ensure your words are heard. Controlling the message How to deal with unhelpful questions and return to the main aspects of your story. Stakeholder Communication Training Engaging effectively with stakeholders with clarity and confidence can make all the difference to your relationships. A successful “town hall” meeting can win over your sceptics, convince those who are unsure and build a common goal between your business and stakeholders. Our stakeholder communication training prepares you for these vital meetings and includes: Focusing the meeting We look at how to control the meeting so the important business is covered and how to prepare for any questions or comments you may receive. Keep control of the conversation We teach you conversational techniques to focus on the main points without being too assertive or dismissive. Rehearse and Review We use video and practical role-play exercises to assess your performance and look for ways to improve. Breaking down the information We look at how to present facts and figures without overwhelming (or boring!) your audience. Our techniques will help you narrate the message in a clear and comprehensive way. Making an impact Using our journalistic experience we will work with you to develop your presentation skills to make the biggest impact and demonstrate credibility and authority. Video Calls for Business The world has changed. Now is the time to ensure your business is changing too. Many in-person meetings, conferences, networking events and clients hosting are, for now, a thing of the past. These face-to-face interactions have been replaced by video calls, webinars and online events. So, how do you develop contacts, maintain relationships and manage your team in this new virtual world? How do you look and sound confident, be heard, and build trust and credibility through a computer screen? At CoComms, we are online communications experts and our years of experience in broadcasting mean we understand how to engage a virtual audience. Interactive and practical training We work with you through a variety of scenarios to analyse your performance on video calls. Feedback on your performance We offer supportive, positive feedback and share our tried and tested techniques so you can improve. Make Video Calls work for you Through our training you will become more confident, more productive and more dynamic on video calls. Contact us If you have a query regarding any of our services or would like to book a consultation for free initial advice and guidance please get in touch
We often find ourselves working in fast-paced matrix environments, working in/with virtual teams or simply trying to get something done by someone in another part of the business. This common aspect of our working lives has a common challenge: how to influence other people to help us or do something for us, when they don't report to us. Pulling rank or strong nudging might work once, but we need to build a supportive and collaborative relationship over the long term. What Does This Course Offer? Fortunately, there are really effective tips for influencing, and our program offers an influencing model in detail. Through activity and discussion we explore how you can apply these principles and use it when you need help from other people. Even when we are not in a leadership position it can sometimes be extremely difficult to get people's help, especially when we have no authority over them. This is where an approach and an influencing model can help us identify what we and other people value in a given influencing situation. We can then explore that information so that everyone can view and pursue a common purpose. This course will enhance and promote the skill set necessary for any leader or manager, allowing our in-depth influencing knowledge to be applied into your working environment. From an employer's perspective this award can be a significant long-term return on investment by developing your leaders and managers. Our learning experiences are successful because the outcomes are quickly embedded and demonstrate an immediate visible impact on the day-to-day working environment. Our engaging learning inspires employees to want to personally add value to the companies they work for. We also offer our Paradigm Trait-Map™ online assessment and report as a frame of reference for your own influencing styles and that of others. This assessment should be completed before attending the program, and will be expanded upon during the program delivery. Course Content The Influencing for Leadership and Management course covers the following topics: Two key influencing models that you can apply back in your daily work Different types of influencing How to create the right environment for influencing Barriers you may face and how to overcome these barriers Accreditation Activity Our accredited tutors deliver training that encourages delegates to confidently and practically apply all they have learnt as soon as they get back into the business. To achieve this award, delegates need to prepare and deliver a 3 minute presentation* on the highlights of their learning and immediate application avenues when back in their working environment. *Participants will be given 30 minutes during the program to prepare for their 3 min presentation at the end of the program. Scheduled Course Dates Unfortunately this course is not currently scheduled as an open course as it is primarily run as an in-house programme. For more information, please contact us. In-House Courses This is our own management training course which has been developed and refined over the many years we have been providing it to delegates from organisations in virtually every industry. This means that the course syllabus is extremely flexible and can be tailored to your specific requirements. If you would like to discuss how we can tailor this management training course for you and/or run it at your premises, please contact us.
REFERENCE CODE 610/0054/0 COURSE LEVEL NVQ Level 3 THIS COURSE IS AVAILABLE IN Course Overview Who is this qualification for? This qualification is aimed at those who are involved in setting out and erecting masonry structures onsite working from drawings and specifications. The structures could be brick and blockwork or local materials. It is not expected that candidates working in this industry all do the same activities, so the qualification is structured to ensure that there is a high degree of flexibility within the units available and will allow employees from companies of all sizes and specialisms equal opportunity to complete. To provide this opportunity in addition to the mandatory units’ candidates will also be able to select optional units recognising specific skills What is required from candidates? Qualifications are now required to indicate the total qualification time (TQT), this is to show the typical time it will take someone to attain the required skills and knowledge to meet the qualification criteria, this qualification has a TQT of 610 hours. Qualifications are also required to indicate the number of hours of teaching someone would normally need to receive in order to achieve the qualification. These are referred to as Guided Learning Hours (GLH). The GLH for this qualification is 334. Group A MANDATORY UNITS Level Credit Confirming Work Activities and Resources for an Occupational Work Area in the Workplace Developing and Maintaining Good Occupational Working Relationships in the Workplace Confirming the Occupational Method of Work in the Workplace Conforming to General Health, Safety and Welfare in the Workplace Erecting and Dismantling Access/Working Platforms in the Workplace Preparing surfaces for painting and/or decorating in the workplace Applying surface coatings by brush and roller in the workplace Optional units Group A – Minimum of 1 unit must be achieved from this group Hang wallcoverings (standard and foundation papers) in the workplace Hanging non-standard width wallcoverings in the workplace 3 20 Optional units Group B-Minimum of 1 unit must be achieved from this group Applying coatings by the airless spray method in the workplace Summary of the: LEVEL 3 NVQ DIPLOMA IN DECORATIVE FINISHING-PAINTING AND DECORATING (CONSTRUCTION) Producing and applying complex stencils in the workplace 3 21 Hanging wallcoverings to complex surfaces in the workplace 3 32 Hanging wallcoverings (specialised paper) in the workplace 4 30 Assessment Guidance: Evidence should show that you can complete all of the learning outcomes for each unit being taken. Types of evidence: Evidence of performance and knowledge is required. Evidence of performance should be demonstrated by activities and outcomes, and should be generated in the workplace only, unless indicated under potential sources of evidence (see below). Evidence of knowledge can be demonstrated though performance or by responding to questions. Quantity of evidence: Evidence should show that you can meet the requirements of the units in a way that demonstrates that the standards can be achieved consistently over an appropriate period of time. Potential sources of evidence: The main source of evidence for each unit will be observation of the candidate’s performance and knowledge demonstrated during the completion of the unit. This can be supplemented by the following types of physical or documentary evidence: Accident book/reporting systems Photo/video evidence Safety records Work diaries Training records Timesheets Audio records Telephone Logs Job specifications and documentation Meeting records Delivery Records Records of toolbox talks Witness testimonies Equipment Correspondence with customers Prepared materials and sites Notes and memos Completed work Please Note that photocopied or downloaded documents such as manufacturers or industry guidance, H&S policies, Risk Assessments etc, are not normally acceptable evidence for these qualifications unless accompanied by a record of a professional discussion or Assessor statement confirming candidate knowledge of the subject. If you are in any doubt about the validity of evidence, please contact Oscar Onsite Academy
Our Team Building Programmes are 'simply excellent' (quote from Unilever). They always deliver much greater energy' motivation and efficiently accelerates to a galvanised, integrated team for their Manager/Team Leader. They're great fun and very commercially orientated - the best of both key elements to a successful and long-lasting high performance team. A successful company is always made up of successful teams. Teams that can work autonomously with a clearly defined set of goals, roles, vision, responsibility and culture will always reach for and achieve far greater success than a team that works just as a group of individuals. Our team building solutions are individually built and geared towards teams at any level within an organisation, providing an independent and objective perspective to promote a common purpose such as the creation of a 'high performance team'. Out With The Old Traditionally, team building events have been restricted to certain levels of management where they head off site for a bit of archery, quad biking and paintballing or something along those lines. Then over some coffee and cocktails, business plans and more efficient ways to work are casually discussed. Whilst being out having fun instead of being at work may improve an individual person's mood, the effect will only be short-term, and will not go far in creating permanent and cohesive teams who are able to overcome challenges together and drive the business forward when back in the workplace. In With The New Today's business thinking is more strategic and certainly has to look for returns on the investment. That is why Dickson Training Ltd's team building programmes are bespoke and built to your requirements through research, understanding your business and, most importantly, what results and achievements you are looking to get out of the programme. Once "what success looks like" has been established, we create tasks and activities that will test your leadership, problem solving, communication and team work skills. When the tasks have been completed, the learning - both practical and theory - is debriefed to the group as well as how it will translate back in your business. Not only are our events great fun, but they provide participants with learning points they can act upon to improve or enhance the working practices/environment. Team Building That Gets Results We have a highly innovative team who design team builds to suit all budgets and time or space restrictions. Large or small, we will develop the perfect event to meet your commercial objectives, keeping in line with your values and company culture. More recently we have combined team galvanising events with ways to engage the participants with and support their local communities. This solution has proved extremely popular with our clients and we are continuing to develop more and more programmes doing exactly this. " Phil did everything in a very professional and focused manner, without losing sight of the overall aims or having 'fun'. When I moved to Airbus UK and subsequently European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), I had no hesitation in recommending Phil and the team to deliver the required training and team events. Without doubt Phil and his team are excellent providers of training, to suit even bespoke requirements, and I would not hesitate in recommending the team to any business in the future. " Glenn Brown, Systems & Expertise Manager, Airbus Personnel Service Augmented Skills – an Essay by Phil Dickson All of you, who are reading this, and all the people you meet and work with will have – ‘Augmented Skills’. So – if you are an IT Engineer or a Pharmacist; perhaps you are, or know, a Departmental Leader and you work with a Logistics Project Manager; these roles will demand core skills, whether they be technical know-how or qualifications in the discipline. But to be that bit better; more reliable; more effective & productive and therefore more valuable and, frankly, marketable – capitalizing on ‘Augment Skills’ comes into play. The I T Engineer who was a Chess Champion at Uni, which would indicate that they possess some key ‘Augmented skills’ including how they plan 3 steps ahead and are always prepared for the unexpected. The Pharmacist, who is a keen sportsperson in their private life, will likely be tenacious, team-orientated and disciplined – again these are superb qualities to have in this – or any – role. Your colleagues, as well as yourself, will have ‘Augmented Skills’ that will be an asset if only they are explored and applied to their role and indeed, career. Everyone has their own 'Super-power' If they love gardening, they are probably strategic, patient and inclined to research; if they cook or bake, they are usually well organized and comfortable with multi-tasking. A big reader will tend to be considered and possess good critical thinking faculties, and an amateur mechanic or keen DIY person will often be practical, resourceful and very determined. I have observed that many new Parents discover they have ‘Augmented Skills’ they didn’t know they had... such as getting order out of chaos and displaying industrial amounts of patience and good grace when they really do not feel like it. They very often become far more compassionate and empathetic. Most people have their very own ‘Superpower’. Invite your team members to offer their ‘Augmented Skills’ to your work-place – and just watch as it elevates the motivation levels and improves results. It’ll be very rewarding for all concerned – and for meeting the Team’s objectives, to encourage the person who is a talented artist to be a sounding board on some of the marketing imagery and layouts; for the team member who is great at Maths or resolving crosswords to be asked for their input to solving a problem that is causing logistical or operational headaches. Never exploit a Team member’s unique special skills at their expense I would like to stress, however, that it must never be an area where a team member gets exploited by harvesting their unique special skills to coerce them into taking on greater responsibilities and tasks without providing them with the commensurate salary and status. To do so would be immoral and, ultimately, counter-productive as it would lead to resentment and disenfranchisement. This is about encouraging people’s capability and inviting their input to boost confidence and enhance the team’s capability. Often, we need to be more than what our Job Description says It is also important to highlight that whatever a person’s role or function is – they will definitely need to have additional capabilities to be effective. The best example of this is when we designed and delivered a range of ‘Advanced Customer Care skills’ training sessions for the Met Office a few years ago…we met so many remarkably super-bright Meteorologists, many of whom were having to make significant adjustments to answering questions from Customers that seemed to be illogical and often, obtuse. It wasn’t enough for these Meteorologists to be highly skilled at interpreting data and identifying patterns – they needed ‘Augmented skills’ to make that information accessible to members of the public (and Council workers and Air Traffic controllers and Shipping agents) and many other people, as to what that particular weather system was going to be like in their area and at what time. They have to know how to ‘de-jargonise’ the material and provide succinct, clear, and yet temperate, descriptions without ever appearing exasperated, impatient or judgmental in response to sometimes quite silly questions. For a highly trained scientist – that can be counter-intuitive. Being Philosophical... and a wee bit pretentious At the risk of being a little Philosophical (and probably a wee bit pretentious) – in my own role of Trainer – my core skills have to include – being a very good communicator, an active listener and have innovative and engaging ways to convert an idea, or a model, into practical application that my Delegates and Clients gain tangible benefits from. This is how it applies to me... I really enjoy composing short, light classical-style piano pieces. Now, to do this well, you need to be able to find a transition from one chord or melody to a different theme or key. It has to be worked out very carefully to have incremental transitions and pleasant-sounding developments as the piece unfolds. I think I have become better at this as I have honed my skills as a composer. But I have realized that these very same skills have ‘Augmented’ my ability to help a Manager, or a Team, move from a state of conflict; tension; disfunction; disenfranchisement; lack of confidence to a place that is more harmonious with far greater productivity. The very same process of careful listening, considering options, taking well-considered steps, having a creative, sometimes brave, move towards a resolution are at play in both Training and Piano Compositions! Scheduled Courses Unfortunately this course is not one that is currently scheduled as an open course, and is only available on an in-house basis. Please contact us for more information.
REFERENCE CODE 603/5285/1 COURSE LEVEL NVQ Level 2 THIS COURSE IS AVAILABLE IN Course Overview Who is this qualification for? This is a work-based learning qualification for those involved in laying floorcoverings in a Construction related working environment. Although many of the skills and knowledge across floorcovering occupations are generic, not all those employed to fit floorcoverings will be fitting the same product. The group of optional units will allow specialisms of timber based, textile and resilient floorcoverings. What is required from candidates? To achieve this pathway unit the survey work must be carried out in ways that will minimise the risk of damage to the work and surrounding area and using and maintaining equipment effectively. This qualification is made up of 9 mandatory units and a group of optional units. The minimum credit value of this qualification is 127 credits. Qualifications are now required to indicate the total qualification time (TQT), this is to show the typical time it will take someone to attain the required skills and knowledge to meet the qualification criteria, this qualification has a TQT of 1,270 hours. Qualifications are also required to indicate the number of hours of teaching someone would normally need to gain the skills and knowledge to achieve the qualification. These are referred to as Guided Learning Hours (GLH). The GLH for this qualification is 543 Mandatory units Level Credit Conforming to General Health, Safety and Welfare in the Workplace Conforming to Productive Working Practices in the Workplace Moving, Handling and Storing Resources in the Workplace Surface preparation to receive floorcoverings in the workplace Setting out for laying floorcoverings in the workplace Preparing and fitting underlays for floorcoverings in the workplace Develop customer relationships Assessing and preparing background surfaces for floor-covering in the workplace Assessing and evaluating conditions for floorcoverings in the workplace Optional Units (Minimum of 18 credits) Installing timber–based floorcoverings in the workplace Summary of the: GQA NVQ LEVEL 2 DIPLOMA IN FLOORCOVERING OCCUPATIONS (CONSTRUCTION) Installing textile floorcoverings in the workplace Installing resilient floorcoverings in the workplace Types of evidence: Evidence of knowledge is required. Evidence of knowledge through performance can contribute and if applicable should be demonstrated by completing projects and reports, by responding to questions or through Professional/Guided Discussions. Quantity of evidence: Evidence should show that you can meet the requirements of the units consistently over an appropriate period of time. Potential sources of evidence: Suggested sources of evidence are shown above, these can be supplemented by physical or documentary evidence, e.g.: Accident book/reporting system Notes and memos Safety record Telephone/e-mail records Training record Customer and colleague feedback Audio evidence Records of equipment and materials Witness testimonies Work records Photographic/ video evidence Please Note that photocopied or downloaded documents such as manufacturers or industry guidance, H&S policies, Risk Assessments etc, are not normally acceptable evidence for GQA qualifications unless accompanied by a record of a professional discussion or assessor statement confirming candidate knowledge of the subject. If you are in any doubt about the validity of evidence, please contact Oscar Onsite Academy
REFERENCE CODE 603/6964/4 COURSE LEVEL NVQ Level 2 THIS COURSE IS AVAILABLE IN Course Overview This qualification enables the learner to demonstrate and recognise their skills, knowledge and understanding and to demonstrate their competence in a real workplace environment so that they can work in the Site Logistics Operations sector within the construction industry. All work must be completed following Industry recognised Safe Working Practices and in accordance with relevant legislation. This qualification is at Level 2, although some units may be at different levels and should be taken by those who are fully trained to deal with routine assignments. Candidates should require minimum supervision in undertaking the job. The qualification has been developed in a way to allow employees from companies of all sizes and specialisms equal opportunity to complete.
Workplace Mediation
Mindfulness is a practical technique for developing a greater sense of awareness and focus on the present moment. It is the opposite of mindlessness, meaning that actions and reactions become conscious and deliberate. It is an extremely useful tool for any busy work environment. Currently being used by the likes of Google and Pepsi, mindfulness can be adopted within the workplace to reduce stress and anxiety, provide greater focus and clarity, improve leadership capabilities and enhance the general wellbeing of staff at all levels. This workshop has been developed for forward-thinking organisations wanting to make a real and sustainable commitment to improving workplace wellbeing and productivity. This workshop will help you to understand the basic principles and benefits of mindfulness, and how it can be used in the workplace setting. It will also enable you to develop techniques to alleviate overwhelming feelings of stress or anxiety, prepare for important or challenging meetings, and generally achieve a greater sense of focus, clarity and calm whilst dealing with a hectic schedule.