326 Courses in Edinburgh

Difficult Conversations

We will work 1-1 with you in a series of two-hour sessions, in person or online to develop your presentation skills. We use Scientific Analyses to help us coach you more effectively.

Are you confident your organisation could cope if a bad news story went viral and you were besieged by the media? Would you be able to fend off a determined and aggressive journalist, take control and deliver your key messages? Our crisis communications courses show you how to cope when your organisation is under fire, and protect your good name. We can: Train your spokespeople to handle challenging interviews, pitting their wits against a hostile reporter Train your PR team to manage communications during an unfolding crisis Deliver a fast-paced crisis simulation where your team have to decide how to handle the press during an unfolding emergency Facilitate a crisis strategy workshop, where we work together to develop your crisis communications strategy All of our crisis communications courses are bespoke, so we will design each one to meet your specific needs. Areas we can cover include: How a crisis can escalate in seconds How journalists respond to bad news stories How to develop effective key messages & write holding statements How to manage your social media How to take control of an interview and get your message across How to handle press conferences and doorsteps Venue We deliver courses in the most appropriate format for your circumstances – whether face to face or online. Face to face courses are portable: they can be held in purpose-built studios, at your own offices or at an external venue. In the latter two cases, we create a mock studio for the practical exercises. Online courses give you flexibility and enable you to offer training to delegates from all over the world. We have run virtual courses for people from the Far East, South Asia, North America and Europe, as well as the UK.

Whether you have to chair a meeting, pitch a proposal or speak at a conference you need good communication and presentation skills. Addressing a group of people with assurance and confidence does not come naturally to everyone. Our presentation skills training courses will teach you how to conquer your fears and give a successful and memorable performance. We will tailor the training to your specific needs, from coaching before an important keynote or honing your pitch to improving your negotiation and influencing skills, or learning how to network effectively. A typical course can cover: Recognising the strengths of your own communication style Using the different elements of voice and body language effectively Conquering your nerves and use body language to your advantage Pitching presentations so they meet your audiences’ needs Structuring a presentation so the audience is engaged from start to finish Using visual aids Handling questions All our presentation skills training is bespoke, with options including one-to-one coaching, combined training and coaching programmes and group training courses. All these courses can be delivered virtually, as well as face to face. As many of the skills needed to give a good presentation are shared with media interviews, we frequently combine our presentation skills and media interview skills training. Venue We deliver courses in the most appropriate format for your circumstances – whether face to face or online. Face to face courses are portable: they can be held in purpose-built studios, at your own offices or at an external venue. In the latter two cases, we create a mock studio for the practical exercises. Online courses give you flexibility and enable you to offer training to delegates from all over the world. We have run virtual courses for people from the Far East, South Asia, North America and Europe, as well as the UK.

You can handle the tough stuff with the help of this comprehensive, interactive and thought-provoking course. Our trainers are experienced managers who will guide and support you through the intricacies of people and personal management. The key responsibilities of the manager A manager’s impact on the business and its staff Being a role model Communicating with confidence Questioning skills Managing hybrid teams Assertiveness techniques Managing team performance with ease Giving great feedback Prioritising like a winner Time management techniques Delegating effectively

Everyone shares responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, irrespective of individual roles. This course is for those who have already completed a Level 1 course and need to gain an advanced knowledge of Child Protection, including working towards becoming a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), manager or policy writer. This course is designed for individuals who work with children in either a paid or voluntary capacity. It relates to the issues surrounding safeguarding children by exploring the concepts of "child vulnerability", "child protection" and "significant harm"; coupled with the individual and organisational responsibilities of protecting children from abuse.

There is a lot to learn in Power BI, this course takes a comprehensive look at the fundamentals of analysing data and includes a balanced look at the four main components that make up Power BI Desktop: Report view, Data view, Model view, and the Power Query Editor. It also demonstrates how to utilise the online Power BI service. It looks at authoring tools that enable you to connect to and transform data from a variety of sources, allowing you to produce detailed reports through a range of visualisations, in an interactive and dynamic way. It also includes a detailed look at formulas by writing both M functions in Power Query, and DAX functions in Desktop view. This knowledge will allow you to take your reports to the next level. The aim of this course is to provide a complete introduction to understanding the Power BI analysis process, by working hands-on with examples that will equip you with the necessary skills to start applying your learning straight away. 1 Getting Started The Power BI ecosystem Opening Power BI Desktop Power BI's four views Introduction to Dashboards 2 Importing Files Importing data sources Importing an Excel file Importing a CSV file Importing a database Connect to an SQL Server Database Import vs. Direct Query Importing from the web Importing a folder of files Managing file connections 3 Shape Data in the Query Editor The process of shaping data Managing data types Keeping and removing rows Add a custom column Appending tables together Hiding queries in reports Fixing error issues Basic maths operations 4 The Data Model Table relationships Relationship properties 5 Merge Queries Table join kinds Merging tables 6 Inserting Dashboard Visuals Things to keep in mind Inserting maps Formatting Maps Inserting charts Formatting Charts Inserting a tree map Inserting a table, matrix, and card Controlling number formats About report themes Highlighting key points Filter reports with slicers Sync slicers across dashboards Custom web visuals 7 Publish and share Reports Publishing to Power BI service Editing online reports Pinning visuals to a dashboard What is Q&A? Sharing dashboards Exporting reports to PowerPoint Exporting reports as PDF files 8 The Power Query Editor Fill data up and down Split column by delimiter Add a conditional column More custom columns Merging columns 9 The M Functions Inserting text functions Insert an IF function Create a query group 10 Pivoting Tables Pivot a table Pivot and append tables Pivot but don't aggregate Unpivot tables Append mismatched headers 11 Data Modelling Expanded Understanding relationships Mark a date table 12 DAX New Columns New columns and measures New column calculations Insert a SWITCH function 13 Introduction to DAX Measures Common measure functions Insert a SUM function Insert a COUNTROWS function Insert a DISTINCTCOUNT function Insert a DIVIDE function DAX rules 14 The CALCULATE Measure The syntax of CALCULATE Insert a CALCULATE function Control field summarisation Things of note 15 The SUMX measure X iterator functions Anatomy of SUMX Insert a SUMX function When to use X functions 16 Time Intelligence Measures Importance of a calendar table Insert a TOTALYTD function Change financial year end date Comparing historical data Insert a DATEADD function 17 Hierarchies and Groups Mine data using hierarchies Compare data in groups

Bad news - people don't buy your product. Better news - they don't buy anyone else's product either. Best news - they do buy what a product gives them, whether it be removing 'pain' or giving 'pleasure'. So what a challenge it is that every single person buys your product for a slightly different reason! What's the secret to selling in that sort of sales environment? This programme provides a great roadmap. This course will help participants: Build rapport with authenticity Use open questions, listening and summary to properly understand the prospect Use 'impact' questions to 'stack the pain' of remaining with the status quo Convert features into personalised benefits that reflect stated needs Handle objections with calm confidence Identify buying signals Close effectively Convey credible urgency centred on the prospect's - not the salesperson's - interests 1 What makes a customer buy any product? Moving towards 'pleasure' Moving away from 'pain' Robert Cialdini's Psychology of Influence - buying motives Understanding what your product does for customers Why there is never a 'one size fits all' approach What are the real 'unique selling points' and why the salesperson is the real 'USP' At what point does the customer emotionally buy your product? 2 Getting past gatekeepers What gatekeepers' motivations are How to make them your friend rather than your enemy How to make your call harder to block than to put through How to control the gatekeeper with questions, not answers Using Cialdini's 'reciprocity' law to get put through more often Practical exercise in which the trainer poses as gatekeeper 3 Questioning and listening skills How to use open questions to get the customer talking What questions to avoid and why How to 'stack the pain' of the status quo with 'impact questions' Practical 'pain stacking' exercise in pairs What listening is and what it isn't Question funnelling - how to earn deeper disclosure through probing Practical funnelling exercise in pairs The power of summary 4 How to create tailored benefits and not 'dive into solution' What is 'diving into solution'? Examples and analogies Why it is to be avoided Practical exercise in pairs - how it feels to have solutions offered up too early How to avoid 'feature-dumping' What is 'value selling'? How to create tailored benefits How to convert product features into benefits How to deal with the prospect's competitor allegiance 5 Handling objections and testing the water How to overcome the price objection by selling value Common objections the participants encounter and answers that work The objections salespeople carry in their own heads The 'A-C-E' objection-handling model How to uncover objections When - and when not - to trial close 6 Closing skills Why salespeople often close too early How to identify buying signals How to use urgency with skill and effectiveness Four killer closing techniques that work How to avoid buying the product back by careless post-sale talk How to ask for referrals for your product How to 'farm' the account for future opportunities 7 Wrap-up Key learnings from each participant Individual action planning - steps that can and will be implemented in the workplace

The aim of this course is to expose the commercial context within which technical work is carried out. It is to allow technical staff to understand how they fit into a larger picture, why they may be asked to undertake tasks that may not appear to be technical and the impact their interactions have within the commercial context. The scope of the programme includes: The course emphasises the collaborative nature of delivery and the need to offer value to customers. The principal training objectives for this programme are to help participants: Understand why technical roles are broader than we might assume Appreciate the importance of, and the need to support, sales Value the idea of 'Good Enough' Recognise what can affect profitability Realise the future needs protecting 1 Introduction (Course sponsor) Why this programme has been developed Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 That's not my job! How we see our own role in work How other people see our role Stakeholders: who are they and why do they matter? The organisational backdrop What is my role really? 3 Sales and marketing Where does the money come from? Where do we find customers? The sales process One-off sales versus repeat business Customer/supplier relationships What something costs versus what the customer will pay The value chain 4 Estimating Purpose of estimates The problem with precision Five estimating techniques 5 Change control Can you just do this for me? When being helpful leads to bankruptcy How to deal with change requests 6 Risk management Risk in projects Risk in operations Categories of risk 7 The value of intellectual property Issues with sharing information Commercial in confidence Non-disclosure agreements 8 Course review and action planning (Course sponsor present) Identify actions to be implemented individually What actions should be implemented to improve working with non-technical people? Conclusion

Develop your consultative selling skills through 6 practical modules: Define your target market Approaches that sell The Sales Interview Discovering prime buying motives How to close sales Overcoming stalls and objections In addition, learn to develop effective work habits, daily / weekly / monthl