1986 Courses in Glasgow

The aim of this programme is to help attendees create better quality technical documents in an organised and efficient manner. It will give those new to the topic an appreciation of how to approach the task professionally whilst those with more experience will be able to refresh and refine their skills. The programme comprises three complementary one-day modules: The programme presents a structured methodology for creating technical documents and provides a range of practical techniques that help delegates put principles into practice. Although not essential, it is strongly advised that delegates for modules 2 and 3 have already attended module 1, or another equivalent course. Note: the content of each module as shown here is purely indicative and can be adapted to suit your particular requirements. This course will: Explain the qualities and benefits of well written technical documents Present a structured approach for producing technical documents Review the essential skills of effective technical writing Demonstrate practical methods to help create better documents Provide tools and techniques for specification and report writing Review how technical documents should be issued and controlled Note: the content of each module as shown here is purely indicative and can be adapted to suit your particular requirements. Module 1: Essential skills for technical writers 1 Introduction to the programme Aims and objectives of the module Introductions and interests of participants 2 Creating effective technical documents What is technical writing? how does it differ from other writing? Key qualities of an effective technical document Communication essentials and the challenges faced by technical writers The lessons of experience: how the best writers write The five key steps : prepare - organise - write - edit - release (POWER) 3 Preparing to write Defining the document aims and objectives; choosing the title Understanding technical readers and their needs Getting organised; planning and managing the process Integrating technical and commercial elements The role of intellectual property rights (IPR), eg, copyright 4 Organising the content The vital role of structure in technical documents Deciding what to include and how to organise the information Categorising information: introductory, key and supporting Tools and techniques for scoping and structuring the document Creating and using document templates - pro's and con's 5 Writing the document Avoiding 'blinding them with science': the qualities of clear writing Problem words and words that confuse; building and using a glossary Using sentence structure and punctuation to best effect Understanding the impact of style, format and appearance Avoiding common causes of ambiguity; being concise and ensuring clarity Using diagrams and other graphics; avoiding potential pitfalls 6 Editing and releasing the document Why editing is difficult; developing a personal editing strategy Some useful editing tools and techniques Key requirements for document issue and control Module 2: Creating better specifications 1 Introduction Aims and objectives of the day Introductions and interests of participants The 'POWER' writing process for specifications 2 Creating better specifications The role and characteristics of an effective specification Specifications and contracts; the legal role of specifications Deciding how to specify; understanding functional and design requirements Developing the specification design; applying the principles of BS 7373 Getting organised: the key stages in compiling an effective specification 3 Preparing to write a specification Defining the scope of the specification; deciding what to include and what not Scoping techniques: scope maps, check lists, structured brainstorming The why/what/how pyramid; establishing and understanding requirements Clarifying priorities; separating needs and desires: the MoSCoW method Useful quantitative techniques: cost benefit analysis, QFD, Pareto analysis Dealing with requirements that are difficult to quantify 4 Organising the content The role of structure in specifications Typical contents and layout for a specification What goes where: introductory, key and supporting sections Creating and using model forms: the sections and sub sections Detailed contents of each sub-section Exercise: applying the tools and techniques 5 Writing the specification Identifying and understanding the specification reader Key words: will, shall, must; building and using a glossary Writing performance targets that are clear and unambiguous Choosing and using graphics Exercise: writing a specification 6 Editing and releasing the document Key editing issues for specifications Issue and control of specifications Module 3: Writing better reports 1 Introduction Aims and objectives of the day Introductions and interests of participants The 'POWER' technical writing process for technical reports 2 Creating better reports What is a technical report? types and formats of report The role and characteristics of an effective technical report Understanding technical report readers and their needs The commercial role and impact of technical reports Getting organised: the key stages in compiling a technical report 3 Preparing to write reports Agreeing the terms of reference; defining aims and objectives Being clear about constraints; defining what is not to be included Legal aspects and intellectual property rights (IPR) for reports Preparing the ground; gathering information and reference documents Keeping track of information: note making, cataloguing and cross referencing Tools and techniques for developing a valid and convincing argument 4 Organising the content The role of structure reviewed; some typical report structures Who needs what: identifying the varied needs of the readership What goes where: introductory, key and supporting sections Creating and using model forms: the sections and sub sections Detailed contents of each sub-section Exercise: applying the tools and techniques 5 Writing the report Planning the storyline: the report as a journey in understanding Recognising assumptions about the reader; what they do and don't know Converting complex concepts into understandable statements Presenting technical data and its analysis; the role of graphics Presenting the case simply whilst maintaining technical integrity Exercise: writing a technical report 6 Editing and releasing the report Key editing issues for technical reports Issue and control of technical reports

Equality is everyone’s right and everyone’s responsibility’. This training promotes the requirements of the Equality and Diversity Act. This session will strengthen understanding of Equality & Diversity.

Explore the key features of Falls Awareness including common causes of falls in care & work environment including risk assessing for slips, trips and falls and being aware issues arising from medications and illnesses that can increase risk of falls.

The importance of building services to the success of an organisation has never been greater and continues to grow. Developers and occupiers are becoming more aware of the contribution that building services make to the well being of occupants and hence their perception of the quality of the working environment. Those involved with the design, construction, maintenance and operation will increasingly be required to deliver building services that demonstrable contribution to the occupier's business. Energy efficiency, carbon management and occupant satisfaction depend substantially on the way building services are designed, managed and operated. To optimise these aspects, an informed strategic approach is essential. Tried and tested techniques and processes are available that, when applied holistically, will deliver substantial benefits. This course reviews best practice in the area and inspires participants to ensure that building services perform at their optimal level. To provide a better understanding of how building services can be designed, managed and operated to: Maximise occupant comfort, satisfaction and wellbeing Add value and contribute to the success of the business of the occupier Improve health safety Reduce operating cost, energy use, carbon emissions and environmental impact Optimise cost and value Provide strategies for continuous improvement and sustainable operation 1 Building services fundamentals The function of services in commercial buildings and their importance to the core business 2 Techniques and processes for optimising cost and value Programmed operation evaluation Continuous commissioning Lifetime product management Performance-based service Energy efficiency and the scope for environmental improvement 3 Making the business case and preparing the strategy Motivating decision-makers Empowering those who have to deliver the results Managing business risk 4 Strategy implementation and monitoring results Ensuring that rich and robust feedback is available to support continuous improvement and strategy enhancementWhen to get feedbackWhyHowWhat to do with it 5 Case histories and 'air time' Sharing experience and addressing specific issues of interest to participants Course review Close

Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Program 'Empowering Change'

Businesses that don't control their costs don't stay in business. How well are you doing? Is everyone in your organisation sufficiently aware of costs, managing them effectively and maximising opportunities to reduce them? If there is scope for improvement, this course will help get you back on track. It will demonstrate that cost reduction is so much more than cost control and cost cutting. True cost management is about being aware of costs, seeking to reduce them through good design and efficient operating practices whilst taking continuing action on overspending. This course will develop the participants' skills in: Being aware of costs at all times Seeking cost reduction from the start (including life-cycle costing) Appraising projects / production to identify and take out risk Understanding real budgeting Using techniques such as ZBB and ABC where appropriate Ensuring cost reports lead to action Managing a cost reduction process that delivers Benefits to the organisation will include: Identification of cost reduction and business improvement opportunities Better reporting and ownership of costs Greater awareness and control of everyday costs 1 Introduction - the cost management process The risks of poor cost control Capital and revenue costs The importance of cost awareness The importance of cost reduction Cost management - the key aspects How to build a cost management and control process checklist for your areas of responsibility 2 Cost removal - taking out costs Cost awareness Costs of poor design / poor processes Value engineering Removing redundant costs 3 The need for commercial, technical and financial appraisals Understand the problems before cash is committed and costs incurred Making the effort to identify commercial and technical risk The time value of money - DCF techniques for long term projects Cost models for production processes and projects Costing models - project appraisals The use of spreadsheets to identify sensitivity and risk How to focus on risk management 4 Budgeting - proper budgeting challenges costs The philosophy of the business - are costs an issue? The importance of having the right culture The need for detailed business objectives Budgetary control measures Designing budget reports - for action 5 Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) - the principles Much more than starting with a clean sheet of paper What ZBB can achieve The concept of decision packages - to challenge business methods and costs Only necessary costs should be incurred A review of an operating budget - demonstrating what ZBB challenges and the costs it may lead to being taken out 6 Awareness of overheads and other costs Definitions of cost - direct and indirect Dealing with overheads - what is meant by allocation, absorption or apportionment? The apparent and real problems with overheads Different ways of dealing with overheads Review of overhead allocation methods and accounting and reporting issues 7 Overheads and product costing Activity-based costing (ABC) - the principles Where and how the ABC approach may be helpful Know the 'true' cost of a product or a project Should you be in business? Will you stay in business? Identifying weaknesses in a traditional overhead allocation How ABC will help improve product or service costing Identifying which products and activities should be developed and which abandoned 8 Cost reduction culture The need for cost reports What measures can be used to identify over-spends as early as possible Cost control performance measures and ratios 9 Design of cost control reports Reports should lead to action and deliver Selecting cost control measures which can be acted upon Practice in designing action reports 10 Course summary - developing your own cost action plan Group and individual action plans will be prepared with a view to participants identifying their cost risks areas and the techniques which can be immediately applied to improve costing and reduce costs

This course has a simple objective: to help gain appointments with potential clients. In most consultative selling situations clients won't commit to purchases over the telephone. This means setting up a meeting to discuss the options with them face-to-face. But getting 'face time' can be tricky. This practical workshop can help. Participants will acquire essential tools, skills and methods; discuss specific organisational issues; and identify areas for improvement. They will discover how to: Increase their effectiveness through proper preparation Construct attention-grabbing opening statements Help potential clients feel comfortable agreeing to a meeting Develop tactics for responding to difficult excuses and objections Stress the benefits of a face-to-face consultation Develop and enhance their questioning and listening skills Prevent customers cancelling booked appointments 1 Introduction to appointment setting Key trends that have changed the way people buy today - and will buy tomorrow Why many sales people avoid picking up the phone The difference that makes a difference - what makes a good appointment-maker? 2 Before you pick up the telephone It all starts with a plan... Who and what to focus our attention How much research should we undertake and why? Setting primary and secondary objectives 3 Making your approach Key considerations Every call is an opportunity - creating a positive mind-set Using a structured approach Using partnership language 4 Gaining an insight into the customer's needs How to quickly 'tune in' to your customers, so that you can serve them more easily Developing speech patterns that put customers at their ease Using effective questioning and listening skills Finding and building pain points 5 Dealing with excuses and objections Pre-empting potential excuses Developing techniques for responding to client objections Keeping the door open for future contact 6 Securing the appointment Selling the benefits of a consultancy meeting Techniques for avoiding cancelled appointments Gaining commitment 7 Action plans Course summary and presentation of action plans

How to protect your cash flow In the current economic climate more and more companies are finding that their customers are taking longer to pay - or are not even paying at all. As cash flow is key to the survival of any business, effective debt collection tactics are vital for all businesses. This workshop concentrates on the telephone skills and techniques you can use to achieve the most positive outcome in any debt collection situation - payment of money owed, as soon as possible, whilst keeping the collection cost as low as possible. The course will help you: Understand your debtors and communicate with them accordingly Develop a strategy for more effective debt collection Make every call count Handle difficult calls Reduce the amount of time you need to spend on chasing payment Increase your collection rates 1 The debt collection process Understanding the reasons behind payment default Looking at the debt situation from the customer's point of view Developing a strategy for effective debt collection 2 Advanced telephone communication skills Techniques for speaking to the person responsible for paying the debt How to gain the customer's trust when discussing debt Telephone collection skills best practice Key phrases that keep the conversation positive and open 3 Questioning and listening skills for gathering information Different types of question Using high-gain questions to uncover key information Active listening that will help you understand what customers are really saying Leading with examples and high-impact questions Summarising and restating 4 Overcoming objections and excuses Identifying objections Preparing suitable responses Probing objections and ways to overcome them 5 Gaining commitment and ending the call Learn how to negotiate an agreement to suit both parties Summarising actions for you and the customer Ending the call professionally 6 Dealing with difficult and challenging situations Understand different personality types The correct way to respond to an upset customer Ways to calm angry customers (and handle verbal attacks) 7 Action plans Course summary and presentation of action plans

Any team member with Customer interaction (including internal) are the 'Ambassadors' of the company/organisation. If they project positive professionalism - they win others' confidence. If they appear or sound like they are in any way indifferent or unprofessional - they will cost sales and lose clients/customers. With this 2 day Training course, that will be tailored to your company/organisation, each person attending will upgrade their professional standards in people skills, telephone manner and email etiquette. No training in this area may well be a false economy as there is a much greater risk of disenfranchised customers and team members - and probably increases your competitors to win business at your expense. Professional customer care is all too frequently regarded as a token issue in most induction sessions for employees. Surprisingly it is very rarely considered as a key priority, despite being essential for ensuring customer commitment is secure and supplier/partnerships are robust. Excellent customer care is paramount in our ever increasingly competitive market and making customers feel valued and looked after is often a differentiator. This 2-day course will help you understand your customers and the vital importance of customer care in any organisation. You will gain the tools and techniques to apply your learning directly back into the workplace and deliver excellent customer care. Course Syllabus The syllabus of the Professional Customer Care course is comprised of four modules, covering the following: Module One What is Excellent Customer Care? Internal versus external customers Why customer care is important Meeting customer expectations Module Two Making a Personal Difference How do you measure customer care? Making a difference Taking ownership Positive mental attitude Displaying professionalism both face-to-face and over the telephone Using positive language Module Three Gathering Information and Offering Solutions Asking the right questions Active listening skills Summarising and clarifying skills Module Four Dealing with Difficult Situations How to give a 'service' no Demonstrating empathy Assertiveness techniques Handling a complaint Problem solving Saying 'sorry' Making realistic promises and keeping them Real Play Scenarios with a Professional Actor (Optional Extra) This programme benefits significantly from our innovative training feature: Real Play. Using a professional actor who performs role plays as different customer characters in carefully devised situations, the delegates have the opportunity to 'pause' the role play to coach and control their character to improve their skill sets and practice the theory delivered. These scenarios can deal with difficult situations and enacting options to ensure good customer relations are intact. The outcome of the scenario is the responsibility of the delegates, not the trainer and actor. The actor will remain in character throughout the de-brief in order to bring to life the impact and possible next steps. Objectives By the end of the course participants will be able to Adopt a professional telephone manner Communicate assertively by taking control and directing the conversation Deliver information positively by offering options and alternatives Develop a range of versatile behaviours to use when dealing with difficult situations by: Listening actively Using empathy Gathering relevant information through effective questioning Finding solutions to concerns/problems quickly and efficiently Speaking positively and assertively What Is The Benefit? For individuals this course will increase confidence and ability to deal with customers in all situations, which will in turn create customer loyalty and raise their profile. For an employer, ensuring that all customer facing employees are demonstrating excellent customer care instils confidence in the customers and promotes a positive image of the company. In-House Courses Every single team member or employee that has a role which involves engaging with a customer, client and/or a key partner/supplier has a responsibility for projecting a positive image of the organisation which they represent. That may sound obvious, but how many hundreds of experiences have you had as a customer where you were treated with indifference and a distinct lack of professionalism by the receptionist, the retail assistant, the tele-agent, the delivery person, the credit controller or the departmental manager of the operation that you were dealing with? Far too many to count? This is because professional customer care is regarded as a token issue in most induction sessions for employees - and it is very rarely considered as a key priority to ensure customer commitment is secure and supplier/partnerships are robust. Yet the hugely expensive churn in customer/client commitments and staff is enormously expensive and immensely disruptive to any organisation. The Importance of Customers and Clients Every client/customer engaging person needs to recognise that it is ultimately the client or customer that pays their wages. If they gain a basic understanding of the clients' motivations and behaviours, coupled with some core skills in how to care for them, they will attain the status of 'professional'. This will very quickly translate into increased revenues, retained loyalty, high commitment and far greater security for all parties. The foundation has to be based on the authentic commitment to both the customer and also to the organisation they work for. Disenfranchisement readily curdles into sloppy behaviours cloaked in unprofessional attitudes and demeanours; plenty there to repel the most loyal of customers. If your company or organisation relies on repeat business and retaining the confidence and commitment of your clients, then all of your team members - perhaps including managers who set the example and have the biggest influence on the where the needle points to in relation to professionalism - need to be trained on the core basics of professional customer care. Customer Care Programmes from Dickson Training Ltd We are delighted to boast about the many successes we have had in providing effective and long lasting improvements for many clients, where awards have been won and, more importantly, talent has been retained because their clients and customers keep on coming back. Professional customer care extends to suppliers and partners that you value and need to get the best service and rates from, as well as any 'internal clients' such as other departments where you need to rely on their support and collaboration in order to achieve your goals. It is amazing what effective professional customer care training can do for any organisation. Without it your organisation may be vulnerable, with it you are much more likely to see increased performances and much greater security and growth. 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.

To explore the factors which affect and influence feacal continence when supporting individuals in order to effectively manage bowel incontinence.