2755 Courses in Henley-on-Thames

The need for key staff to have commercial skills is paramount, as the public sector is increasingly opened up as a commercial market, in which organisations compete against each other and the private sector for contracts. Generating additional income and being commercially aware is vital for this to be a success, and is what many public sector organisations are looking to do. This programme will help you: See commercial awareness as not just another skill-set, but as a different mind-set Use a variety of tried-and-tested commercial, analytical decision-making techniques and tools Define your commercial objectives Develop a strategic focus Start looking at service clients as market segments Analyse, in a competitive context, your service offering Plan a commercial strategy, prepare for its implementation and see it through to execution 1 What is commercial thinking? Understand what it means to be a commercial thinker Identifying commercial opportunities often involves not only a different skill set but also a different mindset; looking at the services that you provide 2 Defining strategic commercial objectives Defining your key commercial objectives Prioritising your strategic objectives Two key strategic planning tools:Resource and Competency MatrixPESTLE How to apply these tools to your particular situation 3 Developing a strategic focus Decision-making on how to compete in the markets identified by your strategic objectives requires a strategic focus Developing strategic focus A tool for helping you to make those decisions: using the Ansoff Matrix 4 Defining customer targets How to think more commercially by understanding who all your customers are and how they differ from each other how to apply the principles to your areas to identify the type of customers you have and their key characteristics - Customer segmentation Who are your customers? How do their needs vary? - Scenarios 5 The competitive market place Understanding the competitive forces at play Different types of competition Analysing your competitive environment using Porter's 5 Forces model 6 Meeting stakeholder expectations Two simple models to help you identify the key stakeholders who could influence your commercial environment How to use your stakeholders to help you achieve your commercial objectives 7 Implementation - systems, structures and processes Effective commercial activity involves working with others to implement ideas and strategies What do you need to have in place before you implement your commercial strategy? How to health-check your organisation prior to implementation using the McKinsey 7S framework 8 Implementation - people and culture A good commercial strategy only works if the people involved buy in to the ideas and if the culture of the organisation is conducive to the effective implementation How the latest thinking in behavioural economics can help you develop your culture and people to work commercially 9 Tools and checklists Be more commercial within your sphere of influence using a commercial checklist to help you Using the checklist as a benchmark against the most commercially aware organisations Using the checklist as a health check - both corporately and individually

This is an essential programme for members of staff whose role exposes them to aggressive or violent behaviour. 1 What's happening? Issues around us Risks in context Personal experiences 2 Safety fundamentals Following internal policy and procedure Personal safety and lone working Use of technology 3 Nipping issues in the bud Recognising early warning signs Avoiding causing problems for ourselves 4 Calming - Reaching - Controlling Tips and techniques for potentially calming a situation Reaching and building rapport Accelerants - tips on avoiding accelerating a situation Assertiveness techniques Non-verbal behaviour Active listening and the use of questions and distractions Exploring ways forward and identifying win/wins Avoiding the secondary argument Fogging The 'drama triangle' If all else fails 5 Harassment, stalking and on-line bulling What constitutes harassment and definition of stalking On-line bullying Steps to take 6 Reporting principles Importance of incidence reporting Taking care of us What next?

In today's fast-moving competitive environment, sales are often made or lost on the strength of a telephone conversation or a brief email. This means that not only is customer service everyone's responsibility - so is sales. Customer service staff are failing the customer if they don't think about sales. And sales staff are failing customers if they don't think about service. And anyone failing a customer is failing both themselves and their employer. Too often, customer service staff feel neither capable nor empowered to recognise or capitalise upon a sales opportunity. Too often, sales people pursue the short-term opportunity at the expense of the bigger picture. The good news is - it doesn't have to be this way! Sales and customer service skills can be acquired, developed and polished just like any other skill. This tried-and-tested programme shows you how to do it. As a result of this course, participants will be able to: Take control of a customer conversation, with confidence Refresh and polish their customer service and sales performance Recognise and develop a sales opportunity Engage the customer and build rapport Identify a customer's needs Match the customer's needs to the organisation's products or services Handle objections confidently Ask for the order At the end of the workshop each participant will have developed their own action plan for developing and using their skills in the workplace. 1 Introduction Course overview, objectives and introductions 2 Serving or selling? Feelings and attitudes - How we can affect the outcome by our feelings and behaviour What is selling? - Selling is helping people to buy, identifying the opportunities that exist within the conversation to develop the customer's interest in our products or services 3 Developing the right skills Communication- The impact of body language, voice tone and words- How to make the best impression on the customer and create a 'buying environment' Rapport-building- What makes a good working relationship?- What do customers look for when they call us?- How can we match their expectations in terms of our own interpersonal skills? Relating to different types of people by identifying and matching their communication style on the telephone 4 Making it easy for the customer Starting it right- Opening the conversation positively- Building rapport- How to develop interest in our products or services Gaining and clarifying information- Questioning skills and questioning style- What do we need to know from the customer?- How can we use that information in the conversation? Active listening- The most under-rated skill of all- Picking up on the 'Golden Moments' when a customer shows they may be interested Presenting information confidently- Knowing the benefits of our products or services- How to tell the customer what they need to know in order to enable them to buy Closing on a positive note- When and how to ask for commitment Dealing with the customer's objections and concerns in a positive manner 5 Course summary and action plans Review of main learning points Presentation of personal action plans

In the fast-changing world of business, and especially IT, everyone in the organisation should be involved in sales. One of the best ways is to give the customer an outstanding experience. The customer experience is the competitive battlefield of today. Sales may be won or lost here. You can either close a sale for a quick buck, or open a long-term relationship to create a high lifetime value customer. By developing excellent communication skills, rapport and, most of all, a desire to serve and listen to the needs of the customer to the best of their ability, both sales teams and other IT professionals will create trust, nurture relationships and develop awareness of other opportunities with the customer. By the end of this course, participants will be able to: Understand the power of a positive customer experience in developing sales opportunities Recognise and develop a sales opportunity when it arises Engage with customers and develop rapport and trust Use verbal and non-verbal communication skills and pick up on signals Ask powerful questions - and listen to the answers Create 'magic moments' for the customer Turn a complaint into an opportunity Know when to ask for referrals and testimonials Pass on leads to the relevant people 1 Introduction Aims and objectives Beliefs about sales 2 Building rapport First impressions Short cuts to rapport Finding common interests 3 Selling or serving? Managing emotions and behaviour - Transactional Analysis Moments of truth - creating 'magic moments' Speed sells - the follow-up 4 Meetings Planning a successful meeting Pre-meeting connection and assistance Sales meeting failure reasons Right v wrong mindset 5 Communication - verbal and non-verbal The 3 Vs - Visual, Verbal, Vocal Picking up on signals 7 power questions Questioning techniques LISTEN - 3 types of listening skills 6 Influencing 6 levels of influence Framing to change perspectives Turning complaints into opportunities 7 Referrals The power of referrals How and when to ask for a referral 5 steps from rapport to referral 8 Presentation and pitching (optional session) Basic presentation structure and delivery Creating powerful impressions Creating a 60-second pitch The elevator 10-second pitch - answering 'What do you do?' Sales presentations Emotion v Intellect - how to engage Using visuals

This course starts with the basics then moves seamlessly to an intermediate level. It includes a comprehensive yet 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 use the online Power BI service. It looks at authoring tools that enables you to connect to and transform data from a variety of sources, allowing you to produce dynamic reports using a library of visualisations. Once you have those reports, the course looks at the seamless process of sharing those with your colleagues by publishing to the online Power BI service. The aim of this course is to provide a strong understanding of the Power BI analysis process, by working with real-world examples that will equip you with the necessary skills to start applying your knowledge straight away. 1 Getting started The Power BI process Launching Power BI Desktop The four views of Power BI Dashboard visuals 2 Connecting to files Connect to data sources Connect to an Excel file Connect to a CSV file Connect to a database Import vs. DirectQuery Connect to a web source Create a data table 3 Transforming data The process of cleaning data Column data types Remove rows with filters Add a custom column Append data to a table Fix error issues Basic maths operations 4 Build a data model Table relationships Manage table relationships 5 Merge queries Table join kinds Merging tables 6 Create report visualisations Creating map visuals Formatting maps Creating chart visuals Formatting chart Tables, matrixes, and cards Control formatting with themes Filter reports with slicers Reports for mobile devices Custom online visuals Export report data to Excel 7 The power query editor Fill data up and down Split columns by delimiter Add conditional columns Merging columns 8 The M formula Creating M functions Create an IF function Create a query group 9 Pivot and unpivot tables Pivot tables in the query editor Pivot and append tables Pivot but don't summarise Unpivot tables Append mismatched headers 10 Data modelling revisited Data model relationships Mark a calendar as a date table 11 Introduction to calculated columns New columns vs. measures Creating a new column calculation The SWITCH function 12 Introduction to DAX measures Common measure categories The SUM measure Adding measures to visuals COUNTROWS and DISINCTCOUNT functions DAX rules 13 The CALCULATE measure The syntax of CALCULATE Things of note about CALCULATE 14 The SUMX measure The SUMX measure X iterator functions Anatomy of SUMX 15 Introduction to time intelligence Importance of a calendar table A special lookup table The TOTALYTD measure Change year end in TOTALYTD 16 Hierarchy, groups and formatting Create a hierarchy to drill data Compare data in groups Add conditional formatting 17 Share reports on the web Publish to the BI online service Get quick insights Upload reports from BI service Exporting report data What is Q&A? Sharing your reports 18 Apply your learning Post training recap lesson

Power BI is a powerful data visualisation program that allows businesses to monitor data, analyse trends, and make decisions. This course is designed to provide a solid understanding of the reporting side of Power BI, the dashboards, where administrators, and end users can interact with dynamic visuals that communicates information. This course focuses entirely on the creation and design of visualisations in dashboards, including a range of chart types, engaging maps, and different types of tables. Designing dashboards with KPI's (key performance indicators), heatmaps, flowcharts, sparklines, and compare multiple variables with trendlines. This one-day programme focuses entirely on creating dashboards, by using the many visualisation tools available in Power BI. You will learn to build dynamic, user-friendly interfaces in both Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service. 1 Introduction Power BI ecosystem Things to keep in mind Selecting dashboard colours Importing visuals into Power BI Data sources for your analysis Joining tables in Power BI 2 Working with data Utilising a report theme Table visuals Matrix visuals Drilling into hierarchies Applying static filters Group numbers with lists Group numbers with bins 3 Creating visuals Heatmaps in Power BI Visualising time-intelligence trends Ranking categorical totals Comparing proportions View trends with sparklines 4 Comparing variables Insert key performance indicators (KPI) Visualising trendlines as KPI Forecasting with trendlines Visualising flows with Sankey diagrams Creating a scatter plot 5 Mapping options Map visuals Using a filled map Mapping with latitude and longitude Mapping with ArcGIS or ESRI 6 Creating dashboards High-level dashboard Migration analysis dashboard Adding slicers for filtering Promote interaction with nudge prompts Searching the dashboard with a slicer Creating dynamic labels Highlighting key points on the dashboard Customised visualisation tooltips Syncing slicers across pages 7 Sharing dashboards Setting up and formatting phone views Exporting data Creating PDF files Uploading to the cloud Share dashboards in SharePoint online

This programme provides an intensive, two-day overview of the key elements of operations management, including an array of practical tips and tools to help managers be more proactive and effective in the operations management environment - whether that's in an industrial manufacturing context or in operational leadership in the service sectors. At the end of the programme, participants will: Understand the 6Cs approach to operations management Be able to apply a range of practical tools and techniques to improve their personal effectiveness towards being a more effective operations manager Be able to prepare an action plan for the critical first (or next) 100 days in their operational leadership role 1 Introduction What is Operations Management and where does it fit in? What makes a successful Operations Manager? Introducing the 6Cs of Operations Management 2 Context Link to business strategy Making a year plan Performance measurement 3 Controls Governance Reputational controls Costs and budgets Quality Operational 4 Customers Internal External Stakeholder management 5 Communication Planning Meetings Reporting Emails Notices Networking Walking the talk 6 Care People Safety, Health, Environment & Security Assets 7 Continuous improvement Process Product Proactivity Link to KPIs and Year Plan 8 Putting it all together Action planning for the first (or next) 100 days Conclusions

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 one-day programme explores the role of intellectual property (IP) in relation to innovation and creativity. It examines the different forms as well as the key processes, together with some of the oddities and idiosyncrasies of the legal regime that protects IP. It delves into the various IP models you should be aware of as well as key IP facts and figures and current IP trends across the global economy. This session is designed to give you a deeper understanding of: The main forms of intellectual property The importance of IP - both to your organisation and to the wider economy The key processes in the creation, commercial exploitation, and legal protection of IP The different models for the use of IP Some more advanced concepts for reviewing, valuing and managing IP 1 Main forms of intellectual property (IP) Patents Trademarks Copyright Design Trade secrets 2 Global IP business context Global IP facts and figures Figures for key jurisdictions Analysis of a company using IP data IP trends Overview of the key entities in the IP sector 3 Key IP processes IP creation IP portfolio management IP enforcement IP exploitation IP risk management 4 IP models IP models explained IP licensing IP litigation 5 IP concepts The IP maturity ladder Relative IP value and risk Axis of control 6 IP as an asset class Costs Valuation Financial perspective

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