2011 Courses in Leeds

The CIEH Foundation Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety supports businesses in their legal obligations to ensure employees are protected from harm. This course is ideal for those who want to develop their knowledge of health and safety issues in the workplace and of the regulations for maintaining a healthy and safe working environment. This course will focus on common hazards and how to control them. It will help you work more safely and be more aware of how your own actions can affect the health and safety of others.

Happiness? Are you serious? I'm struggling enough as it is! Not a nice feeling is it, when things aren't going well? But you push on regardless. Now you tell me, how's that strategy going? What are the consequences of that? Discover the hard facts about long-term success and resilience. This inspirational but hard-hitting presentation will give you the inside track on motivation, success and, yes, what it's got to do with happiness. No ten-point magazine-checklists to brighten your day, that change nothing. Just the straight physics of happiness.

Is your lifestyle too sedentary? Do you feel sluggish by the end of the day? Wrecked by the end of the week? You need to vary your regime at work. You need to work with, rather than against, your physicality in order to boost your energy levels in a sustainable way - without recourse to coffee, sugar or other stimulants. Take away: Four quick and easy ways to make you feel good and re-energised. You will have the opportunity to: Explore how even just small amounts of physical activity can impact your mental and general health and wellbeing, creativity and productivity. Learn what to do about a sedentary lifestyle Get some tips on what to do about your posture Deskercise - try out some easy stretches and exercises you can do at your desk

Movement for Calmis an exercise-based workshop exploring yogic and muscle relaxation techniques from a range of practices. The aim is to release tension within the body. When we are stressed or anxious, we produce adrenaline, the 'fight' or 'flight' chemical response. Movement for Calm will help explore ways to restore balance to the chemical reactions produced in the body, loosening muscles and in turn calming both body and mind. This workshop has been developed for forward-thinking organisations wanting to make a real commitment to improving workplace wellbeing. This workshop will help participants identify areas of tension in the body, and learn exercises and movement-based sequences to release anxiety and stress caused by unnecessary muscle tension. The aim is that people leave the workshop relaxed and refreshed, ready to take on the toughest of corporate challenges.

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.

This very practical session is designed to enable participants to improve the impact, clarity and accuracy of their reports. It focuses equally on the two key areas - structure and writing technique. This course will help participants: Scope reports based on objective and intended readership Write a structured report Use the Fog Index to ensure readability Write grammatically correct and well-punctuated text Review and edit their work. 1 Introduction Objectives and overview Introductions and personal aims 2 What makes a good report? Practical activity and feedback 3 Before you start The planning process and scoping a report Organising information Key report headings What goes where? Writing practice and review 4 Writing tips and techniques Clear English and use of language Grammar and sentence structure Refresher in punctuation Writing in the third person The Fog Index - and how to measure readability 5 Pulling it all together Reviewing and proofing 6 Review Summary of key learning points Action planning

Effective communication is a skill. This half-day workshop is very interactive - participants can practise their communication skills in a positive, supportive environment. 1 Welcome, introductions and objectives The definition of effective communication Exercise: sending a message 2 Verbal communications Effective communicators - who are they? What skills or attributes do they have? Listening skills, clear use of words, presence, eye contact, body language 3 How good a listener are you? Exercise: listening skills questionnaire and evaluation 4 Impact versus intent - what did you really mean to say? Attitudes influence behaviour and behaviour breeds behaviour Exercise: 'I never said she stole money' The need to avoid misunderstanding or misinterpretation 5 The 5 key principles to effective communication Exercise: 'What would you say?' 6 Written communication What makes an effective written communication? Kipling's 6 Honest Men: who, what, where, when, why and how Planning to write an email 7 Fuzzy meanings Probabilities for misunderstandings and misinterpretations 8 Practical exercise Hone written communication skills and put into practice hints and tips from the session 9 Review of key learning points and objectives

Taking minutes is a much under-rated skill. It can be challenging at the best of times. So how do you do it for virtual meetings? This trainer-led session will help. It's a very practical programme which explores the issues specific to minuting on-line meetings and gives solutions to some of the trickier problems. Full of useful tips, the session will enable participants to: Identify how to adapt their current minute-taking skills to on-line meetings Plan and prepare for a meeting Follow a line of discussion Work in partnership with a remote Chair Deal confidently with minute-taking challenges. 1 Welcome Programme objectives Personal introductions 2 Adapting minute-taking to virtual meetings How is it different? What changes in approach are needed? 3 Preparation Preparing for the meeting Technology and equipment Dress and personal presentation Liaising with the Chair Practical preparation tips 4 Minuting tips Managing the 'techie' elements, eg. poor sound/visual quality Knowing who is speaking Following a line of discussion What if I don't hear or understand? Tips for producing a set of minutes 5 Session review Summary, key learning points, feedback and close

Budgeting is more than mere vague oversight. Budgeting should deliver the corporate strategy, add shareholder value and lead to a well-run business - for the benefit of all involved in it. Effective budgeting leads to real control - effective day-to-day operational control and more. This course demonstrates what proper budgeting and operational control can do. This course will help ensure that participants: Appreciate the importance of the budgeting process Take ownership of it Use it as a daily working tool - not an annual exercise - to help run their part of the operation Improve their reporting against budget Ensure their delivery against budget 1 Objectives of budgets The budget process Stages - what is the prime aim of a budget? What is forecasting? ObjectivesPlanningImplementation 2 Budget and cost control focus Choosing objectives Links with corporate strategy Links with resource management Can the accounting systems cope? 3 Traditional budgeting and control Benefits and drawbacks The process Control and feedback Reporting - what can be expected? 4 Advanced budgeting and control Understanding the business process Taking out costs Cost awareness ZBB - as valid as ever 5 Reports Reports for action The purpose of a report Content - deliverables and feedback Culture is so important

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