2692 Courses in Manchester

This very practical workshop has a simple objective: to help you prepare, design and deliver memorable and high-quality presentations. This programme will help you: Use a proven, structured tool-kit when designing and developing presentations Benefit from short cuts and best practice when designing and using Powerpoint presentations Select the right information, examples, exercises and activities - and use them well Prepare and structure a presentation or session appropriate to the audience, and to best achieve your objectives Maintain audience or group interest Develop and practise presentation skills to improve your voice tone, speech power and body language Use practical methods to control nerves and anxiety - develop higher levels of confidence and credibility Command a room, hold attention and create a high impact 1 Introduction Personal objectives Key messages and learning objectives of the workshop 2 Presentation skills What does good look like? Exercise: Characteristics of high/low impact presentations Presenting yourself as a 'winner' The energy / attitude model Exercise: Being a winner 3 Preparation skills - eight steps to preparing a great presentation, plus Powerpoint tips •The magic circle• How to 'assume the role' when presenting• The eight steps• Step 1 - develop your objectives- The five questions that you must answer before preparing your presentation- Defining your objectives and outcomes- Creating a first draft- Step 1 exercise• Step 2 - analyse your audience- Doing your homework: audience, event, venue- Developing a pre-event check-list- Methods and means for researching your audience- Step 2 exercise• Steps 3 and 4 - structure the main body of your presentation and state the main ideas- Ways to structure your presentation for maximum impact- Balancing and managing content and topics- Organising your information: 6 options and methods- Your 'one main point' and creating a 30-second summary- Steps 3 and 4 exercises• Step 5 - decide on supporting information, using the toolkit- Making your case convincing: ways to support your claims- Selecting and using relevant and interesting examples- Quotes, case studies and printed material- Presenting statistics, tables and graphs- Ways of maintaining visual interest- Transitions and links, creating a 'golden thread'- Step 5 exercise: Creating compelling stories and anecdotes4• Step 6 - create an effective 'opening'- Claiming the stage and creating a good first impression- The three most powerful ways of opening a presentation- The five elements of a strong opening- Step 6 exercise: Participants work individually to prepare an opening, focusing onpersonal introduction, and then deliver to the group, with structured feedback• Step 7 - develop transitions- Step 7 exercise / examples• Step 8 - create an effective close- Signalling and sign-posting; the importance of, and how to do it effectively- Five ways to close a presentation successfully- Step 8 exercise / examples• Presentation design and Powerpoint- An interactive review of participants' own real-life past presentations and advanced tipsand techniques on using Powerpoint effectively 4 Facilitation skills The three main types of group activity - triads, teams and main group How to select the right activity, define the objectives, set it up and run the debrief Using energisers - with examples Exercise: Dealing with 'difficult' behaviours Exercise: Working in triads, design and deliver 5 Tips and tricks: presentation and facilitation 10 reasons why facilitation fails Five golden rules for success Defining the session goals and the facilitation plan Open and closed questions - why and when to use Using a 'car park' to manage unresolved issues Using AV aids - tips and tricks Exercises: Including participants working in pairs to prepare a short section form of one of their own presentations 6 Putting it all together Summary of key learning points Action plan

If your organisation manages contractors then your staff need to understand the health and safety issues. This course is the answer. The expert trainer will set out clearly the legal responsibilities of all relevant parties and explore the practical application of these responsibilities with the course participants. The course will then examine the issues associated with the planning of work to be contracted out and the evaluation, selection, control and monitoring of contractors engaged to undertake the work. Although the main focus is on health and safety, the course will also explain how health and safety issues need to be integrated into your organisation's functional management processes to ensure effective control of contractors. The course will consider all types of contracted activities, including construction and maintenance, cleaning, security, plant installation, etc. This programme will give participants: A clear understanding of the organisation's legal responsibilities for managing contractors The information they need to assess the competence of contractors A practical understanding of risk assessment principles and the transfer of risk to contractors A step-by-step guide to the key aspects of managing contractors in practice, covering:Planning of the workSelecting contractorsHandover prior to work commencementDuring the workReviewing the work on completion Practical guidance on the integration of health and safety controls into organisational procedures for contractor management 1 Introduction Who are contractors? Why manage contractors? Different types of contractors Costs of poor contractor performance 2 Overview of health and safety law and liability Health and safety law and statutory duties Relevance of civil and criminal law Enforcement and prosecution 3 Relevant legislation for controlling contractors Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 (as amended, 2007) Other relevant legislation Contract law 4 Managing contractors in practice Exercise - how well is it happening? The objectives Five step approachPlanning of the workSelecting contractorsHandover prior to work commencementDuring the workReviewing the work on completion 5 Planning the work Scope and extent Risk assessment Interface and other activities Who controls what? Contract arrangements 6 Selecting the right contractor(s) Locating contractor organisations Selection the right contractors Assessing contractor competence Approved lists/frameworks Tender process 7 Pre-work commencement Co-ordination and co-operation Exchange of information Contractor risk assessments and method statements Permits to work Case study exercise 8 During contract work Communication and liaison Supervision and inspection of the work Inspection and reporting procedures Security issues Facilities and access 9 Reviewing work on completion Why, what and how? Achieving continuous improvement in contractor performance 10 Questions, discussion and review

Fraud should not happen, but it does. It can happen at the highest to lowest levels in an organisation. Recent surveys show that incidents of fraud are not decreasing. Fraud costs companies money and, perhaps even more importantly, reputational damage. The losers are not just the shareholders, suppliers, customers, etc, but society as a whole. This programme shows why frauds happen, how organisations put themselves at risk and what they can do to prevent it. This programme will help directors and others understand: The motives for committing fraud Directors' responsibilities for identifying and reporting fraud What types of frauds there are How frauds are perpetrated How they can be prevented How regulators deal with fraud Above all, the principal objective of this programme is to help make your organisation as secure as possible from the threat of fraud. 1 Motives for committing fraud - drivers of fraud Session objective: to understand why people might commit fraud Drivers of fraudulent behaviourAmbitionGreedTheftConceit? And more! 2 Accounting mechanisms that allow fraud Session objective: to review the elements of the accounting, internal control and management processes that allow creative accounting Income or liability? Asset or expense? Coding errors and misclassification Netting off and grossing up Off-balance sheet items 3 Structures that allow fraud Session objective: to consider company and trading structures that allow frauds to be perpetrated Group structures Trading structures Tax havens Importing and exporting 4 Interpretations and other non-compliance that allow fraud Session objective: to look at how creative interpretations of law and accounting practice may permit fraud The place of accounting standards Accounting policies Trading methods The place of auditing standards 5 Money laundering Session objective: to review what constitutes money laundering Types of money laundering Identifying laundering Preventing laundering 6 Preventing fraud - proper management structures Session objective: to review the place of proper corporate governance Corporate governance Company management structure Audit committees The place of internal audit 7 Preventing fraud - proper accounting Session objective: to review best accounting and auditing practice Accounting standards Internal accounting policies Adequacy of internal controls Internal audit 8 Preventing fraud - regulation Session objective: to look at how regulators aim to prevent fraud The regulatory environment Financial services regulation 9 Conclusion Course review Open forum Close 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 is not a single course but a set of menu options from which you can 'pick and mix' to create a draft programme yourself, as a discussion document which we can then fine-tune with you. For a day's training course, simply consider your objectives, select six hours' worth of modules and let us do the fine-tuning so that you get the best possible training result. Consider your objectives carefully for maximum benefit from the course. Is the training for new or experienced credit control staff? Are there specific issues to be addressed within your particular sector (eg, housing, education, utilities, etc)? Do your staff need to know more about the legal issues? Or would a practical demonstration of effective telephone tactics be more useful to them? Menu Rather than a generic course outline, the expert trainer has prepared a training 'menu' from which you can select those topics of most relevance to your organisation. We can then work with you to tailor a programme that will meet your specific objectives. Advanced credit control skills for supervisors - 1⁄2 day Basic legal overview: do's and don'ts of debt recovery - 2 hours Body language in the credit and debt sphere - 1⁄2 day County Court suing and enforcement - 1⁄2 day Credit checking and assessment - 1 hour Customer visits and 'face to face' debt recovery skills - 1⁄2 day Data Protection Act explained - 1⁄2 day Dealing with 'Caring Agencies' and third parties - 1 hour Debt counselling skills - 2 hours Elementary credit control skills for new staff - 1⁄2 day Granting credit and collecting debt in Europe - 1⁄2 day Identifying debtors by 'type' to handle them accurately - 1 hour Insolvency: Understanding bankruptcy / receivership / administration / winding-up / liquidation / CVAs and IVAs - 2 hours Late Payment of Commercial Debts Interest Act explained - 2 hours Liaison with sales and other departments for maximum credit effectiveness - 1 hour Suing in Scottish Courts (Small Claims and Summary Cause) - 1⁄2 day Telephone techniques for successful debt collection - 11⁄2 hours Terms and conditions of business with regard to credit and debt - 2 hours Tracing 'gone away' debtors (both corporate and individual) - 11⁄2 hours What to do if you/your organisation are sued - 1⁄2 day Other topics you might wish to consider could include: Assessment of new customers as debtor risks Attachment of Earnings Orders Bailiffs and how to make them work for you Benefit overpayments and how to recover them Cash flow problems (business) Charging Orders over property/assets Credit policy: how to write one Council and Local Authority debt recovery Consumer Credit Act debt issues Using debt collection agencies Director's or personal guarantees Domestic debt collection by telephone Exports (world-wide) and payment for Emergency debt recovery measures Education Sector debt recovery Forms used in credit control Factoring of sales invoices Finance Sector debt recovery needs Third Party Debt Orders (Enforcement) Government departments (collection from) Harassment (what it is - and what it is not) Health sector debt recovery skills Hardship (members of the public) Insolvency and the Insolvency Act In-house collection agency (how to set up) Instalments: getting offers which are kept Judgment (explanation of types) Keeping customers while collecting the debt Late payment penalties and sanctions Letter writing for debt recovery Major companies as debtors Members of the public as debtors Monitoring of major debtors and risks Negotiation skills for debt recovery Old debts and how to collect them Out of hours telephone calls and visits Office of Fair Trading and collections Oral Examination (Enforcement) Pro-active telephone collection Parents of young debtors Partnerships as debtors Positive language in debt recovery Pre-litigation checking skills Power listening skills Questions to solicit information Retention of title and 'Romalpa' clauses Sale of Goods Act explained Salesmen and debt recovery Sheriffs to enforce your judgment Students as debtors Statutory demands for payment Small companies (collection from) Sundry debts (collection of) Terms and Conditions of Contract Tracing 'gone away' debtors The telephone bureau and credit control Taking away reasons not to pay Train the trainer skills Utility collection needs Visits for collection and recovery Warrant of execution (enforcement)

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 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

This is an essential programme for managers or members of staff (or students) who need to be able to read and summarise information on screen faster and more effectively. The session focuses on the different types of reading style and encourages better retention of written material through the use of specific speed-reading techniques. By the end of this programme participants will be able to: Explain the principles of speed reading Understand the barriers to reading Use different reading styles according to the information being read Read more effectively from tablet and computer screens Co-ordinate eye movements better Minimise any poor reading habits Increase reading speed by over 50%, without losing comprehension Improve retention of information using specific techniques The programme focuses on how to maximise reading from electronic devices by exploring techniques which will reduce eyestrain and improve reading effectiveness. The session also explains different types of reading styles and how to learn new, positive reading habits. 1 An introduction to speed reading The history of speed reading Assumptions about reading The process of reading Schema and its influence on interpretation Eye/brain relationship How our brain processes written information 2 Minimising barriers to reading Understanding eye tics Mouthing The influence of different light sources Body clocks and making use of natural patterns 3 Reading styles Importance of choosing the right reading style Speeds and their influence on retention Reading for pleasure Proof reading Scanning Skimming Reading for retention SQRW principles 4 Reading from electronic devices The challenge of reading from screens Importance of breaks and proper display screen evaluation Calibrating screens and background colours Formatting documents Using eye guides

This one-day workshop is designed to give you an awareness of the fundamentals of Microsoft Excel and, in particular, to give you the confidence needed to efficiently create, edit and manage spreadsheets. This course will help participants: Create tables Use functions Manage rows and columns Write formulas Manage sheets Use content formats Handle larger tables Create reports and charts 1 Creating a table Creating an Excel table from scratch Wrapping text in cells Speeding up data entry using AutoFill Sorting columns 2 Inserting function Inserting function calculators Using AutoSum to sum numbers Statistical calculations AVERAGE, MAX and MIN 3 Table rows and columns Inserting and deleting rows and columns Adjusting multiple column widths and row heights Hiding and unhiding rows and columns 4 Formula writing The basics of formula writing Understanding mathematical symbols Using multiple mathematical symbols in a formula When to use brackets Troubleshooting calculation errors 5 Managing sheets Inserting, renaming, moving and deleting sheets Copying a worksheet to another file Copying a table to another sheet 6 Managing content formats Applying data formats Managing number formats Controlling formats with the Format Painter 7 Managing larger tables Applying freeze panes to lock tables when scrolling Sorting on multiple columns Using filters to extract table information 8 Creating and modifying charts Creating a pie chart Creating a column chart Inserting chart titles and data labels Controlling chart formatting Changing chart types 9 Printing Previewing and printing tables and charts Modifying page orientation Adjusting print margins Printing a selection 10 Calculating with absolute reference The difference between a relative and absolute formula Changing a relative formula to an absolute Using $ signs to lock cells when copying formulas 11 Pivot tables Create a pivot table report Insert a pivot chart into a report

A question of trust. Leadership implies followership. And that means trust. Because who's going to follow a leader they don't trust? This programme takes a values-driven approach to leadership. It gets current and aspiring leaders to hold up the mirror to themselves and to see their reflections as leaders of people. It asks them whether what they see justifies their view of themselves as leaders. It helps them understand just what it takes to be an effective leader. And it does so in a highly practical, constructive manner. It helps the course participants to truly understand the core skills of effective leadership. It focuses on the difference between leadership and management, defining what high performing teams do and how they do it. It helps people to see their teams from different perspectives, allowing them to adapt their styles to maximise team outputs. And it explores concepts such as emotional intelligence, authentic leadership and the RAIV approach (relationships-achievement-independence-vocation) to help explore underlying values and use them to drive effective leadership. Because what worth do our values have unless we put them into practice? The course will help you:• Appreciate the key skills a leader needs to be effective• Understand what the organisation expects of you as a leader• Recognise your leadership style and the impact it has on others• Consider your role models - who inspires you?• See leadership from the 'followers' perspective - how do you like to be led?• Discover what holds you back - limiting beliefs• Examine your core values -do they support your ambition?• Explore the concept of Emotional Intelligence - how do we manage ourselves?• Discover how to lead through change• Explore the concept of 'Authentic Leadership' - consider how it can work for you• Practice some of the skills essential to motivating and influencing for success• Use the RAIV approach to generating enthusiasm and commitment• Plan how best to 'walk the leadership talk' - in your role, in your organisation Above all, this course will help you put theory into practice, values into actions, in a mature, considered, effective way. Day 1 1 Welcome and introduction Participants are welcomed to the programme and invited to share their personal objectives and people challenges Participants given an action plan template to complete throughout the workshop Participants required to bring an inspirational quote to share with the group 2 What is leadership? The concept of 'leadership' The role of a leader Skills assessment for all participants# Leadership v Management Assess your team effectiveness 3 Your leadership style Leadership questionnaire You and your role models Push v Pull styles of leadership Empowerment v Control Team goals and role profiling Day 2 1 You, the leader Your core values Your communication style Situational leadership The Emotional Bank Account Buy Me Today 2 Are you Emotionally Intelligent? (EI) What is emotional intelligence? Self-assessment exercise Manage your emotions Nine strategies for promoting EI 3 Leading through change Identify the major changes affecting you / your team Types of change The roles of resistance How safe are you to talk to? Forcefield Analysis Day 3 1 Authentic Leadership (AL) What is AL? Managing perceptions is managing their truth A leadership challenge 2 Motivating and influencing for success What motivates you? Motivational theory Leading by example Influencing skills required Influencing styles The influence challenge! 3 Creating enthusiasm and commitment The RAIV approach (relationships-achievement-independence-vocation) Building self-worth What drives your team? Your leadership legacy Your commitment to leadership

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