Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving: In-House Training Two critical skillsets for the future of work are critical thinking and creative problem solving. These modes of working and thinking intersect and overlap; both are necessary and both can be taught. Having the ability to exercise creativity while at the same time applying structure and discipline to the thinking process is a key competency in the twenty-first century workplace. This course explores the interplay between critical and creative thinking, and the necessity of each to effective problem solving and decision making. Participants will learn a variety of techniques to apply critical thinking to real-life scenarios. They will experiment with different problem-solving approaches and will learn about cognitive influences on our decisions and choices. The course delves into the business value of creativity and involves participants in actively integrating criticality, creativity, and problem solving. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Explain basic concepts of problem solving Infer types of cognitive biases that impact decision making Utilize types of root cause analysis Differentiate among obstacles to sound decision making Apply a variety of problem-solving approaches / processes to existing challenges Evaluate alternative solution methods using various techniques Analyze real world problem scenarios to determine the lateral thinking type needed to address them Foundation Concepts Definitions Thinking modes and cognitive bias Basic problem-solving framework Problem Definition and Solution Generation Root cause analysis Basic problem-solving obstacles Generating alternative solutions Evaluating Alternatives Critical thinking guidelines Obstacles to sound decision making Tools for evaluating alternatives Exploring Lateral Thinking Problem-solving challenge Workplace application
If you want your employees to improve their customer service skills and deliver an amazing experience to your customers, feel free to check out my Training course focusing on the core values of customer service.
All organisations today operate in an environment of constant and rapid change. Managing this change effectively is often achieved through a portfolio of formal projects. Many organisations today have qualified and experienced project management staff to run their projects. Some organisations today have dedicated functions, staff or processes to support their project management teams. The very largest organisations have in-house Enterprise Programme Offices, or project management specialists in corporate audit or risk functions; or organise 'Red Team Reviews' of a project by other staff with project management experience who are not participating in the reviewed project. But for many mid-size businesses and SMEs - and even some larger organisations - these resources are simply not available. For them, having access to external expertise to assure project management disciplines and to coach project managers can be a major contributor to project success. Such reviews can take place at project initiation; at major stage-gates (especially if significant capital is to be committed at the stage-gate); or at any other time if concerns arise concerning project quality, cost or timescales. And it is for those organisations that we offer the necessary expertise, on an ad hoc basis, in reviewing projects and coaching senior project management staff. A document review and workshop led by one of our consultants can help you assess whether: The strategic goals and priorities for the project are clear and being addressed Governance of the project within the business is defined and being effectively executed Project roles and responsibilities are clear and effective The credibility and robustness of the project plan can be enhanced Performance measures and reporting procedures are effective Critical risks are identified and being managed and contingencies are agreed The roles, responsibilities and capabilities of the key players in the project team are fit for purpose Budgets are realistic and costs being managed effectively Communication and change management activities are effectively planned and being executed At your discretion, you can capture the outcomes from the workshop for yourselves, in terms of identifying opportunities for improvement, or you can have our consultant write a report and make recommendations to you.
Stress, self-care, and wellbeing conversation starters. This is a short 2-hour session to provide learners with tools to take better care of themselves, have the confidence to discuss mental wellbeing and know where to find tools and resources for assistance.
This one day course provides an excellent introduction to managing and supervising volunteers covering the skills, paperwork and processes needed to recruit, induct and support them. The course can be expanded to run as a series of half day sessions and can also be adapted to the specific needs of organisations who would like the session to be run in-house.
Excel but different. Harness this most powerful tool but on a course tailored to your business and needs. Using case studies relevant to your business and often actual files your firm uses on a daily basis we embark on a voyage of discovery. This isn't a boring "watch what I do and copy" course. This is exciting, engaging, funny and enjoyable. Delegates will learn relevant skills but also, because of the delivery methods they will gain an increased enjoyment of using Excel and will retain and implement all of the material covered. They also have access to the trainer for an unlimited amount of time after the course to continue to grow their knowledge
Excel but different. Harness this most powerful tool but on a course tailored to your business and needs. Using case studies relevant to your business and often actual files your firm uses on a daily basis we embark on a voyage of discovery. This isn't a boring "watch what I do and copy" course. This is exciting, engaging, funny and enjoyable. Delegates will learn relevant skills but also, because of the delivery methods they will gain an increased enjoyment of using Excel and will retain and implement all of the material covered. They also have access to the trainer for an unlimited amount of time after the course to continue to grow their knowledge
This course is designed to provide delegates that need to use abrasive wheels with an in-depth understanding of the requirements of the law, associated regulations and safe working practices when using abrasive wheels. Book via our website @ ESS | Training Courses | Vp ESS (vp-ess.com) or via email at: esstrainingsales@vpplc.com or phone on: 0800 000 346
This programme concentrates on the core planning skills needed to develop sound practical project plans in a team environment. This enables the plan to be modified should requirements change or difficulties arise. The programme also gives participants the confidence to practise those skills and apply them in the work environment and deliver their projects more successfully in the future. Participants learn fundamental project management concepts and terminology, demystifying the project management process, and, in particular, how to: Break a project down into manageable sections and ensure nothing is left out Understand and apply estimating techniques to develop realistic estimates Sequence work effectively and carry out critical path analysis to determine project duration and which tasks to pay closest attention to Manage project risk effectively to protect project value Monitor, control and re-plan the project to best keep it on track Close out the project and ensure the project comes to an orderly end 1 Introduction Self-introductions and personal objectives Course objectives Sharing of project issues 2 Project management concepts Characteristics of a project and what should be kept as operational responsibilities Understanding the triple and quadruple constraints - and their limitations Prioritising requirements through the MOSCOW technique Product v project life cycle Key project roles and responsibilities - the importance of sponsorship and clarity of roles 3 Starting a project, and the importance of the terms of reference / project brief Avoiding the pressure to 'just do it'! The importance and benefits of planning The best time to learn! Initial project documentation - the BOSCARDI approach 4 Breaking the work down Understanding alternative breakdown structures such as the product breakdown structure and work breakdown structure Guidelines for creating a work breakdown structure to ensure the full work scope is identified 5 Estimating Alternative estimating techniques and associated confidence levels Further considerations - loss and resource factors 6 Organising the work Use of network diagrams to develop a clear sequence of work Critical path analysis and calculating the project duration and task float - and usage 7 The management of project risk Understanding the nature of project risk The risk analysis and risk management processes How to best manage threats and opportunities Running a risk workshop Using the risk register 8 Scheduling the work The importance of the Gantt chart and understanding its limitations The Gantt chart layout and using alternative views such as the tracking Gantt Using alternative dependencies 9 Resource issues Assigning resources and resolving resource overloads Crashing and fast-tracking your project and potential issues to look out for 10 Controlling the project The control cycle and alternative feedback mechanisms Alternative progress reporting Assessing the impact The importance of re-planning The benefits of control Change control - the importance of impact analysis The steps of change control and the use of the issue register 11 Closing the project The project closure checklist Reviewing the project - things to avoid Developing meaningful lessons and ensuring they are applied effectively The post-project review - its importance to the organisation