1469 Mind courses

This all-inclusive crochet escape will immerse you in a world that you’ll love!  Relax and enjoy a weekend of laughter, great food, and lots of crochet!

To help address this complex and yet commonplace experience, we’ve designed a one-day workshop to help professionals who experience passive-aggressive behaviour and toxic interpersonal communication in the workplace cope more effectively. Designed to be a decisive first step into gaining control over workplace toxicity, over the course of one day, attendees will be taught to recognise patterns of passive-aggressive behaviours and will learn how to respond appropriately to it. The workshop we will work through exercises to help demystify passive-aggressiveness so that it can be rendered increasingly more harmless to those who experience it routinely. Through specially designed exercises informed by the field of Emotion Psychology and Neuroscience you will also learn how to be less affected by it without resorting to repressing your emotions and shutting down.

Elevate your skills in designing, delivering and evaluating engaging and interactive training that will leave a lasting impact on your team or organisation Course overview Duration: 2 days (13 hours) This Train the Trainer workshop will enable you to gain valuable insights and practice helping you to feel more comfortable and confident delivering training sessions. We will look at some training best practice tools and techniques to ensure you can deliver the learning outcomes required. The workshop covers the training cycle but focuses heavily on interactive and practical training techniques to bring learning to life for participants. There will be opportunities to practice delivery of real work-based training and receive feedback on delivery style. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: Explain Kolb’s model of how adults learn Describe the 4 key learning styles and how to engage people with different learning styles Apply the training cycle to plan, design, deliver and evaluate your training Write SMART training objectives Use and select a variety of methods to make your training interactive, engaging and effective Describe ways to deal with difficult participants or situations that may arise Apply your training skills to deliver structured training sessions with more competence and confidence Content The Training Cycle Assessing needs Planning and preparing Implementing training Reviewing Assessing Assessing Needs Understanding the task Assessing the learner’s current ability Identifying the gap Planning and Preparing Having clear outcomes in mind What people learn: o Knowledge o Skill o Understanding How people learn: preferences and learning styles and methods suitable for each Planning a programme Planning a session – a systematic approach Assessing risk Writing and using SOPs in training Key Skills for Effective Training Explanation and Demonstration Questioning and Listening Observation and Feedback Facilitation and Debriefing skills Coaching Using questioning, listening and feedback to help learners solve problems and develop confidence Evaluation and Assessment How to measure reactions and participant satisfaction Use of tests and assessments to measure learning Organisational measures of learning transfer Leverage You will have the opportunity to deliver two training sessions on this programme and gain valuable feedback to support you in your ongoing training delivery. Participants are required to prepare a 15 minute training session. This can be something you have delivered before or something you’ve created for the course. Please prepare and include any visual aids you would usually use when speaking and bring them with you, f possible, please also bring your smart phone (with camera, and memory capacity for a short video clip to be added), and headphones.

This interactive programme will use the topic of equity, diversity, and inclusion to illustrate the problem of unconscious bias and the practical solutions to overcome it. The programme will provide the opportunity for self-reflection, open discussion, and training on some of the softer skills to maximise objectivity in the workplace.

During this 3 hour workshop, you will learn why it is important to relieve stress for both the wellbeing of both your physical and mental health, you will learn some easy and effective methods of relieving stress, that can be incorporated into every day lives. We also discuss the unhealthy methods of coping with, and relieving, stress. Understand that not all methods of stress relief can be, or will be, suitable for all sufferers of stress.  Follow on workshops can be Techniques to Switch Off and the Introduction to Meditation and Mindfulness 

During this 3-hour workshop, you will learn what is depression and the main types of depression. You will learn how to recognise the main symptoms of depression in yourself and others. You will learn the main causes of depression and the various ways to treat and avoid depression. You will also learn that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach and that not all sufferers of depression will suffer the same symptoms and that not all treatments are suitable for all. Follow-on workshops can be Simple Stress Relief Techniques, Techniques to Switch Off and Introduction to Meditation and Mindfulness 

Learn what is pressure, what is stress what is anxiety and the main causes of them all. Establish ways of being able to recognise the main symptoms of both stress and anxiety. Have a better understanding of how pressure at home and/or work can lead to stress. Learn some basic techniques to manage pressure so it does not become overwhelming, potentially leading to stress. Also learn that not all sufferers of stress and/or anxiety will suffer the same symptoms and that not all treatments are suitable for all.

Ensuring that you provide the level of service that your customers want to be delivered through your people. This programme develops the skills and behaviours that enhance the experience that your customers receive.

If you want to bag-make with genuine leather but are nervous of trying it, this weekend is ideal for you. It will give you the confidence to make your own leather bags at home and you’ll make some fab friends along the way! VERY IMPORTANT! Before booking, please check that your machine can cope with sewing at least 6 layers of faux leather or vinyl. Flat sewing is fine – if the machine can do that, we can manage lumps and bumps! **This retreat is a little different from many others in that making a bag isn’t the point of the weekend, although you will indeed make one. The focus is on learning new transferable techniques and skills that you will be able to use on so many bags you make in the future. We have our own ‘Retreat Suite’ of rooms, including a spacious, light and airy sewing room which is equipped with a display screen so everyone can easily see demonstrations from a working viewpoint. We also have our own bathroom and kitchen facilities. If you wish, you are free to continue work after dinner and until as late (or early!) as you like. You will need to bring your own sewing machine, fabric scissors and any other favourite sewing tools, but everything else is provided. We’ll have a good selection of fabrics, vinyls and leather for you to browse and purchase if you wish, at retreat-only prices.  Come and join us in the exclusive Facebook group Bag Makers Retreat at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bagmakersretreat/ for all the latest retreat info, chat, gossip and more, plus a chance to meet other like-minded folks.  If you have dietary requirements, please tell me before you book, so I can be sure we can meet your needs. All meal main courses are included in the retreat fee, as are Saturday and Sunday lunches and breakfasts. Starters, desserts and drinks with meals are not included but the meals are so huge you probably won’t want starters and desserts anyway!! Tea and coffee is available whenever you need, but you do have to make it yourself!  If you’d like to stay an extra night or two, maybe to arrive on Thursday or leave on Monday if you have a long drive, let me know and I’ll check availability with our host. If you’d prefer to travel by train, we are happy to ferry you to and from the station, just ask. Please aim to arrive no later than 2pm as we have a lot of pattern cutting and fabric choosing to get through on Friday! Friday The fun starts here as you arrive at your weekend home-from-home – a beautifully refurbished, 4-star 18th century coaching inn with all the comforts you would expect. You’ll have time to settle into your own delightfully comfortable en-suite room which has all the anticipated little luxuries, before an introductory get-together with me and your companions in the sewing room at 2pm. You’ll be given your own copy of the bag pattern, which is very beginner- and strong domestic machine-friendly (see note in bold at the top of the page), but which will incorporate a lot of features and techniques that are also in much more complex designs, making this an excellent springboard to any leather or other bag you want to make. Then you can wallow in the plentiful stash of leathers and fabrics to choose from. All the leather, fabrics, interfacing, stabiliser, threads and bag hardware you need are supplied. As soon as you’re ready, you can start preparing and cutting out your pattern and some of the bag pieces so we can hit the ground running in the morning. After a superbly-cooked and substantial evening meal at around 6pm or so, you are welcome to continue working in the sewing room or to simply relax and chat there before bed. Saturday After an excellent breakfast, we can really start work learning some new skills and beginning work on construction. You’ll work at your own pace from around 9am with no pressure – I want your weekend to be fun and not stressful! We will walk through the techniques together and I will be there the whole time to answer questions and troubleshoot any tricky bits. You’ll also have the chance to try sewing with faux leather , if you haven’t already, and we’ll explore ways and techniques to use and apply rivets.  Refreshments are freely available all day and you can take a break whenever you wish. A light lunch (with homemade cake!!) is also provided and we’ll have a short break in the middle of the day. The rest of the day will be similar to Friday – sewing, dinner at 6ish and more sewing if you wish to before bed. Do feel free to have a walk or just sit outside for a breather if the weather is kind. Sunday How can it be Sunday already?? Breakfast over, we’ll get back to work. You will need to allow a few minutes to pack and check out of your room, as it has to be made ready for Monday’s guests. Apart from that, it’s uninterrupted sewing (with refreshments and lunch breaks!) until your bag is finished. We’ll be heading off for a lightish lunch at 12.30pm or so. We have the sewing room for the rest of the day. If you don’t quite get done, there’s absolutely no need to worry as you’ll easily be able to complete your bag at home. If you finish earlier feel free to head home whenever you’re ready. Amongst loads of other hints and tips, you’ll learn – Choosing and handling leather How to make professional quality rolled handles Creating and applying custom bag feet How to create a zipped pocket the pro way How to use edge paint and get a professional finish with it Sewing the bag together and topstitching Reducing bulk with leather A sneaky way of getting your bag right-sides-out without ugly seams! An easy way to add a zipper pull without tools Working with different types of rivet machine and loads more. You’ll have an exclusive pattern, created just for the Retreats, which includes comprehensive mini-tutorials and full instructions. And I hope you have a lot of fun and make new friends while you learn!!  I never abandon my students at the end of the course so if you get stuck on anything at home, you are welcome to give me a shout on Messenger and we’ll sort out your problem together. The not-so-small print Book your place using the simple booking system below – just click on your choice of dates and go from there. The full price is £465.00. The deposit of £65 is non-refundable if you cancel but can, however, be credited towards a future retreat booked within the next 6 months. It is completely refundable if I or the venue cancel. The booking page only shows the Friday, but the course is running until Sunday. The balance of £400.00 is payable by approx 6 weeks before the retreat date and payment instructions will be sent to you in good time. Cancellations 4 weeks or less before the retreat date can only be refunded if someone on the waiting list can come instead. If you book, pay and attend without pre-checking that your machine can sew the required thicknesses, as detailed in the note at the top of the page, I’m afraid no refunds will be given if it proves that your machine can’t cope during the Retreat. I may have a machine available to lend, but can’t promise one. *Don’t worry that your booking confirmation may be headed Unicorn Studios – it’s just the site that I’ve run my booking system from for years… it’s not a scam!! *

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 delivering the best customer care.