228 MOT courses in Leicester

Today's administrative professional needs flexibility and a broad portfolio of skills including self-motivation, assertiveness, and the ability to deal with difficult people. You will benefit from this course if you are an administrator, medical/legal secretary or PA, who wants to enhance your administrative support skills, as well as evaluating your existing techniques. This course will help you identify: your areas of strength and your areas for improvement in the work environment ways to accept new challenges and responsibilities with confidence what motivates you at work techniques to improve your planning and time management ways of improving your influencing and assertiveness skills your preferred working style (and relate it to your interaction with others) ways of using your initiative how to deal with challenging people, using recognised communication methods The course will help you develop a flexible set of skills that will allow you to succeed at work, no matter what the day throws at you. It will help you communicate effectively with a diverse range of colleagues and others with tact and diplomacy. And, finally, it will help you provide the administrative support that is essential for the smooth running of your area and of the organisation as a whole. 1 Introduction Overview Introductions Individual objectives 2 What exactly is your role? Before looking at new skills and techniques, where are you now? Do you have the skills, knowledge and attitude required to be an exceptional administrator? Understand your job criteria Identifying your strengths and areas for development Activity - skills analysis Activity - action plan 3 Building trust How can you build trust? Understanding the links between reliability, consistency and trust What is required to deliver efficient service? Activity: efficient service requirements of the professional administrator 4 Working styles Identifying your working style preference Understanding the importance of a flexible approach Identifying areas of improvement to become a more effective team member Activity: Questionnaire (completing, scoring and charting) Activity: drawbacks of my style Developing your working style 5 Assertiveness Understand the differences between behaviours Activity: Definition and characteristics of assertive / aggressive / passive behaviour Activity: Identifying different behaviours Understanding how to be more assertive How to use assertiveness techniques How to ask for feedback Activity: Making requests assertively Activity: Refusing requests assertively 6 Time management The importance of planning for success The importance of managing interruptions The importance of having clear purpose Time management best practices Activity: How do you plan your time? What prevents you improving your time management? How will you recognise success? 7 Prioritisation How to prioritise work to meet deadlines The prioritisation matrix Activity: Post it! 8 Dealing with interruptions The impact interruptions have on productivity How to manage interruptions Activity: What interruptions do you experience? What tactics can be employed to reduce these interruptions? 9 Close Open forum Summary Action planning

The work of a technical team is invariably challenging and often unpredictable. Definition of the work can be problematic, timescales can be hard to estimate and the right technical approach difficult to select. Staff involved in this type of work usually have very high levels of specialist knowledge in their field and have high expectations of those who lead them. In addition to the challenges of the work, the team leader often has to balance the need for professional excellence with financial and commercial considerations and to ensure that team goals are realistic by being an effective negotiator with other project and senior managers. These characteristics make technical team leadership a demanding and complex activity. This programme aims to help participants develop the skills needed to become an effective technical team leader. The objectives of this programme are to help participants: understand the significance of leadership skills and their impact on team performance review the key skills needed to be an effective, 'multi-dimensional' team leader and learn how to develop, adapt and apply them in practice learn how to identify the preferred leadership style for the context and organisational culture and how to develop personal style versatility understand the role of the project leader in building an effective team and the skills required to promote and sustain team performance gain a better understanding of the interpersonal skills needed to motivate individual team members and harness the full potential of the team DAY ONE 1 Technical teams and leadership What is a leader? How much can leadership be learned? The team environment and the impact of leadership skills The characteristics of high performance teams and their leaders Some useful models and theories of leadership explored Types of leadership; choosing how to use leadership power Evaluating personal leadership style; how to develop style flexibility 2 Essential skills for team leaders 3 key dimensions of effective leadership: inwards, outwards and upwards Developing and promoting a 'team vision': strategic thinking skills The vital role of communication skills and how to develop them Understanding others; emotional intelligence skills Being a visible leader; behavioural and influencing skills Building effective relationships; the importance of trust and respect DAY TWO 3 Leading inwards to build the team The role of leadership in developing team performance Understanding individuals in the team; recognising team role preferences Managing conflict and promoting positive team dynamics Setting standards, maintaining discipline and rewarding performance Harnessing team potential: building motivation within the team Promoting team learning; the team leader as coach / mentor 4 Leading outwards and upwards to support the team Negotiating realistic team goals; effective influencing skills Gaining empowerment and support from the key stakeholders Leading upwards: knowing when and how to take the initiative Building team credibility within the organisation; helping the team deliver Becoming an effective team player in leadership teams Building and maintaining rapport with influential stakeholders

Bad news - people don't buy your product. Better news - they don't buy anyone else's product either. Best news - they do buy what a product gives them, whether it be removing 'pain' or giving 'pleasure'. So what a challenge it is that every single person buys your product for a slightly different reason! What's the secret to selling in that sort of sales environment? This programme provides a great roadmap. This course will help participants: Build rapport with authenticity Use open questions, listening and summary to properly understand the prospect Use 'impact' questions to 'stack the pain' of remaining with the status quo Convert features into personalised benefits that reflect stated needs Handle objections with calm confidence Identify buying signals Close effectively Convey credible urgency centred on the prospect's - not the salesperson's - interests 1 What makes a customer buy any product? Moving towards 'pleasure' Moving away from 'pain' Robert Cialdini's Psychology of Influence - buying motives Understanding what your product does for customers Why there is never a 'one size fits all' approach What are the real 'unique selling points' and why the salesperson is the real 'USP' At what point does the customer emotionally buy your product? 2 Getting past gatekeepers What gatekeepers' motivations are How to make them your friend rather than your enemy How to make your call harder to block than to put through How to control the gatekeeper with questions, not answers Using Cialdini's 'reciprocity' law to get put through more often Practical exercise in which the trainer poses as gatekeeper 3 Questioning and listening skills How to use open questions to get the customer talking What questions to avoid and why How to 'stack the pain' of the status quo with 'impact questions' Practical 'pain stacking' exercise in pairs What listening is and what it isn't Question funnelling - how to earn deeper disclosure through probing Practical funnelling exercise in pairs The power of summary 4 How to create tailored benefits and not 'dive into solution' What is 'diving into solution'? Examples and analogies Why it is to be avoided Practical exercise in pairs - how it feels to have solutions offered up too early How to avoid 'feature-dumping' What is 'value selling'? How to create tailored benefits How to convert product features into benefits How to deal with the prospect's competitor allegiance 5 Handling objections and testing the water How to overcome the price objection by selling value Common objections the participants encounter and answers that work The objections salespeople carry in their own heads The 'A-C-E' objection-handling model How to uncover objections When - and when not - to trial close 6 Closing skills Why salespeople often close too early How to identify buying signals How to use urgency with skill and effectiveness Four killer closing techniques that work How to avoid buying the product back by careless post-sale talk How to ask for referrals for your product How to 'farm' the account for future opportunities 7 Wrap-up Key learnings from each participant Individual action planning - steps that can and will be implemented in the workplace

The leadership role of the project manager is increasingly recognised as a key determinant in delivering success. These skills can often be critical in project situations, where tight budgets and deadlines demand the highest levels of team performance and where the working environment presents fresh challenges on a daily basis. This programme focuses on the leadership skills required of project managers and will benefit anyone involved in managing projects large or small wishing to extend or enhance those skills. The objectives of this programme are to help the participants: Understand the significance of leadership skills to the project manager and the impact of these skills on project performance Review the key skills needed to be an effective 'multi-dimensional' project leader and learn how to develop, adapt and apply them in practice Learn how to identify the preferred leadership style for the context and organisational culture of a project and how to develop personal style versatility Understand the role of the project leader in building an effective team and the skills required to promote and sustain team performance Gain a better understanding of the interpersonal skills needed to motivate individual team members and harness the full potential of the team DAY ONE 1 Introduction Aims and objectives Personal objectives 2 Project management and leadership What is a leader? How much can leadership be learned? The project environment and the impact of leadership skills The characteristics of high performance project teams and their leaders 3 Principles of effective leadership Some useful models and theories of leadership explored Types of leadership; choosing how to use leadership power Evaluating personal leadership style; how to develop style flexibility 4 Syndicate case study: Leadership in action Review of the role of leadership in a contemporary project Feedback and plenary discussion: effective project leadership 5 Team exercise: Leadership skills of the project manager Teams compete in performing a project simulation Project review and feedback Discussion of the outcome: role and skills of the project leader 6 Leadership skills for project managers The 3 dimensions of project leadership: inwards, outwards, and upwards The vital role of communication skills and how to develop them Developing a 'project vision': strategic thinking skills Understanding others; emotional intelligence skills Being a visible leader; behavioural and influencing skills Building effective relationships; the importance of trust and respect DAY TWO 7 Leading the project team The role of leadership in developing team performance Understanding individual strengths; recognising team role preferences Managing conflict and promoting positive team dynamics Setting standards, maintaining discipline and rewarding performance Harnessing team potential: building motivation within the team Promoting team learning; the team leader as coach / mentor 8 Leading through the organisation Gaining the support others; developing effective influencing skills Getting empowerment from key stakeholders Knowing when and how to take the initiative and lead Building and maintaining rapport with key partners Becoming an effective team player in leadership teams Becoming a business leader; leading colleagues and co-workers 9 Team exercise: Leadership and negotiation Teams engage in a negotiation exercise Exercise review and feedback Discussion of the outcome: negotiation skills of the project leader 10 Negotiation skills for project leaders Characteristics of effective negotiators Classic problem behaviours and mind-sets to avoid Getting to win-win; building partnership and trust 11 Leading more senior stakeholders The challenges and skills of leading and managing upwards Communicating with more senior stakeholders; building credibility Negotiating upwards: knowing when and how The role of networking skills; building and maintaining rapport Handling disagreements; the art of diplomacy Handling personality and style conflicts with more senior people

The 2-day Coaching and Mentoring for Managers course is designed for organisations that want their managers and team leaders to apply practical coaching and mentoring skills in everyday work situations in order to develop the performance of those they are responsible for, as well as improving communication within the business. Previous attendees have included chief executives, general managers, and HR managers, right through to production line supervisors and office staff. In fact, anybody that has to work as part of a team and relies on other people's efforts will benefit from this programme. Course Syllabus The syllabus of the Coaching and Mentoring for Managers course is comprised of four modules, covering the following: Module One Introduction to Coaching and Mentoring Exploding the myths surrounding coaching Benefits of coaching and mentoring The role of a coach and mentor How to avoid everyday interference that takes your time away from coaching people to achieve results How motivation works The difference between mentoring, coaching, directing, supporting & delegating, and learning when it is necessary to apply them Why coaching is an action orientated partnership purely focused on measurable results Coaching and mentoring outcomes Module Two Managing a Coaching Session The most important skills of a business coach The key characteristics of a good coach How to ask powerful coaching questions Opportunity to role-play using the STAR/GROW model Module Three Mentoring in Action Mentoring suggestions The first meeting Between first and second meetings The second meeting The Experiential learning cycle Model discussions Frequent questions asked by Mentors Duration of mentoring End of relationships Module Four Putting Learning into Practice Building a bank of great coaching questions Demonstration of what has been taught in a live coaching/mentoring meeting Individual feedback from a professional coach Creating SMART action plans Getting started as a work coach/mentor Group review and feedback on new learning Action steps for new coaches Scheduled Courses Unfortunately this course is not one that is currently scheduled as an open course, and is only available on an in-house basis. Please contact us for more information.

Any team member with Customer interaction (including internal) are the 'Ambassadors' of the company/organisation. If they project positive professionalism - they win others' confidence. If they appear or sound like they are in any way indifferent or unprofessional - they will cost sales and lose clients/customers. With this 2 day Training course, that will be tailored to your company/organisation, each person attending will upgrade their professional standards in people skills, telephone manner and email etiquette. No training in this area may well be a false economy as there is a much greater risk of disenfranchised customers and team members - and probably increases your competitors to win business at your expense. Professional customer care is all too frequently regarded as a token issue in most induction sessions for employees. Surprisingly it is very rarely considered as a key priority, despite being essential for ensuring customer commitment is secure and supplier/partnerships are robust. Excellent customer care is paramount in our ever increasingly competitive market and making customers feel valued and looked after is often a differentiator. This 2-day course will help you understand your customers and the vital importance of customer care in any organisation. You will gain the tools and techniques to apply your learning directly back into the workplace and deliver excellent customer care. Course Syllabus The syllabus of the Professional Customer Care course is comprised of four modules, covering the following: Module One What is Excellent Customer Care? Internal versus external customers Why customer care is important Meeting customer expectations Module Two Making a Personal Difference How do you measure customer care? Making a difference Taking ownership Positive mental attitude Displaying professionalism both face-to-face and over the telephone Using positive language Module Three Gathering Information and Offering Solutions Asking the right questions Active listening skills Summarising and clarifying skills Module Four Dealing with Difficult Situations How to give a 'service' no Demonstrating empathy Assertiveness techniques Handling a complaint Problem solving Saying 'sorry' Making realistic promises and keeping them Real Play Scenarios with a Professional Actor (Optional Extra) This programme benefits significantly from our innovative training feature: Real Play. Using a professional actor who performs role plays as different customer characters in carefully devised situations, the delegates have the opportunity to 'pause' the role play to coach and control their character to improve their skill sets and practice the theory delivered. These scenarios can deal with difficult situations and enacting options to ensure good customer relations are intact. The outcome of the scenario is the responsibility of the delegates, not the trainer and actor. The actor will remain in character throughout the de-brief in order to bring to life the impact and possible next steps. Objectives By the end of the course participants will be able to Adopt a professional telephone manner Communicate assertively by taking control and directing the conversation Deliver information positively by offering options and alternatives Develop a range of versatile behaviours to use when dealing with difficult situations by: Listening actively Using empathy Gathering relevant information through effective questioning Finding solutions to concerns/problems quickly and efficiently Speaking positively and assertively What Is The Benefit? For individuals this course will increase confidence and ability to deal with customers in all situations, which will in turn create customer loyalty and raise their profile. For an employer, ensuring that all customer facing employees are demonstrating excellent customer care instils confidence in the customers and promotes a positive image of the company. In-House Courses Every single team member or employee that has a role which involves engaging with a customer, client and/or a key partner/supplier has a responsibility for projecting a positive image of the organisation which they represent. That may sound obvious, but how many hundreds of experiences have you had as a customer where you were treated with indifference and a distinct lack of professionalism by the receptionist, the retail assistant, the tele-agent, the delivery person, the credit controller or the departmental manager of the operation that you were dealing with? Far too many to count? This is because professional customer care is regarded as a token issue in most induction sessions for employees - and it is very rarely considered as a key priority to ensure customer commitment is secure and supplier/partnerships are robust. Yet the hugely expensive churn in customer/client commitments and staff is enormously expensive and immensely disruptive to any organisation. The Importance of Customers and Clients Every client/customer engaging person needs to recognise that it is ultimately the client or customer that pays their wages. If they gain a basic understanding of the clients' motivations and behaviours, coupled with some core skills in how to care for them, they will attain the status of 'professional'. This will very quickly translate into increased revenues, retained loyalty, high commitment and far greater security for all parties. The foundation has to be based on the authentic commitment to both the customer and also to the organisation they work for. Disenfranchisement readily curdles into sloppy behaviours cloaked in unprofessional attitudes and demeanours; plenty there to repel the most loyal of customers. If your company or organisation relies on repeat business and retaining the confidence and commitment of your clients, then all of your team members - perhaps including managers who set the example and have the biggest influence on the where the needle points to in relation to professionalism - need to be trained on the core basics of professional customer care. Customer Care Programmes from Dickson Training Ltd We are delighted to boast about the many successes we have had in providing effective and long lasting improvements for many clients, where awards have been won and, more importantly, talent has been retained because their clients and customers keep on coming back. Professional customer care extends to suppliers and partners that you value and need to get the best service and rates from, as well as any 'internal clients' such as other departments where you need to rely on their support and collaboration in order to achieve your goals. It is amazing what effective professional customer care training can do for any organisation. Without it your organisation may be vulnerable, with it you are much more likely to see increased performances and much greater security and growth. Scheduled Courses Unfortunately this course is not one that is currently scheduled as an open course, and is only available on an in-house basis. Please contact us for more information.

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.

If you're looking for a short, sharp high-impact intervention that will help motivate and inspire your sales team then a 'bite-sized' session could be just what you're looking for. We have a range of sessions that can be delivered on an 'off-the-shelf' basis, or they can be tailored to your specific requirements or, of course, we can develop something specifically for you on an entirely bespoke basis. And the length of the session is entirely up to you - 45-minutes, an hour, a half-day - whatever you prefer. Sessions can be run for small groups as part of your regular team meetings or they can be delivered for larger audiences, conference-style - the choice is yours. The session outlines below are just to give you an idea of the possibilities. If one of them whets your appetite please just give us a call on 01582 463463 to talk through what we can do for you - we're here to help!

Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) is commonly used to help establish safe minimum levels of maintenance, determine changes to operating procedures and help establish maintenance regimes and plans. Successful implementation can result in cost savings, machine uptime and improved risk management. But the devil's in the detail - how can you achieve these benefits and successfully implement RCM in your organisation? This programme will help you do just that. Note: this is a purely indicative outline. The content, duration, objectives and material used can all be adapted to match your specific requirements. To provide a better understanding of RCM, particularly: What, why, how and who? Opportunities and benefits Risks Cost effectiveness Note: this is a purely indicative outline. The content, duration, objectives and material used can all be adapted to match your specific requirements. 1 What is maintenance? Why maintain? Traditional maintenance methods Common current practices and trends 2 What is Reliability Centred Maintenance? Its history Its development Current usage Where can it be cost-effective? 3 How does it work? Basic features Key criteria Maintenance options Key outcomes 4 Making the business case and preparing the strategy Identifying and quantifying current risks Identifying and quantifying current costs Motivating decision-makers Identifying and empowering those who have to deliver the results Educating / gaining buy-in from interested parties 5 Implementation Identify business functions Prioritise functions Verify correct usage Identify failure modes Identify the consequences of failure Understand the failure process Specify the appropriate maintenance action(s) 6 Ongoing requirements Monitoring Recording Analysis Continuous re-evaluation 7 Open discussion Sharing experience and addressing specific issues of interest to participants Course review Close

The importance of building services to the success of an organisation has never been greater and continues to grow. Developers and occupiers are becoming more aware of the contribution that building services make to the well being of occupants and hence their perception of the quality of the working environment. Those involved with the design, construction, maintenance and operation will increasingly be required to deliver building services that demonstrable contribution to the occupier's business. Energy efficiency, carbon management and occupant satisfaction depend substantially on the way building services are designed, managed and operated. To optimise these aspects, an informed strategic approach is essential. Tried and tested techniques and processes are available that, when applied holistically, will deliver substantial benefits. This course reviews best practice in the area and inspires participants to ensure that building services perform at their optimal level. To provide a better understanding of how building services can be designed, managed and operated to: Maximise occupant comfort, satisfaction and wellbeing Add value and contribute to the success of the business of the occupier Improve health safety Reduce operating cost, energy use, carbon emissions and environmental impact Optimise cost and value Provide strategies for continuous improvement and sustainable operation 1 Building services fundamentals The function of services in commercial buildings and their importance to the core business 2 Techniques and processes for optimising cost and value Programmed operation evaluation Continuous commissioning Lifetime product management Performance-based service Energy efficiency and the scope for environmental improvement 3 Making the business case and preparing the strategy Motivating decision-makers Empowering those who have to deliver the results Managing business risk 4 Strategy implementation and monitoring results Ensuring that rich and robust feedback is available to support continuous improvement and strategy enhancementWhen to get feedbackWhyHowWhat to do with it 5 Case histories and 'air time' Sharing experience and addressing specific issues of interest to participants Course review Close