Many managers question the value of appraisal programmes and many line managers believe appraisals are unduly time-consuming and bureaucratic. Yet the appraisal is a vital starting point when it comes to managing performance effectively and it is vital that managers appreciate this. Handled well, the benefits of formal appraisals are enormous. This thoroughly practical workshop has been designed to give line managers the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver a well-structured appraisal - even in the most challenging circumstances. This course will help participants: Appreciate the benefits of the appraisal process Assess standards of performance objectively Plan and prepare for appraisals effectively Conduct a well-structured appraisal meeting Acquire the essential skills required for effective appraisals Improve their ability to discuss difficult issues more confidently Identify training and development requirements Agree clear and measurable development objectives Complete essential paperwork Understand the need to facilitate continual informal dialogue between appraisals 1 Introduction and course objectives 2 The appraisal process The aim of the appraisal process Understanding the bigger picture - the appraisal process as part of the employee development process The benefits of the appraisal process Common pitfalls Five steps to an effective performance appraisal 3 Step 1 - Assessment Using job standards as the basis for objective assessment Assessment of previous objectives 4 Step 2 - Preparation Documentation required Data on each appraisee Planning the meeting 5 Step 3 - The meeting The skills of appraisal interviewing The structure of the appraisal interview Dealing with poor performance and difficult situations Taking notes and completing documentation 6 Step 4 - Planning ahead and objective setting Identifying action to improve performance and enhance skills Establishing relevant training needs Agreeing SMART performance objectives Formulating a personal development plan 7 Step 5 - Action after the interview Essential paperwork Follow-up and action required between appraisal interviews Continuing informal dialogue 8 Video case study Bullets 9 Conclusion Course review / discussion Preparation of action plans for building on the skills learnt Close
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
Our Level 2 Award in Moving People Safely (RQF) has been designed specifically for those who work or intend to work in a profession that requires assisting and moving people. It is perfect for those who work in a variety of health and social care settings, such as care homes.
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
Masterclasses? Refreshers? Introductions? It depends what you're looking for and where you want to pitch them, but here are six tried-and-tested highly focused sessions that organisations can take individually or as a series, to help develop their teams' project management capabilities one topic at a time. Objectives for each individual session are set out below, as part of the session outlines. Taken together, as a series, however, these modules are an ideal opportunity to develop your team's levels of project management capability maturity, whether that's by introducing them to the basic principles, refreshing them on best practice, or giving them the opportunity to really drill down into a specific area of challenge in your particular operating environment. Session outlines 1 Stakeholder management Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand why stakeholders matter to projects Be able to identify and engage stakeholders Be able to categorise stakeholders by their significance 1 Key principles What does 'stakeholder' mean - in theory? What does this mean in practice? Why stakeholders matter Consequences of missing stakeholders The stakeholder management process:IdentifyAssessPlanEngage 2 Identifying stakeholders Rapid listing CPIG analysis PESTLE analysis Drawing on the knowledge and experience of others Other ways to identify stakeholders 3 Assessing stakeholders Which stakeholders are significant? Stakeholder radar Power-interest maps Power-attitude maps 4 Planning The adoption curve Dealing with obstacles Who should engage which stakeholder? How should the project's organisation be structured? How will communication happen? 5 Engaging Seven principles of stakeholder engagement 2 Requirements and prioritisation Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand how clarity of requirements contributes to project success Use different techniques for prioritising requirements Agree requirements with stakeholders Manage changes to requirements 1 Understanding and managing stakeholder needs and expectations What are 'requirements'? What is 'requirements management'? Sources of requirements - and the role of stakeholders Are stakeholders sufficiently expert to specify their needs? Do they understand the detail of what they want, or do they need help to tease that out? What do stakeholders want to achieve? Working within constraints Prioritising requirements - three techniques 2 MoSCoW prioritisation 'Must have', should have', 'could have, 'won't have this time' When to use MoSCoW 3 The Kano Model Customer satisfaction - 'attractive' and 'must-be' qualities When to use Kano 4 Value-based prioritisation Understanding risk v value Using risk v value to prioritise features and schedules 5 Agreeing requirements Perfect v 'good enough' Establishing acceptance criteria Requirements traceability Agreeing project scope 6 Changing requirements Why requirements change Why change control matters Impact on projects A formal change control process Paying for change - managing change for different types of project 3 Estimating Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand the different purposes estimates satisfy Be able to use different estimating techniques Understand how to achieve different levels of accuracy 1 Key principles What's an estimate? Informed guesswork What needs to be estimated? Costs, resources, effort, duration Tolerances Precision v accuracy 2 Estimating through the lifecycle Start Plan Do 3 Early estimates Comparative ('analogous') estimating Parametric estimating Using multiple estimating techniques 4 Bottom-up estimating Bottom-up ('analytical') estimating Pros Cons 5 Three-point estimating Three-point ('PERT': Programme Evaluation and Review Technique) estimating Uncertainty and the range of estimates Calculating a weighted average Three-point with bottom-up 4 Scheduling Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand how to create a viable schedule Be able to use different forms of schedule Understand the concept of the critical path 1 Key principles The planning horizon Rolling wave planning Release planning 2 Viable scheduling Creating a viable schedule Define the scope Sequence the work Identify the risks and build in mitigations Identify the resources Estimate the effort and durations Check resource availability Refine until a workable schedule is produced 3 Critical path analysis The critical path Network diagrams Sequence logic Practical application:Network diagram with estimated durationsThe 'forward pass'The 'backward pass'Calculating total floatIdentifying the critical pathCalculating free float Gantt charts 5 Risk and issue management Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand the difference between risks and issues Be able to identify and assess risks Understand ways of mitigating risks Manage issues 1 Key principles Understanding risk Threats and opportunities The risk management processPreparation - proactive risk managementThe process - identify, assess, plan, implementStakeholder communication Roles and responsibilities Risk management strategy The risk register Risk appetite 2 Risk identification Brainstorming Interviews Assumption analysis Checklists 3 Risk assessment and prioritisation Probability, impact and proximity Triggers Qualitative risk assessment Qualitative impact assessment Qualitative probability assessment Probability / impact grid Bubble charts Risk tolerance 4 Planning countermeasures To mitigate or not to mitigate? Categories of risk response Avoid and exploit Reduce and enhance Transfer Share Accept Contingency Secondary risks 5 Issue management What is an issue? Tolerances Issues and tolerances The PRINCE2 view of issues Ownership of issues An issue management process Issue register 6 Budgeting and cost control Session objectives This session will help participants: Understand what to include in a budget - and why Choose - and use - the appropriate estimating technique Align the budget with the schedule Understand how to monitor spend and control costs Trouble-shoot effectively to get projects back within budget Session format Flexible. The session can be tailored to the participants' average level of project management maturity - a 60-minute session (delivered virtually) is an effective introduction. A 90-minute session allows for more in-depth treatment. A half-day session (face-to-face or virtual) gives time for a more challenging workshop, particularly to discuss specific cost control issues with any of the participants' current projects. 1 Where is the money coming from? Can we pay from revenue? Do we need to borrow? How long will the project take to pay back? The lifecycle of the budget Through-life costs Stakeholder involvement 2 Estimating costs Reminder: the relationship between estimates Reminder: possible estimating techniques What do we need to estimate?PeopleEquipmentMaterialsFacilities and operating costsWork package estimateEstimated project costs Estimating agile projects 3 Aligning budget and schedule Scheduling and financial periods Spreading the budget 4 Reserves and agreeing the budget Contingency reserve Management reserve Agreeing the budget 5 Cost control Planned spend over time Actual spend over time Work completed over time Evaluating different scenarios: delivery v spend 6 Trouble-shooting Why are we where we are? What has caused the project to spend at the rate it is? Why is it delivering at the rate it is? What are the root causes? What can we do about it?
The need for key staff to have commercial skills is paramount, as the public sector is increasingly opened up as a commercial market, in which organisations compete against each other and the private sector for contracts. Generating additional income and being commercially aware is vital for this to be a success, and is what many public sector organisations are looking to do. This programme will help you: See commercial awareness as not just another skill-set, but as a different mind-set Use a variety of tried-and-tested commercial, analytical decision-making techniques and tools Define your commercial objectives Develop a strategic focus Start looking at service clients as market segments Analyse, in a competitive context, your service offering Plan a commercial strategy, prepare for its implementation and see it through to execution 1 What is commercial thinking? Understand what it means to be a commercial thinker Identifying commercial opportunities often involves not only a different skill set but also a different mindset; looking at the services that you provide 2 Defining strategic commercial objectives Defining your key commercial objectives Prioritising your strategic objectives Two key strategic planning tools:Resource and Competency MatrixPESTLE How to apply these tools to your particular situation 3 Developing a strategic focus Decision-making on how to compete in the markets identified by your strategic objectives requires a strategic focus Developing strategic focus A tool for helping you to make those decisions: using the Ansoff Matrix 4 Defining customer targets How to think more commercially by understanding who all your customers are and how they differ from each other how to apply the principles to your areas to identify the type of customers you have and their key characteristics - Customer segmentation Who are your customers? How do their needs vary? - Scenarios 5 The competitive market place Understanding the competitive forces at play Different types of competition Analysing your competitive environment using Porter's 5 Forces model 6 Meeting stakeholder expectations Two simple models to help you identify the key stakeholders who could influence your commercial environment How to use your stakeholders to help you achieve your commercial objectives 7 Implementation - systems, structures and processes Effective commercial activity involves working with others to implement ideas and strategies What do you need to have in place before you implement your commercial strategy? How to health-check your organisation prior to implementation using the McKinsey 7S framework 8 Implementation - people and culture A good commercial strategy only works if the people involved buy in to the ideas and if the culture of the organisation is conducive to the effective implementation How the latest thinking in behavioural economics can help you develop your culture and people to work commercially 9 Tools and checklists Be more commercial within your sphere of influence using a commercial checklist to help you Using the checklist as a benchmark against the most commercially aware organisations Using the checklist as a health check - both corporately and individually
This course has a simple objective: to help gain appointments with potential clients. In most consultative selling situations clients won't commit to purchases over the telephone. This means setting up a meeting to discuss the options with them face-to-face. But getting 'face time' can be tricky. This practical workshop can help. Participants will acquire essential tools, skills and methods; discuss specific organisational issues; and identify areas for improvement. They will discover how to: Increase their effectiveness through proper preparation Construct attention-grabbing opening statements Help potential clients feel comfortable agreeing to a meeting Develop tactics for responding to difficult excuses and objections Stress the benefits of a face-to-face consultation Develop and enhance their questioning and listening skills Prevent customers cancelling booked appointments 1 Introduction to appointment setting Key trends that have changed the way people buy today - and will buy tomorrow Why many sales people avoid picking up the phone The difference that makes a difference - what makes a good appointment-maker? 2 Before you pick up the telephone It all starts with a plan... Who and what to focus our attention How much research should we undertake and why? Setting primary and secondary objectives 3 Making your approach Key considerations Every call is an opportunity - creating a positive mind-set Using a structured approach Using partnership language 4 Gaining an insight into the customer's needs How to quickly 'tune in' to your customers, so that you can serve them more easily Developing speech patterns that put customers at their ease Using effective questioning and listening skills Finding and building pain points 5 Dealing with excuses and objections Pre-empting potential excuses Developing techniques for responding to client objections Keeping the door open for future contact 6 Securing the appointment Selling the benefits of a consultancy meeting Techniques for avoiding cancelled appointments Gaining commitment 7 Action plans Course summary and presentation of action plans
Key Objectives for the Training provision Effective listening to a client's needs and requirements during various stages of the sales process. Engage in meaningful communication with clients, learn to identify challenges and opportunities that relate to the prospects. Overcome the identified challenge. Build long term rapport and establish trust with the prospect throughout the sales process, Ensure continued customer satisfaction that can turn into repeat business. Be able to build rapport with customers or clients. Know the right questions to ask to fully understand the customer or client’s needs without putting on any pressure. Be able to check you have the right information from the customer or client. Be able to match products and services to the customer or client using the information you have gathered. Be able to influence effectively. Know how to stand out from your competitors. Stage 1 – Research the Company’s ‘Value Propositions’ and USP Analysis Conducting 30 min confidential interviews with a cross-section of the eligible Attendees & the Stakeholders, in order to gain an objective understanding of the various scenarios and clients that the Participants work with. the Company’s ‘Value Propositions’ Unique Selling Points The Customers’ journey(s) The Competition’s offers for analysis and comparisons. From these findings, a carefully calibrated bespoke Programme will be designed and delivered. Stage 2 - Design the Bespoke 2 x day Course nd Stage 3 - Delivery of the Course Programme This Programme can be delivered in 2 x consecutive days, or split between 2 – 3 weeks, to make it more ‘work-friendly’ – if required. It is very practical and commercially focussed in approach, with lots of interactive exercises designed to draw out the learning applications via the debriefings. The ‘Real Play’ scenarios on day 2 will be based on specific case studies drawn from the Research findings so that they are authentic to optimise the learning. Individual Action Plans will be captured at the end of each day to be debriefed by the Participants’ respective Line Managers. Template Programme Day One – Foundation – Strategic Approach Section One – The Principles of Consultative Selling Defining ‘Consultative Selling’ The Company’s ‘Unique Selling Points’ & Value Proposition The Consultative Selling model – the five stages Avoiding appearing ‘pushy’, ‘pressurising’ or ‘talking through the sale’ Section Two –Strategy & Preparation ‘Buy-Class’ Matrix Strategic plan Template – matching services/products to identified needs & opportunities. Preparing a range of objectives Constants and variables – USP’s Researching key Client/Decision Makers’ priorities, profile & background (LinkedIn etc.) Preparing for potential & likely Objections Section Three – Email etiquette & ‘influencing’ email correspondence. Email etiquette A.B.S.U.R.D model Clarity and tone – discovery of clients’ needs & motivational factors. Techniques to influence and ‘nudge’. Ensuring the data and content have a ‘gentle’ motivational & appealing message. Top Tips Day Two – Practical Application Section Four – Rapport Building & Effective Communication skills ‘Behaviour Labelling’ techniques – setting a positive tone. Asking Open Questions – gaining a full understanding of the clients’ priorities & expectations. EQ - Inviting opinions; perspectives; experiences – winning confidence. Active Listening – focus and commitment to understand. ‘Reading the room’ – adapting to responses and reactions. Maintaining focus on relevant topics that the Client cares about; carefully consider the opportunities to influence. But NO PRESSURE! Building a ‘bond of trust’ with commitments and authentic, shared values. Section Five – Explaining the Benefits – aligned to the Customers’ Priorities Understanding ‘Why do People Buy?’ Research data analysis. Open questions that lead to understanding the key issues and Clients’ priorities. Avoiding the danger of ‘pressurising’ the Client. Responding to objections effectively, with confidence and sensitivity. Explaining the benefits that are aligned to the Clients’ stated requirements. Making the Data ‘sing’ – memorable takeaways for the Client. Augmented benefits – Brand confidence; Case studies; Warranty; Service; Range; Flexibility etc. in alignment with their stated preferences/requirements Differentials compared to Competitors Section Six – Winning Commitment Inviting commitment – with confidence Consultative Selling Closing techniques (e.g. Alternative Close/Assumptive Close et al) Avoiding ‘talking through the sale’ – knowing when to ‘Shut UP!’ Confirming agreement – ensuring Clients’ motivation for repeat business Section Seven – Practical Application ‘Real Play’ From the Research findings, carefully devised scenarios can be generated to provide the most valuable learning opportunities to underpin all the skills & techniques covered in the Programme. Potential Real Play scenarios: A well-established customer has indicated that they are soon to be opening up additional new offices – this presents an opportunity to arrange for the Company to support them with their upcoming needs. After some very positive feedback and with the upcoming contract renewal imminent – how can the Company give the Customer more high-quality support in other areas of their business? A Competitor has been to see the client and they have prompted some concerns about ‘value for money’ & ‘quality of service’. How Real Play works… The group is split the group into 2 sub-groups, one with our Professional Actor (option available); the other with the Trainer or a willing Participant. Each group has a brief and has to instruct their Trainer/Actor/Participant on how to approach the scenario supplied. The Actor and Trainer (or willing Participant) perform the role play(s) as instructed by their respective teams; however, during the action they can be paused for further recommendations or direction. The outcome is the responsibility of the team(s) – not the performers. Debrief the full Programme Individual Action Plans - to be followed through. ‘Best Practices’ for application into the business Options for Exercises within the Programme Sample Exercise – Red & White There is a specific time managed agenda and itinerary, which puts the group under pressure. The key challenge is for the sub-groups to maximise the commercial value from the task, however there is always a great danger that the individuals attempt to gain financial progress at the expense of the other group! Debriefing points: Persuasive communication and influence across barriers Gaining buy-in when others are sceptical Strategic planning accounting for others’ behaviours Sample Exercise – Communication Challenge Each Participant has different pieces of information, but are not allowed to share it visually. They are only allowed to communicate to work out the solution hidden among the large amount of data. Debrief: Structured approach Maintaining focus through distractions/interference Active Listening Controlled communication Sample Exercise – Persuasive emails Sample emails are shared to be critiqued and improved upon to be debriefed: Tone & impact Making the Data ‘sing’ Influential & motivational language Customer centric message. Sample Exercise –Juggling Each Participant has to pass the ‘Customers’ (Juggling balls) carefully through the system with all the other Participants to reach a profitable conclusion Debrief: EQ to read the room and effectively communicate, when the pressure is on Customer focus and adapting to challenges Devising a plan that wins buy-in Overcoming competing ideas to get to ‘best practice’ Consistent commitment, communication and motivational drivers that influenced performance. Sample Exercise –Critical Path The group are provided with 30 x discs and some ‘post-it’ notes. (no pens or pencils are allowed) Their brief is to create a grid shape with the 30 x discs, which will act as ‘stepping stones’ for the ‘Critical Path’ But they have to follow the correct order through the grid from the start to finish, which they will have to work out through ‘trial & error’ All of the team must pass through the ‘Critical Path’ worked out on the grid, observing the constraints, within the time limit. No talking is permitted once they start using the materials Debrief: - Clear communication focussing on the ‘client’s journey’ Planning for challenges Identifying risks and mitigating them Role allocations & support Quality control and disciplines Sample Exercise –Back to Back Each Participant is positioned back-to-back with a partner. They have to work out precisely what the ‘statement’ given to the other person is without looking around. Each person has a different brief. Debrief: - Asking Open Questions Active Listening Accuracy in identifying the objective.
The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the key principles and techniques for leading and managing project work. It will focus on the core principles and generic methods of project management, showing how these can be applied to typical projects. The scope of the programme includes: The course also emphasises the importance of the leadership and team-working skills needed by project managers and team members in carrying out their roles. The principal training objectives for this programme are to: Explain and demonstrate the key principles of successful project management Demonstrate a range of useful project management tools and techniques Define the role of, and help participants understand the skills required by, the project leader Illustrate the use of project skills through examples and case studies Identify ways to improve project management, both individually and corporately DAY ONE 1 Introduction (Course sponsor) Why this programme has been developed Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 Key concepts and requirements for success Projects and project management Lessons from past projects; the essential requirements for success Differences between projects; characteristic project life cycles The challenges of project management; the role of the project manager Project exerciseA team exercise to demonstrate the challenges of project management 3 Defining project objectives and scope Identifying the stakeholders; key roles and responsibilities Getting organised; managing the definition process Working with the 'customer' to define the project scope 4 Project case study: part 1 Defining the project objectives: syndicate teams define the objectives and scope for a typical project 5 Project planning The nature of planning; recognising planning assumptions Planning the plan; the importance of team involvement Developing the work breakdown structure Estimating task resources, timescales and costs Developing the project schedule Analysing the plan and identifying the critical path 6 Project case study: part 2 Creating the project plan Syndicate teams begin development of their project plans (for completion after session 7) Team presentations and group discussion (after session 7) DAY TWO 7 Managing project risks Understanding and defining project risks Classifying risks and adopting an appropriate risk strategy Identifying, evaluating and managing project risks Agreeing ownership of project risks; the risk register Integrating planning and risk management 8 Project control Pro-active and re-active control; striking the right balance Pre-requisites for effective, pro-active project control Avoiding unnecessary 'scope creep' and controlling change Selecting the data needed to provide early warning of problems Monitoring project performance: 'S' curves, slip charts, earned value Getting good data and assessing project status Defining the roles and responsibilities for control Setting up a routine process for keeping up to date Managing and controlling multiple projects 9 Project case study: part 3 Controlling the project Teams control their project as new developments take place 10 Course review and transfer planning (Course sponsor present) Identify actions to be implemented individually Identify corporate opportunities for improving project management Sponsor-led review and discussion of proposals Conclusion
Negotiation is an everyday challenge for some whether it be in the office, field or at home. Have you ever walked away from a situation thinking "if I'd only put my thoughts, side, opinion or words across better"? This 2-day course is perfect for managers, supervisors and sales people. It will focus on negotiation skills and the techniques that go with it. In this energy-charged provision you'll learn and practice negotiation, assertiveness and influencing techniques. Course Syllabus The syllabus of the Effective Communication and Influencing course is comprised of seven modules, covering the following: Module One An Introduction to Negotiation Assessment of your current sales and negotiation strengths and improvement areas What is negotiation? Identifying objectives and all factors affecting negotiation The negotiation model - the four stages Module Two The Preparation Stage The significance of preparation and why we need to prepare What do you need to prepare? Preparing a set of objectives: yours and theirs Understanding constants and variables Researching the other party Creating a "win-win" situation Preparing yourself for possible set-backs and objections Module Three The Discussion Stage The importance of rapport building Opening the negotiation The power of effective questioning techniques Improving your listening skills Controlling emotions Spotting the signs - non-verbal communication and voice clues Module Four The Proposing Stage Stating your opening position Responding to offers How to deal effectively with adjournments Module Five The Bargaining and Closing Stage Making concessions - the techniques Adopting key bargaining skills Dealing with objections and underhand tactics Closing techniques Confirming the agreement Creating long term, lasting commitment 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.