5685 Objective courses

Conflict is a word that conjures up many emotions. It is something that most people would prefer to avoid, if possible. Work can be an emotive place. Positive relationships can make your life at work exciting, motivating and challenging, whilst relationships that do not hold value to you could make your life very difficult and stressful, especially if there is conflict between you and your manager. This course is essential for people who want to understand where conflict can be used to positive effect and how to manage conflict in your working relationships and see it as something positive that can stimulate the environment. Research has shown that relationships at work are an extremely high motivational factor, and for a lot of people it has a higher importance that salary! Therefore, it is essential that we invest in relationships and search out new ways to make them better in order to have a more positive influence on our surroundings. By understanding why other people are in conflict we can manage the conversation a lot better, with outcomes managed more effectively so the 'conflict' will add value to the organisation. This participative event will cover a wide variety of exercises and personal stories, and leave course participants with a clear strategy to identify when they are in conflict with someone and how they will structure their approach to get to a satisfactory outcome. This is a workshop that targets anyone where conflict needs to be managed and cannot seem to resolve it, whether internally or externally. At the end of the day, participants will: Know their key relationships and the strength of those relationships Complete the Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI) to identify where you deploy your strengths Understand what is important to you and your key stakeholders Know how motivational value systems can influence behaviour Tailor your communication style to match that of your opposite party Know conflict strategies to resolve conflict in others Learn to be more assertive when challenging Achieve key personal, departmental and organisational objectives 1 Where are you now? How effective are your current working relationships? Can I work effectively without the input from others? Who do you need to be a success? 2 The Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI) Completion of the SDI questionnaire An understanding of the theory A 'trip around the triangle' Predicting relationship interaction Your scores and what they mean in your relationships 3 Conflict theory What is conflict? The 3 flags of conflict What are your conflict triggers? Your conflict scores plotted The conflict sequence 4 Conflict resolution strategies Early warning signs Most productive behaviours Least productive behaviours Preventable / unwarranted conflict Review of the dynamic triangle Review of the day, personal learning and action planning

In today's fast-moving competitive environment, sales are often made or lost on the strength of a telephone conversation or a brief email. This means that not only is customer service everyone's responsibility - so is sales. Customer service staff are failing the customer if they don't think about sales. And sales staff are failing customers if they don't think about service. And anyone failing a customer is failing both themselves and their employer. Too often, customer service staff feel neither capable nor empowered to recognise or capitalise upon a sales opportunity. Too often, sales people pursue the short-term opportunity at the expense of the bigger picture. The good news is - it doesn't have to be this way! Sales and customer service skills can be acquired, developed and polished just like any other skill. This tried-and-tested programme shows you how to do it. As a result of this course, participants will be able to: Take control of a customer conversation, with confidence Refresh and polish their customer service and sales performance Recognise and develop a sales opportunity Engage the customer and build rapport Identify a customer's needs Match the customer's needs to the organisation's products or services Handle objections confidently Ask for the order At the end of the workshop each participant will have developed their own action plan for developing and using their skills in the workplace. 1 Introduction Course overview, objectives and introductions 2 Serving or selling? Feelings and attitudes - How we can affect the outcome by our feelings and behaviour What is selling? - Selling is helping people to buy, identifying the opportunities that exist within the conversation to develop the customer's interest in our products or services 3 Developing the right skills Communication- The impact of body language, voice tone and words- How to make the best impression on the customer and create a 'buying environment' Rapport-building- What makes a good working relationship?- What do customers look for when they call us?- How can we match their expectations in terms of our own interpersonal skills? Relating to different types of people by identifying and matching their communication style on the telephone 4 Making it easy for the customer Starting it right- Opening the conversation positively- Building rapport- How to develop interest in our products or services Gaining and clarifying information- Questioning skills and questioning style- What do we need to know from the customer?- How can we use that information in the conversation? Active listening- The most under-rated skill of all- Picking up on the 'Golden Moments' when a customer shows they may be interested Presenting information confidently- Knowing the benefits of our products or services- How to tell the customer what they need to know in order to enable them to buy Closing on a positive note- When and how to ask for commitment Dealing with the customer's objections and concerns in a positive manner 5 Course summary and action plans Review of main learning points Presentation of personal action plans

If you're looking to move to the next level in your career in sales, then understanding how to maximise your sales results, using a consultative and structured approach, will be key to your success. In order to develop the competitive advantage that enables you to stand out from the crowd, it is important to understand the tools and techniques to take your selling to new heights and build the confidence to apply them in work-based scenarios. We have developed this programme to be practical, fun and interactive. Learners will gain a range of practical skills that they can take back and apply to the workplace straight away, that will have a positive impact on sales and customer satisfaction. This course will help participants: Develop a structured and client-focused approach to creating high quality sales opportunities and account growth Learn persuasion and influencing skills to better define needs and develop opportunities Understand how to have better sales conversations, presentations, and proposals - leading to higher order value and increased sales Develop advanced sales questioning skills and techniques; understand the importance of listening Understand how to add value at all stages; plus gaining competitive advantage Develop proven ways to overcome and reduce price pressure Know when to use options and upselling when presenting products and solutions Develop techniques and skills for improved negotiation and closing 1 Advanced Selling - How to Increase your sales results Review of pre-course data and questionnaire The AVC model of increasing your sales results Creating a sales growth plan to achieve higher sales targets Mapping the accounts and products for targeted growth 2 The Four Cs to structure a sales call Research before the meeting or call; setting objectives, planning and preparation How to gain instant rapport and taking control - including online meetings Qualifying and initial questioning skills Creating an agenda and first-meeting structure: Four Cs Planning and practice sessions 3 Building bigger and better sales opportunities How to use questions to 'build' more opportunities Learning and using high-impact and third-level questions Advanced sales questioning techniques: five questioning techniques Qualifying and gaining commitment to the next stage Planning and practice sessions - advanced questioning skills 4 Presentation and persuading skills best practice Compelling benefits and reducing perceived risk - key messages to deliver Helping the customer choose your proposition by using options Professional and effective presentation skills Writing compelling sales proposals that improve your conversion rate Planning and practice session - presenting your solution 5 Overcoming concerns and client questions Proven techniques for answering client objections and concerns How to isolate, prioritise and answer objections, including price Overcoming delay and procrastination Planning and practice session - answering client concerns 6 Gaining commitment and closing the sale Knowing when to close for commitment How to ask for commitment professionally and effectively Key negotiation skills around the closing process - getting to 'yes' Checklist of closing and negotiation skills Practice session

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

When managers have too many decisions to make, it can have a serious impact on the speed and efficiency of the organisation. When those decisions are commercial ones, the results can wreak havoc with the bottom line. Often the problem arises when those below them or in operational areas of the organisation aren't equipped or allowed to make a decision for themselves. Issues get passed back up and that wastes time. This programme provides a solution, giving your entire team the skills to: And most importantly, they'll be able to do this in line with the broader aims and commercial objectives of the business. By the end of the programme participants will be able to: Fully appreciate the importance of effective decision-making in business Use the five-step 'Stop, Think, Act!' decision-making process Stop leaping to conclusions Really understand the situations and decisions they are dealing with Identify good options Evaluate those options Make decisions and then put them into action Apply these tools and techniques to all their decisions in future 1 Understanding the business we work in What are the critical factors in our business? What is the SWOT analysis for our business? 2 Understanding what decision-making is 3 Background Culture of 'having to be doing' To change things we have to think about it! We are paid to make decisions! 4 Recognise the opportunity to make a decision 5 The 'Stop, Think, Act!' technique 6 STOP! Recognise the opportunity to make a decision Don't leap to conclusions Get ready to think Initial questions:Is this my decision? (Do I have the authority?)Who is this going to affect? (Do they need to be included?)When do I need to make the decision? (What's the timeline?) 7 THINK! The 3 Cs - making sure we understand the decisions we have to make What is the context of this decision?What is the overall situation?Why is this decision important?What do we need to achieve?What will success look like? Do I have clarity about the decision I need to make?Can I write it down?Can I express it clearly in two sentences? What are the criteria?What are the critical commercial factors that we will use to select our options?What will we use to measure the business success? 8 ACT! Identifying options What data do I need to collect?Issues with today's overloadIdentifying what will help you Select optionsHow many options?Must match your criteriaMust achieve success'Decision compass' exercise Analyse optionsTabular methodRisk analysis (likelihood v effect)Head, heart and gut (is there any organisational history/bias that we are up against?) Making your decision Taking it to actionFirst actionsPlanning how to make it happen

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 aim of this programme is to provide current / prospective senior project managers with an in-depth review of the role and importance of project management in the organisation. It focuses on the strategic role of the project manager and aims to draw out the full scope of the role and how it impacts on project performance. The five key objectives of this programme are to enable the participants to: Identify the characteristics and attributes needed by project managers in ensuring the organisation is recognised as an industry leader in delivering successful projects Understand the full scope and impact of the project manager / leader's role in managing projects or programmes to maximise benefit to the business Define the hallmarks and skills required to manage significant business projects or project portfolios Develop an understanding of the skills required and their impact on the project through case study work and syndicate exercises Benefit from an effective forum for exchanging experience and fostering a sense of team spirit and mutual support between senior project managers DAY ONE 1 Introduction (Course sponsor) A vision of future opportunities and challenges The impact of project managers / leaders on future success 2 The determinants of success The contractor's perspective The client's perspective Success and failure: factors that determine the project outcome The impact of the project manager 3 Case study: Project Giotto How successful was this project? What were the primary factors that influenced the outcome? How relevant are these factors to current projects? Feedback and review 4 Project team exercise A practical exercise demonstrating the role of the project manager in managing the interfaces between the client, the project team and suppliers Review - what skills are required to be a 'world class' project manager? 5 The role of the Project Manager The role and skills of the 'world class' project manager The three key dimensions of effective project leadershipManaging influential stakeholdersManaging project performanceManaging the project team Project leadership skills appraisal (individual review) DAY TWO 6 Managing influential stakeholders Project management and the art of leadership Who are the influential stakeholders and how do they affect the project? What we need to do / not do, to build successful working relationships 7 Case study: Understanding the customer What are the likely problems the project manager will encounter? What should the project manager do to ensure an effective partnership? 8 Managing project performance Issues affecting commercial performance Joining up the project life-cycle: getting performance from inception to closure The roles of project manager, line manager and project sponsor 9 Project team exercise: Making the promise / delivering the promise An exercise demonstrating the commercial and team leadership skills needed by the project manager Review - what must the project manager do to optimise project performance? 10 Managing multi-functional project teams The challenges of building effective, multi-functional project teams Co-ordinating work across functional and organisational boundaries Maintaining strategic focus and balancing priorities 11 Making it happen Individual action planning Syndicate discussion 12 Course review and transfer planning (Course sponsor present) What will we do differently? How will we make it happen? Conclusion

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

In today's competitive business world firms are under unprecedented pressure to deliver value to their shareholders and other key stakeholders. Senior executives in all parts of the organisation are finding that they need some degree of financial know how to cope with the responsibility placed on them as business managers and key decision-makers; monitoring and improving business performance, investing in capital projects, mergers and acquisitions: all require some degree of financial knowledge. The key financial skills are not as difficult to learn as many people believe and in the hands of an experienced senior executive they can provide a formidable competitive advantage. After completing this course delegates will be able to: Understand fundamental business finance concepts; understand, analyse and interpret financial statements: Profit Statement, Balance Sheet and Cashflow Statement Understand the vital difference between profit and cashflow; identify the key components of working capital and how they can be managed to generate strong cashflow Evaluate pricing decisions based on an understanding of the nature of business costs and their impact on gross margin and break-even sales; managing pricing, discounts and costs to generate strong business profits; understand how lean manufacturing methods improve profit Use powerful analytical tools to measure and improve the performance of their own company and assess the effectiveness of their competitors Apply and interpret techniques for assessing and comparing investment opportunities in capital projects, business acquisitions and other ventures; understand and apply common methods of business valuation Understand the role of business finance in formulating and implementing competitive business strategy; the role of budgeting as part of the planning process and the various approaches to budgeting and performance measurement 1 Basic principles Delivering value to key stakeholders Accounting concepts, GAAP, IFRS and common terms Understanding and using the balance sheet Understanding and using the profit statement Recognising the vital difference between profit and cashflow Understanding and using the cashflow statement What financial statements can and cannot tell us 2 Managing and improving cashflow Sources of finance and their advantages and disadvantages What is working capital and why is it so important? Managing stocks, debtors and creditors Understanding how working capital drives business growth Understanding and avoiding the over-trading trap Unlocking the funds tied up in fixed assets: asset backed loans and leasing 3 Managing and improving profit Understanding how profits generate cashflow The fundamental nature of costs: fixed and variable business costs Understanding gross margin and break-even How common pricing methods affect gross margin and profit Effective strategies to improve gross margin Using value chain analysis to reduce costs Lean manufacturing methodsUnderstanding Just-in-time, 6 Sigma and Kaizen methods Improving profitEffective and defective strategies 4 Measuring and managing business performance Measures of financial performance and strength Investor behaviour: the risk and reward relationship Return on investment (ROI): the ultimate measure of business performance How profit margin and net asset turnover drive return on net assets Why some companies are more profitable that others Understanding competitive advantage: cost and differentiation advantage Why great companies failWhat happened to Kodak? Using a 'Pyramid of Ratios' to improve business performance Using Critical Success Factors to develop Key Performance Indicators 5 Budgeting and forecasting methods Using budgets to support strategy Objectives and methods for effective budgets Using budgets to monitor and manage business performance Alternative approaches to budgeting Developing and implementing Balanced Scorecards Beyond Budgeting Forecasting methods and techniques Identifying key business drivers Using rolling forecasts and 'what-if' models to aid decision-making

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