619 Organ courses in Edinburgh

Finance doesn't have to be a puzzle. And if you want to get anywhere with your career, it had better not be! Whatever your role, you have an impact on the financial wellbeing of the organisation you work for, whether you've got specific financial responsibilities or not. This thoroughly practical, fun and enjoyable one-day workshop will help unpuzzle finance for you. It's an ideal opportunity to master the terminology, get to grips with the concepts, learn how 'the finance department' works and understand the part you play. This course will help participants: Appreciate the role and importance of Finance within organisations Be able to recognise and describe some of the common items and jargon used Identify the elements of the Profit & Loss and the Balance Sheet Understand cashflow Make better decisions Manage budgets 1 Introduction Expectations Terminology Key financial principlesAccrualsConsistencyPrudenceGoing concern 2 The three main financial statements Profit & Loss accountIncomeCost of salesGross profitAdministrative expenses ('overheads')Net profit/(loss) for the financial year (the 'bottom line')P&L format Balance SheetTerminologyFixed AssetsCurrent AssetsCurrent LiabilitiesLong-term LiabilitiesCapitalB/S format Cashflow Statement Financial and management information systems 3 Budgets and forecasts Why budget? Types of budget - incremental or zero-based Budgeting for costs - fixed and variable Budgeting for income An eight point plan for budgeting for your department Case study: Small Brother Ltd Problems and solutions 4 Accruals Accruals - what and why? Prepayments 5 Open forum

As technology continues to develop and increasingly interact with our daily lives, so must our sales techniques to ensure we're leveraging advances in how people do business to our advantage. It is essential for all salespeople to understand how to navigate the various tools at our disposal and grow their skills and confidence to put them into action in order to build a solid business pipeline. We have developed this programme to be practical, fun and interactive, whilst ensuring that participants will learn how to utilise new technology to their advantage, self-generate new business leads and opportunities, gain additional business and referrals from existing contacts, and save time and effort using proven business development skills. This course will help participants: Understand the 'organized persistence' model of sales prospecting Develop skills in using video, online and social media to generate interest Understand how to write effective sales and outreach emails and using online tools Develop techniques for effectively managing telephone appointments Learn ways to use LinkedIn for connecting with customers and prospects Develop networking skills and learn how to source and develop referrals and professional introductions 1 Key principles of smart sales prospecting Set your sales prospecting goals and objectives Elevator pitch, core messages and your value proposition Targeting and segmenting your market 'Organised persistence' using your CRM effectively 2 Setting appointments by telephone - planning and preparation Why calling still works and the best times to call Creating a call prompt sheet: Opening a call and taking control Giving a reason to meet Key questions to ask Overcoming the cold calling blues 3 Setting appointments by telephone - advanced skills Giving a reason to meet and 'selling the appointment' Key questions to ask that will create interest and motivation to meet Voice tone, power words, phrasing, pausing, responding Getting past gatekeepers and getting through 4 Using LinkedIn for research and follow-up Why LinkedIn matters and how to use it Finding new contacts, connecting and Inmailing Short-cuts and advanced skills 5 Email strategies that work Using AIDA and other templates for sales emails Using personalized video emails to create interest Vertical targeting emails, with examples Building awareness with an email chain

This practical, enjoyable day will give you the tools to go and do your job effectively and the opportunity to practise using them in a safe and supportive environment before putting them into practice for real back in the workplace. To inspire, you need to be inspired!Having the right set of skills, tools and techniques helps us to manage in a productive and beneficial way. Above all, the workshop will inspire you with the determination to engage with the people you manage to produce greater levels of achievement. This workshop will enable you to: Understand what the role of the manager is Engage and inspire a team to perform Recognise the range of styles appropriate for different situations and how your communication style impacts Provide clear direction on your team's purpose, role and responsibilities Understand how to create a motivating environment for those who report to you Hold them accountable for delivery Hold performance conversations Review and evaluate your learning and have a plan to take back and implement at work 1 Bringing the role to life Starting the day with sharing your current ideals and approaches using the pre workshop task Understanding what you bring to your role and your objectives for the day 2 The role and responsibilities of a manager: an overview Responsibility and accountability Producing results Managing teams Developing individuals 3 Communication excellence The model of a team communicator What type of communicator are you and what about your team? Practical interactive group exercise 4 Your role as a team leader - shaping how we work using the organisation's values Your role Your team's role Enabling your team to deliver in a changing mindset 5 Engaging and motivating your team Exercise: using a leadership model to explore how you are enabling your team to engage with current change, what's getting in the way and how you will manage this in your organisational context Peer and group task and discussion 6 Addressing motivation at team and individual level in times of change Exercises:Identifying approaches to motivating people at work based on a work based model of motivation: team taskExploring a behavioural model of motivation: team discussion Review in plenary 7 Holding people accountable The work cycle model of team performance: Agree purposeSet objectivesMonitor performanceProvide feedbackCompliance vs. commitment Professional discussion in small groups Exercise: Practising short conversations using peer coaching support 8 Review of learning and action planning Personal review and action planning Group review of learning Evaluation

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

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

The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the principles and practice for leading and managing a portfolio of smaller projects in a multi-project / multi-task environment. It presents a range of practical methods and techniques relevant to the smaller project scenario, using exercises and case studies to show how these can be applied. 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, and help participants understand the skills required by, the project leader Provide a structured framework to help participants manage multiple projects Identify opportunities to improve project management within the organisation DAY ONE 1 Introduction (Course sponsor) Why this programme has been developed Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 Managing smaller projects Projects and project management Lessons from past projects; the essential requirements for success Differences between projects; characteristic project life cycles Key issues and challenges of smaller projects The multi-project world; project portfolio management 3 Project exercise Syndicate teams plan and manage a small project Review of the project exercise: What are the keys to successful management of small projects? 4 Setting up the project Getting organised Managing the definition process Identifying and managing project stakeholders Working with the customer to define the scope and agree deliverables 5 Case study 1 Defining the project scope and deliverables Syndicate teams define the scope and deliverables for a typical project 6 Project planning The importance and cost benefit of effective planning Planning the plan; deciding how detailed a plan to create Packaging the work and estimating timescales and costs Developing project / resource schedules; setting milestones for control v Identifying and managing critical path activities 7 Case study 2 Creating the project plan Syndicate teams develop and analyse the project plan DAY TWO 8 Managing project risks Identifying risks to the project outcome, timescale and cost Evaluating risks and adopting an appropriate risk strategy Defining risk ownership; keeping a simple risk log Keeping risk management up to date; staying pro-active Integrating planning and risk management 9 Project control Managing change, minimising scope creep Selecting the data needed to provide early warning of problems Monitoring performance easily with 'S' curves and slip charts Using trend forecasting to assess true project status Running project review meetings 10 Managing a multi-project portfolio Understanding the world of multiple projects Establishing ownership of project / programme management Classifying projects and creating the 'master schedule' Defining and applying project lifecycle management Resource management: essential pre-requisites and mechanisms Project prioritisation criteria and techniques; pain / gain analysis 11 Managing the multi-project team Characteristics of small project teams / part-time team membership Clarifying line and project management responsibilities Implementing effective manpower planning Establishing professional working practices in the team Developing project management competences in the team Establishing team roles and integrating team members 12 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

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

Nowadays not only do we rely on our commercial and sales staff to hit that bottom line but we expect our engineers and project teams to play their part too - not only through their engineering and management skills but by behaving in a commercially minded way in their dealings with their counterparts in customer or supplier organisations. This means understanding, amongst other things, the issues surrounding the commencement of work ahead of contract, having a clear contract baseline, recognising the broader implications of contract change, the need for timeliness and the consequences of failing to meet the contracted timetable. This practical one-day programme has been designed specifically to give engineers, project staff and others just that understanding. The course is designed principally to provide engineers and project staff with an appreciation of contractual obligations, liabilities, rights and remedies so that they understand the implications of their actions. It is also suitable for business development staff who are negotiating contracts on behalf of the business. The main focus of the day is on creating an awareness of when a situation may have commercial implications that would harm an organisation's business interests if not recognised and handled appropriately and how taking a positive but more commercial approach to those situations can lead to a more positive outcome for the business. As well as providing an understanding of the commercial imperatives the day also focuses on specific areas affecting engineers and project staff, such as the recognition and management of change, the risks when working outside the contract and managing delays in contracts. The course identifies the different remedies that may apply according to the reasons for the delay and provides some thoughts on pushing back should such situations arise. On completion of this programme the participants will: appreciate the need for contractual controls and will have a better understanding of their relevance and how they can be applied, particularly the issues of starting work ahead of contract, implementing changes and inadvertently creating a binding contract by their behaviour; have gained an understanding of the terminology and procedural issues pertaining to contracting within a programme; and be more commercially aware and better equipped for their roles. 1 Basic contract law - bidding and contract formation Purpose of a contract Contract formation - the key elements required to create a legally binding agreement Completeness and enforceability Express and implied terms Conditions v warranties The use of, and issues arising from, standard forms of sale and purchase Use of 'subject to contract' Letters of intent Authority to commit 2 Change management Recognising changes to a contracted requirement Pricing change Implementation and management of change 3 Key contracting terms and conditions By the end of this module participants will be able to identify the key principles associated with: Pricing Getting paid and retaining payment Cashflow Delivery and acceptance Programme delaysExamining some reasons for non-performance...Customer failureContractor's failureNo fault delays ... and the consequences of non-performance: Damages claimsLiquidated damagesForce majeureContinued performance Waiver clauses and recent case law Use of best/reasonable endeavours Contract termination 4 Warranties, indemnities and liability Express and implied warranties Limiting liability 5 Protection of information Forms of intellectual property Background/foreground intellectual property Marking intellectual property Intellectual property rights Copyright Software Confidentiality agreements Internet

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

R&D work is often carried out in entrepreneurial companies with the aim of developing solutions to scientific or technological problems for a wide range of customers. Projects can include longer term 'frontiers of science' research, medium term product development/manufacturing or more immediate troubleshooting or contract research assignments. In all these contexts, the ability to create innovative solutions in a timely and cost-effective manner is the essence of successful R&D. Whilst R&D groups typically excel in technical expertise, those involved often recognise that there is scope for improving the way that projects are managed. The aim of this training programme is to address this need whilst ensuring that the creative, entrepreneurial spirit that is fundamental to good R&D continues to flourish. MODULE 1: Creating the foundations for success Off-line video tutorials and exercises Total time ~ 1 - 1.5 hours Video 1: Making the most of project management in R&D Characterising R&D projects Applying project management to R&D work Exploiting the potential of project management in R&D Video 2: Promoting success in R&D project management Modelling successful project management Evaluating performance and promoting success The role and skills of the project manager/leader MODULE 2: Initiating and defining R&D projects Live interactive sessions (via Zoom): Session 1: 10:00 - 12:00 Session 2: 14:00 - 15:30 Session 1: Selecting and initiating projects Recognising worthwhile opportunities; initiating projects Identifying stakeholders and their goals Characterising and engaging stakeholders Session 2: Defining goals and agreeing deliverables Establishing the full scope of the project Clarifying and prioritising project deliverables Defining and agreeing deliverable specifications MODULE 3: Planning R&D projects Live interactive sessions (via Zoom): Session 1: 10:00 - 12:00 Session 2: 14:00 - 15:30 Session 1: Identifying and organising activities Creating effective plans; avoiding planning pitfalls Identifying tasks and assigning responsibilities Sequencing tasks and estimating durations Session 2: Developing the timeline and resource plan Identifying the 'critical path'; creating a resource plan Dealing with estimating uncertainty Accelerating the programme MODULE 4: Leadership and teamwork in R&D projects Off-line video tutorials and exercises Total time ~ 1 - 1.5 hours Video 1: Working effectively in project teams Building teamwork in contemporary organisations Recognising each other's skills; building synergy Building good working relationships; handling conflict Video 2: The role of the R&D project team leader Building teamwork: the role of leadership Creating an effective team culture Delegating work and motivating team members MODULE 5: Managing uncertainty in R&D projects Live interactive sessions (via Zoom): Session 1: 10:00 - 12:00 Session 2: 14:00 - 15:30 Session 1: Characterising uncertainty; identifying risks Exploring uncertainty; applying risk management Focusing the risk management process Identifying and defining risk events Session 2: Managing and controlling risks to the project Evaluating risk events Selecting between risk strategies; setting contingencies Updating and controlling exposure to risk MODULE 6: Implementing and controlling R&D projects Live interactive sessions (via Zoom): Session 1: 10:00 - 12:00 Session 2: 14:00 - 15:30 Session 1: Initiating assignments and managing changes Creating a pro-active implementation and control culture Establishing effective implementation and control procedures Assigning work and managing changes Session 2: Monitoring, managing and developing performance Adopting meaningful monitoring techniques Responding to problems; building performance Managing and controlling multiple project assignments