Understand what diversity and inclusion is and how to manage it affectively in the workplace. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace will help you develop an understanding of why diversity and inclusion is important to a business, what it is and how individuals and teams can work effectively together and harness the power that comes from valuing diversity and promoting inclusion. Objectives By the end of the course you will be able to: Describe why diversity and inclusion is important in teams and organisations Explain and overcome unconscious bias and other beliefs that cause exclusion and impact the workplace Recognise your own diversity and understand the value of diversity and inclusion in teams Develop an Action Plan to create an inclusive work climate Content Understand Diversity and Inclusion What the Equality Act 2010 says about diversity Understanding protected characteristics Learn how to create an optimum climate to unlock the power of a diverse teams Understanding Yourself and Unconscious Bias Identify your own unique characteristics and how these could impact your performance Examine self-limiting beliefs and how these can impact personal performance Experience how unconscious bias impacts our information gathering, problem solving, judgement and decision making Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Team Climate Understand the importance of respect, the role of trust and what valuing diversity really means Apply the ABC Model to the creation of a diverse climate:Awareness – be alert, self-aware and aware of othersBoundaries – understand how things can go wrong when working with others: boundaries, banter and bullyingCoaching – learn listening and coaching skills to promote inclusion Create an achievable, personal action plan that can be applied immediately in the workplace to improve diversity, promote teaming and create an inclusive work climate
Learn the skills and mindset to become a business partner, align your expertise with the organisational goals, drive growth, and shape the future of your company. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) This is a highly interactive and practical course which will help you to understand the role of Business Partnering and the key skills needed to be successful in the role. The course is designed specifically to give you an opportunity to explore the role and test a range of techniques to improve your strategic working as well as your influencing and relationship building skills. This course is aimed at individuals who work cross-functionally and with other people to achieve business results and is particularly helpful for those who engage frequently with senior managers and executives. Objectives By the end of the course you will be able to: Describe the role of Business Partner and the benefit to the business Develop stronger engagement with all internal and external stakeholders Influence without authority Build positive relationships Handle robust conversations Be forward thinking, not reactive Act as a change agent Communicate with confidence and credibility Content Understanding the role of the Business Partner What is Business Partnering from an individual, departmental and business view Using a psychometric test to look at where your strengths are and how you can use them effectively in the role Developing Relationships Creating a powerful first impression. Communication skills Understanding different communication styles Being more proactive in developing key relationships Stakeholder engagement Presenting ideas in a confident and articulate way Understanding and developing trust Connecting with people Networking Influencing and Negotiating Influencing and persuading others Dealing with conflict and difficult conversations Becoming a trusted advisor/Business Partner Advanced questioning skills and techniques to get to the root of a problem Strategic Thinking Develop the mind-set and strategic capability to play a more proactive leading role in the business
Gain practical skills in influencing and decision-making, perfect for anyone working in team-based or project-focused environments, with interactive, hands-on learning. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) This is a highly interactive and practical course which will help you to use influencing and decision making techniques. This workshop has been specifically designed to give you an opportunity to learn and test a range of influencing and decision making models and techniques. The course is aimed at anyone who interacts with others on a regular basis, especially those in project management disciplines, multi disciplinary, matrix type organisations where healthy debate and challenge are key to achieving optimum resolutions. Objectives By the end of the course you will be able to: Utilise a variety of new techniques to enhance your influencing skills Recognise the impact of non-verbal communication and use it to enhance influencing behaviours Use language skills necessary to get your message across in an influential way Apply different techniques for dealing with aggression Understand VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguous Use Perception, Bias, Decision Making and Judgement Understand personal preferences and approaches to Decision Making Speed read others approach to decision making Apply Mindsets, Skillsets and Toolsets for decision making Content What is influencing? Sources of power Influencing skills Choosing the right approach Developing Skills Communication skills – the language of influence Different influencing techniques and when to use them Having the confidence to challenge Dealing with confrontation and challenges in a confident manner The Decision Lifecycle – Personal Preferences Understand the human facts that influence decision making Understanding personal preferences and approaches to Decision Making Understand the impact of Perception, Bias and judgement in decision making Speed reading others approach to decision making Frameworks to provide context for decision making Understand the business factors that influence decision making - VUCA The Cynefin Framework – decision making in complex situations Understanding which business context, you operate in – simple, complicated, complex or chaotic Understanding how to decide in complexity Practical Practical exercises Case studies Personal action planning
Unlock the power of effective negotiation. Gain essential skills to navigate complex deals, build lasting partnerships, and achieve optimal outcomes. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) This course is designed for those who need to understand and be able to use essential negotiation skills to make them more effective in their role. Externally you maybe negotiating with suppliers, customers, regulatory authorities and other organisations. Internally you will be negotiating with stakeholders, colleagues, and team members which could be for resources, time, budget or facilities. Being able to negotiate agreements that are acceptable to all parties requires skill and is essential to maintain healthy, functional relationships. This will be a facilitated workshop designed to be flexible to achieve the desired outcome. We will achieve the objectives through a mixture of facilitated discussion, interactive exercises designed to give insight and facilitator input. During the day we will deal with the stages of a negotiation from preparation to closing. Individuals will get the opportunity to practice the skills needed to create win-win outcomes through a number of generic but realistic scenarios. Objectives By the end of the course you will be able to: State the principles of effective negotiation Prepare effectively for different types of negotiation Set negotiation objectives and identify what can be ‘traded’ Explain how assertiveness and influencing skills can affect outcomes Deploy appropriate strategies and tactics to achieve the best results Use different techniques to deal with difficult customers and difficult situations Content Influencing Seek first to understand, and then be understood The importance of understanding the other party’s position and how to do it The power of non-verbal communication Dealing with difficult customers and difficult situations whilst maintaining a positive relationship How to approach negotiations Identifying potential negotiations and preparing for potential outcomes Aiming for results which deliver win/win outcomes Developing a win/win mindset and behaviours Rights and responsibilities of negotiators Setting Negotiation Objectives Clarifying essential, desirable and ideal objectives Assessing the most favoured, realistic target and walk away positions The Negotiation Process The importance of preparation Creating an opening proposal Where to pitch the opening proposal Bargaining/Trading - Gaining Momentum Knowing your parameters – what can be traded? Choosing a strategy and tactics Dealing with questionable tactics and ploys Building rapport – the communication process Asking the right questions and active listening Being assertive, demanding your rights and ensuring you meet your responsibilities Closing Techniques Trial and actual closing techniques Signalling Summarising and documenting the agreement Follow up and implementation of the deal
Focussing on utility tracing products and established safe systems of works the course aims to provide delegates with sufficient information, knowledge and confidence to conduct a utility survey and mark up. CITB grant may be available for organisations registered with the Construction Industry Training Board Book via our website @ https://www.vp-ess.com/training/utility-detection/utility-tracing-including-use-of-precision-locators/ or via email at: esstrainingsales@vpplc.com or phone on: 0800 000 346
Extending beyond the features and functions of cable avoidance tools, the course aims to provide delegates with an understanding in the essential elements that constitute a safe system of work and how to get the best results when scanning for buried utilities. The course intertwines theoretical and practical content aimed to engage participants throughout the day, facilitating open discussions on best practices and ways to improve existing processes in order to reduce utility damage and personal harm CITB grant may be available for organisations registered with the Construction Industry Training Board Book via our website @ https://www.vp-ess.com/training/utility-detection/utility-avoidance-including-use-of-cable-avoidance-tools/ or via email at: esstrainingsales@vpplc.com or phone on: 0800 000 346
All organisations today operate in an environment of constant and rapid change. Managing this change effectively is often achieved through a portfolio of formal projects. Many organisations today have qualified and experienced project management staff to run their projects. Some organisations today have dedicated functions, staff or processes to support their project management teams. The very largest organisations have in-house Enterprise Programme Offices, or project management specialists in corporate audit or risk functions; or organise 'Red Team Reviews' of a project by other staff with project management experience who are not participating in the reviewed project. But for many mid-size businesses and SMEs - and even some larger organisations - these resources are simply not available. For them, having access to external expertise to assure project management disciplines and to coach project managers can be a major contributor to project success. Such reviews can take place at project initiation; at major stage-gates (especially if significant capital is to be committed at the stage-gate); or at any other time if concerns arise concerning project quality, cost or timescales. And it is for those organisations that we offer the necessary expertise, on an ad hoc basis, in reviewing projects and coaching senior project management staff. A document review and workshop led by one of our consultants can help you assess whether: The strategic goals and priorities for the project are clear and being addressed Governance of the project within the business is defined and being effectively executed Project roles and responsibilities are clear and effective The credibility and robustness of the project plan can be enhanced Performance measures and reporting procedures are effective Critical risks are identified and being managed and contingencies are agreed The roles, responsibilities and capabilities of the key players in the project team are fit for purpose Budgets are realistic and costs being managed effectively Communication and change management activities are effectively planned and being executed At your discretion, you can capture the outcomes from the workshop for yourselves, in terms of identifying opportunities for improvement, or you can have our consultant write a report and make recommendations to you.
Trade barriers are going up across the globe. And cybercrime is on the increase. The link between the two? The value of trade secrets. As countries become increasingly protectionist as regards international trade, so their IP law has been changing, with the result that companies that previously would have sought protection through patents are opting to go down the trade secret route instead. But is this a high-risk strategy? Technology is changing and this is having an impact on forms of commercial co-operation. Collaborative or open forms of innovation by their very nature involve the sharing of intellectual property (IP), and in many instances this IP is in the form of valuable confidential business information (ie, trade secrets). Little surprise, then, that trade secrets disputes have increased accordingly. At the same time, the changes in technology make trade secrets more vulnerable to attack, misappropriation, theft. So just how effective are the legal protections for trade secrets? How can organisations safeguard the value in their IP (increasingly, the single biggest line in their balance sheets)? This programme is designed to help you address these issues. Note: this is an indicative agenda, to be used as a starting point for a conversation between client and consultant, depending on the organisation's specific situation and requirements. This session is designed to give you a deeper understanding of: Emerging trends in trade secrets protection and exploitation The current situation in key jurisdictions Recent case law How leading companies are responding The importance of trade secret metadata Different external stakeholders and their interests Key steps for effective protection of trade secrets Note: this is an indicative agenda, to be used as a starting point for a conversation between client and consultant, depending on the organisation's specific situation and requirements. 1 What are trade secrets? Definitions Examples Comparison with other forms of IP (patents, confidential information, know-how, copyright) 2 Current trends The various changes taking place affecting trade secrets - legal changes, trade wars, cybercrime, technology, commercial practice The current position in the UK, Europe, USA, China, Japan, Russia Corporate best practice 3 Trade secret disputes - how to avoid them Trade secret policies, processes and systems Administrative, legal and technical protection mechanisms The role of employees The sharing of trade secrets with others 4 Trade secret disputes - how to manage them Causes Anatomy of a trade secret court case 'Reasonable particularity' 5 Related issues Insurance Tax authorities and investigations Investor relations 6 Trade secret asset management roadmap Maturity ladder First steps Pilot projects
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