316 Step courses in Sheffield

Running a successful project requires skills in planning, budgeting, tracking deliverables and stakeholder management. An area that can be neglected by project managers is the 'people side' - not the project team themselves but the end-users, those who will be affected by the project. Too often there is a single line at the end of the project plan that says 'Comms and Training'. If people are going to have to work differently and learn some new processes, then there is work to be done by the project team to help them through the emotional side of the change. This session explores why it's important to bring people along when a change is being made. It will provide project teams with the skills and knowledge either to manage the people change plan themselves or to secure the right resources for their project. Understand the importance of the 'people side' of change 8 'Golden Rules' of change management - overview How to create a simple but effective change plan Adoption Benefits of good change management 1 Introduction Objectives and agenda People and projects - why is it important? The Change Curve - the emotional side of change 2 8 'Golden Rules' of change management - including... Role of the sponsor Communication Resistance to change 3 Change plan Elements of a change plan Change impact assessment Alignment with the project plan 4 Adoption Who owns the change? The vital role of the manager Feedback and action loops 5 Benefits Estimating the costs / benefits 6 Next steps Summary of key learning points Reflection on next steps 7 Close

Any successful business manager will tell you that you never get the deal you deserve - you always get the deal you negotiate! This two-day workshop includes recent research and practical techniques from the Harvard Business School Negotiation Project and provides a unique opportunity to learn and practice these skills in a safe environment using up to date materials and life-like practice negotiation case studies. This course will help participants to: Understand the basics of negotiation Develop negotiating skills Increase their business acumen Develop their communication skills Learn the models, techniques and tools for an effective negotiation Identify the barriers to agreements Close the deal 1 What is negotiation? Key skills for negotiation Types of negotiation Win-lose negotiations versus Win-win negotiations Wise agreements and Principled Negotiation 2 Four key negotiating concepts BATNA - Best alternative to negotiated agreement Setting your reservation price ZOPA - Zone of possible agreement Creating and trading value 3 Business acumen Understanding pricing, gross margins and profit Knowing the key points on which to negotiate 4 A Four Phase Model for negotiation Nine steps to successful planning Discussing a deal - creating and claiming value Making and framing proposals Bargaining for the winning deal 5 Effective communication Effective questioning Active listening skills Understanding and interpreting body language Barriers to effective communication 6 Understanding influence and persuasion Influencing strategies Ten proven ways to influence people Six universal methods of persuasion Understanding why people do business with other people 7 Negotiating tactics Tactics for win-lose negotiations Tactics for win-win negotiations Effective team negotiating Understanding and using powerv What do you do when the other side has more power? 8 Barriers to agreement Common barriers to agreement The Negotiators Dilemma Dealing with die-hard negotiators Dealing with lack of trust 9 Potential barriers to cross-border agreements Understanding business methods and practice in other cultures Figuring out who has the power and who makes decisions Recognising and dealing with cultural differences What's OK here might not be OK there 10 Closing the deal Four steps to closing the winning deal

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

It is essential that those charged with responsibility for credit control and debt recovery have a full appreciation of the relevant law: no-one can negotiate effectively to recover a debt if they don't understand the ultimate sanctions they can apply. This programme is designed to give them a practical, up-to-date understanding of the law as it applies to your particular organisation. This course will help ensure that participants: Understand the relevant laws Know how and when to invoke legal processes Avoid legal pitfalls in debt collection negotiations Specific, practical learning points include: Definition of 'harassment' How to set up an in-house collection identity Whether cheques in 'full and final settlement' are binding The best steps to trace a 'gone away'... and many, many more. 1 Data protection and debt recovery There are a whole range of things which can be checked on members of the public and which are not affected by the restraints of the Data Protection Act. These will be explained in simple, clear terms so that staff can use this information immediately. 2 County Court suing The expert trainer will show how to sue for money owed, obtain judgment and commence enforcement action without leaving your desk. This module is aimed at showing how to make the Courts work for you instead of the other way around! 3 Enforcement of judgments There are many people who have a County Court Judgment (CCJ) against their debtor but who still remain unpaid. This session explains each of the enforcement methods and how to use them to best effect. Enforcement methods covered include: Warrant of Execution Using the sheriff (now known as High Court Enforcement Officers) Attachment of earnings Third Party Debt Orders Charging Orders (over property and goods) Winding-up companies and making individuals bankrupt 4 Office of Fair Trading rules on debt recovery Surprisingly few people are aware of the Office of Fair Trading rules on debt recovery and many of those that do know think they don't apply to them - but they do. Make sure you know what you need to! 5 New methods to trace elusive, absentee and 'gone away' debtors Why write the money off when you can trace the debtor and collect the money you are owed? 6 Credit checking of new and existing customers It makes sense to credit check would-be, new and existing customers to evaluate the likelihood of payment delays or perhaps not being paid at all. This session shows a range of credit checking steps, many of which can be done completely free of charge, including a sample credit application/ account opening form. 7 Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations Do your staff understand this legislation and how to use it to make people pay quicker than ever before? The trainer shows how. 8 The Enterprise Act The Enterprise Act made some startling changes to corporate and personal insolvency. What are the implications for credit control and debt recovery within your organisation?

Are your sales people too stressed, running on adrenalin, perhaps driving towards burnout, struggling to reach targets? Wouldn't you rather they delivered consistently good performance, sustainable over longer periods of time, with less stress (for both them and you)? This uniquely empowering workshop will help your team develop naturally high levels of focus, energy and motivation. They will attain a sense of grounded euphoria, giving them a very distinct and ethical edge in selling. A one-day programme, it gives salespeople an introduction to the 'Natural Superheroes' concepts and resources, tools and techniques, to help them improve their sales performance - realising greater sales potential, developing deeper and more profitable client relationships, winning more business. Through this experience, sales teams gain: Information about profiling clients to instantly understand more about their deepest drives and true needs so they can be genuinely met and, where possible, exceeded Insights into deep, honest and very 'real' reasons for sales procrastination - participants are given specific workable strategies they can easily apply to overcome sales resistance, by tapping their natural motivational styles An understanding of communicating at the very highest levels with different people so they truly understand your sales message and have a significantly more positive sales experience A realisation of their very specific natural sales talents as individuals and as a team A deeper level of experience and understanding of what specifically drives their own behaviour and the behaviour of their clients - these unique insights explain not only how but exactly why people behave the way they do An experience of what it takes to be unshakeable under pressure and manage the sales processes and relationships to a positive outcome for all Brand-new insights into working with and handling difficult people across all levels of authority An understanding of the pitfalls and the psychological traps we set ourselves which cause unnecessary stress, anxiety and frustration on a daily basis and, in turn, limit our sales performance Access to very simple and practical tools that massively increase self-awareness, engender accountability and responsibility and develop emotional sales mastery 1 Introducing 'Natural Superheroes' for sales What is a 'Natural Superhero'? Defining emotional intelligence in the context of sales and why it is so important Knowing yourself - why most people don't know themselves at all and how we can understand exactly what drives our behaviour for the purpose of improving sales performance specifically Knowing exactly why others, and specifically clients and team members, behave the way they do - understanding the real motives behind people's good and bad behaviour in a sales meeting Simple steps to freeing yourself of any anxiety, pressure and false sense of limitation when selling Being yourself in sales - why this is not as easy as it sounds but how you can make it effortless How to take control of achieving the sales performance you really need and want for yourself and others Strategies that raise your self-awareness, increase an authentic and sustainable sense of self-confidence, in difficult situations and in moments of crisis 2 Understanding yourself, your team members and your customers - using the Enneagram Introducing the Enneagram and why it is so valuable to sales people and their clients Exploring the 9 types of motivational drives and why people have different reasons for buying from you Core types and wings - understanding the influence of other motivations either side of the core Enneagram type How to confirm the profile of your client - using celebrities from the world of politics, cinema, sports - we explore how to identify each type - what are their core drives, why have they arisen and how can we use these insights to help you in improving your sales performance The 3 levels of behaviour within your personal profile and that of your clients Lookalike Enneagram types - mistaken identities - how to avoid these traps when profiling your clients and your team How to communicate effectively in a sales environment with each of the different Enneagram types - communication strategies for positive impact on morale, performance and, ultimately, sales results How to interpret and make use of the results of your online personal profile - participants complete an online profile before the event and have the opportunity to analyse their results with a view to improving their sales performance How sales teams sabotage their own performance and that of other people within the team - and how to stop it Uncovering your particular edge in a sales role - what unconsciously trips you up as a sales person? How the Enneagram helps us in sustaining a truly great sales performance over time 3 Why positive thinking alone doesn't work in sales Why 'PMA' does not stand for positive mental attitude when selling - learn its alternative meaning that can serve you even more effectively in a sales role 3 steps and exercises that naturally increase PMA The value of making unconscious thinking conscious and how to do this without any pain or discomfort in a sales meeting Why each Enneagram type has a different experience of PMA in terms of their outward behaviour and how to know when you are maximising your sales performance 4 Measuring success How to measure the development of your individual profile as a sales person Development planning and review Into the future - how to continue your Natural Superhero development

Our Team Building Programmes are 'simply excellent' (quote from Unilever). They always deliver much greater energy' motivation and efficiently accelerates to a galvanised, integrated team for their Manager/Team Leader. They're great fun and very commercially orientated - the best of both key elements to a successful and long-lasting high performance team. A successful company is always made up of successful teams. Teams that can work autonomously with a clearly defined set of goals, roles, vision, responsibility and culture will always reach for and achieve far greater success than a team that works just as a group of individuals. Our team building solutions are individually built and geared towards teams at any level within an organisation, providing an independent and objective perspective to promote a common purpose such as the creation of a 'high performance team'. Out With The Old Traditionally, team building events have been restricted to certain levels of management where they head off site for a bit of archery, quad biking and paintballing or something along those lines. Then over some coffee and cocktails, business plans and more efficient ways to work are casually discussed. Whilst being out having fun instead of being at work may improve an individual person's mood, the effect will only be short-term, and will not go far in creating permanent and cohesive teams who are able to overcome challenges together and drive the business forward when back in the workplace. In With The New Today's business thinking is more strategic and certainly has to look for returns on the investment. That is why Dickson Training Ltd's team building programmes are bespoke and built to your requirements through research, understanding your business and, most importantly, what results and achievements you are looking to get out of the programme. Once "what success looks like" has been established, we create tasks and activities that will test your leadership, problem solving, communication and team work skills. When the tasks have been completed, the learning - both practical and theory - is debriefed to the group as well as how it will translate back in your business. Not only are our events great fun, but they provide participants with learning points they can act upon to improve or enhance the working practices/environment. Team Building That Gets Results We have a highly innovative team who design team builds to suit all budgets and time or space restrictions. Large or small, we will develop the perfect event to meet your commercial objectives, keeping in line with your values and company culture. More recently we have combined team galvanising events with ways to engage the participants with and support their local communities. This solution has proved extremely popular with our clients and we are continuing to develop more and more programmes doing exactly this. " Phil did everything in a very professional and focused manner, without losing sight of the overall aims or having 'fun'. When I moved to Airbus UK and subsequently European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), I had no hesitation in recommending Phil and the team to deliver the required training and team events.  Without doubt Phil and his team are excellent providers of training, to suit even bespoke requirements, and I would not hesitate in recommending the team to any business in the future. " Glenn Brown, Systems & Expertise Manager, Airbus Personnel Service Augmented Skills – an Essay by Phil Dickson All of you, who are reading this, and all the people you meet and work with will have – ‘Augmented Skills’. So – if you are an IT Engineer or a Pharmacist; perhaps you are, or know, a Departmental Leader and you work with a Logistics Project Manager; these roles will demand core skills, whether they be technical know-how or qualifications in the discipline. But to be that bit better; more reliable; more effective & productive and therefore more valuable and, frankly, marketable – capitalizing on ‘Augment Skills’ comes into play. The I T Engineer who was a Chess Champion at Uni, which would indicate that they possess some key ‘Augmented skills’ including how they plan 3 steps ahead and are always prepared for the unexpected. The Pharmacist, who is a keen sportsperson in their private life, will likely be tenacious, team-orientated and disciplined – again these are superb qualities to have in this – or any – role. Your colleagues, as well as yourself, will have ‘Augmented Skills’ that will be an asset if only they are explored and applied to their role and indeed, career. Everyone has their own 'Super-power' If they love gardening, they are probably strategic, patient and inclined to research; if they cook or bake, they are usually well organized and comfortable with multi-tasking. A big reader will tend to be considered and possess good critical thinking faculties, and an amateur mechanic or keen DIY person will often be practical, resourceful and very determined. I have observed that many new Parents discover they have ‘Augmented Skills’ they didn’t know they had... such as getting order out of chaos and displaying industrial amounts of patience and good grace when they really do not feel like it. They very often become far more compassionate and empathetic. Most people have their very own ‘Superpower’. Invite your team members to offer their ‘Augmented Skills’ to your work-place – and just watch as it elevates the motivation levels and improves results. It’ll be very rewarding for all concerned – and for meeting the Team’s objectives, to encourage the person who is a talented artist to be a sounding board on some of the marketing imagery and layouts; for the team member who is great at Maths or resolving crosswords to be asked for their input to solving a problem that is causing logistical or operational headaches. Never exploit a Team member’s unique special skills at their expense I would like to stress, however, that it must never be an area where a team member gets exploited by harvesting their unique special skills to coerce them into taking on greater responsibilities and tasks without providing them with the commensurate salary and status. To do so would be immoral and, ultimately, counter-productive as it would lead to resentment and disenfranchisement. This is about encouraging people’s capability and inviting their input to boost confidence and enhance the team’s capability. Often, we need to be more than what our Job Description says It is also important to highlight that whatever a person’s role or function is – they will definitely need to have additional capabilities to be effective. The best example of this is when we designed and delivered a range of ‘Advanced Customer Care skills’ training sessions for the Met Office a few years ago…we met so many remarkably super-bright Meteorologists, many of whom were having to make significant adjustments to answering questions from Customers that seemed to be illogical and often, obtuse. It wasn’t enough for these Meteorologists to be highly skilled at interpreting data and identifying patterns – they needed ‘Augmented skills’ to make that information accessible to members of the public (and Council workers and Air Traffic controllers and Shipping agents) and many other people, as to what that particular weather system was going to be like in their area and at what time. They have to know how to ‘de-jargonise’ the material and provide succinct, clear, and yet temperate, descriptions without ever appearing exasperated, impatient or judgmental in response to sometimes quite silly questions. For a highly trained scientist – that can be counter-intuitive. Being Philosophical... and a wee bit pretentious At the risk of being a little Philosophical (and probably a wee bit pretentious) – in my own role of Trainer – my core skills have to include – being a very good communicator, an active listener and have innovative and engaging ways to convert an idea, or a model, into practical application that my Delegates and Clients gain tangible benefits from. This is how it applies to me... I really enjoy composing short, light classical-style piano pieces. Now, to do this well, you need to be able to find a transition from one chord or melody to a different theme or key. It has to be worked out very carefully to have incremental transitions and pleasant-sounding developments as the piece unfolds. I think I have become better at this as I have honed my skills as a composer. But I have realized that these very same skills have ‘Augmented’ my ability to help a Manager, or a Team, move from a state of conflict; tension; disfunction; disenfranchisement; lack of confidence to a place that is more harmonious with far greater productivity. The very same process of careful listening, considering options, taking well-considered steps, having a creative, sometimes brave, move towards a resolution are at play in both Training and Piano Compositions! 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.

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

How do you manage yourself under pressure? Are there times you get hijacked by your emotions and find it hard to deal with setbacks? How good are you at dealing with change? Resilience is all about having the ability to adapt, deal with change constructively and bounce back from adversity. While some people are naturally more resilient that others it is something that can be learnt. This session focuses on helping you respond positively to the pressures and demands of work and take specific steps in building your personal resilience. Take away: Action planner for i-resilience profile. You will have the opportunity to: Gain insight into the relationship between work pressure, performance, wellbeing and resilience Explore your natural strengths and how to manage what pushes you into a less resourceful state Understand the skills and techniques that underpin the behaviours and attitudes of highly resilient people

This is an essential programme for members of staff whose role exposes them to aggressive or violent behaviour. 1 What's happening? Issues around us Risks in context Personal experiences 2 Safety fundamentals Following internal policy and procedure Personal safety and lone working Use of technology 3 Nipping issues in the bud Recognising early warning signs Avoiding causing problems for ourselves 4 Calming - Reaching - Controlling Tips and techniques for potentially calming a situation Reaching and building rapport Accelerants - tips on avoiding accelerating a situation Assertiveness techniques Non-verbal behaviour Active listening and the use of questions and distractions Exploring ways forward and identifying win/wins Avoiding the secondary argument Fogging The 'drama triangle' If all else fails... 5 Harassment, stalking and on-line bulling What constitutes harassment and definition of stalking On-line bullying Steps to take 6 Reporting principles Importance of incidence reporting Taking care of us What next?

This is an essential programme for members of staff whose role exposes them to aggressive or violent behaviour. 1 What's happening? Issues around us Risks in context Personal experiences 2 Safety fundamentals Following internal policy and procedure Personal safety and lone working Use of technology 3 Nipping issues in the bud Recognising early warning signs Avoiding causing problems for ourselves 4 Calming - Reaching - Controlling Tips and techniques for potentially calming a situation Reaching and building rapport Accelerants - tips on avoiding accelerating a situation Assertiveness techniques Non-verbal behaviour Active listening and the use of questions and distractions Exploring ways forward and identifying win/wins Avoiding the secondary argument Fogging The 'drama triangle' If all else fails 5 Harassment, stalking and on-line bulling What constitutes harassment and definition of stalking On-line bullying Steps to take 6 Reporting principles Importance of incidence reporting Taking care of us What next?