936 TEC courses in Sheffield

This very practical and focused one-day workshop enables end-users, technical experts, proponents, internal customers and other key stakeholders to work with procurement and contracting to develop effective specifications and scopes of work, to ensure fit-for-purpose outcomes. The programme empowers participants to collaborate with all key stakeholders. This workshop will help participants: Understand the importance and value of clear and effective specifications Differentiate between the different methods of creating specifications and when to apply them Develop robust specification templates to ensure consistency Understand the use of appropriate language (critical to creating effective specifications) Appreciate the need to develop specifications in cooperation with stakeholders Make use of techniques such as value analysis and value engineering to define 'fit for purpose' in the context of creating effective specifications Embed key KPIs into the specification to ensure delivery Manage and mitigate legal and contractual risks in the specification 1 Introduction Learning outcomes Learning styles Plan for the day 2 The importance of effective specifications Scopes of work Impact of poor scopes of work Examples of costly errors 3 The critical role of language Terminology in creating effective specifications and scopes of work Problems of communication Lack of detail or too prescriptive 4 Encouraging cooperation Technical and commercial experts with responsibility for developing robust effective specifications and scopes of work Managing stakeholders' expectations Working with contractors 5 Types of specification Exploring and using the various approaches to the development of appropriate specifications and scopes of work Output Performance Technical Functional Solutions-based 6 The role of value analysis Value engineering in the process of developing scopes of work and specifications 7 Specifications and contracts The legal and contractual impact of poor specifications and scopes of work How to embed scopes of work and specification outputs into tender and quotation documents 8 Specifications as a management tool Developing KPIs and SLAs framed around robust effective specifications and scopes of work Negotiating with contractors Negotiating with stakeholders

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

Successfully closing a sale and negotiating the best outcome for the business is a key skill for all salespeople, and often an area that is overlooked. Investing in this skill will have a positive impact on interactions with customers, both new and existing, and lead to improved sales performance. Whilst understanding how to reach a conclusion with a customer faster means increased efficiency and more time to invest in sourcing new business. We have developed this programme to be practical, fun and interactive. Participants will learn proven techniques for influencing, persuading and negotiating with clients, gain increased confidence and clarity when reviewing contract terms and prices, and understand how to structure and manage sales negotiation and contract review meetings. This course will help participants: Learn a structured and proven approach to the negotiation of contract terms Apply the key principles of negotiation, playing the person and the problem Create a contract negotiation strategy - from opening to close Recognize and put to use proven negotiation tactics and techniques Learn how to embrace conflict positively - to 'say no, then negotiate' Plan and prepare for any commercial negotiation conversations Understand the stages of negotiation and how to move through them 1 Closing and negotiating from a position of personal power The eight steps of a sales or commercial negotiation Ten ways to resist price pressure How to draw on sources of power when you have less authority The six principles of influence and persuasion and how to use them 2 Effective negotiation - planning and theory How to plan and structure your negotiation for a successful and quick conclusion Influence: knowing how to 'push or pull' to win an argument Achieving a BATNA - a range of practical skills and techniques Case study: planning for a client negotiation around contract or price issues 3 Effective closing and negotiation - practice and reality Higher-level questioning techniques to investigate and solve problems Listening to lead - active listening and structuring your conversation The most common 'unforced' negotiation mistakes and errors Case study: setting objectives, sources of value, trading concessions 4 Sales negotiation tactics and playing the game How high - how hard - how soon; why now How to identify hidden or perceived currencies and values How to use these to establish a higher base price Negotiation best-practice checklist and summary

Developing the high performing team takes time and effort. But above all, it requires an understanding of the dynamics of high performing teams. This programme helps managers and leaders understand what high performing teams do and how they do it. It focuses on enabling managers to see their teams from different perspectives, allowing them to adapt their styles to maximise team outputs. A core theme is the need for managers of teams to 'hold up the mirror' to themselves and to see themselves as a leader of people, to reflect on how others see them and to modify their style accordingly. This programme will help managers / team leaders: Analyse the constituents of a 'high performing' team Apply essential influencing techniques Use a range of communication techniques to support effective teamwork Create and articulate team vision Generate common values Assess team effectiveness and take/recommend the appropriate actions Make more efficient use of team time Understand and agree on techniques to manage conflict Define and implement team meeting protocols that will facilitate team effectiveness Use the Prime Focus model to create the environment and framework for a high performing team Draft your team strategy to take them to the next level Day 1 1 Welcome and introduction Participants are welcomed to the programme and invited to share their personal objectives and people challenges Participants are given an action plan template to complete throughout the workshop 2 Your team The concept of 'positive intention' The difference between a team and a high performing team Assess your team effectiveness What is your 'interference'? 3 The team environment Setting the scene Building rapport Active listening Team goals and role profiling 4 Your style Tuckman model of team stages - how do you manage each stage? Team standards and goals Your team vision 5 Effective team meetings Influencing in team meetings How to make them interesting and relevant The pure role of the chair Day 2 1 Effective communication techniques Giving and receiving feedback Your communication style How to adapt, pace and lead to build rapport The Mehrabian theory of communication 2 How to manage conflict What is conflict? What is your default conflict approach? Tools and tips for managing conflict Practice sessions 3 Team skills Undertake a team skills analysis Types of team member Motivating team members Reframing situations 4 Setting your strategy Seeing the bigger picture The Prime Focus Model Your strategy for success Articulating your strategy Action plans revisited

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 intensive one-day training programme has been developed to help those involved in producing specifications create high quality documents in an organised and effective way. The programme explains the primary purpose of specifications and the importance of understanding the context in which they are used. It focuses particularly on how to develop and structure content and write requirements that are clear and concise. The methods and techniques presented will provide a practical foundation course for those new to the topic whilst offering new insights to those with more experience. The objectives of the workshop are to: Review and discuss the role and purpose of specifications Present a structured approach for organising and producing specifications Explain each of the key steps involved in creating effective specifications Review some methods for assisting in defining requirements Explain how to define the scope and develop the structure for a specification Present methods to assist the writing and editing of specifications Review how specifications should be issued and controlled 1 Introduction Course objectives Review of participants' needs and objectives 2 Specifications in perspective The role and purpose of specifications The impact of specifications on commercial performance The qualities of an effective specification The five key steps of 'POWER' writing: prepare-organise-write-edit-release 3 Step 1: Preparing to write Defining the purpose the specification; integrating the specification and contract Deciding how to specify: when to specify in functional and technical terms Getting the right people involved at the right time; engaging stakeholders Applying procedures for writing, issuing and controlling specifications 4 Step 2: Organising the specification content Scoping the document: scope maps, check lists, structured brainstorming Clarifying requirements; separating needs and desires Dealing with requirements that are difficult to quantify Useful techniques: cost benefit analysis, Pareto analysis Deciding what goes where; typical contents and layout for a specification Creating and using model forms: typical sections and sub sections 5 Step 3: Writing the specification Identifying and understanding the readers needs Choosing and using the right words; dealing with jargon Important words; will, shall, must; building a glossary Using sentence structure and punctuation to best effect Understanding the impact of style, format and appearance Avoiding common causes of ambiguity; being concise and ensuring clarity 6 Step 4: Editing the specification Why editing is difficult; how to develop a personal editing strategy Key areas to review: structure, content, accuracy, clarity, style and grammar Editing tools and techniques 7 Step 5: Releasing and controlling the specification Key requirements for document issue and control Final formatting and publication issues; document approval Requirements management: managing revisions and changes 8 Course review and action planning What actions should be implemented to improve specifications? Conclusion

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

An accredited qualification to prepare supervisors and team leaders for a future management role. This programme gives Team Leaders & Managers the skills, disciplines and confidence to manage their team effectively and add a great deal more value to the organisation - where they have to apply their learning in order to achieve the highly coveted ILM qualification. In order for a business to obtain maximum results, it is important that employees are motivated and supported in their job roles. It is the responsibility of the team leader or supervisor to lead their team effectively and present feedback to management. This 3-day programme will guarantee to boost your performance as a team leader and help you make the transition from working in a team to leading a team. We use a combination of theory and practical to help you develop yourself, and a toolkit of resources to use in the workplace. This is an internationally accredited course which not only carries kudos but it ensures you apply the learning back into the workplace for an immediate impact. All of our ILM Programmes are provided in partnership with BCF Group Limited, which is the ILM Approved Centre we deliver under. Course Syllabus The syllabus of the ILM Level 2 Award in Leadership and Team Skills course is split into three main modules, covering the following: Module One Developing Yourself as a Team Leader Learning the various roles, functions and responsibilities of a team leader - depending on workplace Recognising limits of authority and accountability, and how these are defined Developing personal skills and abilities for effective team leading Using reflective learning skills to improve performance Identifying areas of strength and possible improvement Finding ways of obtaining feedback from others Receiving and responding positively to feedback Module Two Workplace Communications Learning stages in the communication process Consideration of the recipient's needs Spotting barriers to communication and how to overcome them Establishing a range of direct communication methods relevant to the team Collating a range of direct communication methods relevant to people outside own area of responsibility. This includes written, telephone, e-mail and face-to-face Recognising the aspects of face-to-face communication, including appearance, impact, body language Realising the importance of succinct and accurate records of one-to-one oral communication Reasons for maintaining records of one-to-one communication (e.g. potential disciplinary or legal issues) Module Three Managing Yourself Setting SMART objectives and using them to prioritise own actions Learning simple time management techniques Developing an awareness of own skills and abilities Giving yourself personal objectives in relation to team objectives Developing flexibility and responding to daily changing circumstances Diagnosing the causes and impacts of stress at work Identifying symptoms of stress in yourself Knowing the implications of stress for workplace and non-work activities/relationships Developing simple stress management techniques Available sources of support Action planning and review techniques Accreditation As with all ILM accredited programmes, participants will need to complete the post-programme activity in order to achieve their full ILM Level 2 Award in Team Leading. This element is designed to show to ILM that you are able to apply what you have learned in the workplace. Who Is It For? This programme is ideal for practising or aspiring team leaders, in any industry sector, who is looking to gain a solid foundation or develop their existing skills as a team leader. This internationally recognised course will give you a solid understanding of what is needed to be a successful team leader, how to delegate, motivate and how to implement these skills in to your work place. What Will I Learn? At the end of the course, successful candidates will: Have a good understanding of the team leader role Apply a range of effective communication skills to overcome barriers Know how to motivate, build confidence and gain the best from their teams Identify, build and encourage effective team behaviours Apply practical skills and knowledge to be transferred to the workplace Gain an internationally recognised qualification What Is Required? There are no formal entry requirements, but participants will normally be either practising or aspiring team leaders, with the opportunity to meet the assessment demands and have a background that will enable them to benefit from the programme. 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. For more information about running this course in-house at your premises, please contact us for more information.

What do engineers and project managers need to know of finance? 'Nothing - leave it to the accountants!' No, no, no! Engineers must be conversant with the terminology and statements that accountants use. Technical expertise in projects, service delivery, production or other areas can only really be harnessed if the managers understand the accounting and reporting that drives businesses. This course gives the necessary understanding to project, production and technical managers. It develops their skills in understanding financial and management accounting. Accountants may not always like it but a major part of their work is to be the 'servants of business' and to gather, compile and present your figures. So you must understand the figures - they belong to you, your processes or projects. There are many reasons for maintaining accurate accounts. This course focuses on the strategic issues (those over-used words) - what figures reveal about the drivers of business and what they reveal about the day-to-day issues that accountants bother you with. The course will enhance your understanding of finance and of the accounting issues which affect your projects, production and technical areas of business. This course will help you: Understand the business world in figures - make sense of what the accountants are telling you Appreciate what drives business - and how this affects your role in your part of the business Relate your activities to the success of the business - through figures Gain the skills to advance in management - financial awareness is a 'must have' if you are to progress in your career 1 What do accountants do? The finance function, types of accountant, financial v management accounting and the treasury function Understanding the role of the finance function and how the information you provide may be used 2 The basic financial statements Balance sheets and income statements (P&L accounts) What they are, what they contain and above all what they can reveal - how to read them The accounting process - from transactions to financial statements What underpins the statements - accounting systems and internal controls 3 Why be in business - from a financial perspective The driving forces behind financial information Performance measures - profitability, asset utilisation, sales and throughput, managing capital expenditure 4 Accounting rules - accounting standards Accounting concepts and the accounting rules: accruals, 'going concern' - substance over form and other 'desirable qualities' Accruals - why the timing of a transaction is so important to the finance function Depreciation and amortisation - the concepts and practice Accounting standards - the role of International Financial Reporting Standards 5 Cash The importance of cash flow - working capital management Cash flow statements - monitoring overall cash flows Raising cash - levels of borrowing, gearing Spending cash - an outline of capital expenditure appraisal 6 Budgeting Why budget? - good and bad practice Determining why budgets play a key role and should not be simply an annual ritual Justifying your budgets - the link between the strategic plan and day-to-day budgeting - alignment of company culture Budgets as motivators - the importance of the right culture Techniques to improve budgeting - whether day-to-day or capital budgeting 7 Costing The type and detail of costing very much depends on your business - eg, manufacturing piston rings is quite different from the construction of a power plant Issues with overhead allocation Accounting for R&D 8 Reading financial statements Annual financial statements - why they are produced, what's in them and what you should look for Learning what a set of accounts reveals about a company's current situation, profitability and future prospects 9 Performance measurement - analytical reviews and ratio analysis ROI/ROCE Profitability, margins and cost control Sales - asset turnover Efficiency (asset / stock turnover, debtor / creditor days) 'City' measures Investment (interest / dividend cover, earnings per share, dividend yield)

The Sales Accelerator programme is a fresh approach to improving business development productivity. It focuses on identifying and using a series of business productivity metrics in order to build a clear action plan for improving sales results - typically within 90 days. The metrics are grouped under three headings: The basic principle is that a small improvement in each area can lead to a significant increase in sales results and productivity. And the object of the programme is to show how best to achieve that. The programme therefore looks at each of these three areas in turn, spending a day on each. Suitable for any and all businesses and all levels of experience and expertise, this is a remarkably practical and hands-on programme. During the workshop, participants discuss, review and apply many proven sales and marketing techniques and personal selling ideas. The goal is to generate and commit to changes and actions that can lead to a 10-30% increase in the next three to six months. There's also a consultancy option, rather than the workshop-based programme. See below for details. Day one - Activity Key objective This first module introduces the Sales Accelerator model. The goal here is to show participants how to increase their pro-active activity levels by around 10%. It covers all aspects of creating new business opportunities, from existing customers and non-customers alike, and is linked to personal activity improvement goals. Main elements Improve the productivity, accuracy and effectiveness of your business approach by using new and unique models and techniques. Different methods of creating and generating new business opportunities in the short, medium and long term. This includes sourcing new business, up-selling, cross-selling, warm calling and gaining referrals. Using organised persistence to track and build new customer revenue. Managing your sales time effectively. Key learning points Sales productivity - understand the dynamics of increasing the combination of activity levels, deal value and conversion rate of proposals/quotations to orders and implement an improvement plan. Sales goal setting: setting business development objectives for quantity and quality - plus tips and tricks of top performers. Maintain a peak activity level, on a consistent basis using 'organised persistence' and structured business development tracking methodology. How to prioritise opportunities and manage your time when sourcing new business. Identify potential new customers - and particularly the decision-makers and influencers - with greater accuracy. Make outbound business or appointment calls with improved confidence, control and results. Day two - Value Key objective To be able to better anticipate, identify, create, and develop business opportunities using a customer / client-focused communication-based business model and consultative skills. Main elements How to develop sales more effectively from new and existing customers; and managing the first appointment with a new customer. Use structured and assertive drawing-out skills to identify, develop and formalise business opportunities and to gain commitment. How to better position your company and your products and services against your main competitors. Create and deliver persuasive business messages based on specific need areas, criteria and value. Key learning points Advanced consultative selling - use a variety of structured and advanced questioning techniques to confidently and efficiently uncover opportunities, need areas and business criteria - confidently and efficiently. Involve the customer/client at all times, and to a far greater degree, and keep better control of business development process. Value message - differentiate your solutions clearly and accurately with customer/client-matched value statements. Presenting the right USPs, features and benefits and making them relevant and real to the customer. Qualification and reading buying signals. Day three (held around four weeks after the first module) - Conversion Key objective This module looks at how to improve the final qualification, progression and conversion of opportunities in your sales pipeline. Also includes price negotiation, overcoming objections and obstacles to gaining agreement. The module begins with a learning review, sharing participants' experiences over the last four weeks in applying the new techniques and skills acquired during the first two modules. This is an opportunity to revisit particularly challenging areas as well as to share and celebrate successes. Main elements Structuring and preparing for negotiating a deal and knowing when and how to move into the 'end-game' mode. Anticipate and answer customer objections and questions more confidently. Build more credibility and proof into your business process to reduce 'buyer's remorse' and speed-up decision-making. Being more assertive and developing better instincts and strategic thinking in progressing quotations and proposals. Key learning points Smart ways to position price, emphasise value and be a strong player without being the cheapest. Becoming more assertive in closing deals, and the importance of organised follow-up on the telephone. Qualify pipeline opportunities with more accuracy, using a proven check-list. Use an 'option generator' to simplify complex proposals, increase business value and close business faster. Writing more effective sales proposal documents and quotations. How best to draw-out, understand, isolate and answer customer objections, negotiate points and concerns. Practical methods of asking for agreement and closing a sale