Communication and Interpersonal skills

Building resilience and handling difficult conversations and people

5.5 hours verifiable CPD

It may not be a regular occurrence but difficult conversations and dealing with people on issues that cause conflict is part of our day-to-day life. Rather than letting them fester and impact performance, it's key to recognise those we may describe as "difficult", what the issue is and how we mitigate this situation.

This involves managing your reactions, leveraging some self-control and displaying a personal and business resilience from a people perspective.

  • Greater awareness of what resilient people do that sets them apart from others
  • Develop your powers of perseverance with some practical tools and techniques
  • Three-stage approach to managing negative thoughts and self-doubt
  • Enhanced confidence in dealing with rejection and perceived failure
  • Greater awareness of what triggers your self-doubt and negative feelings
  • How to better manage ourselves in handling difficult people and scenarios.
  • Greater confidence in mastering the art of difficult conversations
  • Clarity around what you need to start, stop and continue doing in order to build your resilience and greater self-belief

Trainer

Mark Douglas, Partner, Blue Ptarmigan
Mark Douglas is a business partner in Blue Ptarmigan who specialise in helping people achieve more than they ever thought possible. He has had a wide-ranging business career, which has included delivering senior roles in HR, Learning & Development, Supply Chain & Operations, Retail, Property Development and Change Management.

He is a business mentor and coach with the Princes Trust and was an associate lecturer with Dundee Business School. 

Mark has extensive experience in the design and delivery of people based ‘performance improvement interventions’ for SME’s, large businesses and public sector bodies.

Effective Negotiation Skills

5.5 hours verifiable CPD

The ability to negotiate is a key element of professional effectiveness.

At this one-day workshop, attendees will examine a range of skills, strategies, theoretical models of negotiation and have the opportunity to test techniques. The programme is underpinned by insights into language choices, personal behaviours and negotiation protocols aimed at improving the effectiveness of negotiations.

By attending, participants will be able to apply principles of effective negotiation within a range of individual, business and professional contexts.

  • Models and frameworks underpinning negotiation activity
  • Strategies to plan and implement effective negotiation events
  • Evidence based insights to underpin language and behavioural choices
  • Techniques for self-critique to support continuous development

Trainer

Kevin Rowswell, Director, Academically Speaking
Kevin Rowswell is an educationalist with particular interests in professional and management education and applied professional communications.

Kevin’s career has embraced public, private and not-for-profit sectors including government administration and policy development at local and national level. His principal areas of expertise include: applied professional communications, policy development and stakeholder engagement. He is actively involved in learning design and works internationally on government capacity building programmes.

Kevin studied and taught at Manchester and Salford universities. He is a Fellow of The Chartered Management Institute, The Institute of Training and Occupational Learning , The Royal Society for Arts and Sciences and a Member of the Institute of Leadership and Management.

Effective business writing skills

5.5 hours verifiable CPD

Being able to produce clear, accurate and engaging content is an essential skill for every busy professional who needs to communicate effectively in the workplace. Sometimes our writing needs to go beyond simply informing – it needs to persuade and inspire.

Attend this course to polish up the writing skills that you use at work every day. Learn to write with clarity and style, and discover hints and tips that will enable your readers to connect, understand and respond to your writing.

This full day workshop will include presentations, editorial tasks, discussion, a quiz, and of course some writing time.

  • How audience focus produces clarity
  • How to choose and implement a particular tone of voice
  • Practical writing principles based on the well-established Plain English approach
  • Planning techniques to become more efficient and produce focused content
  • Email correspondence and persuasive writing techniques
  • Grammar hints and tips

Trainer

Hilary Phillips, Cygnus Extra
Hilary Phillips is a business copywriter with experience across commercial, public sector and third sector. She values long term relationships and has worked with some of her current clients for almost two decades. 

For the last 10 years Hilary has devoted much of her time and energy to helping organisations communicate more clearly. Through training and consultancy she enables individuals to develop the writing skills that will make the difference.

Presentation skills masterclass

5.5 hours verifiable CPD

Today, solicitors must present with confidence and conviction in the courtroom, in the board room and at networking events…

For those not accustomed to public speaking this can be quite daunting. However, this one- day course will help you break past that fear and will equip you with the key skills needed to excel in all three environments.

Delivered in a unique blend of group learning and practice, you will not only discover how to present with confidence, flair & strategy; you will also have the opportunity to present and receive personal feedback on the day!

  • Presenting with confidence
  • Overcoming ‘the fear’ of public speaking
  • Holding your audience’s attention
  • Structuring your presentation effectively
  • Building strong audience rapport
  • Showcasing your expertise
  • Persuading your audience to act
  • Remaining calm under pressure
  • Telling a client’s story strategically
  • Delivering a powerful call to action

Trainer

Kyle Murtagh, CEO, Confidence By Design
Kyle has spoken in front of a variety of different audiences, including business school students, high ranking investment bankers & judges at the UK & Ireland Championship of Public Speaking.

 

He has won over 10 different public speaking awards/titles, and under Kyle’s management, 93% of masterclass attendees have rated the workshop 9/10 or above.

More on Kyle here: https://www.confidencebydesign.co.uk/.

Prioritisation & time management

5.5 hours verifiable CPD

Time pressures and constraints, competing and ad-hoc demands on schedules are major challenges we face on a daily basis.

Being able to manage your time effectively in the workplace is an essential skill that can enhance efficacy, quality of work, as well as helping you feel more relaxed, focused, in-control and able to manage a healthy work-life balance.

This one-day training workshop, designed by award-winning coaching and training company Quiver Management, will give you the tools and techniques to help control your time, more proactively and efficiently, to increase individual and organisational productivity.

  • Understand the importance and benefits of prioritising efforts for better results
  • Develop a framework for analysing work efforts
  • Prioritise your time more effectively
  • Methodology to move work patterns away from reactive to proactive
  • Appreciate how to define and use organisational and personal goals to optimise own efforts
  • Learn how to delegate effectively
  • Practical tools and techniques for better prioritisation and time management 

Trainer

Jan Bowen-Nielsen, Director, Quiver Management
Jan has 15 years’ senior management experience from blue chip corporations in the UK, Denmark and USA including VP Sales and Marketing and CEO roles.

Over the last fourteen years he has coached and consulted to a large number of leaders in large businesses and professionals firms, helping them grow their personal and their firm’s performance.

In addition to being a qualified Senior Practitioner in Coaching and Mentoring and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management, he also holds an MBA from Henley Management College.

In this section