Personal Effectiveness

Modern business professionals are increasingly required to take responsibility for their own development. This course examines the 11 competencies of business professionals and enables delegates, using a diagnostic questionnaire, to identify how they measure up against these. The result forms the basis of a detailed personal development action plan.

The telephone is still one of the most important tools of business. Frequently, it is also the first contact that people have with your organisation. Therefore it is important to create the right impression and handle calls professionally and effectively. The course will enable delegates to project a professional image whilst examining voice control, key stages of the call, controlling the call, and handling difficult situations.

Whether presenting to an internal audience, the board or giving a sales presentation, the skill of the presenter is key to a successful outcome. This course enables delegates to present with confidence, professionalism and impact. Presentations will be videoed for each delegate to keep and, where required, PowerPoint coaching will be given.

Writing clear, concise business reports is a key skill for all business professionals. Whether writing to inform, advise or persuade, this course will improve the quality, impact and style of your reports and proposals. The course covers Preparation, Structure, Functional English and Presentation Style in a business context.

The importance of communication cannot be overstated. This course looks at how we communicate and what defines good communication. The course then examines assertiveness, transactional analysis, active listening, verbal and non-verbal communication (body language) and how we can make use of this knowledge to improve communication.

Managing your Personal and Professional Development (1 day)

Writing Professional Business Reports (1 day)

Essential Presentation Skills (2 days)

Professional Telephone Handling Skills (1 day)

Communicating Effectively (1 day)

With the ever increasing pace of business, we are expected to achieve more each day…but with the same amount of time. We all need to develop skills and strategies to achieve more with our limited time. This course examines setting SMART objectives, prioritising, improving efficiency and effectiveness, identifying time stealers and handling interruptions.

With increasing pressure in our business lives, more and more of us are suffering, in varying degrees, from the effects of stress. Apart from the damage to health and lives, stress is responsible for poor performance, absence and ultimately impacts the bottom line. This course examines the nature of stress, the root causes; how to recognise the symptoms, how to manage potentially stressful situations, the positive aspects of stress and how to prevent negative stress.

Meetings can be a highly effective vehicle for communication, problem solving and decision-making. However, to be effective, both the chairperson and the participants need the skills to ensure that meeting time is used to maximum effect. This course covers the essential skills necessary to Plan, Manage and make an effective contribution to meetings.

Effective Meeting Skills (1 day)

Stress Management (1 day)

Time Management (1 day)

We all negotiate in the course of our work, whether we’re conscious of it or not. The purpose of this course is to enable delegates to enter negotiations purposefully, with the skills to produce profitable outcomes for both parties. Some of the topics covered are: Understanding the negotiating process; Adopting a win-win mindset; The 8 stages of negotiation; Strategy and Tactics; Conflict; Demands and Concessions. The negotiator’s checklist.

Negotiating Effectively (1 day)