Professional Skills and Team Workshops |
Although most of our programme for teams and individuals are designed especially for individual clients, we know that is important to give an idea of the types of programmes we deliver.
With teams and individuals typical topics inlcude
- Building High Performance Teams – a workshop for existing, intact teams who are newly formed or existing teams who are facing challenges which require even higher levels of team performance
- Coaching for High Performance - its not just managers who need to coach others; other highly skilled professionals and ‘Thought Leaders’ also need to be able to pass on their skills and experience to others
- Developing Personal Impact and Reputation
- Dealing with Conflict
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Creativity, Problem Solving & Decision Making
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Effective Influencing Skills
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Effective Meetings Skills
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Presentations skills
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Developing Assertiveness
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Negotiation Skills
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Consultancy Skills
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Understanding Business Finance
All of our workshops are highly interactive with a focus on practical skills and processes which can be easily transferred back to the workplace. We use 360o surveys, psychometrics, role-plays using video and actors, business simulations and other action learning exercises which enhance and ground all of our learning in reality.
Some more detail on our most popular workshops.....
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Building the High Performance Team
It takes time and energy for a group of individuals to become a high performance team which delivers exceptional results. This workshop helps accelerate that process. The foundation for good team working is:
- A clear understanding of the overall goals of the team and how individuals contribute to that goal
- Trust, openness and respect between team members so they can perform well even when they separated from one another or when the going gets tough
The workshop focuses on these two key areas. We can draw on a wide range of team exercises to help everyone understand the importance of have a shared vision, goals and agreed targets. These games, simulations etc are also a great way help demonstrate what behaviours will promote effective team working- and what behaviour can get in the way. We also use the most relevant psychometrics such as MBTI, Insights, FIRO-B or Belbin (link to psychometrics) to help team members get a better understanding of why they work as they do and how to adapt with others who work in different ways.
Outcomes for Participants & Organisations
Each team member receives an individual report based on the psychometric selected on the workshop. The team builds their own ‘code of conduct’ which becomes the model for future team working and a basis for future feedback. Each workshop results in both a team and individual action plan-with an emphasis on the next 30 days so that the impetus of the day continues. Action learning techniques which focus on tackling live business issues are used which can then be applied back at work as part of regular team meetings.
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Coaching for High Performance
This workshop focuses on the skills and processes needed to become a great coach. During the workshop there are many opportunities for coaching practice and feedback as well as opportunities to receive coaching on specific areas. We take a pragmatic approach and help participants to find ways to coach when time is at a premium and find ways to make sure even a 10 minutes coaching session delivers results. Topics include:
- What is great coaching and how does it differ from mentoring and delegation?
- A review of current coaching skills-areas of strength and areas in need of further development
- Key skills which are the building blocks of coaching success; active listening, asking great questions, agreeing specific coaching goals, giving feedback –all with a focus on measurable action and results.
- Several opportunities to practice and receive feedback
Outcomes for Participants & Organisations
Each person will take part in the Exceptional Coach 360o Survey (link to 360 page) and receive a detailed, externally benchmarked report on their own strengths and areas of development. A web based action planning tool linked to the Extraordinary Coach 360(link to Action Plan Mapper) will support post-workshop action and allow each person to receive on-going feedback and coaching. During the workshop each person will focus on specific real life coaching situations which they will plan and rehearse ready for their return to the business.
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Developing Personal Impact & Reputation
This workshop has a very personal focus and we use two tutors so that we can work with individuals on the areas that will have greatest impact for them. We use a combination of approaches and take lessons from the both the worlds of management training and the theatre. Actors spend years learning how to overcome their nerves so that they can perform at their very best and we make use of this experience in working with participants. Topics include:
- A pre-workshop process to identify individual strengths as seen by others
- How reputation built and what is is your reputation?
- Your ‘ideal’ reputations & the steps needed to achieve it
- The Inner Game-the beliefs, and needs that can drive our success or limit us
- The Outer Game-using lessons from the world of theatre-how to use our voice and body to become more confident, assertive and build a positive, high status reputation with others
- Practice and feedback
Outcomes for Participants & Organisations
Research shows that we become truly successful by leveraging our strengths rather than being overly focused on our weaknesses. Participants receive feedback from several colleagues which help them to identify the strengths to build on and grow a positive, strong reputation in their own organisation. Each person develops a ‘stakeholder’ map to identify where they need to focus attention in building reputation and the practical steps needed to develop stronger relationships with each person or group.
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Dealing with Conflict
A workshop to help with those difficult conversations we need to have but sometimes dread-or even avoid. It looks at the skills and techniques of handling conflict in a positive way which will actually bring about both stronger relationships and higher performance. Topics include:
- The impact of conflict on people and the business-both positive and negative
- Personal hot buttons/triggers for conflict
- Different conflict handling styles and options-using the Thomas Kilmann Conflict Modes questionnaire-TKI (link to psychometrics)
- The Conflict Resolution Road Map-3 steps to handle conflict
- Practice-practice and more practice!
Outcomes for Participants & Organisations
Participants become more confident in dealing openly with conflict and gain the skills and techniques needed to resolve conflict quickly and positively for all parties. Individuals will recognise of what triggers conflict for both themselves and others-how to spot the move into the ‘critical zone’ and how to bring things back on track. A clear, practical map of steps to resolve conflict in a positive way is practiced throughout the workshop making application easy on return to work.
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Creativity, Problem Solving & Decision Making
The workshop looks at both left and right brain thinking in problem solving and decision making. We cover a wide range of tools and techniques and practice them in a variety of scenarios which can then be applied to everyday work situations.Topics include:
- Lateral thinking-creative thinking techniques
- A range of tools to analise complex situations and take action
- A systems approach to problem solving-engineering effective solutions
- Avoiding decision bias
- Different decision making styles and when to use them
- Gaining commitment to decisions
Outcomes for Participants & Organisations
Participants come away with a personal ‘kit’ of tried and tested problem solving and decision-making techniques and practice them so that they can them decide what approach to use for each situation. We give time for case studies and exercises but also let individuals work on their own live problems. Decisions need implementation to be successful-that usually means that others have to ‘buy into’ these solutions. The techniques from the workshop can be brought back into the work place and used to gain inputs and commitment from others-so vital to success.
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Effective Influencing Skills
This workshop helps individuals to understand their current styles of influencing and help them to develop their repertoire of skills, strategies and tactics of effective influence. The emphasis is one practice, feedback and then more practice both in a series of exercises and a focus on real life influencing situations. Topics include:
- Characteristics or effective influencers
- Building a wide range of influencing styles using the Greenbank Influencing Styles questionnaire
- How to adapt your styles and strategies to fit the situation and individuals you need to influence
- 6 Principle strategies for influencing
- Planning to influence-4 step approach
Outcomes for Participants & Organisations
Participants gain a clear understanding of their current style of influencing - where it will work but also where they need to flex their ‘natural’s style to be more effective. Video review from exercises gives each person concrete evidence of their impact on others-what works and what does not. Specific tips and guidance are given on current influencing situations at work –with an emphasis on putting learning into practice. The greatest benefit at the end of the workshop is that individuals understand that preparing a rational, technically excellent case is not sufficient – you also need to plan how to communicate, attract allies and persuade others to gain real influence.
