Topics

Tony Bray’s list of topics

A – Leading and managing people

A1 Stepping into management

This three-day programme gives delegates the skills, confidence and practical experience to lead and manage their teams more effectively. The course is a rich mixture of tutor input, practical team exercises, delegate self-assessments, and coaching sessions.

• Understand personal leadership disciplines, emotional maturity, self confidence, and empowerment.
• Grow self-confidence, utilising and practising their ability to solve problems, understand team dynamics, and implement team action.
• Develop capabilities to handle conflicts, behave more assertively, and apply the principles of situational leadership.
• Have practised a rigorous coaching technique, which incorporates a five-step problem solving methodology.
• Understand the key role delegates have in encouraging and developing their staff.

A2 A manager’s first 100 days

• Cascade well-defined goals, establishing ‘line of sight’ with corporate objectives.
• Know how to recognise and harness the power of hidden motivators.
• Feel more confident to delegate tasks.
• Be able to use a variety of coaching skills.
• How to recognise, and confront in a positive-way, under-performance.

A3 Coaching

• Distinguish between coaching and mentoring.
• Identify and analyse coaching needs.
• Plan and manage effective coaching sessions.
• Explore the key inter-personal skills required for effective coaching.
• How to give effective feedback – Ask don’t tell.

A4 Mentoring

• Recognise the benefits of mentoring to the individual, the line manager, the mentor and the organisation.
• Understand the skills and characteristics of an effective mentor.
• Be able to use a variety of tools and techniques to progress the mentoring relationship.
• Understand the eight stages of introducing mentoring to an organisation.
• Understand the mentoring life-cycle and how both parties contribute at different phases.

A5 Appraisals

• Understand the annual appraisal system.
• How to prepare for an appraisal – employee and appraiser.
• Agreeing meaningful objectives, especially how they will be measured.
• Feeling more confident to discuss ‘unwelcome’ feedback on performance.
• Effective questioning techniques, including encouraging the ‘quiet’ person to contribute.

A6 Mediation

• Approaches to managing and resolving conflict – the continuum.
• Understand what mediation is and when it can be effective.
• Types of mediation – facilitative vs. evaluative.
• Explore in detail the five phases of the mediation process.
• The skills of an effective mediator, including techniques for breaking deadlock.

A7 Consulting

• The eight stages of a consultancy assignment.
• Understand the importance of clear objectives before you start an assignment.
• Be able to establish a good relationship with the client, using the most appropriate consultancy style.
• Know how to diagnose the problem by fact finding and analysing data.
• Know how to generate options, make decisions, and plan.

A8 Absence Management

• Giving line managers the confidence and skills to confront frequent absentees.
• Improving interviewing skills to identify the difference between short term and chronic illnesses.
• How to coach staff to reveal, then confront non-sickness  related absences. E.g. Stress, finance, marital, personality clashes etc.
• Finding the underlying cause of absence. Should they be switched to another role or function?
• Giving line managers the attitude and skill to support staff with genuine problems to return to normal attendance.

B – Organisational effectiveness

B1 Customer service

• Refresh the importance of good customer service, and the key part it plays in your continued corporate survival.
• An immediate and measurable improvement in both customer and employee satisfaction.
• The importance of paying attention to what your customers think.
• How to develop and implement meaningful measures of customer satisfaction, including customer or supplier surveys.
• Managing the ‘moments of truth’ effectively.

B2 Making effective decisions

• A step-by-step practical and rational approach to making decisions.
• Remove the ‘fog factor’ from decision making.
• Proven tools and techniques for each step of the process.
• Methods for reaching consensus.
• Techniques for formulating agreed selection criteria.

B3 Accuracy – reducing errors at work

• Understand the real costs resulting from errors at work.
• Have explored their own strengths and vulnerable points relating to working error-free.
• Be aware of their own personal error patterns so they are alert to areas where they are most likely to make a mistake.
• Have an improved awareness of the customer-supplier chains within Baillie-Gifford and how they can be strengthened.
• Have increased concentration and attention to detail.
• Have found errors or inaccuracies in their own work they were previously unaware of.

B4 Time Management

• Understand the difference between urgency and importance, and the impact it has on setting priorities and scheduling tasks.
• Explore the difference between ‘progress’ and ‘maintenance’ tasks.
• Explore a variety range of time management techniques and practices.
• Learn how to set stretching goals and realistic priorities for self and team.
• Learn how to say ‘no’ without offending people.

B5 Creative thinking

• The ability to see familiar problems from a fresh perspective.
• A variety of tools and techniques which help to unblock long-standing operational issues.
• Overcoming barriers to creative thinking.
• Finding creative solutions to familiar problems.
• Using practical, easy tools and techniques on delegates’ real issues, eg ‘six thinking hats’ approach. ‘power post-it notes’ and ‘random entry’ methods.

B6 Facilitation skills

• Understand what facilitation is, and the four stages of facilitation.
• Understand the role and responsibilities of the facilitator when overcoming barriers to change.
• Develop listening, questioning and intervening skills and strategies.
• Promoting participative and analytical discussion.
• Developing a toolbox of effective tools and techniques.

B7 Root cause analysis

• Root cause analysis.
• Scoping the incident and collecting the information.
• Interviewing and witness statements.
• Mapping the information and analysis – separating relevant from non-relevant.
• Identifying improvements and root causes

B8 Investigation skills for HR teams

• Build your confidence to manage the investigation to a satisfactory conclusion.
• Have a method for evaluating different evidence types.
• Develop your interview and questioning techniques.
• Gain skills to help witnesses recall accurate testimony.
• Clarify report presentation, layout and structure.

B9 Selling skills

• How to turn initial contacts into firm appointments.
• Being able to quickly build rapport with new clients and influence them with integrity.
• How to explore needs and present solutions.
• The difference between features and benefits.
• Handling objections effectively, and closing the sale positively.

B10 Negotiating skills

• Thorough preparation, especially researching the opponent’s position.
• Use a four-step process to manage your negotiations.
• Be able to understand and anticipate other people’s reactions.
• Refresh awareness of the importance of non-verbal signals.
• Separate the people from the issues, focus on interests not positions, and understand what’s negotiable.

C – Working together

C1 Team working

• Understand the key role you have in encouraging and developing your team.
• Have explored the key elements essential for peak team performance.
• Learn how to harness the power of underlying personal motivators.
• Become more aware of the ‘informal’ roles you adopt – the Belbin team roles.
• Feel more confident to confront unhelpful behaviour in a positive way.

C2 Emotional intelligence

• A three-option method for addressing any stressful situation in Emotional Management.
• A toolbox of personal skills, including using routines, relaxation techniques, and a stress log system.
• The tools you need to be emotionally intelligent in your workplace.
• How to manage impulses, communicate with others effectively, manage change well, solve problems, and use humour to build rapport in tense situations.
• He to have empathy, remain optimistic even in the face of adversity, and be able to educate and persuade in a sales situation, and resolve customer complaints in a customer service role.

C3 Continuous improvement

• Know how to demonstrate the importance of continuous improvement for survival.
• How to perform a business skills audit of overall business operation, to broaden individual skills and enhance overall team performance.
• To show that creativity and fun can exist in a productive working situation.
• How to measure performance in areas hitherto considered incapable of being measured.
• Become an effective facilitator, using a step by step approach which can be applied in any industry or profession.

Mending a broken team

C4 Dealing with conflict

• Recognise that conflict is going to happen and deal with it when it arises – preferably sooner rather than later.
• Handling conflict in a positive and motivational manner, gaining you respect and support.
• Recognising that conflict is usually a symptom of deeper emotions – so search for the underlying causes.
• Practical steps to resolve conflict.

C5 Chairing or holding effective meetings

• More for less. Fewer meetings, shorter durations, and better outcomes.
• Become an effective chairperson – better preparation, managing the variety of inputs, to achieve focused and timely decisions.
• Enhancing personal skills – asking the right questions, encouraging others, and working through difficult conflicts.
• Using modern technology to achieve the best results.

C6 Networking

• Greater realisation of the value of networking to you and your business.
• Ability to enter a room of strangers confidently and open a conversation.
• Understanding of the factors which can dramatically improve your success at networking.
• Ability to give a concise, focused, one-minute statement of what you can offer.
• Develop the key interpersonal skills involved, and know how to build an effective network.
• Feel confident to ask your way to success.

C7 Assertiveness

• Rights and responsibilities of assertive behaviour.
• Practice using skills and processes which develop assertiveness.
• Explore a four step process for taking control of your life.
• The OK corral.
• Assertiveness styles questionnaire.

D – Communication skills

D1 Influencing skills

• Enhanced confidence in all influencing situations.
• Understanding how others think, feel and behave.
• The art of getting your way and how to appeal to hearts and minds.
• Key skills and techniques revisited.
• Structuring and delivering persuasive arguments.

D2 Presentation skills

• Researching your audience and identifying a clear objective.
• More effective preparation of your presentation.
• Increased confidence, greater impact, and a better impression.
• Using visual aids that add value and create impact.
• Handling questions professionally and effectively.

D3 Holding difficult conversations

• Have a logical process for managing difficult conversations more positively.
• Know how to control a conversation more assertively.
• Feel more confident to give people answers you anticipate they won’t like.
• Have some techniques for calming people down.
• Be able to end conversations more positively.

D4 Writing reports, letters, proposals, e-mails.

• Having a structured approach and identifying a clear objective.
• Enhanced impact of the content of your written materials.
• Reduced time spent redrafting reports, proposals etc.
• Turning data into written information, and selecting and shaping material effectively.
• Creating recommendations that have impact.

D5 Minutes for meetings.

• Understanding why minutes are taken and the impact that has on the format.
• Building the relationship with the chairperson.
• Refreshing what the minute secretary does before, during and after the meeting.
• Understanding different formats and note taking techniques.
• Taking notes during a recorded meeting, writing your own summary, then receiving feedback.

D6 Eagle-eyed proof reading

• Understand the importance of good proof reading, and the barriers they need to overcome.
• Have a specific check-list of features to work through to ensure a document is fully fit for purpose.
• Have a tool kit of techniques to make proof reading easier.
• Have practised proof reading in a series of realistic and practical exercises.

D7 Effective reading

• Know how quickly and accurately you currently read.
• Have some techniques and approaches for more effective reading.
• Be more effective in isolating and noting key information.
• Have practised your skills.

E – Becoming a confident trainer

E1 Developing engaging training programmes

• Identify those problems for which training can offer a valuable solution, and those issues best tackled by other means.
• Write focused objectives which describe the task, the standard, and the setting in which the task has to be carried out.
• Design the whole programme start to finish, ensuring every element is complete and consistent.
• Use a variety of visual planning techniques to make the design phase easier.
• Build in through-out measurement and evaluation systems.

E2 Designing effective training materials

• Use planning techniques which enable training materials to be designed quickly and effectively.
• Be aware of the impact well designed materials have on the learner and their ability to absorb and retain key points.
• Be conscious of the variety of learning styles and the impact this has on training materials.
• Always bear in mind the concept of ‘show don’t tell’.
• Maximise every opportunity for delegates to touch, feel, smell and taste visual aids.

E3 Magic of learning

• Understand the concepts of accelerated learning and how they can be incorporated into any training programme.
• Constantly look for every opportunity to bring fun and excitement into the training environment.
• How to create a relaxed yet focused atmosphere so when people first arrive they feel encouraged and empowered.
• Create learning experiences that are as close to the ‘real thing’ as possible.

E4 Personal training skills

• How to prepare yourself before any live training event – the power of practice.
• Learning how to relax in front of delegates from the first moment, so engaging people immediately.
• Being confident to deliver an extended session without reference to notes.
• Using stories and experiences to illustrate theoretical concepts.
• Helping delegates to overcome their inhibitions and hang-ups so enabling them to learn.

E5 Designing and delivering Virtual training

• Mastering the technical aspects of the chosen virtual training medium.
• Designing training materials, both the display given by the presenter and workbooks used by delegates, that are engaging, fun and high impact.
• Understanding how to capture the interest of delegates working remotely, and to maintain their interest.
• Knowing how to ‘reach out’ to people remotely, recognising the wide variety of comfort delegates will have with the training medium.

E6 Prove training works

• A rugged, step by step approach, for measuring the success of training.
• Delegates work through each step, identifying the key factors for their organisation.
• Ideally the work should be done to allow ‘before’ and ‘after’ measurements.
• A great focus on the precise methods of measuring success.