Training to a Client Brief
You may have clearly defined training needs so we just need to know:
- Who the delegates are
- What their job involves
- Previous training they have received
- Specific training objectives
We then design a course or series of courses to satisfy your particular needs.
"Excellent. Dealt with both general management issues and also specific management situations".
Manager, recruitment consultancy
Career Development Programmes (CDPs)
Career development programmes can be based on individual job titles or competencies. Either way they form a structured training programme for each member of staff. If they are based on individual job titles, staff at each level will complete relevant training courses. If they are competency-based, managers and their HR departments look at the combination of skills, knowledge, attitudes and habits (SKAH) that staff need. Once they have identified the gap between the ideal SKAH and the current level, we design a training programme to bridge that gap.
"It's great to see that we are giving people really good training opportunities and that they are putting what they have learnt into practice. So, thank you!"
HR Manager, publisher
Training Internal Experts
You may feel that some of your training is best delivered by your own internal experts. We can help identify, develop and coach these experts, enabling them to maximise their impact in your training programme. We can also train your managers in all aspects of on-the-job coaching, so that they can support the work done in the training session and promote a culture of continuous learning.
Training Clinics
Clinics are intense, typically one-to-one, hour-long sessions with your staff which focus on the issues crucial to them. For PR and marketing executives, a session could look at tips and pointers for copy they've recently written; a press release they're grappling with or the way they handle their media contacts. For more experienced staff it may have a more management focus and cover areas such as people issues, ranging from motivation through to conflict management, or focusing on the nitty gritty of editing copy, or managing their supplier or agency relationships.
Mentoring
Mentoring can be used either as a stand-alone session with a key member of staff, or to help staff on their return to the job after a training session. Mentoring helps fulfil individual development needs as well as group or team goals, providing specific direction and expert support for delegates.
Coaching
Coaching is a highly effective and focused resource, especially when budgets are tight and time is limited.
Many roles can be quite isolating. Executives may have no one to talk to, other than their immediate manager; directors often can't confide in colleagues; friends may work for rival companies so that doesn't help either.
Managing creative people is an art in itself, so coaching can prevent tricky situations developing and minimise their negative impact once they have.
How Does Coaching Help?
In today's targeted world, mentoring or on-the-job training isn't easily available. A coach can provide this invaluable input with the added advantage of being informed yet neutral. A coach can provide:
- Real-world consultancy
- An empathetic understanding of workload pressures and tasks, and deadline realities
- Experience of what does and doesn't work in other companies
- An objective evaluation of what is realistically achievable
- A low-risk sounding board for alternative options
- A personal mentor for impartial guidance and valuable support
All coaching is confidential so it also provides a safe environment to discuss any problems and consider the available solutions.
What is Coaching?
In a coaching session, both the client and coach agree and define the goals that the client wants to achieve. These can be anything from "learn to manage that difficult person" to "introduce new working practices".
A strategy is then created for achieving and implementing these goals, deciding on the most effective routes for fulfilling them, and investigating all the hurdles that may get in the way. The coach holds this vision for the client and provides mentoring, support and ongoing encouragement.
Who is the Coach?
Wendy Bristow has been a professional journalist for over 20 years and is a trained and qualified coach. She is a graduate of "Coach U", the leading global provider of coaching programmes, whose founder Thomas Leonard, defined coaching as we know it today. She is currently enrolled in their Advanced 'Mastercoach' programme, culminating in full accreditation with the International Coaching Federation.
She is the author of four books including the highly-respected "Coach Yourself to Confidence".
Wendy's private clients currently include an editor, a novelist, two newspaper executives and several freelancers, and a growing roster of corporate clients at IPC Media, The National Magazine Company, The Builder Group, Conde Nast, Associated Newspapers and BBC Worldwide.
Wendy has regularly faced and resolved most of the issues her clients are grappling with, so she understands their problems from the inside, not just as their external coach.
How Does Coaching Actually Work?
Coaching can take place face to face, over the telephone, via email, or usually a combination of all three. There is typically an initial two-hour session, followed by regular hourly sessions.
The process can be short-term, with six sessions being an average programme, or take place over a longer period - or in fact for as long as the client still finds it useful and beneficial.
