If you are interested in any of our courses, please place a check next to the appropriate ones below, and then click the 'submit' button.
Course Summary
TEAM BUILDING We are many ... but we are but one!
Just the selection of a group of people does not make a team. Team life evolves and should be nurtured, coached and cared for. Successful teams have a spirit, common goals, camaraderie and are empowered. Teamwork is an essential part of today's business success yet organisations do not fully utilise this powerful management tool, as there is an attitude of wariness when it comes to teams. [back to top]
EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP Leadership is making people want to follow - willingly.
US President Harry Truman said: "Leadership is the ability to get people to do what they don't want to do and like it." Dwight Eisenhower demonstrated it with a piece of string on a table. "Pull it, and it will follow anywhere you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all.” [back to top]
MIDDLE MANAGEMENT Success is managing in two directions!
A broad knowledge, exceptional interpersonal skills, social skills and management and leadership abilities are the essential requirements of today's middle managers. Much of the organisation's operation and future results are stimulated by this group of managers and it is essential they have a broad awareness of all management skills. [back to top]
DEVELOPING A TEAM Teams Are Not Made - They Evolve.
Facilitating the development of a team is an awesome task, which takes a blend of experienced people skills, together with the provision of appropriate resources and time. The ability to transfer "goal" ownership, develop camaraderie, and allow empowerment mixed with accountability and responsibility, makes the sensitive task of team development an event that requires 150% commitment. [back to top]
TEAM BRIEFING Two way interactive communications.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone in the organisation knew what was going on, the direction the organisation was heading, changes in the organisation and the results of individual effort? Imagine the trust and improved communications that would result. Impossible? Team briefing makes it a realistic goal. [back to top]
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS Communications is a function of success!
When an organisation is committed to improving and enhancing staff communications, staff members become more informed and become a key factor in achieving excellent customer service, increased productivity and improved business efficiency and effectiveness. [back to top]
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS I look and see, listen and hear, speak and communicate!
Mastering the skills of effective interpersonal communications takes a lifetime of diligent practice yet we need to start somewhere. The quality of our interpersonal communications has a marked affect on our business and personal lives. [back to top]
PUBLIC SPEAKING AND PRESENTATION SKILLS Great speakers are born - not made ... myth?
Public speaking and innovative presentation can be fun and something to look forward to. Nerves, fear, uncertainty and limited experience generally convinces us all that public speaking is not for us. To be successful in this art requires practice, learning and the desire to succeed. [back to top]
INTRODUCTION TO QUALITY Continual improvement in all that we do!
By preventing waste and rework, by doing it right first time every time and by continually seeking to improve, we will always contribute to better quality environments in business and at home. [back to top]
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT Quality is defined in terms of customer perceptions!
The customer is the first and final arbiter of quality whether it is the organisation, its products, its service or its people. An organisation employing Total Quality Management (TQM) as one of its key business drivers is more likely to succeed as TQM has the capacity to utilise systemic dynamics. [back to top]
QUALITY LEADERSHIP Leadership skills that achieve more than the ordinary!
There are fundamental differences between management and leadership but there are major differences between leadership and quality leadership. While difficult at the start, managers that utilise the skills of quality leadership enjoy the support of staff and customers alike and find more satisfaction in their job. [back to top]
BENCHMARKING AND DATA COLLECTION Comparisons with the best!
In quality terms, rework is a waste and unfortunately most organisations participate in the practice. By utilising the comparison of processes developed by successful organisations and reliable data collected from various sources, an organisation can eliminate much of its rework. The objective for all organisations is to be the benchmark for other organisations. [back to top]
SELF MANAGED TEAMS Empowerment.
High performance teams that are empowered, nurtured and resourced by management are an essential element of today's successful organisations. [back to top]
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT Conflict issues are people issues!
Conflict is inevitable as it is a consequence of people in an environment where their wants, needs and expectations contrast. How conflict is resolved effectively is a skill that involves listening, empathy, communication and negotiation. [back to top]
NEGOTIATION SKILLS Win Win!
Everyone negotiates for something from the time we are born! Some of us are better than others as it depends on what skills we pick up along life's path. Yet if the quality skills of negotiation are learned, our business and private lives will be all the richer. [back to top]
EFFECTIVE LISTENING We usually hear - but do we listen?
It is amazing how we grow when we listen to the sounds of life. Effective listening is a cornerstone of communications. It reduces the effects of poor interpretation and provides opportunity for thinking and reflection prior to responding, both of which are very important in the communication process. [back to top]
MEETING SKILLS Productive or unproductive inputs!
Whether just a member or an office bearer, each individual should bring effective professional skills and input to the meeting that contributes to highly successful outcomes. [back to top]
TIME MANAGEMENT Balancing the Time Scales.
Appropriate use of your time will improve the quality of your life. Time is one of our essential parameters of life, which is often given to running our lives. Time should be utilised as an aid, not a reason. [back to top]
TELEPHONE TECHNIQUES Seeing people with different eyes!
Customers will "see" your organisation from the perceptions they draw when contact is made via the telephone. The image that is conveyed, not only on the first but subsequent contacts, is vital. [back to top]
OFFICE PROCEDURES Housekeeping at its best in the office!
Whether it is the customer reception office, the CEO's office, a manager's office or just one of the many offices that form part of an organisation, it is essential that each one is run effectively and efficiently for the good of the organisation, its people and the customers it serves. [back to top]
WORKING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE All people are a challenge to someone sometime!
Staff that are difficult or hard to get along with, often undermine today’s thrust towards team working rather than the traditional hierarchical structures. How people who are difficult to work with are "embraced" by the organisation is one of the greatest challenges management face. [back to top]
MINUTE TAKING THAT SAVES HOURS Jobs to be done need only reminders - not monologues.
Accurate, easily read and understood minutes of previous meetings will always add to the effectiveness of a meeting. Legislation often dictates the format of minutes and in most cases minutes have some sort of format. Most organisations address the minute’s format rather than the outcomes from the minutes. Everyone should be able to be a minute taker so the format should be simple to complete and simple to read and react to. [back to top]
PROBLEM SOLVING A problem is really only a challenge.
Life is full of problems and for many of us life is nothing but a problem. Problems affect individuals, and groups of individuals, yet if a problem is seen as a `challenge' the solutioncan be identified and approached with a more positive attitude. Problems come in all shapes and sizes yet each has the capacity to interfere with our lifestyle. [back to top]
STRESS MANAGEMENT Like pressure, stress has its good aspects.
In every aspect of our lives we encounter stress and unless we learn how to harness this powerful energy source it can be disastrous to our lifestyles. Stress is unavoidable yet when we discover the methods of identifying stress and the skills of not only coping with it but also using it as an effective life-tool, we become more dynamic in every facet of our lives. [back to top]
COUNSELLING SKILLS Caring for our best asset - people!
Quality care for the problems of people requires counsellors with knowledge and experience. Counsellors who readily adopt the skills of empathy, listening, communications and research but most of all have a personality that demonstrates warmth, responsiveness and compassion. [back to top]
MENTORING A one-off meeting or a lifelong relationship.
Affecting the lifestyle of another person, a mentor offers knowledge, insight, perspective or wisdom and is an experienced and trusted counsellor. Mentors are experienced in their particular field and offer encouragement, guidance and options to someone seeking growth in the same field. [back to top]
PERSONAL LIFE COACHING Turning intentions into actions.
We seldom recognise our own barriers, as self-assessment is a subjective process. Reaching personal goals, fulfilment, balance and self-confidence in a holistic approach will allow us to balance life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. A journey of self-exploration to achieve our full potential. [back to top]
GRIEVANCE COUNSELLING Turning self destruction into personal growth.
When individuals have continuing issue differences, which affect their personal lives and the culture around them, everyone suffers. Addressing grievances early with caring mediation can prevent much heartache, breakdown of relationships and perhaps a time in the courts. [back to top]
INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP COUNSELLING Listening, seeking options and moving towards win-win solutions.
When human beings reach a stalemate in life's issues sometimes a caring, yet experienced facilitator who can exhibit empathy in a constructive and effective way, can assist the individual or group to focus on positive outcomes that will assist in agreed solutions. [back to top]
MYERS - BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR Do I see the 'real' myself when I look in the mirror.
If asked, most would say they understand how they think, act and operate as a human being. Yet those who know us may reflect a different image. How we interrelate with others is often difficult, as we don't really know ourselves as the mirror is distorted. [back to top]
PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS or TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS (TNA) Identifying real needs!
Identifying and responding to the real people development needs of an organisation is an essential element in the growth of the organisation, its people and all aspects of customer service. [back to top]
COMMUNICATIONS AUDIT How, where, when, why, who and what do we communicate?
Before an organisation begins to address possible changes to its communications processes it must firstly identify how it presently communicates, what, to whom, why and when it communicates. In addition, a measure of the present communications processes effectiveness must be determined to enable comparisons to be made when new processes are implemented. [back to top]
STRATEGIC PLANNING Planning for the BIG picture!
Strategic planning for an organisation is the cornerstone for success. The development of business, financial, infrastructure, staffing and training plans are but some of the outputs of a vibrant and living strategic plan. [back to top]
CULTURAL CHANGE Responding to change with intelligence and compassion!
Social, political, economic and technical changes are affecting organisations continually. Human behaviour in the organisations is also challenged continually by the same dynamics. Responding to the changes is an essential element of senior management but of all the elements that are affected, none is more important than that of the organisation's people. The skills of cultural change are paramount. [back to top]
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Helping the individual, the organisation and its customers!
In its positive and most effective form, performance appraisal is used to improve a person's performance in their current job, determine the person's potential for other jobs in the organisation and perhaps commence development for a new position. They should also aim to establish a rapport between the person and management that enables better communications and a sharing and understanding that will improve the organisation and ultimately, customer service. [back to top]
TRAIN THE TRAINER Spreading the skills!
Organisations that have their own high performance quality trainer will not only save money, but will almost certainly capitalise on their assets. This is particularly true if the trainer is qualified and knowledgeable and more importantly, lively, entertaining, memorable and professional. [back to top]
MARKETING YOUR ORGANISATION Promotion of your quality services.
Organisations producing products seldom have problems in marketing those products, but this is not always the case for service-based organisations. The service industry is increasing yet the customer perception indicates a decline in service quality. People provide service and the quality of that service depends on many factors. The question then, is how do organisations market their two greatest assets their people and the services they provide? [back to top]
DEVELOPMENT FACILITATION SKILLS Bringing the best out of others.
The dictionary suggests that the word facilitate means to "make easy or easier" and organisations utilising the skills of a good facilitator reap the benefits of dynamic outcomes.
The development of people skills and the understanding of group processes will assist facilitators to draw the best from focus groups and meetings. [back to top]
CUSTOMER SERVICE Serving customers is the reason your job exists.
The art of customer service is not only in the serving of a customer but also in the ability to retain the customer on a long-term basis. Poor customer service is easy to come by and ensures business difficulties whereas organisations that pursue the goal of excellence in customer service, find their business steadily growing. [back to top]
CUSTOMER RESPONSIVENESS Are you really ready for customers?
Customers can approach a business any time, or by any means, but is the business ready for them? How responsive are we to the way they approach the business, the service they require and the products they seek. Most organisations only address the service and the product in the frantic approach to do better than the opposition. The essential element of customer responsiveness is nearly always forgotten. [back to top]
SERVICE QUALITY Whether it be 'a service' or 'service', it must be quality!
Like its customers, all organisations have a view of what they believe service and quality represent. Similarly, organisations often do not define for themselves the difference between 'a service' and 'service'. The differences in these perceptions are often the difference between attracting and/or keeping customers. [back to top]
HANDLING DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS Every customer is of great value to your organisation!
The rapport that is developed between our customers and us is vital to the productivity, continued support and our personal and business image. Sadly, there are some customers whom, for whatever reason, are difficult to get along with. It is then that our people skills are put to the test. [back to top]
CUSTOMER SERVICE CHARTERS A measure for customers to assess your organisation.
If an organisation is striving to improve its customer service, then the development of a customer service charter is an initiative that will provide the foundation to achieve that goal. If the organisation can experience change, empower its people and listen to customer needs, then the development of a customer service charter is not a problem, but a challenge. [back to top]
COUNCILLOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (2 DAY LIVE-IN) Local government knowledge and skills are not inherited by election. They are learned by commitment and hard work!
Ordinary people become councillors and they bring to local government a multitude of gifts, yet most would never have been involved with million dollar budgets, planning large businesses or dealing in the business of communities. Understanding roles, responsibilities, accountabilities, strategic planning, ethics, codes of conduct or abiding by the act are all unknown areas. Skills such as public speaking, negotiation and a multitude of people skills are essential. [back to top]
COUNCILLOR DEVELOPMENT UNITS (3 UNITS EACH 1 DAY) Challenge with fun is a sure receipt for success.
Team development, lateral thinking, strategic planning, public speaking, customer service, dealing with difficult people and a host of other dynamic topics are delivered with humour. By offering group participation that ensure inexperienced and experienced councillors hone their personal skills. [back to top]
THINKING OF BECOMING A COUNCILLOR? Would I make an excellent councillor?
"I would be no good at being a councillor and anyway, I have no idea of what they do!" Many councillors are elected without knowing what they are getting into. When one is well informed, one can make the right decision based on facts. [back to top]
PROFILING COUNCILLORS and STAFF Why can't they be like me?
If we only knew how others think. How they tick, what makes them do and say the things they do, it would be so much easier to get along with them. More importantly, if we mirrored and understood what drives ourselves, we would get along better in this world. [back to top]
