Navigating the Transition to a Professional Environment

Why?

Transitioning to the workplace can be exciting, demanding, challenging, exhausting in equal measure and sometimes it’s difficult to manage that very real culture shift between academic and professional life. This 1.5 hour virtual session sets out to explore some of those challenges and we talk to recent graduates who have been through the same experience as you are going through now and look for answers to make that transition smoother, more productive and valuable and enjoyable

We’ll focus on 2 key areas

Relationships
Relationship building in a professional environment is not only about developing friendships, but it’s also about building a robust network of colleagues who can help you succeed at your job and advance in your career. This means interacting regularly with people of different ages, backgrounds and interests. It also means developing a connection with your boss — a new authority figure who not only tells someone what to do, but also has a lot of power over future career development.

Expectations & Accountability
In a professional environment there is typically a lot at stake, and mistakes can have severe consequences. You’re not only accountable to yourself; you’re accountable to your team, to your colleagues, to your boss, to your division, and to your organization. If you fail a key assignment, damage a client relationship, mismanage an interaction with a supplier, you can’t make it up or ask for extra credit.

What?

What are the biggest challenges facing graduates starting in the workplace?

• Strategies for building Relationships
• Creating connections with Senior Management
• How can you step out of your comfort zone
• Tips to build confidence to ask questions
• Understanding what Professionalism in the work place looks like
• The importance of attitude

How?
Virtual programme 2 hour session
Maximum 50 participants

Building a Brand Called You!

Why?
There’s a view that doing your job well will be sufficient to be successful within an organisation. Of course, it’s not just about what you do but how you communicate what you do to the right people so that they are aware of you. A recent study has shown that who you know and how you create visibility accounts for 90% of the reason why managers are promoted. This course is designed to:

Your personal brand is the way you promote yourself. It is your unique combination of skills, experience, and personality, what you want the world to see. It is how you tell your story.

What?
• What is a personal brand and why is it important?
• Creating a brand vision for yourself
• How do you add value and drive results?
• How do you differentiate yourself?
• Formulating a brand message that is engaging and memorable
• Networking opportunities and how will you be heard?
• Living your personal brand and using it effectively

How?

Virtual Programme: An initial 1.5 hour introductory session followed by two 1.5 hour discussion sessions.
Maximum of 15 Participants

Influence without Authority

Why?
Influencing others is a skill that all of us need in the workplace. Never more so than in this time of uncertainty and a move to working virtually. Influence may take the form of persuading others to take on tasks, changing someone’s mind, gaining support, inspiring others to take willing action on your behalf, persuading other people to become your champions, engaging someone’s imagination or building relationships. Whatever form it takes, being an excellent influencer makes your job easier. Being influential doesn’t just come with position, it’s something each and everyone needs to do, even without authority. Truly excellent influencing skills require a combination of interpersonal, communication, presentation and assertiveness techniques. In this virtual course participants have the opportunity to practice in a virtual environment, positioning their ideas persuasively to influence others to take willing action.

What?
• Understand the situations in which they influence people and the role they play
• Recognise when and how to influence others.
• Have greater self-awareness of their own communication style, using David Merril Social Style profiling as a basis
• Adapt and modify their personal communication style with an understanding how different personalities are influenced in different ways
• Structure & refine the message to have more impact
• Present information confidently

How?
Virtual Programme: 1.5 hour introductory session followed by a 2 x 1.5 hour discussion sessions, including tips and tools sharing.
Maximum 15 Participants

Increasing Assertiveness in the workplace

Why?
Assertiveness is often confused with aggressiveness and as a result many may consider it inappropriate in the work space. Assertiveness is the ability to express yourself and your rights without violating the rights of others. It is appropriately direct, open, and honest communication which is self-enhancing and expressive. Acting assertively will allow you to feel self-confident and will generally gain you the respect of your peers. It can increase your chances for honest relationships, and help you to feel better about yourself and your self-control in everyday work situations. This course is designed to understand the negative implications of being passive and give participants skills to become more assertive.

What?
• Understanding the difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness
• Have tools to increase assertiveness in the workspace
• Have skills to be able to manage unreasonable demands from others.
• Be able to voice your opinions with confidence
• Make a positive first impression.
• Turn negative thoughts into positive ones.
• Make requests so that they get what they want.
• Find ways of connecting with people.

How?

Programme: An initial 1.5 hour introductory session followed by two 1.5 hour discussion sessions.
Maximum 15 participants

Crucial Conversations

Crucial Conversations
Why?
Poorly handling crucial conversations — discussions with high stakes, different opinions, and strong emotions — is the cause of many of our most painful problems in work and home life. These stressful conversations can rapidly go awry, with people behaving at their worst – yelling at each other and sniping sarcastically, or on the other side going silent and withdrawing. When this happens, little progress is made, and resentment builds. Moreover, we often deliberately avoid having these conversations because we’re afraid we’ll make matters worse.
Crucial Conversations teaches you an array of dialogue principles and practical skills, explained and demonstrated through numerous examples. After this book, you’ll be able to talk to anyone about virtually any topic, no matter how sensitive. When you learn to handle crucial conversations effectively, the quality of your relationships and your effectiveness in your career will improve dramatically, and you’ll be able to help get everybody what they want

What
• Understanding how to prepare for critical conversations.
• Understanding your own response to conflict
• Have a step by step guide to follow through a difficult conversation
• Improve questioning and listening skills, necessary for understanding real issues
• How to use persuasive language to influence the outcomes of a conversation.
• Understand how to manage challenging conversations

How

Programme: An initial 1 hour introductory session followed by two 1.5 hour discussion sessions.
Maximum 15 Participants