Personal effectiveness

Getting to 'peak' performance - the essential personal effectiveness skills Overview
In an increasingly pressurised environment, this course will help employees at all levels to take control of their working lives and achieve the goals and objectives of their job. This course is essential for people who could use some practical advice and guidance on how to cope with the pressures of tight deadlines and limited resources.
Increasingly, people want to find a balance between work, personal and family lives that enables success in each. Finding this balance is difficult but, when found, the benefits to the individual and the organisation are enormous.
This engaging programme is highly participative and covers a wide variety of personal organisation and personal effectiveness topics. By the end of the course, participants will have practical and worthwhile action points that they can implement immediately to help improve their effectiveness in, and away from, work. Training objectives
This is a flexible programme that targets the specific issues and needs of those attending. At the end of the course participants will be better able to:

• Achieve work and life goals
• Identify and set SMART objectives that will actually add value to themselves and the organisation
• Manage workloads by prioritising their work
• Manage key communication channels
• Delegate effectively through the use of tried and tested practices and skills
• Recognise the link between time and stress and to control both
• Be more assertive
• Achieve key personal, departmental and organisational objectives

Format
This is a very popular two-day course using a pragmatic approach to solving everyday problems. There is an emphasis not just on learning but on the application of the learning. We will cut through jargon and 'corporate speak' in order to help each person to achieve their own goals and objectives. We will use a wide variety of learning techniques, exercises, group work, discussions, videos and self-study in our journey to a worthwhile, useful and meaningful action plan.
The expert trainer
Nick is an outstanding trainer with over 15 years' experience in major 'blue chip' organisations. He worked in HR, training and sales management for such organisations as Honda, Raychem, W H Smith and Filofax before starting his own consultancy and training business in 1999. He now works in partnership with organisations of all sizes and runs both in-company courses / workshops and public / open programmes nationwide. His clients include BT, RBS, Taylor Woodrow, Hawksmere, Capita, Teacher Training Agency, The Duchy of Cornwall, Hampshire Police and a host of others. A very popular trainer, continually following and embracing new ideas and best practice, he has carved out a particular reputation in the field of time management. See what course participants and learning and development managers say about him:
'A big, big thanks for your two sessions today - they went down a storm!'
Oxford Magnet Technology

'Nick was a brilliant trainer and got our most reluctant employees to participate and enjoy the day.'
Orion Cleaning Group

'Of all the training courses I have attended over the years (and there have been a few), this was the most consistently relevant.'
Sennheiser

'Nick was excellent; challenging, risk-taking, thought-provoking!'
Peugeot Motor Company
Course outline
DAY ONE

1. Developing a personal sense of time
   • Time management or event control? Some time management tools
   • What are goals and how do we identify, define and set them?
   • Goal to activity, pro-activity and reactivity: who's in control?
   • Introducing 4-phase planning
   • The balance between your personal life, your family life and your work life
   • Mind-mapping: making more of what you already have
2. Your role in a modern working environment
   • What is the role of people in modern organisations?
   • The balance between strategic, tactical and operational responsibilities
   • Delegation: what can be delegated? Overcoming barriers to delegation
   • Coaching to achieve results
   • Prioritising your time and your work

DAY TWO

1. Managing peak performance
   • What is peak performance?
   • Understanding and managing stress
   • What is the stress curve? Links between stress and prioritising
   • Symptoms of stress, causes and coping strategies
   • Challenge v support
   • Assertiveness and communication
   • Communication and time management
   • Assertive, aggressive or passive?
   • What is 'A' time?
   • Becoming startline (not deadline!) focused
2. Managing and controlling the outside influences
   • Your daily energy curve
   • Managing and attending time-focused meetings
   • Managing interruptions
   • People types: getting the best from others
   • Time management tools: paper, software and electronic systems