More Effective Meetings
Dates: Tuesday 17th June or Thursday 11th September

Do you ever leave meetings less informed than when you went in? Would you like to enhance your own skills at managing meetings better?

The course will focus on four main areas to effective meetings and through these, will support your confidence to participate and contribute more fully in the decision making process.

Introduction to Project Management Skills
Dates: Thursday 19th June or Tuesday 16th September

Would you like to improve your planning skills and keep better control of your projects?

This course will focus on the basic theory around planning and control processes and will provide the learner with some planning tools and techniques that will help them to better manage problems that may threaten the success of their plans.

Working with Groups
Dates: Tuesday 24th June or Thursday 23rd October

Do you work with groups, but feel you would like to better understand how groups function?

This course will provide some theoretical background to how groups work as well as provide you with the opportunity to identify and explore methods that will enhance your work in practice.

Better Communication Skills at Work
Dates: Thursday 26th June or Tuesday 23rd September

Do you feel that your voice is not always heard in meetings or that sometimes your opinions are not taken seriously?

This course will explore a variety of communication styles and techniques to increase your skills to communicate more clearly and confidently whilst projecting a more positive image at work.

Governance Training
Dates: Fridays 27th June, 18th July, 5th and 19th September and 10th October
Cost: Free, but you will still need to book a place in advance
Tutor: Nick Meakin, Management Consultant

Are you a committee member, trustee or senior staff of a voluntary organisation?

The five workshops will build an all round view of competencies in Governance and are based on the National Occupational Standards for Governance (NOS). They are reality-based, allowing participants to shape the sessions to address real current issues within their organisations. There will be opportunities to carry out case studies or plan a governance project with their individual committees. Each will have a theme that will contribute to the development of good overall grounding in governance issues and will equip participants to better manage the increasing challenges of today's voluntary section.

Building Teams
Dates: Tuesday 1st July or Thursday 9th October

Have you ever wondered why some teams work so well and others just don't?

This course will identify and explore the key traits that make a good team along with the role the team leader plays in shaping and motivating their teams development.

Professional Telephone Techniques and Reception Skills
Dates: Thursday 3rd July or Thursday 2nd October

Do you have a frontline role and would like to know how you could better deal with the public, either on the telephone or face-to-face?

This course will introduce you to techniques to improve your communication skills and ability to deal with difficult situations that can occur when delivering a frontline service. It will focus of the receptionist role, customer care, communication, telephone behaviour and listening skills as well as techniques to deal with difficult situations and complaints.

Simplifying Graphic Design
Dates: Will be run over six weeks - Mondays 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th July, 4th and 11th August
Cost: £150 for members of Derby CVS and £200 for non-members
Tutor: Simon Nguyen, award winning graphic designer

Do you wish you had the skills to design attention grabbing professional looking publicity?

Over six weeks you will develop your skills and knowledge of Adobe Photoshop delivered by an experienced and award winning graphic designer. You will learn all the basics and use amazing tools that can alter images dramatically. The sessions are flexible and tailored to the individuals needs within the group, so what ever level you are at there is something for you. The course is taught in a well structured yet informal and enjoyable way so that students will learn properly and have a memorable experience.

Places limited to five - so book yours today!

Facilitation Skills
Dates: Tuesday 8th July or Tuesday 4th November

Would you like to develop a more effective non-directive style when working with groups?

This course will help develop skills and techniques to get the most out of any group situation. It will provide the tools to stimulate group dynamics in focus groups, team development workshops as well as many other group situations.

Developing Decision-making Skills
Dates: Thursday 10th July or Thursday 13th November

Do you find it difficult to make decisions in the workplace and when you have, do you often change your mind several times or doubt whether you made the right one?

This course will help you to make your work based decisions in a more structured way and will provide you with the techniques to improve the quality of your decisions without the self doubt.

Getting Organised
Dates: Monday 14th July or Tuesday 21st October

Do you sometimes find it hard to see your desk through the mountain of paperwork on it? Or does it seem as it there are not enough working hours in the day?

This course will help you find a way that's right for you to better manage your work and time more effectively

Understanding Different Learning Styles
Dates: Thursday 17th July or Tuesday 7th October

Would your work be enhanced if you had a greater understanding of how people learn?

This course will explore the different theories of adult learning and through discussion and practical exercise will enable the learner to understand their own learning style whilst enhancing their own work in practice.

Effective Project Evaluation Skills
Dates: Tuesday 22nd July or Thursday 16th October

Would you like to gain the skills to be able to evaluate the projects you manage more effectively?

This course naturally follows on from the Introduction to Project Management course, but equally can be a stand alone session.

It focuses on the equal importance and differences between monitoring and evaluation and provides guidance on how to design a formal evaluation as well as identifying potential problems and how to overcome them.

Managing Change
Dates: Thursday 24th July or Tuesday 28th October

Are you responsible for leading and managing change within your organisation?

This course will focus on understanding change by exploring attitudes and roles within the process and whether there is a need to change or not.

Assertiveness in the Workplace
Dates: Tuesday 12th August or Thursday 6th November

Do you feel you lack confidence in the work place which is preventing you achieving to your full potential?

This course will provide you with tools and techniques to develop more assertive behaviour. You will learn to say no more effectively, give and receive criticism and recognise and deal with fear.

Adapting to Change at Work
Dates: Thursday 14th August or Tuesday 11th November

One thing that is certain in today's workplace is change! Would you like to be better equipped to adapt to change?

This course will explore the stages of change and how to adapt needs, attitude, behaviour and values to turn the change into opportunities for growth and personal development.

Understanding Team Motivation
Dates: Thursday 21st August or Tuesday 18th November

Have you ever wondered why things that may motivate one team, can de-motivate another?

This course focuses on the different factors that can motivate teams. It explores ways of understanding motivation and considers aspects in the workplace that can motivate or de-motivate. Using a variety of motivational theories, it will explore how people differ with respect to what motivates them.

Fearless Funding
Date: Tuesday 2nd September

Do you find you are often confused about the best way to apply for funding?

Many voluntary organisations require funding to enable their projects to flourish. Applying for other people's money is never easy. You can be confronted by complex application forms, further complicated by the use of jargon. This course addresses many of the fears associated with filling in application forms. You will learn the skills needed to confidently apply for funding.

Simplifying the Constitution
Thursday 4th September

Do you ever find yourself wondering 'why do we need a constitution, if it only sits on the shelf getting dusty'? Or not being sure what even needs to be included in it and what it is for?

The session will look at the different types of constitutions, the variety of common terminology and will help you understand the purpose of the constitution so that it becomes a key document rather than a dusty relic that no one is even sure where it is!

Enhanced Minute Taking Skills
Date: Tuesday 9th September

Do you find you take too many notes and have difficulty making sense of them when you come to compile the minutes or do you feel you don't record enough information and have difficulty remembering the decision or action points?

This session will help you gain skills to draft concise meeting notes. Minute taking is not about speedwriting but about recognising techniques that you can use to capture the key points of discussions along with actions.

Understanding Leadership
Dates: Thursday 18th September

Would you like to improve your leadership skills?

Effective leadership is recognised as an important function of management. This course will explore that skills and attributes makes an effective leader. It will focus on a variety of leadership theories and approaches, from which the learner can choose those that will enhance their leadership skills.

How to Manage Conflict in the Workplace
Dates: Thursday 25th September or Thursday 27th November

Would you like the skills to better manage conflict in the workplace more effectively?

This course explores possible causes of conflict and introduces the learner to conflict resolution styles and tips with the aim of effectively resolving workplace conflict.

Understanding Customers' Needs
Date: Tuesday 14th October

Is meeting your customer needs important to you? Would you like to enhance your skills to meet them more effectively?

This course focuses on meeting 'customers' needs and expectations whilst exploring a variety of methods that help identify key beneficial aspects of service and products.

Stress Management Techniques in the Workplace
Date: Thursday 20th November

Do you find yourself regularly feeling stressed in work? Would you like to learn simple techniques to better manage your work stress?

This course will focus on ways to better manage feelings of stress at work by introducing the learner to a variety of techniques as well as establishing plans to eradicate work based causes of stress.

Creative Thinking
Date: Tuesday 25th November

Are you someone that needs new ideas and creative thinking tools in your working role?

This course will show you how using a structured approach will help when searching for creative solutions in the workplace. It will explore a range of creative thinking tools and techniques to overcome workplace challenges.