A - Z COURSE AND SERVICE FINDER

For press and PR people, heads of departments/services and senior managers who already have a good understanding of the interview process – in particular the importance of identifying key messages and “selling” those messages through techniques such as repetition. The workshop will build on existing skills and benefit anybody who may have to represent their organisation in times of emergency and/or crisis. Participants are likely to have been interviewed many times before on radio and by the print media but perhaps have less experience in front of camera.

For those who've already been on our (or other) presentation skills course or have reached an intermediate skill level through experience and want to lift their presentations to the next level. Delegates will, in particular, get to explore the use of storytelling (narrative) as a way of engaging their audience in a powerful and compelling way.

This course is aimed at those who, more often, than not, find themselves ‘saying yes’ when they really should say ‘no’? But, they do so, because they don’t want to cause offence, they don’t want to offend others – at the expense of their own needs! And, to those who listen with respect and dignity to others, but, who don’t receive the same courtesy in return. It’s also aimed at delegates who feel uncomfortable giving constructive criticism to people who are being unreasonable, disrespectful, unhelpful or unfair [to name just a few dominant behaviours] and who also find themselves apologising when no apology is warranted? In short, this course is aimed at helping delegates become more assertive, to manage expectations and to feel comfortable giving feedback and constructive criticism to others, without fear of the consequences.

Read our newly-launched difficult people blog for insight and offers on workplace conflict including articles about assertiveness.

You tell us what you want and we'll build you a bespoke workshop.

There's never been a better time to start a blog. Professionally blogging can boost your business. Personally it can promote you. In both cases it can be fun. Or at least it should be! In this one day workshop you'll learn how to tackle the twin challenges facing bloggers: the technical and the editorial.

Learn how to stay in control of media interviews. Discover techniques to focus on your key messages instead of worrying too much about the questions you're asked. And find ways to deliver those messages in a clear, concise and compelling manner.  All without sounding like a slippery politician!

Hour-long Skype interview sessions aimed at those who've already attended our staying in control of the message media training (or similar) and want to develop their broadcast skills further. Can be booked as a one-off session, perhaps as a dress rehearsal in advance of a real life interview or as a series of sessions over a period of weeks or months.

If you need an organised, engaging and independent-minded "ringmaster" for your next event then we can help. Over the years we've provided chairs for huge conferences with audiences in the thousands to intimate venues with just a handful of delegates.

80% of change management programmes fail! Most of these failures are attributable to mis-management of the people being required to change. Except for the change experts, everyone is so scared of the negative effects of change on themselves. How much change we have or whether change is good or bad for us is irrelevant; far more important is how we manage change, how we deal with and cope with change. Good change management needs key people within your organisation to develop the skill and insight that will make a difference to the way things happen around them.

The customer/client is always right! Even when they’re wrong! Or so the saying goes. Right or wrong? Handling complaints well can be a real challenge for both individual complaint handlers and the organisations being complained about. So this course has been designed and developed to help whether your role is tactical (getting your ear bent by angry callers day in day out) or strategic (putting in place the systems to deal with the complaints, learn from them and change where and when appropriate).

Effective training is focused on the needs of trainees. But that's only possible if those needs are properly understood. A training needs analysis is the best way of achieving this and our experienced training consultants can help you conduct a TNA or, alternatively, conduct it for you.

This course is aimed at individuals and organisations who may have to deal with the media during a crisis, whether that event is externally triggered – for example, by a so-called “act of God” – or internally by some kind of error, omission or malpractice. Participants are likely to be experienced in media and communications or hold senior management positions. During a crisis their roles may be public-facing or behind-the-scenes. Attendance is strongly recommended for staff from organisations such as local authorities, health trusts and housing associations that have a renewed imperative to plan and prepare for emergencies under the Civil Contingencies Act and in the wake of the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower.

Bullying and harassment is most common in organisations with poor workplace cultures. Bullying and harassment at work takes many forms. It may be covert and insidious or a one-off, blatant instance of bullying behaviour. This behaviour can result in low levels of job satisfaction, a low opinion of management, physical and mental problems for the individual and increased absences, turnover and resignations, as well as poor morale and performance, leading to loss of productivity and a culture of fear and blame, for the organisation.

If you have experienced bullying or harassment, or if you are responsible for line managing anyone who has had this experience, where their health, safety and well-being is one of your key responsibilities, then this course is a must.

Read our newly-launched difficult people blog for insight and offers on workplace conflict.

In this one-day course delegates will learn the key skills to maintain calmness and be in control and to de-escalate the behaviour of angry callers. They also learn coping strategies to use during and after an aggressive phone call. By the end of the day, delegates will be equipped with a range of tools to deal with difficult people and challenging behaviour. And we help them deal with the impact it can have on them personally and professionally so they can avoid the attendant stress and potential burnout.

Listening, like all skills, can be mastered through guidance, practice and persistence. This one-day, practical and cost-effective course is designed around numerous examples of good and bad listening techniques so delegates can see clearly which methods work and which do not. All sessions include exercises to allow delegates to practice the listening skills discussed. Delegates will explore listener personalities, types of listening, bad listening habits, toxic words, questioning skills to encourage constructive conversations and much more.

Teams are needed because the world we live in requires constant experimentation, a continual response to changing conditions. In our exploration of new conditions and possibilities, we have to rapidly integrate new partners and different work disciplines. The team structure adapts most easily to changing conditions and has the greatest potential for creative solutions and new approaches to work challenges.

Organisations have an obligation to plan for emergencies and civil contingencies and to warn and inform their clients, staff and public. This workshop is designed to give participants the practical skills required to cope with inquiries that are often emotionally charged and come in high volumes. It's aimed at anyone who has to handle telephone calls during emergencies - typically staff or volunteers who don't necessarily have much experience of dealing with calls from the public, the media or partner organisations as part of their normal day job.

Throughout the course, examples and case studies are provided so delegates can understand the nature and complexity of various parts of event management better. Numerous exercises are also provided to help delegates immediately apply the techniques to a particular event that they plan to manage. The course is suitable for those who are new to the field or those who have some event management experience, but look forward to a more structured approach.

If you need an objective, experienced individual, with no ownership of the issues at hand, to facilitate, mediate or help with conciliation then we can help.

We all find ourselves handling awkward conversations from time to time. The natural response is to avoid such discussions. But avoidance is often the worst option. This course will show you the right options.

Read our newly-launched difficult people blog for insight and offers on workplace conflict including articles about handling awkward conversations.

This one-day training course is designed to help delegates improve their management and leadership skills. You'll learn how to influence and motivate others to achieve exceptional performance and increased productivity. You may be new to the role or perhaps have had some practical experience of leadership and management but, would like to gain new skills, knowledge and attitudes required to move onto the next level.

More and more of us are finding ourselves working alone - either from home or in the field. The law requires employers to consider carefully, and then deal with, any health and safety risks for people working alone. If you work alone, particularly visiting clients or service users, then this course is a must. It's also ideal for those responsible for ensuring the health and safety of lone workers in their organisation.

This practical and effective one-day course is aimed at those who are managing awkward or dysfunctional teams [and unfortunately, it only takes one disruptive or difficult person to create dysfunction in a team]. It can simply take one difficult team member, or someone who displays challenging behaviour, for a team to stop performing and lead to low productivity. If you are managing a difficult team, which will ultimately reflect badly on you, then this course is an ideal way in which to learn how to turn things around.

Read our newly-launched difficult people blog for insight and offers on workplace conflict including articles about managing difficult teams.

Properly managed, meetings can be highly productive. Badly managed and they can turn into proverbial talking shops where a lot may be said but little is done. So this course has been designed to help you get the best out of your meetings, whether you’re running them or simply one of the team.

Aimed at anyone who needs answers or training in a hurry. You may have been asked to appear on Newsnight tonight, The Today Programme tomorrow morning or BBC News may call to say they're sending a reporter to your home or office in three hours. A media coaching session either down the line or face-to-face with will optimise your chances for a winning on-air experience.

An ability to handle the media is increasingly becoming a key competency in the recruitment of senior personnel in both the public and private sectors. ACM Training offers tailor-made media exercises that enable selection panels to assess the ability of candidates in a fair, objective and transparent manner.

Aimed at organisations of all sizes who want to use the media in a positive way to help them achieve their aims whether social or commercial - to sell more widgets or make the world a better place.

Learn how to stay in control of the message.

This practical one-day course is designed to help delegates to understand the principles of mediation and negotiation, the differences between being a mediator and a negotiator and the benefits of a mediation approach in the workplace. Disputes happen, people often aren’t good at negotiation, or are so determined to get their own way, at the expense of others. Most of the time people sort things out by talking, active listening, compromising and collaborating. But, when that doesn’t work, we get stuck in a dispute, which can, often quickly turn disruptive, not only to those involved, but the wider team. Any unhealthy conflict is stressful, costly and distracting.

This course is aimed at anyone who wants to become a more effective negotiator, or who has the responsibility for mediating between two parties in dispute, as well as at those organisations who want a valuable resource of trained staff who can be offered as mediators, saving on the cost of employing outside agencies. It will provide an opportunity to practice key skills of effective mediation and negotiation, in a safe and engaging environment. Delegates will develop confidence in managing everyday workplace conflicts and be able to reduce grievances and disputes.

Read our newly-launched difficult people blog for insight and offers on workplace conflict including articles about mediation and negotiation.

This practical and effective training course is aimed at anyone who is new to negotiation or is looking to develop their core negotiation skills through interaction and training. With the modern work environment becoming even more dynamic, almost anyone within an organisation may find themselves negotiation without even realising it.

If you dread giving a presentation or quite enjoy the buzz but would like to communicate more effectively then this workshop is for you. It's suitable for participants from the profit and non-profit sectors as both are, in effect, “selling” something - whether to increase financial or social capital. You'll learn how to give engaging and purposeful presentations that get the audience doing exactly what you want.

Coming soon!

If you want to start podcasting, or you've already started and you want to move to the next level with your audio, then this is for you. For the time being it's only available when there's sufficient demand or as an in-house workshop.

Whilst some workplace conflict can be positive, if left unchecked, unhealthy conflict can be extremely damaging, resulting in uncomfortable relationships, mistrust between colleagues, a lack of accountability, less creativity, lower productivity, stress and sickness, a loss of commitment and wasted resources. By taking a number of conflict management tools, techniques and theories and putting them into practice, this hands-on and effective training course aims to turn conflict into a productive force.

Read our newly-launched difficult people blog for insight and offers on workplace conflict including articles about resolving that conflict.

How can you use Facebook to help you achieve your organisational aims and objectives? Can you Tweet for profit (or however else you measure success in your business)? Does blogging actually work and if so how should you go about it? Should I start a YouTube channel? What about pictures to Instagram? And isn't LinkedIn just a place for job seekers? If you've been grappling with these sorts of questions then this workshop is for you.

Learn how Facebook, Twitter and other networks can help –  and hinder – your work.

If you want some practical tips on how to effectively lead, manage and motivate a team, then this practical course is perfect. You'll learn how to make your team more productive, deal effectively with that team's dynamics, juggle different personalities of team members, control the difficult ones, manage work-loads, make decisions, solve problems and generally encourage top performance.

This course is ideal for those who are required to effectively train employees, colleagues or clients in an interesting, engaging, brain-friendly and confident manner, in a way that is practical and which will help delegates to gain new skills, knowledge and understanding. In an environment where organisations are having to do more with less, and where the training budget is stretched to the limit, developing existing staff so that they can take on the role of ‘in-house’ trainer, makes good sense.

Sometimes even winning teams lose their way. Just ask Jose Mourinho! So this workshop has been designed to help you examine what's gone wrong with your workplace team, explore ways of making things better and put your preferred options into action. We can't guarantee you'll return to the top of the table straight away. But we can assure you your team will improve.

Too much business writing is still formulaic, flowery or, worse still, both. It uses words nobody understands - least of all the writer. And lacks clarity and creativity. It doesn't have to be this way. If you want to write right this course is a must.

We don’t read like we used to. In a linear fashion. Line by line. Page by page. Chapter by chapter. These days words are viewed more on screens than they are on paper. The web has turned us into skimmers and dippers - skimming online content until we see something interesting and only then dipping deeper. Which presents writers with a huge challenge. Because reading differently means writing differently.

A well written press release can get you, your product or service in the editorial media for free. But how you actually write that news release can make the difference between success and failure.