excellence in public sectorbusiness and communication skills

Autumn 2012

excellence in public sector business and communication skills

The pressure on public bodies to operate effectively and efficiently has never been greater.Fundamental to this is the need for managers and staff to possess excellent business andcommunication skills to enable them to execute their role and represent their organisationin a positive manner.

Staff of all grades must be able to communicate under pressure, manage challengingrelationships and display key competences in the effective management of people andinformation. Highly skilled staff is an essential element of a successful organisation, and ayardstick by which the public will judge the service they receive.

Whether you aspire to progress your career, or simply need to equip yourself for theimminent changes ahead, this unique, flexible certificate will explore how to capitalise onyour existing skills and help you to fine-tune your approach and communicate with impact!

Participants studying for the programmemust attend the following compulsorymodules

1. Effective Report Writing2. Managing Relationships and

Aggressive Behaviour at Work

plus two of the following modules:

3. Perfect Proofreading4. Presenting with Confidence5. Introduction to Budgeting6. Meetings and Events Made Easy7. Minute Taking

Participants that have previouslyundertaken one or more of the abovemodules on a public basis with CIPFA willbe awarded an exemption from thismodule(s).

Anyone who wants to enhance their existingbusiness and communication skills andimprove their personal effectivenessincluding managers, supervisors, officers,administrators and PAs.

The programme will benefit new staffworking in the public sector as well asexperienced staff that have no previousformal training but would like to improvetheir skills and maximise their impact.

An early-bird booking price of £195 plus VATper module is available for all bookingsreceived before 10 September 2012. After thisdate, the cost of attending the programme is£230 plus VAT per module. This cost includes alltuition, course materials and assessment.

Individual modules can also be taken at publiccourse rates of £295 plus VAT for a one day eventand £450 plus VAT for a two day event.

modules and mode of delivery

who should attend?

cost

introduction

course modules

Compulsory Modules

Effective Report Writing - 4 October 2012

The ability to communicate clearly and concisely isa key skill required by all levels of staff throughoutthe organisation.

This module shows you how to define objectives,sketch an outline and structure your information. Italso provides guidance on getting started, writingclear recommendations and appropriate use ofdiagrams/illustrations. Plain English and essentialgrammar are also covered to ensure that you havethe full range of skills to write reports and othercommunications that are both professional andcontemporary. This practical module outlines a sixstage process for writing efficiently and effectivelythat will help you write reports that are clear,successful and professional. By the end of themodule you will be able to:

� Understand and apply a six stage writing process

� Reduce time and increase productivity when writing

� Produce written communications that are succinct, professional and easy to understand

� Create reports that are appealing and interesting to read

� Engage with the reader

Managing Relationships and Aggressive Behaviourat Work -16 November 2012

How do you maximise your impact in meetings andinterviews? What are your options when faced withdifficult, aggressive or un-cooperative people in theworkplace? Face-to-face communications that takeplace in a formal environment can be some of themost stressful situations we have to face.

This module will help you to successfully create,maintain and enhance effective workingrelationships with colleagues and stakeholders. Itwill provide you with strategies for effectivecommunication, address the importance of bodylanguage, help you identify and respond to differentbehaviours and share the key to assertiveness andbuilding rapport. By the end of the module you willbe able to:

� Define the barriers to and hallmarks of effective communication

� Understand the importance of preparation

for a successful outcome� Recognise how different personalities and

behaviours can affect the communication process

� Use assertive behaviour to confidently mange and communicate with aggressive or hostile people

� Develop key questioning and listening skills� Recognise and apply the behaivours of an

effective influencer

Optional Modules (choose two)

Perfect Proofreading - 18 October 2012

No matter how careful you are, errors have atendency to camouflage themselves throughoutwritten copy in spelling, punctuation, consistencyand layout. A correctly formatted, error freedocument conveys a positive image of both thewriter and the organisation behind it. As arduous asit seems, proofreading is the necessary evil thatseparates your written documents - and yourcredibility - from the rest.

This module provides tips and techniques to simplifythe art of proofreading. It covers key topic areasincluding proofreading for accuracy and outlinesdifferent types of spelling errors, the correct use ofpunctuation marks and standardising consistency inuse of capital letters, abbreviations, numbers,names and layout. The module also examinesbarriers to proofreading and provides seven triedand tested strategies to catch even the tiniest error.By the end of the module you will be able to:

� Understand the importance of effective proofreading

� Proofread for accuracy by recognising and avoiding common errors

� Learn to apply proofreading strategies� Produce error free documents

Presenting with Confidence - 11 & 12 October2012

A request to deliver a presentation or a trainingsession can strike fear into even the most confidentcommunicators. How do you overcome your nervesand deliver a successful presentation with impact?The key to successful presentations lies inpreparation, planning and managing your nerves onthe day.

This module will help you create presentation

excellence in public sector business and communication skills

objectives and design and deliver a presentation withconfidence. You will learn how to structure yourpresentation for clarity and build rapport with youraudience. By the end of the module you will be ableto:

� Design and deliver a presentation with confidence

� Harness nerves and use them to your advantage

� Structure content for clarity and understanding

� Understand different learning styles and use appropriate learning methods

� Create rapport and encourage interaction and feedback

� Handle interruptions and difficult questions

Meetings and Events Made Easy - 20 September2012

It takes just a split second for an oversight to becomea crisis when organising an event. Events, both largeand small, showcase your organisation but moreimportantly they showcase you and yourorganisational skills. How do you stay on top ofeverything to ensure your event will be a success andnot a disaster?

This module will develop your event managementskills, enabling you to deliver flawless meetings andevents with confidence. The module covers the keysteps that need to be taken during the planningphase, tips for venue selection, how to create andmonitor action plans and event budgets and outlinescontrols to help you keep everything on track. Usingpractical exercises and case studies, you will createcontingency plans for events and learn how to handlea crisis. By the end of the module you will be ableto:

� Apply a three step event management process � Develop a toolkit for successful event

implementation � Monitor the progress of your event against

plans� Deliver successful events with confidence � Evaluate the success of events

Introduction to Budgeting - 8 November 2012

Managers, budget holders and administrators need tounderstand how to prepare and manage budgets forprogrammes, projects or departments. With little orno previous finance training, it can be daunting andhard to know where to start.

This introductory module on budgeting and budgetarycontrol will provide you with an understanding of thekey principles and various techniques that can beused to prepare, monitor and control budgets. Themodule includes practical case studies to ensure thateverything learnt can be directly related to theworkplace. By the end of the module you will be ableto:

� Understand the basic principles of good financial management

� Create a budget for your department, team or project

� Monitor income and expenditure against your targets

� Apply key techniques for putting your budget back on track should problems occur

Minute Taking - 4 December 2012

Minute taking is an integral factor in the success of ameeting. Accurate meeting minutes should recordwhat has taken place, decisions made and whatactions are required. Minute taking can be dauntingbut with the right preparation minute taking can behandled with confidence. This module will outline the key ingredients ofeffective meetings including preparation, structuringmeetings, the meeting cycle and your role. It alsoaddresses raising issues or concerns and commonproblems as well as the do’s and dont’s of effectivenote taking, writing, layout and consistency ofminutes and how the Freedom of Information Actimpacts on printed information. You will gain theconfidence and skills required to take accurate andconcise minutes in suitable language for the audienceand will leave with a better understanding of yourrole. By the end of the module you will be able to;

� Identify the role and responsibilities of the minute taker

� Understand best practice to prepare for meetings and write effective minutes

� Identify positive strategies for listening and summarising

� Deal with jargon, technical language and grammar professionally

� Identify different methods of minute taking, organising your material and highlighting important points

� Take accurate and concise minutes

excellence in public sector business and communication skills

CIPFA Northern Ireland3rd Floor, Lesley Exchange 222 East Bridge Street BELFASTBT1 3NRT: 028 9026 6770 F: 028 9026 6771cipfa.org.uk/ni

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. Registered with the Charity Commissioners of England and Wales No 231060

CIPFA is the leading professional accountancy body for the public services, whether in the public or private sectors.We are the leading provider of training to the public sector in areas such as accountancy, financial management,fraud awareness, internal audit, corporate governance and business planning in Northern Ireland.

For further information on the qualification, or to receive this brochure in any other format, please contact EvaDillon or visit:

cipfa.org.uk/ni

excellence in public sector business and communication skills

How to Book

Return completed form to:Eva DillonBusiness Support OfficerCIPFA Northern Ireland3rd Floor, Lesley Exchange 222 East Bridge Street T: 028 9026 1652Belfast F: 028 9026 6771BT1 3NR E: eva.dillon@cipfa.org.uk

Notification of cancellations must be received in writing 4 weeks prior to the the first module of the course date to qualify for a refundof fees. Substitution may be made at no extra charge, but please inform Jenny in advance.

Delegate Details

Title: ................ Forename: ............................................. Surname: ......................................

Post Held: ..........................................................................................................................

Organisation: ......................................................................................................................

Address: ............................................................................................................................

........................................................................................ Postcode: ..................................

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Dietary/Access/Special Requirements: ........................................................................................

Invoice Details (if different from above):

Contact: .................................................................................. P/o Number: ........................

Address: ............................................................................................................................

...................................................................................... Postcode: ....................................

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Payment Details

Please tick the appropriate box below and complete the form overleaf

Please invoice my organisation £................................... plus VAT

I enclose the appropriate fee of £................................... plus VAT(cheques to be made payable to CIPFA - VAT Reg GB 627 3607 25)

This cost does not include fees payable to the accrediting organisation

Booking Formf: 028 9026 6771 e: eva.dillon@cipfa.org.uk w: cipfa.org.uk/ni

Enrolment

I wish to enrol for the CIPFA Certificate in Business and Communication Skills at £195 plus VAT per module (applicable to all bookings received by 10 September 2012). The cost after this date will be £230 plus VAT per module.

Compulsory modulesEffective Business and Report WritingManaging Relationships and Aggressive Behaviour at Work

Optional modulesPlease select two of the following optional modules:

Perfect ProofreadingPresenting with ConfidenceIntroduction to BudgetingMeetings and Events Made EasyMinute Taking

Participants that have previously undertaken one or more of the above modules on a public basis with CIPFA willbe awarded an exemption from this module(s).

I wish to enrol for the following individual modules at the public course rates below:

Effective Business and Report Writing £295 plus VAT

Managing Relationships and Aggressive Behaviour at Work £295 plus VAT

Perfect Proofreading £295 plus VAT

Presenting with Confidence £450 plus VAT

Introduction to Budgeting £295 plus VAT

Meetings and Events Made Easy £295 plus VAT

Minute Taking £295 plus VAT

Please note that costs include all tuition, course materials and assessment but does not includemembership of the accrediting body.

cipfa.org.uk/ni

excellence in public sector business and communication skills