Up-skilling for success

 

Our Training Programs

Public Workshops
We offer a range of professional development opportunities at various locations across Western Victoria and South Eastern South Australia. Our training workshops are open to staff of all levels, and we have a particular specialty in providing training to managerial staff and those who provide direction to others within the workplace. We pride ourselves on providing high quality training that is personal and practical. Click on Training Calendar to view our upcoming public workshops.


Workshops Delivered In-House
We frequently tailor our public workshops for delivery in-house to address specific organisational needs. If you are interested in having one of our experienced facilitators address your team please contact Claire Farrer to discuss your requirements on 0419 138 085 or via email at claire@cooperhardiman.com.au.


Finding the Right Program for You
Please click on the links below to take you to the workshops that best suit your needs. Alternatively scroll down for a full list of our available programs.
 

Half Day and Full Day Programs

Achieving Team Vision and Purpose

In this workshop we help you to break down the 'big picture' thinking to enable you to bring your team together and use your shared goals and vision to develop the way forward. We'll provide you with the tools and skills you need to lead your team effectively and collaboratively. Outcomes for participants include:
  • Understanding the process for developing a clear and compelling organisational vision.
  • Utilise effective planning tools such as the Goals Grid and SMART goals framework.
  • Understand the concept of the 'visionary leader'. 
  • Understand the role of organisational culture and leadership in keeping employee motivated and focused on achieving a shared vision.

Challenging Conversations

Learn a tried and tested formula which has been successfully applied by hundreds of managers to confidently conduct difficult conversations with staff in order to address poor performance or behavioural issues in the workplace. There is a good reason why this is our most popular workshop!
  • Use the “Challenging Conversations” model to effectively and confidently address poor performance or behaviours across a variety of situations in the workplace.
  • Describe and apply various techniques to maximise the effectiveness of conversations about behaviours or performance.

Conducting Workplace Investigations

When an allegation of workplace misconduct is made it is critical that your organisation responds appropriately. Do you have suitably trained investigators who can professionally investigate matters when they arise? Borrowing from our decades of experience, this comprehensive workshop will provide participants with a tool kit and key steps and resources required to conduct a thorough internal workplace investigation. By the end of this workshop participants will:
  • Identify circumstances in which an investigation is necessary.
  • Clarify the role of an investigator.
  • Understand the scope of an investigation and the importance of clarity in defining the scope.
  • Learn how to communicate with complainants, respondents and witnesses in an effective, sensitive and impartial manner.
  • Learn how to assess evidence and make findings of fact.
  • Explore issues in communicating outcomes and determining further action where required.

Conflict Resolution

Unresolved conflict costs Australian workplaces billions of dollars each year. In fact, one study suggests a staggering 46% of Australian employees would rather look for a new job than contend with a workplace issue and 48% of employees take time off work when experiencing a tough time at work. [R U OK? Australian Workplace Relationships survey 2012] . In this workshop we give you the tools, techniques and confidence to appropriately address workplace conflicts as they arise.
  • Recognise the underlying causes of common workplace conflicts.
  • Describe the strengths and weaknesses of various techniques to resolve conflict and identify the most appropriate method to apply to different conflict types.
  • Build confidence and skill in applying various conflict management strategies including mediation techniques used by professional mediators.

Contact Officer Training

Appropriately trained volunteer Contact Officers provide an important alternate avenue for employees to discuss issues of concern relating to claims of unlawful discrimination, harassment and/or bullying. They can also play a significant role in reducing claims and demonstrating an organisation’s commitment to building an inclusive workplace culture. This workshop ensures that your Contact Officers understand their role and are equipped to perform it well.
  • Learn what is and ISN’T the role of the Contact Officer.
  • Identify and describe activities that may constitute harassment, bullying and unlawful discrimination in accordance with the current legislative framework.
  • Recognise the weaknesses in formal complaints mechanisms and identify strategies to support employees to self-resolve disputes where appropriate to do so.
  • Implement best practice approaches to personal record keeping, feedback mechanisms to senior management and the creation of appropriate support networks.

Creating a Culture for Long Term Success

Every organisation has its own unique culture. However, research suggests that the culture of a workplace is a key driver of organisational performance. So what can you do to ensure that you are driving the right culture for long term success?
  • Describe the significance of organisational culture and it’s link to organisational performance.
  • Identify some of the strengths and weaknesses of your existing organisational culture and how this is likely to impact on the organisation’s long term success.
  • Reflect on your own leadership style and identify any changes you wish to make to drive your preferred culture.
  • Identify solutions to common cultural challenges in workplaces including encouraging prudent risk taking, driving greater initiative and innovation and avoiding silos or an “us versus them” mentality

Creating a Culture of Respect

This workshop is suitable for all of your workforce and ensures your staff are educated about appropriate standards that are expected of them and others in the workplace in relation to equal opportunity, bullying and harassment. This workshop provides practical strategies to minimise bullying, harassment and discriminatory behaviour without creating a victim mentality that may lead to a spike in formal complaints.
  • Clarify legal definitions of what IS and ISN'T bullying & harassment.
  • Understand the difference between direct & indirect discrimination.
  • Develop basic techniques to self-resolve concerns about inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.
  • Develop staff members' skills in receiving feedback and championing respectful behaviours.

Dealing with Difficult Behaviours

For many people, dealing with the difficult behaviours of others happens all too often. In this workshop, we provide you with guidance in dealing with difficult behaviours in a clear, empathic and constructive way. Learning outcomes from this workshop include:
  • Learning our '7 Steps to Resolving Customer Concerns'; a simple framework to manage interactions in a way that will maximise the likelihood of a constructive outcome.
  • Understanding the attributes of effective communication, including active listening and the capacity to hear and understand the needs of others.
  • Learning the power of a 'Positive No'.
  • Understanding the danger in assuming that what we mean to convey and what isunderstood by others is the same thing.
  • Learning a range of techniques that can be utilised in different scenarios to de-escalate situations.
  • Developing healthy coping strategies and a greater resilience in managing our own emotions when having difficult or stressful conversations.

Effective Time Management

Do you often feel that you will never reach the end of your ‘to do’ list? Have you ever wished for more hours in the day just to ‘get stuff done’? If so, it’s time to consider how you can be more effective and productive with the time that you have available. In this workshop we’ll challenge you to really consider how your time is currently spent and provide you with tools and techniques for improved efficiencies. By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
  • Analyse and more clearly understand where our time is currently spent and why we’re much more inefficient that we believe.
  • Adopt our ten strategies for more effectively managing available time.
  • Have a clearer understanding of how to effectively prioritise tasks through the lens of Stephen Covey’s prioritisation matrix.
  • Apply a framework for identifying tasks that could potentially be delegated (to the right person).
  • Consider the adoption of new practices or a change in the approach to the way in which our day to day tasks are managed.

Effective Workplace Communication

Would you like to be a better communicator? This workshop is designed to assist you to improve oral communication in the workplace and ensure that your message is clearly articulated and understood. We explore conversational techniques, including the GROW model, to ensure that conversations are respectful, purposeful and achieve your desired outcome. By the end of this workshop participants will:
  • Understand the danger in assuming that what we mean to convey and what is understood by others is the same thing.
  • Develop an understanding of conversational techniques that can be employed to ensure that others feel heard, understood and respected in our communications.
  • Know how to apply the “GROW” model to ensure that conversations, even when addressing difficult issues, are respectful, have a purpose and result in clear and positive outcomes.
  • Develop healthy coping strategies and a greater resilience in managing our own emotions when having difficult or “stressful” conversations.

Employment Law Essentials

We have experienced a period of rapid change in employment law. The introduction of Modern Awards, the National Employment Standards, new adverse action and anti-bullying provisions, developments in the common law and increased obligations relating to superannuation and OH&S have all added to the complexity. For employers and managers who are not sufficiently across their obligations, they may unknowingly be at risk of significant financial losses and being held personally liable for breaches of their obligations.
  • Identify key legal risks associated with selection and recruitment.
  • Identify potential areas of improvement in contractual documentation.
  • Describe the key obligations imposed by the Fair Work Act with particular focus on the National Employment Standards, Adverse Action and Anti-bullying provisions.
  • Demonstrate a general understanding of the sources of other obligations imposed by other acts relating to OH&S, Superannuation and Long Service Leave.

Fostering Innovation & Organisational Collaboration

Do you want to foster a progressive and innovative culture within your organisation? How do you encourage teamwork within an organisation operating within divisions and with a different set of goals? In this workshop we challenge the concept of organisational 'silos' and discuss the benefits of effective collaboration.
  • Analyse the attributes of operational collaboration.
  • Consider a range of strategies that may benefit you and your team.
  • Explore the concept of innovation and the conditions we can create as leaders to lead an innovative culture.
  • Encourage you to consider andadopt some new practices or change your approach based on learnings from this workshop.

Growth Mindset

Do you enjoy learning new things? Or do you prefer your ingrained routines? Do you like to take risks? Or do you fear failure? Having a Growth Mindset is essentially thriving on growth and being prepared to risk failure to learn, grow and develop. On the other hand a Fixed Mindset assumes that our character, intelligence and creative ability are static. Having self awareness around the mindset we use when making decisions can help to re-frame situations and challenges to focus on the positive aspects.
  • Understand the definitions of Growth and Fixed Mindsets and how they affect our every day life.
  • Apply the principles of Growth Mindset to your role and your organisation as a whole.
  • Understand the link between Growth Mindset and conversational techniques.
  • Develop self-awareness around your mindset and how to re-frame thought processes.

HR for Managers

It is critical for managers to have knowledge and awareness around the various aspects of the employee/employer relationship. In this HR 101 workshop, we will help you to understand the key areas as they apply to managers in making sound people decisions consistent with legislative and organisational policy requirements. Outcomes include:
  • Understanding the key sources of employment rights and responsibilities and how they interact with each other.
  • Identify and respond appropriately to risks in areas such as adverse action and staff exercising a workplace right.
  • Manage and respond to requests for flexibility arrangements.
  • Understanding your Health and Safety obligations, including anti-bullying provisions.

Interview Like an Expert

Are you required to interview staff and want to ensure that your approach is as effective as it could be? In this masterclass we explore more advanced interview techniques and strategies to ensure you select the best available candidate.
  • Identify common mistakes and limitations associated with a range of interview techniques and approaches.
  • Identify areas for improvement in their own interview technique as well as opportunities to improve their organisation’s interview processes.
  • Apply advanced behavioural interview questioning techniques to identify relevant skills and values that each candidate will bring to your role.
  • Describe and apply techniques to ensure you select the best candidate for the job - not the best candidate at selling themselves !

Leadership Essentials

Have you been recently appointed to a supervisory or managerial role? Or perhaps you've been in the role for some time but not sure how best to spend your limited time, energy and effort to achieve the outcomes you desire? In this workshop we share with you a range of tools and techniques that you can use to maximise your impact and build your confidence as a leader of teams or individuals.
  • Understand the role of leaders and how leadership skills can be developed and refined.
  • Effectively transition to the role of leading a new team, including moving from 'buddy to boss'.
  • Build confidence and skills in managing the performance of staff including providing effective feedback.
  • Apply tools and techniques to maximise the effectiveness of team meetings.
  • Utilize strategies to manage time more effectively.
  • Use our 'Challenging Conversations' model to effectively and confidently address poor performance or behaviours across a variety of situations in the workplace.

Leading Through Change

Do you feel like you're constantly trying to navigate the ups and downs of various workplace changes? Is your team becoming resistant to change and just waiting for life to go 'back to normal'? Unfortunately, constant change IS the new normal, which is why we have developed this program to provide you with practical strategies, tools and techniques to successfully implement change, including:
  • Understanding your role as a leader in guiding your team through challenging or difficult changes, and the effect of disengagement on productivity.
  • Learn a number of tactics for leading through times of change, including a model for planning and implementing complex change.
  • How to diagnose what needs fixing when change programs fail.
  • Measuring outcomes and evaluating success to ensure ongoing commitment.
  • Providing the right support to your team to avoid change-fatigue.

Managing and Lifting Performance 

Can you imagine your workplace filled with staff who are all committed and focused on contributing to your oganisational vision and objectives, as well as being accountable for the same shared values and agreed behaviours within the workplace? It's not a pipe dream. It can achieved, provided that your managers learn the right techniques and put the right systems in place.
  • Apply best-practice approaches to pro-active performance management, and understand it’s correlation to high performing teams.
  • Consider organisational values and strategy in the management of performance and setting of goals.
  • Conduct meaningful performance discussions with employees, including setting goals in line with SMART principles. 

Managing Staff with a Mental Illness

As many as one in four adults in Australia will suffer from a mental illness during their working careers, yet many managers are unsure of their legal obligations and how to respond. Is it a breach of privacy to ask someone about their condition? How can I best support a person with a mental illness without becoming their psychologist? Can I discipline a person if they behave inappropriately due to a mental illness? What if they go on WorkCover or are suicidal? In this practical workshop our facilitators will share their expertise and guide you through the do's and don'ts, in order to achieve the best possible outcome for everyone.
  • Describe the major types of diagnosable mental illness and their most common symptoms.
  • Identify early warning signs of mental illness in the workplace.
  • Identify key legal risks associated with managing a person who had identified as havinga mental illness.
  • Develop and apply strategies for assisting staff with a mental illness whilst continuing to ensure accountability for appropriate performance and behaviour.

Managing Staff Remotely

So much has changed over the past two years, including the way we interact with our staff and as a team. But what hasn’t changed is that we all continue to remain accountable for our roles. In this workshop we explore strategies for effectively managing staff and teams remotely, whilst ensuring that team morale and staff wellbeing remains a priority. This workshop is suitable for managers and supervisors wishing to gain insight into strategies and tools to effectively manage your team in a changing and challenging environment. By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
  • Apply Change Management principles to the context of working from home or working remotely.
  • Consider Performance Management in this context – what really matters at a time like this.
  • Share ideas for practical steps to maximise the performance of all employees and ensuring ongoing accountability.
  • Consider employee wellbeing, morale and culture in these challenging times.

Mentoring Staff for Team Success

This workshop is designed for managers and supervisors wishing to gain insight into strategies and tools to effectively support team development. We provide insights and advice into developing and implementing mentoring programs within your team and your organisation to enhance the professional development of your staff. This workshop will help you to build and foster trust within the mentor/mentee relationship to reach your desired outcomes and achieve team success. By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
  • Understand the benefits gained by the mentor, mentee and the organisation through a mentoring relationship.
  • Identify the key skills and attributes that can be enhanced through mentoring, to benefit both the mentee and the organisation.
  • Have the skills and knowledge to develop and implement a mentoring program with individual and organisational support.
  • Understand how to measure the progress and maintain momentum for long term success.

Negotiating the Minefield

Taking disciplinary action or ending a person’s employment can be one of the most difficult things a manager will need to do andit’s vital that your approach to managing continued underperformance or inappropriate conduct will achieve the desired result and not unnecessarily expose your organisation to legal risk and costly claims.
  • Identify and mitigate the key risks associated with terminating employment, including those associated with unfair and unlawful dismissal claims.
  • Distinguish between cases of misconduct and poor performance and identify the basic steps required to appropriately respond to each case.
  • Conduct a basic disciplinary process and prepare effective warning letters.
  • Apply a range of strategies to effectively conduct disciplinary meetings including those resulting in termination.

Onboarding and Probation Management

You've just invested a lot of time and energy into your recruitment process for a new hire and they're ready to start work. It may feel like the hard yards are behind you when appointing your ideal candidate, but in fact the realchallenge starts here. In this workshop we'll work with you to develop an onboarding strategy and probationary procedure to ensure that you create the conditions for high performance right from the outset of employment. Insights include:
  • Managing offers of employment, including contracting and key legislative requirements.
  • Understanding key employment and induction related documentation and procedures.
  • Identifying the difference between ‘Inducting’ and ‘Onboarding’ and identifying practical strategies for effectively and thoroughly onboarding employees
  • Understanding the legal environment surrounding ‘probationary periods’ and how this should be incorporated into best practice probationary management processes.
  • Identify tools for managing employee probationary periods, including ending employment within this period.

Personal Effectiveness

Do you often wonder where your time goes? Are you constantly wishing you had more hours in the day to just 'get stuff done'? In Personal Effectiveness we challenge the concept of ‘making more time’ and instead analyse how we can utilise our time more effectively. Participants will leave this workshop with a toolbag of strategies and knowledge to improve their own personal effectiveness, including:
  • Understanding the link between the strategies we employ personally to enhance our leadership success and effectiveness.
  • 10 methods for improving your time management skills.
  • Utilising ideas from Steven Covey’s ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ to think differently about how we prioritise our time.
  • Learn how to more methodically delegate our tasks.
  • Receive 360 degree feedback from a small cohort of peers and managers to understand our own self management, relationship management, resilience and organisational awareness.

Personal Resilience and Stress Management

Workplace stress is all too common nowadays and in this workshop we examine the link between resilience and stress, and explore a variety of methods to help improve your personal resilience, and therefore your ability to cope with and manageworkplace stress.
  • Identify four key steps you can take to help improve your own personal resilience. 
  • Learn about our SHARE Wellbeing Plan.
  • Identify calming strategies that can be implemented within the workplace to encourage your team to de-stress at regular intervals.

Recruiting with Confidence

Recruiting staff can be a time consuming and expensive process, and therefore the stakes are high to get it right. In this workshop we identify key risks and how to avoid them, explore the importance of Key Selection Criteria and learn techniques for behavioural interviewing to ensure that you obtain the information you need from prospective candidates whist avoiding any ‘small talk’ risks. By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
  • Develop and refine Position Descriptions and Key Selection Criteria to ensure clarity in the inherent requirements of the role.
  • Understand personal biases and the risks associated with allowing such biases to influence the decision-making process.
  • Apply structure and methodology to the recruitment process to ensure a timely, positive, and future focused outcome.
  • Utilise behavioural interviewing techniques to ensure that you obtain the information you need from candidates.

Team Building Experiences

Unified teams that genuinely collaborate and co-operate are more productive teams. Through participating in a range of fun and practical team building challenges which promote effective communication, collaboration and creative thinking - your team won’t just learn the theory, but will also experience first hand the satisfaction and results that come from working in a cohesive team towards a common purpose.
  • Articulate your teams’ shared purpose and vision and how each member contributes to the achievement of that vision.
  • Develop a clear set of actions and priorities to lead their team toward success
  • Foster innovative and creative thinking

Understanding Behaviours

In this workshop we utilise the DISC profiling system to enhance participants understanding of their own working styles and preferences. Participants will learn about the four different working styles and how to get the best out of each style, helping to build stronger and more effective working relationships.
  • Become familiar with the DISC model for determining differing behavioural styles.
  • Understand how to best utilise these differing styles to increase team effectiveness.
  • Recognise your own behavioural style and consider how your style is best used to connect with and support others who may have different working styles and preferences.

Multi-Day Programs

Emerging Leaders

Do you have talent within your organisation whom you have identified for stepping into leadership or expanded roles in the immediate to medium-term future? We recognise that developing the confidence to step capably into leadership opportunities is key. Arm your employees with skills and tools that will build their confidence now in preparation for the future.
  • Apply strategies to make the transition from “one of the team” to “leading the team”.
  • Use the ‘Challenging Conversations’ framework to confidently manage the performance of staff and provide effective feedback.
  • Apply tools and techniques to maximise the effectiveness of team meetings.
  • Gain a fuller understanding of how to structure conversations effectively and respectfully in the workplace.
  • Utilise strategies to manage time more effectively.
  • Recognise the value in setting a vision for the team and translate this into meaningful goals for staff.
For further information or to register your interest, please contact Claire on 0419 138 085 or via email: claire@cooperhardiman.com.au 

Lead to Succeed

Do you want to maximise the outputs of your team members? Are you looking for the edge to take your team to the next level? Are you seeking practical techniques to enhance your people management skills?
Lead to Succeed is a comprehensive leadership development program which will provide participants with the skills, tools and techniques to enhance their team’s outputs and tackle the challenges of leadership with confidence. Learning with (and from) a consistent group of peers, Lead to Succeed participants will have the opportunity to enhance their leadership skills by attending 7 workshops over the course of the year. As an added bonus participants will have access to experienced mentors who will provide one-on-one to support to help achieve better outcomes in the workplace. The 7 modules are as follows:
  • Leading and Succeeding – exploring the fundamentals of leadership
  • Personal Effectiveness
  • Feedback that gets results
  • Managing and Lifting Performance
  • The Leadership Challenge!
  • Achieving Team Vision and Purpose
  • Celebrating Success
For further information regarding this innovative program, please contact Claire on 0419 138 085 or via email: claire@cooperhardiman.com.au 
Contact us today to register your interest or find out more.

Get in touch

info@cooperhardiman.com.au             PO Box 837, Warrnambool 3280

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