It’s certainly the case that to really succeed in Project Management you need to have a solid technical knowledge and be able to use the tools and services available to you effectively. These Hard Skills of the sort you can learn on our Project Management training courses are vital because without them a Project Manager cannot really guide their team nor fully understand the details of the project.
However, what makes a truly great Project Manager is the ability to balance these technical hard skills with interpersonal, or soft, skills. Soft skills needed for Project Management are often difficult to nail down, with no real definitive answer as to what is required and what is desired.
Here’s what we think are the 4 essential Project Management soft skills:
1/ Communication
So many issues arise during projects due to bad communication. This may be the Project Manager misunderstanding the requirements of the Project Board or team members not being given clear instructions.
Make sure you have the ability to both listen and explain. Listening really means active listening; not assuming based on past experience or pretending to accept their way while secretly planning to continue with your own methods.
Simple words at first and then more detailed points go along way when trying to explain a course of action or reason for one to team members. Nip any misunderstandings in the bud by asking for feedback. Get them to offer any problems they see or clarifications they require, upon explanation rather than days or weeks later, when some damage may have already been done. Read the rest of "Essential Soft Skills for Great Project Managers"
In this post our trainer Shaun guides you through how to forge strong relationships with the different people you meet each day including, if you’re a trainer, your delegates.
True communication requires a connection between people. When you want to build rapport with someone at work, at home, on a course, in a relationship, when trying to sell something or when trying to buy something, you should consider the following tips:
Learn all the skills you need to build rapport with your delegates on our Train the Trainer Course.
First Impressions
It may seem unfair that we are judged on our appearance but research indicates that people form a lasting impression of us within the first five minutes of meeting. Make sure you make a great first impression by dressing to impress, smiling and being assertive (which also leads to greater self-confidence!) and giving a firm handshake.
Finding Common Ground
Finding common ground or common interests is a good way to start a conversation. For example talk about work, sport or children and remember this common ground for future conversations. People will be much more open and trusting if they recognise a bond between you. Read the rest of "Building Rapport With Just About Anyone"
In this post, our Sales trainer Emmet guides you through the differences between sales and marketing.
A question I am often asked is which functions are sales functions and which are marketing functions; the reason being that there seems to be so much overlap.
It’s not as simple as this sign makes out!
The answer to this question is not clear cut and it’s not easy.
In larger organisations there is often a separate marketing department; (theoretically) they do the marketing bits and the sales department does the sales bits!
In smaller organisations there is often no separate marketing department, it’s all just ‘sales’ although in this case the sales team will perform many marketing functions.
In this post our business writing trainer Jakki will be discussing five particularly useful resources for business report writing. Jakki also runs our Content Marketing Courses.
Most of us don’t learn report writing skills at school or university.
Yes, they teach you to write, but you soon realise that your brilliant essay-writing skills simply don’t cut it in the workplace. And unless you’re lucky enough to go on a Report Writing Training Course, you’re on your own.
There are many books out there on business writing, but which ones are a good investment? After all, it’s not as if you have much time to read.
Here, to save you time, are my top five resources on how to write reports that have a positive impact on both your organisation and your career.
So your world-beating idea is becoming a reality, your business plan is flawless and you’ve hired the right people. Think that was tough? Well the hardest part is yet to come! Now it’s time to actually begin managing your start-up. Luckily we’ve laid out this handy guide of management skills to help you get the most out of your new enterprise. All these tips are covered on our 1-day New Managers Course, the best way to start off your Management Training.
Be Calm and Confident
You’re the boss, so act like it! Sure, you’ll see managers flying off the hook once in a while but you should try to maintain a calm and collected exterior as much as possible. Think about some of the best business leaders out there: people like Richard Branson and Bill Gates.
You rarely see them looking anything other than calm and cool because it instills confidence in employees, as does being assured in yourself. This is your start-up so be proud of where you are and how you got there and display that pride to your employees. Read the rest of "8 Management Tips For Start-Ups"
Tonight sees the return of BBC’s Young Apprentice with twelve teenagers jostling to prove they can make it in the business world in spite of their youth and inexperience.
As Young Apprentice often focuses on the project managing abilities of each contestant, we thought it would be worth thinking about the project management skills that the young contestants on the show are likely to have, as well as what skills it would be useful for them to build up.
We’ll let The Brett Domino trio introduce you to the candidates (watch this – it’s funny!)
Today’s guest post comes from Tim Aldiss, Operations & Accounts Director at No Pork Pies. Tim writes for Bloom Social Business and in partnership with Brandwatch, the social media monitoring tool. In this post Tim looks at the rise of the Social Business. What’s that you ask? You’ll have to read on to find out. If you’re not up to scratch with social, you’ll be missing out on all the benefits Tim lists at the end of the post – call us on 01273 622272 to find out how our social media training workshop can help you and your business.
Just as the industrial era heralded the rise of a value chain with a tangible output of product, so the information era heralds the rise of a value chain based on knowledge and connections.
Social business is a misnomer. There are three definitions on Wikipedia. In its first incarnation, a social business was a non-loss, non-dividend company that retained a certain self-sufficiency; then came organisations that were socially minded and cared for their workforce; but the definition that has won through is the one that defines businesses as a network of people.
Traditional business strategy was all about top down control and structures built on hierarchy and need-to-know access levels. Career ascendancy was easily planned and followed a path of aspiration to succeed seniors, whose loftier roles came with a good dose of secrecy and intrigue! Today typical business structure has been turned on its head and all practices and functions are laid bare.
Thanks primarily to the rise and proliferation of cheaper technology, the information age is most easily classified by the one that allowed ease and speed of information distribution, and with this ability, the inherent human desire to share, changed the definitions of privacy, and through brute force brought down those ivory towers put up by the 20th century’s business leaders. Read the rest of "Traditional Business is Dead: Long Live Social Business"
Students all over the UK are either celebrating their A level success and looking forward to a future at University with excitement or have been shocked into a “What am I going to do now?” dilemma when they didn’t make the grade.
If you or your offspring are faced with the latter it’s not the end of the world. Do not despair, some of the richest and most successful entrepreneurs in the world dropped out too! In fact 6 out of 10 of the world’s richest people have no formal higher education qualifications, and some no qualifications at all. Great leadership skills are rarely learned at school or even university, although our training will give you some insights. Determination, hard work, enthusiasm, dedication and motivation may get you a lot further than you think.
Bill Gates – Microsoft
Co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates was the world richest man for thirteen consecutive years. Worth $62 billion he is still number two, second to Carlos Slim Helu. Bill dropped out of Harvard.
Bill Gates says: “We were young, but we had good advice, good ideas and lots of enthusiasm.”
Good ideas and enthusiasm can earn you lot more than qualifications.
Amancio Ortega Gaona – Zara
Spanish billionaire Ortega had no higher education and began working for a shirt maker at the age of 13 and continued to work in the textile industry until the early 1960s.
At the age of 27 he founded his own company manufacturing fine bathrobes.
Co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates was the world richest man for thirteen consecutive years. Worth $62 billion he is still number two, second to Carlos Slim Helu. Bill dropped out of Harvard.
Spanish billionaire Ortega had no higher education and began working for a shirt maker at the age of 13 and continued to work in the textile industry until the early 1960s.
