The Critical Business Skills aims to enable those with non-business backgrounds, to fulfil their potential and progress to middle management roles.

The course is designed to develop critical business skills required to contribute to economic development and productivity within their organisation or elsewhere.

The content will use methods of self-reflection to evaluate personal performance and professional development. Participants will assess personal strengths, characteristics and skills that impact on workplace performance. They will design strategies to enhance personal and organisational strengths and manage weaknesses.

Participants will develop valuable leadership and management skills required to maximise their team’s contribution to the organisation. Negotiation skills are a key skill in a wide range of business contexts, such as contracts, deal-making, employment discussions, team building, and disputes. This course will enable participants to understand, accommodate and manage individual differences through constructive negotiations.

This course is aimed at those with non-business backgrounds. It is is designed to evolve digital, transversal, management and leadership skills. Participants will grow the fundamental skills necessary to adjust with market trends and prepare for the future.

Upon successful completion of this course, participants should be able to:

– Understand the relevant business regulations and legislation.

– Achieve key analytical, critical thinking, negotiating and leadership skills required for business success.

– Critically examine the national and global business environments to identifying market needs and trends.

The Programme will be delivered using a mix of methods which have been tried and tested by the delivery team over the past ten years. These include:

1. Delivery via Zoom or another suitable platform. Optimum Results Ltd has developed the capability to deliver highly effective training interventions and have been able to use the full functionality of Zoom/ Microsoft Teams to enhance the experience for Participants. Confidentiality can be maintained using individual Breakout Rooms where Participants can talk on a one-to-one basis with the Trainer as required
2. On-site Delivery at your business premises or at our state-of-the-art training rooms

2 x half day sessions

Modules include:

– Marketing Analytics and Research

– Organisation Psychology and Analysis

– Leading and Managing People

– Management Skills

– Critical Thinking

– Negotiation Skills

The new Optimum Results’ Women Managing Business Series has evolved from our work with Women Business Managers over the past 26 years. ‘Designed and Delivered by Ambitious & Dynamic Women for Ambitious & Dynamic Women’, these programmes represent a unique and highly effective approach to optimising business and career opportunities for women in all types of businesses across the
globe.

While the core skills of business management remain constant regardless of gender, extensive research and our experience show that women face specific challenges. This programme is designed specifically to address those barriers so that women can succeed in business.

Both programmes in our Women Managing Business series build Management Skills on three fundamental foundations:

(i) Managing Self,

(ii) Managing Business, 

(iii) Digital Fluency.

Women who wish to start their own business and manage its early phase growth or Women managing an established business which has potential for significant Growth & Development (including exports).

This series of training represents a new approach to enabling women to achieve work/life balance – while engaging in a comprehensive self-development programme, learners will also discover how leading-edge technology can be utilised to optimise their performance.

The Optimum Results training webinar workshops are interactive, participative, engaging and enjoyable with modular content delivered by experienced and qualified subject experts.

Three-hour modules are delivered in two 90 minute blocks with a 15 minute break. 

Training focuses on building practical skills required by the Participants and assist the conversion of knowledge into action.

Training materials, templates and the programme workbook are of a high
standard and are sent to Participants a few days in advance of each module.

Networking, peer support and collaboration is facilitated and encouraged to continue far beyond the duration of the training and, as with all Optimum Results’ training programmes, Participants may avail of a “Help Desk” to address any particular challenges or issues.

An optional module “The Working Mother’s Tool Kit” may be included, and the programme may be adapted to be sector-specific involving appropriate sector expertise.

This training programme consists of up to 8 online sessions, with mentoring and offline learning included. 

The duration can be adapted to suit the clients needs, however we recommend a time-frame of 12 weeks to complete the full course.

Programme Format

The Women in Business Series consists of a choice of two programmes:

1. The Female Entrepreneur (Early Phase Small Business Management)

Target Audience: Women who wish to start their own business and manage its early phase growth
Group Size: Up to 20 participants
Programme Structure: 6 X 3 hr live stream, weekly interactive webinar workshops with 10 hours of offline learning and planning. Additional supports include reference material, recommended reading, YouTube clips, practical tips and tools, the programme workbook which facilitates the conversion of knowledge into relevant action plus personal and business planning templates.
Programme Output: A Business and Personal Plan for Success

2. Women Managing Growing Businesses (Growth & Development)

Target Audience: Women managing an established business which has potential for significant Growth & Development (including exports)
Group Size: Up to 15 participants
Program Structure: 8 X 3 hr live stream, weekly interactive webinar workshops with 3 X online AV mentoring sessions per Company/Management Team. To get the best from the programme, participants (or team) should allocate at least one additional hour each week to review the training and reference material, recommended reading, YouTube clips, practical tips & tools. In addition, a
programme specific workbook facilitates the conversion of knowledge into action, a personal development plan and provides a template for a Strategic Business Growth & Development programme for the business.
Program Output: As this programme is classified by the European Training Foundation (ETF) as being an “International Best Practice Programme”, Participants/Company Teams who submit a Strategic Plan for Growth & Development of an appropriate standard will be awarded a tri-branded “Advanced Certificate in SME Management Practice” (ETF, Human Resource Excellence and the Business Development Agency)

Our IGNITE™ programme is a long established, successful, EU award winning training programme to build the competencies of supervisors, 1st line and middle managers. Tailor designed for each client organisation and participant group, the IGNITE™ programme has consistently met its primary objective: To improve the performance of the organisation through improving the performance of people.

Programmes specifications can reflect sector-specific requirements and include elements delivered by industry
experts or client personnel, as may be appropriate. 

IGNITE™ is one of three programmes delivered by Optimum Results which are classified by the EU’s Training
Foundation (ETF) “International Best Practice Programme” and participants who produce an appropriate learning output can be awarded an ETF “Certificate in Line Management Practice”.

Middle and Line Managers of all industries and sectors, who are responsible for a team.

Each IGNITE™ programme is tailored to suit client’s training needs, budget and work schedules. Course content and key areas of emphasis are agreed prior to the programme commencing.

As well as learning the essentials of a wide range of business subjects, participants build management confidence, thinking, problem solving, productivity, communication, innovation and management competencies.

The Programme will be delivered using a mix of methods which have been tried and tested by the delivery team over the past ten years. These include:

1. Delivery via Zoom or another suitable platform. Optimum Results Ltd has developed the capability to deliver highly effective training interventions and have been able to use the full functionality of Zoom/ Microsoft Teams to enhance the experience for Participants. Confidentiality can be maintained using individual Breakout Rooms where Participants can talk on a one-to-one basis with the Trainer as required
2. On-site Delivery at your business premises or at our state-of-the-art training rooms

This training programme typically consists of a 7 Day Management Skills Programme delivered over 5 months.

Typically, six or seven full day workshops (or 12/14 half days) are spread over six months to minimise work disruption to the business and optimise learning / change implementation.

This programme is fully designed to meet each Clients requirements. Modules covered include:

Understanding & Managing Self
– Programme Overview and Objectives
– The Supervisors’ and Managers’ role
– Leadership & Management Profiles
– Key Skills of Supervisors & line Managers
– Managing Time & Stress
– Problem Solving
– Personal Development, Thinking, Disposition and Attitude

Management & Leadership
– Understanding everyone’s Roles and Responsibilities
– When to Manage and When to Lead Effective Delegation
– Effective Communication
– The power of Workplace and organisation culture
– Communicating with Staff

Managing & Developing People
– Personality types and their effect on relationship building
– Managing underperformers and difficult people
– Communication & critical conversations
– Competencies: Knowledge, skills, attitudes & behaviours
– Motivating for performance, Giving & receiving feedback
– Identifying needs and agreeing actions / change & development
– Understanding the principles of Performance Management
– Essential elements of labour law (equality, harassment bullying etc)

Internal & External Customer
– Who are our Customers (Internal & External)?
– My role in the Customer Experience
– The foundation stones of Marketing
– What is our Competitive Advantage? / USP?
– Adding Value and Superior Performance
– How does our customer define Quality, Reliability, Service & Value
– Customer Care and Relationships Management

Understanding Costs, Budgets and Finance
– Your role in managing costs
– Elements of Lean
– Undertaking a cost reduction audit
– Understanding efficiency and the impact on performance
– Identification and eradication of waste
– Impact of mistakes and reworking on the financial performance of the business
– Cost management case study
– Our cost reduction plan

Problem-Solving, Decision Making & Innovation
– Problems, Solutions and Process
– Problems we Experience and How they Arise
– One-Off and Repetitive Problems
– Becoming Informed and Clearly Define the Problem
– Lean Enterprise Techniques
– Innovation & Creativity
– Creating and Innovative environment
– Special Projects and Project Management

Personal Development, Positivity & The Work Environment
– Personal Development, Thinking, Disposition and Attitude
– Tracking & Monitoring Progress to Success
– Conclude Work Based Assignments and tips for presentation (if applicable)