Time Management Training Courses, Training Newsletter – Managing Meetings

Time management is a crucial factor in work and our time management courses are created to ensure that delegates can make their time keeping as efficient and effective as possible. We do this by supplying a time management training course that is full of tools and tips for improving time management, time planning, delegation, organisation and management strategies as well as handling and using time effectively. Our time management course will cover subjects such as goal setting, improving organisation skills and managing time successfully.

Time Management using Microsoft Outlook 2010 is another of our training seminars that allows delegates to be able to use all aspects of Outlook such as; managing emails, using the calendar, delegation using Tasks and is packed with tips and techniques for mastering Outlook.

Why choose Total Success for your training?

  • our lead trainers have over 18 years experience in training
  • a maximum of 8 delegates means more time spent on individual needs
  • we guarantee to run the course and will never cancel at the last moment
  • free subscription to our monthly training newsletter

All open courses are trained in Central London at the St Giles Hotel.

Each delegate receives a comprehensive training workbook that doubles as an open course manual. Courses run from 9.30-5.30 with lunch and refreshments provided.

Time Management In-Company Courses

Total Success have developed a series of in-house training modules. These are designed so that an organisation can pick the training which is more applicable to its own needs and budget. Please call us to discuss your specific requirements. If you click on the links below you will see some typical one-day time management course agendas that cover a wide range of subjects from prioritising, delegating, assertiveness, managing interruptions, managing e-mail, using Outlook calendar, tasks etc. In fact we pride ourselves on being able to develop courses that suit all our clients needs and requirements.

Time Management Training Packs

Why use a total success training pack

If you are looking to run your own training course but lack the materials and the time to develop a fully functional training seminar we produce a range of training materials and packs which will suit your requirements exactly. All of our packs and been written by our own time management experts and we can guarantee that the training pack will satisfy your course requirements. Each pack will contain a full set of PowerPoint training slides, trainer’s notes, a course manual, and a full set of handouts and activities.

We have been running our courses since 1995 and have trained 1000’s of people via open courses and in-company seminars. We guarantee that the course you buy is the one we train. All courses are trainer and trainee friendly so you’ll be up and running quickly (depending on your training experience).

We know how difficult it is to choose amongst the many training materials available on line, that’s why we have 3 packages that will suit you needs. With our gold, silver and bronze packages you can choose the training format that’s right for you and your budget. Call us 0044 (0)208 269 1177 to discuss your requirements or email us info@totalsuccess.co.uk

Related information

Total success training also produced a number of newsletter webpages that carry great information on all our training topics.  Below you will find a selection of time management newsletter pages. You can click on any of the links and they will give you stacks of really interesting information relating to time management. If you like the content of these pages you can subscribe to our newsletter page and we will send you a newsletter every month. we update our pages very regularly so will always be more great information each time you log onto our site.
Click on any of these links for stacks of great tips and techniques on managing time

Time Management book’s and publications

The Book. If you really don’t have the time to attend one of our fantastic time management training courses and seminars, don’t worry. You can still enhance your knowledge and skills by purchasing time management training information from our website. Our lead trainer, Warren Wint has written a book entitled ‘Successful Time Management’ which is packed with tips and techniques to help you manage your time more effectively and more efficiently. You can purchase the book by clicking on the link below and downloading it to your own computer

Bite-sized Training Guides. We had also produced a range of bite-sized training guides on various subjects relating to time management. These short guides are written to give enough information on the topics that interest you. We include topics such as managing e-mail, setting goals and prioritising, the art and skill of effective delegation, and managing busy workloads and deadlines. These are designed for you to work through your topics in approximately 30 to 40 min, and not only give you valuable information but also include exercises and activities to enable you to learn at your own pace and on the go. These are very competitively priced at 99p each because we want you to not only gain valuable information but also to keep coming back and purchasing more to enable you to become a fabulous manager of time. Click the links below and download our training guides as PDF documents so you will be able to start achieving your goals today!

Podcasts

We produce a range of podcasts and audio downloads that you can download to hear how we conduct our training courses. These are available in live audio if you click on the links below and it’s almost like being on one of our courses. They allow you to hear how we carry out some of the topics in our time management training courses. If you like them and want to hear more please go to our Podcast pages on the website

Listen to our Time Management Podcasts

Time Management Newsletter – Meetings, Meetings, Meetings

Recent research indicates that the average manager spends 11 hours per week in meetings, plus 6 hours a week getting ready for them, and even more hours recovering. Research from the US estimate that there are 11 million meetings each and that, managers who were asked about the effectiveness of meetings stated that almost one-third of the time spent in meetings is a total waste.

One of the ways in which you can make your meetings more effective is to recognise the types of personality some people adopt as part of their meeting camouflage. You may be able to pin-point some of your colleagues in the following descriptions.

Stereotypes You May Expect To Find In A Meeting

The Chatterbox

Talks continually, rarely on the topic, has little to contribute

The Sleeper

Uninterested in the proceedings, some can sleep with eyes open!

The Destroyer

Crushes any and every idea, can always find something wrong

The Rationalist

Makes worthwhile contributions, ideas are well thought out

The Trapper

Waits for opportune moment to show error has been made – likes to trap the Chair

The Know-All

Tries to monopolise, but can have good ideas

The Thinker

Shy and slow to come forward, but is a great asset

Based on Sadler and Tucker. Common Ground. South Melbourne, Macmillan, 1981.

Contributing assertively in meetings

  • If some of the negative stereotypes above may put you off attending or contributing to your next meeting, here are some tips that may help you to make the most of your time and increase your effectiveness.
  • Meetings can be nerve-wracking, and using assertive behaviour can certainly help people to feel more confident in these situations. The following are tips that will help you to ensure that your contributions in meetings are as effective as possible.

Making Your Contributions

  • Keep your contributions short: they are easier for others to understand and gives the contribution more impact.
  • Avoid interrupting and don’t let others interrupt you.
  • Keep non-verbal behaviours assertive: your tone of voice should not be too quiet or too loud and make appropriate eye contact with others when you are speaking.

Timing Your Contributions

  • Raise your point at the relevant time to increase impact
  • Don’t wait until the last minute before airing an opposite view – be assertive and do not hold back on doubts or disagreements.

Getting A Reaction To Your Contribution

  • Ask for a reaction if none is forthcoming: “What do you think of this suggestion?”
  • Ask others for their reactions if one person disagrees to give a picture of the whole meeting’s reaction.
  • Ask for a reason for disagreement if none is given.
  • The aim of getting a reaction is to have your suggestion considered, not necessarily accepted or agreed.

Changing Your Mind

  • In the light of new or information or better ideas, it is perfectly valid to change your mind. You must be open and honest about it, and not apologise profusely.

Falling In With The Majority

  • it is sometimes necessary to fall in with majority to allow the meeting to progress. You need to be assertive in how you state this: “I don’t see a way round the disagreement. I really prefer… but in view of the time, I’m happy to go along with the idea about….”

Not Falling In With An Apparent Majority

  • If the meeting is dominated by a small number they can sometimes appear to be a majority, it would be submissive not to air any disagreements. Otherwise, suggestions with only minimal support may be accepted.

Deciding Which Issues To Be Assertive On

You must decide the crucial issues on which to stand firm or speak out on. If you take a stand on every issue you will appear awkward or negative to other people.

Improving The Effectiveness Of The Meeting

You may have a degree of responsibility for the way the meeting is run – this is not only the responsibility of the chair. You can help with time issues in a number of ways – for example:

“How about spending no more than half an hour on this?”

“I would find it useful to five minutes reading through this information”

You may also influence the behaviour of other people: Asking a person who has made a long speech to summarize the main points or inviting a quiet member when you see s/he is trying to get a word in.

When you are doing this you must be assertive and don’t make too many contributions or you will be seen as trying to take over the meeting.

Challenging your inner dialogue for contributing to meetings

When we approach any issue which we are even slightly apprehensive about, we must ensure our “self-talk” is appropriate – that is that we are giving ourselves positive messages about what we can do, rather than negative messages about looking a fool or being unable to do something. Here are some examples of faulty inner dialogues and sound dialogues that many people use.

Faulty Inner Dialogues Equivalent Sound Dialogues
“I’m obviously in a minority so what is the point in me saying anything?” “I may be in a minority but I can put my views concisely and clearly to try and influence them”
“If I make my suggestion other people may think it’s silly and I’ll look foolish” “I have the right to put forward my suggestion and have it listened to. They may not agree, but that doesn’t mean they think it’s silly.”
“If I ask a question when I don’t understand everyone will think I’m thick and I’ll slow the meeting down.” “I can’t contribute effectively if I don’t understand so I have right to ask for clarification. It doesn’t mean I’m thick.”
“If I change my mind now I’ll lose face and appear weak. I can’t do that.” “I can change my mind if I want to. It can be a sign of strength rather than weakness.”