Career and Personal Development
Personal Development and Career progression Workshops
Look after yourself and look after your career with our range of informative, challenging and rewarding courses that help place you in charge of your future. These workshops cover a variety of subject areas including confidence building, negotiation and socialisation skills, innovation and service skills. Each month we select and run a number of workshops on a public schedule but will also run courses on demand by arrangement.
Click here to view the current training schedule for public workshops.
All of our workshops can be delivered in-house and can be tailored to your organisation’s needs. If you are interested in a specific topic area you can browse for a workshop using the categories below or contact us for further information.
Personal and Career Development Courses
Business Etiquette and Personal Brand
This is an one day workshop for busy professionals who need to improve their presentation, personal brand and communication skills to give themselves the best opportunity to make a positive lasting impression.
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Understanding people to improve performance (DiSC)
Understanding basic principles of how people communicate at work is a key performance improvement strategy. People have preferred systems of communication and interaction and in this interactive workshop we will show you a simple model (DiSC) that helps individuals and teams understand themselves and others better.
This workshop is lively and will blend learning with interesting case studies giving you a proven tool to improve your performance.
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course outline [back to top]
Resilience 2.0: Bounce Forwards
In this highly interactive, hands one day workshop you will be inspired
and learn techniques to help you regain your life. This course is designed for
anyone who wants to bounce out of their issues and problems and begin to create
a life on purpose. You will learn:
- · the five Principles to the BOUNCE Theory
- · Ignite a passion that was once lost
- · Discover the power of your journey
- · Create a forward thinking culture in your life
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Productivity and Time Management
This one day productivity and time management workshop will help you plan your day, work towards your goals, prioritise your workload and start you on the road to becoming more effective.
Through use of a multi featured personal organiser (paper diary), practical exercises, and group discussions we will show you how to get on top of your workload, improve your time management skills to achieve more in your work and personal life. Acorn supplies a professional planning diary for all participants to keep.
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Building High Self Esteem for Women
This fun, interactive experiential one day workshop is designed to equip women with the practical skills they need to build self-esteem and achieve better life outcomes by understanding what self esteem is and where it comes from, learning the tools to build it and maintain it and learning the seven steps for high self esteem and peak performance.
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Building Psychological Capital at Work
‘Psychological capital’ refers to personality traits that influence a person’s work performance, including self-esteem, self-confidence, responsibility, emotional stability, resiliency, optimism and hope. This fun, one day workshop will equip organisations (leaders and staff) with the practical tools to build healthy psychological capital and improve performance by understanding what psychological capital is, acquiring practical coaching tools to build healthy psychological capital at work and developing a culture that nurtures and enhances the wellbeing and motivation of staff.
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Building Better Blokes
Don't die young! Attend this workshop and over the course of a day learn strategies to fortify your DNA, preserve your strength and extend your productivity in the short and long terms.
"Building Better Blokes" will offer practical, doable suggestions to empower you to take control of your medical and physical health. After all, who wants to spend their superannuation on health care! Not when there are so many toys, places and experiences to enjoy.
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Selection Criteria and Interview Skills
Applying for jobs can be a stressful experience for most people. This practical one day workshop will help you confidently answer selection criteria and undertake job interviews.
Attendees will examine staff selection criteria in order to understand and define the tasks and information required by them.
In the afternoon session attendees will have the opportunity to understand the interview process by acting as both the applicant and interview board member.
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Interviewing Skills for APS Panel Members
Have you ever been asked to be an interview panel member? If you've ever been frustrated by the poor quality of some interview panel members during the interview process then this is the one day workshop for you. This workshop concentrates on the pre-interview preparation; developing questions and their value, the interview techniques that get specific, behaviour based examples of past performance and the strategies that follow through on this process. This one day workshop takes the behavioural interview even further with a discussion of communication techniques and the use of other types of interview questions.
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Conflict Resolution
Conflict can actually be a positive tool for growth if you know how to manage it positively. This one day workshop will benefit you by helping you; understand conflict, identify the stages of conflict, use LECSR to resolve conflict, identify other ways of resolving conflict and develop the personal skills necessary to resolve conflict.
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course outline [backto
top]
Develop Unlimited Confidence
Confidence is the world’s most sought after personality trait, but no one
really knows how to get it, or on days that they have confidence, how they can
hold onto it. This workshop is designed to help participants;
- Identify areas where they can build their confidence.
- Learn how to turn self doubt and negative self talk into self belief and positive thinking.
- Stop the cycle of excuses.
- Improve productivity by improving their self perception
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Assertiveness in the APS Environment
Do you sometimes feel that you are invisible? Do you try to be assertive but somehow, despite your best intentions, you come across as being aggressive or even submissive. Being assertive is a valuable career asset for everyone.
This one day workshop will build your knowledge and introduce a number of skills to assist you in communicating effectively, professionally and with appropriate assertiveness.
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Navigating Tomorrow
Career, Life 2 and Retirement Strategies for the Public Sector. A one day workshop where you can take charge and prepare by identifying options and empowerment change strategies suitable for a variety of life transitions.Through a fun and thoughtful process you will learn how to reassess your strengths (the foundation of your future), redefine your purpose, refire your life, refocus with clarity, re-career with confidence and rebalance through integrated works, relationship and lifestyle planning.
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Assertiveness Skills for Women in the Public Service
This one day workshop is similar to Assertiveness in the APS Environment however the emphasis is on issues that women face when trying to be more assertive in the workplace and their personal lives.
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Emotional Intelligence For Women
This workshop is for professional women motivated to achieve success in business and more effectively integrate work and life more effectively. Attending this workshop will ensure that those who want to become star performers improve their performance and leadership effectiveness to shine from the inside out. Participants will learn about the nature of Emotional Intelligence, its application at work and how to develop competencies by building emotional abilities where they are lacking. As part of the workshop attendees;
- Complete an online assessment to discover their current competencies and where they might improve.
- Are entitled to follow up phone or online session to help achieve prescribed goals.
Stress Relief and Stress Reduction in the APS
This one day workshop will help you identify your personal stressors and will explore ways to manage and prevent stress.
The workshop will cover defining stress, the causes and costs of stress, Holmes-Rahe stress inventory, relaxation techniques and many other topics.
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course outline [back to top]
Stress Management
Learn how to unwind, manage stress and build resilience. This one day
workshop is designed to help participants understand the insidious nature of
stress and develop effective strategies to cope with stressful life events.
It highlights the importance of building resilience in the longer term to
create a balanced lifestyle and deal with stressful situations.
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Developing Your Career
Inspired by our hugely successful 'Maximising Career
Choices' conference, this one day workshop will help to deal with
current career issues and you encourage you to be proactive in your career
planning, take advantage of career opportunities and position yourself for the
future. Topics include Introduction and Overview of the APS, Taking Stock of
You, Marketing your Career Potential and Interview Skills to Win that Job.
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Career Planning
This is an interactive one day workshop for those contemplating a move up the
ladder or for those who are not sure where they want to go next. The Career
Planning workshop will aid you in the planning or developing of your future
career progression. You will use a self-assessment tool to help you determine
your career strengths, interests and your preferred way of operating. This
workshop complements Acorn’s Selection Criteria and Interview Skills.
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Eat That Frog!
Eat That Frog! is a fastmoving one day workshop where you will
discover 21 secrets to stop you procrastinating. The goal of Eat That
Frog! is to help you to double your productivity, performance and
output.
“Eat that frog” is a metaphor for tackling the most challenging task of
your day, the one that you are most likely to procrastinate on, but also the
one that can have the greatest positive impact on your life. Eat That
Frog! shows you how to zero in on the critical tasks and organize each
day. You’ll not only get more done faster but you will get the right things
done.
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Social Intelligence in the APS
This interactive two day workshop is for managers, supervisors and people
seeking to master interpersonal relationships as a means of creating new
networks across a broad cross-section of interests to advance career objectives
or achieve organisational goals. Some topics included are; multiple
intelligences, work preferences and differences and taping into your social
genius at work. Participants will complete an on-line assessment, receive a
profile report and a copy of Introduction to Type and Emotional
Intelligence.
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course outline [back
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Train the Trainer
This one day workshop is designed for staff who have little or no experience in
the delivery of training or who would simply like a refresher. Emphasis will
be placed on practical skills, for example, planning a session using
interactive training activities and faciliator techniques to encourage
learners. Perticipants will need to bring a two minute training session with
them to work on during the practical session.
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Goal Setting & Self-Motivation
Improve your personal planning skills to ensure you are on track in your work
and life. Through a series of group exercises, theoretical situations, video
case studies and discussions, you’ll understand the key elements of goal
setting and motivation and how to make it work for you. Discover;
- The reasons why we set goals.
- How to simultaneously manage and achieve your short and long term goals.
- The power of visualisation and positive self talk.
Understanding Your Personality Type Using MBTI
Understanding the MBTI instrument type is self-affirming and enhances cooperation and productivity. It is not a tool that ‘boxes’ you, rather it is a tool to help you understand your preferences, and others, in the areas of leisure, employment and relationships. It is an aid in better understanding and appreciating those who differ from you in both your personal and professional lives, particularly in the context of your work team.
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Time Management
A large number of people are inefficient at work – failing to plan their day, work towards goals, prioritise their tasks or delegate. Poor time management can lead to underachievement, missed deadlines, frustrated team members and annoyed managers. This workshop helps attendees to;
- Handle interruptions.
- Use manual planning systems such as diaries or organisers more effectively, &
- Approach personal organisation with a positive attitude.
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Innovation Skills for the Public Service
This one day 'hands-on' 'minds-on' workshop for leaders, presented by Dr Irena Yashin-Shaw, will show you how to take or administer 'baby steps' to innovation. Participants will learn techniques to generate ideas, explore emerging solutions, evaluate potential outcomes, think strategically, develop a mindset of innovation, initiate & sustain evolutionary innovation and help create a climate of innovation. This workshop uses many examples of real innovations within the public sector that have achieved this.
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Decision Making Skills
Organisations need staff who can make good decisions that help realise the organisational goals. This one day interactive and fun workshop covers the who, what, where and how of decision making. After the workshop you will:
- Understand how good decisions are made efficiently.
- Access decision making models.
- Learn how to influence through clear decision-making.
- Sleep easy having made the "hard decisions".
Other Courses you may find of interest:
Courses from our other subject areas may also be of interest to those wanting to improve their work performance or career progression prospects. Consider these examples from our other course areas:
Writing Skills Courses:
Write to Succeed
Write to Succeed teaches writers simple techniques for writing clearer, more convincing, and professional letters, reports, and emails.
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Persuading and Influencing Through Writing
A one-day workshop providing a sound basis for developing high level writing skills.
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Management and Leadership Courses:
The New Supervisor
This workshop is for people new to the role of supervisor.
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The Emotionally Intelligent Manager
Emotional intelligence is more important than IQ or expertise in determining who excels at a job and for outstanding leadership it is almost everything.
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Customer Service
Dealing with Difficult Clients, Colleagues and Situations
This practical one day workshop will help you to understand and manage difficult people and situations.
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