Success stories

We asked delegates to tell us how some of =mc's training has impacted on their work in key areas:

Personal effectiveness
Communication skills
Leadership
Strategy & change management

Remember - to find out about each training programme - and for more testimonials, simply click onto the links below.

Personal effectiveness

When I attended =mc's Breakthrough Personal Performance I was the Finance Director at St Joseph's Hospice. I went on the day to rejuvenate my approach to work and kick-start my personal development. It really got me thinking and I left with a much more positive mindset. This has translated into outstanding achievements both at work and at home. I'm now the Deputy CEO for the charity and ran in the London Marathon for the first time!

Marina Phillips, Deputy CEO, St Joseph’s Hospice

"Moving into my first project management role I needed some ideas on how to deliver a success shadi osanloo ful project. =mc's Project Management course was excellent. The training was both practical and creative and the facilitator was brilliant. It's always a challenge to stop yourself going back into the same routine when you go back to work, but not with this programme - from day one I've been using the Systems Model and I am positive I will continue to use it to good effect. More than that I have shared the learning with my team. As my first project reaches a successful conclusion, I feel much more confident in my role.

Shadi Osanloo, Project Manager, Manchester Development Education Project

"I needed new ways to energise our learning projects and bring creative approaches to teaching urban issues. The Creativity and Innovation programme with =mc not only gave new ways to get creativity flowing but also provided practical models to implement innovation and overcome challenges. I have successfully used the techniques in my own projects and have engaged colleagues in the creativity process. The programme was both practical and empowering and has enabled me to create new and exciting ways to promote urban issues."

Debbie Measor, Learning Manager, Urbis

"I have a wide-range of responsibilities at The Wildlife Trust - one day I'm discussing legislation and the next organising a major campaign event. I chose Managing Multiple Priorities because I was looking for practical tips to help me balance planned and reactive work and sort out what's important from ‘distractions'! The techniques I learned have revolutionised my daily planning. I now feel I have more control over my work and can recognise essential tasks. A ‘light bulb' moment was the system for managing emails and prioritising tasks. I now have a streamlined, almost empty inbox that is the envy of all my colleagues!"

Lisa Chilton, Marine Development Manager, The Wildlife Trust

Communication skills

Facilitation skills are a vital part of my job but I have often struggled to manage the process. =mc's Facilitation Skills was a real breakthrough! The range of tools you provided ensure that I can both stay on track and make space for everyone to take part. I now have a greater understanding of the way people take in information and make decisions. And it's transferable learning. At a recent meeting I found I could be flexible with the agenda while still working towards the overall objectives. As a result the meeting was shorter than usual, more focused, and we achieved our key outcome.

Rob Shore, Freshwater Programmes Manager, WWF

At Save the Rhino we know that good fundraising is about cultivating supporters and attracting donors. It's essential that I am enthusiastic and professional and most importantly, can keep the momentum flowing from pitches to negotiating a beneficial deal. =mc's Developing Personal Presence day gave my the skills to handle all of these. My confidence and, in turn, the standard of my presentations has rocketed. I now know how to make a strong and memorable impact with donors, which has resulted in increased interest from organisations. This has been great for the charity, and also brilliant for my personal development!

Petra Fleischer, Fundraising Manager, Save the Rhino International

I am responsible for developing sponsorship opportunities as part of a coordinated strategy to maximise the benefits of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games for my local community. I attended Influencing & Negotiating for Results to learn more about negotiation tactics - anything to improve my chances of connecting successfully with external organisations. I enjoyed seeing immediate positive outcomes. Using NLP in my approach letters I surpassed my previous response rate and the course subsequently paid for itself several times over with the first of my successful deals. Marvellous stuff."

Gerry McKinney, Sponsorship Development Officer, Newham Unit for the 2012 Games

After numerous recommendations from colleagues I decided to attend =mc's Transformational Presentation Skills course. It was probably one of the most challenging things I have ever done - particularly seeing myself ‘perform' on DVD! However, the sensitive and constructive feedback from the trainers was invaluable. I am more confident in front of audiences and have used the techniques to ensure my message comes across in the way I intend. I would certainly recommend this to anyone who needs to do stand-up presentations.

Jane Kay, Outcomes Programme Coordinator, Charities Evaluation Services

It’s my job to promote the Belgrade Theatre whether it’s talking to the press, our patrons or potential funders. A colleague suggested =mc’s day on Emotional Intelligence in Management might be helpful – and it really was. The course explained so much about the myriad of ways we all communicate with each other before we even open our mouths. I can now build rapport with people quickly and can identify what they are really feeling – regardless of what they might be saying! Overall I communicate a lot more effectively and am much more confident in how I deal with people.

Ray Clenshaw, Press & PR Officer, Belgrade Theatre

Leadership development

As a new manager I had been worried about slipping into the dreaded ‘micro management' approach with my team. The trouble was, in making sure I didn't do that I found myself going the other way and offering them too much autonomy. Emerging Managers Programme really helped me to deal with this - and prepared me for other challenges I haven't even encountered yet! The Intelligent Leadership Model means I can now gauge just how much support and how much direction each member of my team needs in any given situation. This makes me more effective as a manager and is good for the confidence of my team.

Catherine Raynor, Communications Information Manager, VSO

My team and their work are new to the NSPCC - an exciting opportunity but also very challenging! I needed to drive them through integration for our work to be more effective. The Leadership Development Programme was just what I needed. I really benefited from the high-level feedback and the real-life learning, which I could relate back to my own workplace. Since then, our team has become an integral part of the organisation - we are more focused and motivated, we have overcome a number of challenges and are achieving outstanding results .

Rahana Mohammed, Local Influencing Team Manager, NSPCC

It is essential to my role that I guide my staff through organisational development and change. Since attending =mc’s Strategic Leadership Programme I have delivered several successful training events to our staff using the models and feedback frame-works, as well as sharing the learning with professional colleagues in and outside of my organisation. As a direct result of the course, I have been named as one of five of the best senior HR professionals in Bangladesh for 2008 by a reputed University – I want to share my thanks with =mc!

Abul Khair Raihan, General Manager, HR & Administration, Marie Stopes, Bangladesh

I really wanted to share some of my successes since attending the International Management Programme. I left with a strong grounding in management theory as well as practical tools and advice. Overall, it has transformed the way I work and manage my team - I have set up coaching workshops, have a better understanding of my team and give and receive regular feedback. It has definitely renewed our energy and focus. Thank you!

Peter Nanle, Programme Manager, CAFOD

Strategy & change management

At Womankind Worldwide, we have to respond to an ever changing external environment. I was really impressed by a previous =mc programme so I leapt at the chance to go on Taking Charge of Change. After two days I left with a thorough knowledge of the impact of change, how people react differently to it - and most importantly - how to plan and manage effective change processes. I've used the tools and techniques to engage my colleagues. In less than a year I've noticed a radical improvement in the way the whole organisation thinks through and implements change.

Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Head of Programmes & Policy, WOMANKIND Worldwide

I wanted to develop a strategic tool to focus on areas of the organisation that needed attention. =mc’s Balanced Scorecard workshop offered a unique insight into the tool – including examples from other charity and public sector organisations. This approach has simplified the business down to its key elements. I have a much clearer picture of how to take the organisation forward and am more aware of what works and how to keep doing it.

Jim Forrester, Director, Imperial War Museum North

My organisation is constantly expanding and moving forward. To manage this effectively we needed a streamlined strategic planning process and tools to measure performance. I left the Strategic Planning Tools day with an excellent overview of the key strategic models as well as relevant examples on how to apply them. After taking the tools back to my work we have transformed the way we plan as an organisation - resulting in greatly improved internal and external communication, performance monitoring and of course, the delivery of our strategic objectives!

Julie Alexander, Group Quality & Performance Manager, Dominion Housing Group

Our centre is heavily reliant on funding and I am constantly looking for new avenues and opportunities. What I needed was more direction in my fundraising energies - and the answer was =mc's Strategic Planning Tools for Fundraising day. It exceeded my expectations and after sharing the tools with my colleagues, they are now an essential part of our work - the ‘dashboard' for success has a permanent home in our office! Already we have developed successful partnerships and increased our funding. Brilliant!

Hannah Bird, Centre Manager, WDCS, the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society

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