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VHL Case Studies Below are some examples of the kind of work we do.
In an inner London Authority a small but successful Health Education Unit was loosing direction. Their funding was under threat. Team members were 100% committed to their work but often working at cross-purposes or in isolation. There was an urgency to clarify goals and provide justification to clients and funding authorities.
VHL Learning was asked to run a work and business planning away day. We provided support and facilitation as well as examples of work and business planning structures. Team members were able to listen, plan and work together despite an uncertain future, often finding out about and valuing colleague’s roles for the first time.
The managers and team members were highly enthusiastic about the day. Two years later the team is going strong and funding is secure.
A lot of people have material but when they get up in front of an audience they dry up, become confused and don’t know how to get their point across. To top it off they may be bombarded with difficult or challenging questions from their audience.
VHL Learning designed and ran a 2-day effective presentations course. The course was specially designed for a group of first line managers. Included in the content were a range of topics such as confidence building, contents, style, structure, voice, handling questions, audience awareness and visual aids. Participants designed and practiced up to three presentations.
Participant response was overwhelmingly positive. A rapport was built up within the group, and participants worked hard to integrate the techniques they had learned into their day-to-day work. Everyone practiced their presentations and received valuable feedback from the tutor and other course participants. Two weeks later the managers went on to give presentations at a high profile department conference. They were evaluated highly by their colleagues. One participant used his presenting skills on a job interview. And he got the job!
Staff in an Inner London Housing Action Trust were facing the prospect of organizational restructuring. Some might lose their jobs, others would have to re-interview for the jobs they were already doing. Alongside this, feedback from a tenant survey highlighted areas of weakness in the HAT’s customer service provision.
VHL Learning was asked by the HAT to assist with a series of 2-day Customer Focus workshops. We used content already designed by the manager, working in partnership to adapt materials for each new group. We used our facilitation expertise to encourage debate on issues such as internal communication, management styles, handling external contracts, customer care skills, service chains and issues around diversity and equality.
All staff went through the training. Many started from a position of defensive indifference, feeling that they were ‘once again being blamed’ or had been ‘sent on the course without being consulted’.
A council housing department had recently undergone a year-long transition to become an ALMO (Arms Length Management Organization). Despite the results of a very positive external staff survey, there was a less than perfect work and performance atmosphere. Senior management felt it was important to involve staff in identifying problem areas and suggesting strategies for change.
Following a one-to-one meeting with the Managing Director, VHL Learning was asked to propose a framework for a series of staff seminars. We researched existing HR policies and structures and devised detailed sets of user-friendly facilitation plans. In order to develop a ‘listening environment’ meetings were to be run in-house. Staff needed to feel safe and know that they their views would be valued.
The Managing Director felt supported and was able to run the meetings giving staff the chance to personally air their views. The working atmosphere has improved and the dialogue between management and staff continues to be of key importance.
A group of staff in a large local authority had been invited to set up and run a series of focus groups with black and ethnic minority staff. The purpose of the groups would be to consult with staff from these backgrounds on issues such as recruitment, retention and training of black and ethnic minority staff. The consultation process would be part of a larger Positive Action programme, which the organization was dedicated to supporting.
After discussion with the staff coordinator of the Positive Action Programme VHL Learning designed and delivered a series of tailor made training sessions on the role of the facilitator. As well as teaching participants the skills of facilitation the course content also covered the mechanics of how focus groups are set up, run and managed. How facilitators coordinate, the context in which focus groups run and how findings can be meaningfully reported back to management.
The focus groups ran successfully and more staff were sent on the training. Staff improved their skills and confidence, receiving positive feedback from their peers and managers. Views expressed in the focus groups were collated in a Positive Action report.
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Work planning and team building
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