Delivering change in a challenging environment

If Clarence Darrow’s famous misquote of Darwin is to be believed - “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptive to change” - then in the current financial and legislative climate, the best leaders need to have the delivery skills, as well as the knowledge of how to change their organisation as quickly and effectively as possible.

At MTM Skills Training, we specialise in developing innovative communication strategies for delivering change. Critical to the successful delivery of such strategies are leaders who have developed the knowledge and the skills to engage effectively with both their employees and their external stakeholders.

Our team of experienced business psychologists, professional mentors and specialist communication skills coaches provide the most cost-effective way to support leaders in delivering change on time and on budget.

The MTM team has a proven track record in helping leaders and managers deliver tough changes and challenging targets. To find out more or to arrange a no obligation meeting with one of our consultants, please email info@mtmskillstraining.co.uk

Crisis communications support for reputation management

“A total failure of local management” - That is how the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and the Health Secretary Alan Johnson summed up the Healthcare Commission report into quality of care at Stafford Hospital in March 2009.

The headlines it created were as bad as any organisation could get, with speculation that the hospital was responsible for hundreds of unexpected deaths. Four outside broadcast units rolled up to the hospital and began transmitting live rolling news 24/7.

The situation led to MTM handling one of the biggest crisis media management projects in the UK in 2009.

MTM helped the hospital’s communications team:
  • Set up and run a crisis media centre
  • Identify and prepare key messages
  • Deliver an effective strategic handling of crisis communications
  • Provide media interview training for the team of spokespeople facing the cameras
  • Deliver an effective media briefing and interview handling service

The MTM team has a solid reputation for providing industry-leading support to organisations facing media crises. Our specialist team included Lis Lewis-Jones, Nick Argent, Stephanie Whitmore, Fiona Lindsay and Warwick Partington. We received the sincere thanks of the hospital’s interim management and executive board.

After the initial crisis headlines, MTM ran the press office for several weeks. This gave us valuable insights into the flow of communications and the challenges they posed within the organisation. We incorporated our findings into a new communications strategy for the hospital.

The lessons learned from Stafford Hospital's crisis formed the basis of a speech that MTM Managing Director Warwick Partington delivered at the Association of Healthcare Communicators’ national conference in June 2009. Our experience during the crisis continues to help our clients when we advise other NHS Trusts who seek to improve the effectiveness of their internal and external communications.

For a confidential discussion on creating or testing an effective crisis media communications strategy, please email info@media-training-masterclasses.co.uk

 

Training Manager's Tip

Busy staff? Catch them while you can early in the New Year!

10% discount

How often have you booked senior executives and other time-pressured staff onto training courses, only to have them pull out at the last minute because of a growing list of competing demands on their diary time?

Not only do these staff fail to benefit from the opportunity to develop the core skills they need to optimise their performance, but your training budget is gradually eaten away paying out late cancellation fees, which can be as much as the full price of the planned training course.

January and February are often relatively quiet months for many businesses and individuals, and with the majority of staff fresh back at work from their Christmas leave, it can be the ideal time to bag some diary space and schedule training dates for in-demand employees.

Unencumbered by a high volume of competing activities, employees' minds are freed-up to be more receptive to training and coaching inputs.

By taking the opportunity to refresh existing skills and develop new ones through training early in the New Year, your staff are prepared to take on the year ahead with renewed vigour and fresh ideas.

An added bonus is a 10% discount off published prices for clients who book courses to take place during January and February 2010

We are currently taking bookings for training dates in 2010. If you would like to make a booking, email us and we will be pleased to discuss your training requirements and schedule course dates to suit your employee needs.

For further information about our training courses, visit our websites MTM Skills Training and Media Training Masterclasses

 

 

Sector Spotlight

MTM and the Financial Services Industry

‘Rebuilding the Reputation of Financial Services’ was the name of a conference held in September 2009 in the City of London. With hands-on experience of how the financial press and government can change public perceptions of the reputation of financial services, our Managing Director, Warwick Partington, was asked to sit on an expert panel to share MTM’s insights.

bankingHaving delivered media interview training to the executive board of Icesave, from the launch event through to the seizure of its assets by Alistair Darling under anti-terrorism legislation, Warwick provided some practical advice to the assembled bankers, hedge fund managers and financiers.

Our extensive portfolio of global and national banking clients continue to benefit from the wide experience and ability of MTM’s specialist financial sector consultants and coaches. MTM’s ability to benchmark best practice across the industry helps our clients to introduce innovative, more transparent and engaging communications.

The result – financial institutions that are better placed to respond to the enormous changes now demanded by governments and regulators across the world.

To find out more about MTM's experience working with the financial sector, please email info@mtmskillstraining.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

MTM congratulates Joanna Lumley and Begbies Traynor on scooping top PR awards during 2009

pr weekEach year, Media Training Masterclasses sponsors the PR Week Communicator of the Year Award, and in 2009 we were delighted that it was awarded to Joanna Lumley for her work championing the Gurkha campaign for settlement rights in the UK.

Joanna's ability to command the attention of the media, politicians and the public at large, contributed significantly to the government's u-turn away from limiting Gurkha settlement rights.

The PR Week Awards recognise the achievements of individuals and teams working independently, in agency and in-house, across all sectors, and involved in all aspects of communication, commending excellence in the field of PR.

We look forward to seeing who the contenders for the 2010 title of PR Week Communicator of the Year will be, and presenting the new year's winner with their excellence award in the autumn.

1MTM Skills Training is proud to sponsor the Best Financial and Business Media Relations category at the CorpComms Awards, which in November 2009 was won by Begbies Traynor.

Working in partnership with communications agency Smithfield, Begbies Traynor, a previously little known regional partnership of insolvency practitioners, achieved their aim of positioning themselves as a leading independent commentator in the debate about the impact of the recession on companies and individuals.

The CorpComms Awards celebrate the very best in-house communications. The 2009 event held at the Park Lane Hotel in London saw communications professionals from a wide diversity of sectors gather to acknowledge and congratulate the outstanding achievements of those working in the corporate communications industry.

 

MTM Meetings and Event Management Service

MTM's new service has been developed to assist clients in organising meetings and other events, with the option of incorporating an executive training component. Our clients have said how simple and easy the service is to use and how valuable and memorable the meetings have been.

The service is based upon a one-stop-shop principle that ensures coherent and comprehensive management of all aspects of a planned event and, where the client chooses it, the added-value of fully integrated, specifically-tailored training delivered by the highest quality professional trainers and coaches.

Our aim has been to create the best meetings management service on offer. Whether you are looking to arrange a basic team meeting or want to incorporate a high-level training component into the agenda of an international management team's quarterly meeting, we source whatever is needed to make your event both memorable and effective.

The MTM event design team are perfectly placed to help combine your meeting agenda with the very best in Continuous Professional Development training provision, enabling your organisation's employees to make the most of their meeting opportunity to improve existing skills, learn new ones, develop new leadership styles, creative thinking or learn more about the latest innovations in management.

Amongst MTM's meetings and event management service deliveries during 2009 were: a 5 day event for the country managers of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies and a 4 day event for the European management team of a major US NYSE corporation.

The service is flexible to client needs and we can include:

  • Identifying and booking a great training venue - or we can use a venue chosen by the client
  • All accommodation & catering bookings
  • All event logistics including collection and drop off of delegates at airports or train stations, car and bus hire, support staff
  • Event design & delivery
  • Creating innovative added value evening entertainment for the delegates
  • Sourcing and booking high quality training or coaching for the delegates attending the event – thus adding value to the core management meetings
  • Course material design and production
  • Event filming or audio recording

To find out more or ask for a quote, email info@mtmskillstraining.co.uk

 

 

 

MTM team welcomes two new faces

Sara Alan-Smith

new faces at MTMSara is the new Client Relationship Manager for MTM and MTM Skills, working with both current and new clients to understand training requirements and schedule training courses.

Prior to joining MTM, Sara worked for eight and a half years in the public relations department of a leading UK renewable energy company, where she managed numerous major stakeholder relations programmes for new renewable power projects across the UK. In her role, Sara worked extensively with the media, local and national government politicians and civil servants, NGOs, charities, consulting organisations and the wider public, to share information about, and consult upon, large-scale renewable energy schemes.

In 2008, Sara completed the Chartered Institute of Public Relations post-graduate diploma, achieving two merits and a distinction. Sara is based at MTM's headquarters in the Cotswolds where she works part-time three days a week.

Sara can be contacted by emailing sas@media-training-masterclasses.co.uk

 

Sarah Cocker

Sarah is a new addition to the MTM training team of associate trainers and coaches.

new faces at MTMBased in Switzerland, Sarah is helping to further extend MTM's international training and coaching service provision, whilst also providing trainer services for courses running in the UK.

Sarah is a former European business news presenter and anchor for CNBC, a role in which she conducted many interviews with key business and political leaders, alongside writing and producing special televised reports on major business events and company results. Utilising her media experience, Sarah has coached news presenters and business executives in enhanced public speaking skills, and trained senior managers in developing the skills necessary for handling highly sensitive media interviews.

A qualified NLP practitioner, Sarah coaches clients to develop greater flexibility in their communication style and behavioural approach to work, helping them to improve interpersonal and leadership skills as well as enhance task-based personal performance.