Courses are tailored to suit individuals and groups with specific requirements and can be designed to suit particular briefs.

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Third sector and public sector services

Responding to your Staff & Management Training requirements

Delivering valuable key outcomes on wellbeing and work management

Changing Lifecourse provides a range of packages and flexible coaching services tailored to your and your organisational requirements.

- Imrpove your personal performance

- Reduce job-related stress

- Improve efficiency, time-management and teamworking

- Gain fresh insights and map new ways forward

- Attain a toolkit for managing challenges more effectively

Following an initial meeting we agree on clear outcomes for ust to work towards. I use a range of coaching methods and materials tailored to your needs.

To book an initial consulation please call me on 07436 113033  or email alex@changinglifecourse.com

Clients include:

Essex County Council ACL 

NHS Primary Care Personnel 

Coast-Ed Partnership Trust,Tendring District Council 

Signpost Essex 

Colchester Night Shelter

Intervention Consultancy (Probation Services)

Your Living Room CIC

AFiUK (Afreican Families in the UK) CIC

CARA Colchester

Colchester Institute

Careerserve Co-operative

Emmaus UK

CVS Tendring

East of England Migration Partnership

Tendring and Colchester Migration Partnership

Terraconsult Ltd

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Resilience and Mindfulness in the Workplace

Antidote to stress, greater sense of wellbeing and more control of your daily workload!

Tools and practical techniques to develop increased emotional resilience and greater satisfaction and effectiveness in the workplace… and in life!

Introduction to mindfulness and techniques for greater focus, energy and effectiveness at work

Recognising and transforming stress using awareness techniques

Mindfulness at your desk and in meetings

Strategies for greater resilience

Techniques for self- compassion and practical mindfulness

Tools to overcome ‘negativity bias’

Responding creatively to challenges

Exercises and techniques adaptable to everyday life

Format: One day course or 6 x 45 minute sessions delivered weekly.

Tangible workplace outcomes include:

• Improve workplace performance
• Less absenteeism
• Increased positive outlook
• Improved engagement and interpersonal communication
• Enhanced focus and ability to work ‘smarter’
• Morale boost for teams and managers
• Clarity and better decision-making
• More effective communication
• Stronger leadership and more cohesive teams
• Enhanced creativity and innovation

Please contact Alex Klokkaris 07436 113033

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Workshop Design and Facilitation Services

Tailored facilitation and workshops to meet your team’s unique needs

Providing independent facilitation to give teams a voice and clairfy shared visions

Changing Lifecourse Facilitation service brings stakeholders together to work through a structured  process to achieve desired objectives:

• Engaging groups in creative problem-solving
• Helping clients achieve clarity on shared issues
• Giving a voice to groups of people and teams
• Eliciting the group’s best thinking
• Enabling groups to engage in clear decision-making
• Gaining commitment to meeting desired outcomes
• Helping teams plan and design meetings effectively

Comprehensive and bespoke service with over 15 years experience of working in the heart of the community.

Delegate feedback:

“A clear action plan and plenty of inspiration”

“Enjoyed today, being able to be honest and open about my challenges”

“Gained clarity and direction, Alex is a natural focilitator and inspires confidence and open thinking”

“Thought-provoking, plenty to take forward”

To contact Alex please email alex@ChangingLifecourse.com or call 074361 1303

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Coaching Skills for Managers

Authentic, inspiring and practical workshops for the public sector

Aimed at Line Managers, Project Mangers and Leaders within Public Sector services.

The workshop will give you tools and strategies to get the most out of your teams and help develop a coaching culture.

Outcomes:

Identify and take advantage of coaching opportunities both formal and informal

Develop an active coaching mindset

Gain an insight into coaching approaches and develop a palette of resources for everyday workplace challenges

Practise skills in listening to understand and delivering effective feedback

Learn powerful questioning techniques for effective communication and motivation

Develop a reflective practice for your CPD

Personal action plan for implementing learning

Follow up: Opportunity to have a one to one 30 minute session with trainer to discuss success, challenges and implementation

Benefits

• Greater flexibility and adaptability to change
• Better use of skills and resources
• Develop and foster more productive teams
• Increased staff commitment
• Improved communication
• Decrease in stress and absenteeism
• Increase in job satisfaction and motivation

For course content please visit www.changinglifecourse.com

Contact Alex Klokkaris on alex@changinglifecourse.com  Tel: 07436 113033

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Cultural Awareness Training for the Public Sector

This workshop focuses on ways in which safeguarding processes need to take account of culture, ethnicity and race, and the possible impact of cultural background on accessing and using local services. It will explore issues such as:

• Differences between culture, religion and faith and impact on responses to local services.
•  Exploring accessibility of different ethnicities to local services
• Exploring the extent in which minority ethnic needs are met by local services
• Identifying hidden bias and stereotypical views of ethnically diverse service users
• A clearer understanding  of practices such as forced and arranged marriage; honour-based violence; female genital mutilation and modern slavery
• Identifying ways in which mental health services and interventions can be accessed by ethnic minority groups
•  Developing confidence in safeguarding people experiencing any of these, in line with professional guidelines and legal duties

Why this is important

• We have a Public Sector Equality Duty to eliminate discrimination.
• We need to ensure that all people get equal access to services and are not excluded.
• We need to feel, and be confident in communicating with service users from all backgrounds/cultures.

Delegate feedback:

 "It has strengthened my commitment to work collaboratively with the existing agencies to establish community trust."

 "I feel more passionate and mindful in going forward with my work with multi-cultural families."

Please contact Alex Klokkaris on alex@changinglifecourse.com 07436113033

Or Rachel Walton rachel.walton@afiuk.org

Cultural Awareness – Promoting social inclusion in the Arts for ethnic minorities

The course is aimed at individuals and teams involved in the provision and promotion of the Arts.

This participative workshop aims to increase understanding of culture, ethnicity and race and its impact on engagement with the Arts. It aims is to raise awareness of barriers to accessing the Arts among ethnic minority groups and individuals and to explore ways of encouraging the development of culturally appropriate and inclusive approaches and initiatives. Participants will also have the opportunity identify ways forward to increase engagement and encourage participation in under-represented ethnic minority audiences.

By the end of the course you will have an increased awareness and understanding of the following:

• Local ethnic minority demographic profiles
• Understanding race, ethnicity and culture
• Challenging common assumptions and stereotypes
• Gaining a greater awareness of BAME diversity, cultural enrichment and influences
• Developing an awareness of common perceptions of and attitudes towards the Arts by BAME groups
• Identifying factors determining attendance, participation and engagement within the Arts by BAME groups
• Addressing common barriers to access and engagement
• Exploring ways of building links with local ethnic minority groups and individuals
• Creating positive and relevant experiences for BME groups and individuals
• Identifying ways of engaging, providing information, communication in appropriate formats and outreach strategies
• Developing opportunities for integration, education, learning, confidence-building, cultural celebration and empowerment for BME groups and individuals
• Opportunities for signposting and networking

The workshop will consist of short presentations, group discussion, practical activities, small group exploration and discovery. Participants will be encouraged to work collaboratively and creatively together to identify appropriate ways to implement learning and consider next steps.

Training delivery: Alex Klokkaris in association with Rachel Walton from AFiUK social enterprise

For further details of this workshop and for bookings please email alex@chnanginglifecourse.com or call me on 07436113033 

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Open Dialogue Workshops

Promoting social inclusion and access to public and local services

A rare opportunity to initiate and develop sustainable relations with local black and ethnic minority groups. The aim of the Open Dialogue is to provide an arena to explore ways forward to increase engagement and access to public services, as well as participation in the wider community. The relationship of trust that the trainers have built over years working closely with local BME communities, provides the ideal conditions for an open dialogue where much-needed communication can take place. The process of ‘bridging of the gap’ will be encouraged for these communities that are under-represented and often slip through the net in terms of access to local provision.

The Open Dialogue workshop will bring together a small invited audience from the local BME community, with interpreters where needed, and will provide an opportunity to dialogue with public service and third sector professionals and volunteers.

The 3-hour Open Dialogue will be structured in such a way as to maximise communication and provide opportunities to achieve the following aims:

• To improve understanding of intercultural issues regarding access public and other local services
• Gain a greater understanding of the impact of culture/ethnicity on ethnic minority members’ ability to access and participate in local services and initiatives
• Initiate and explore ways of developing sustainable relations with local BME groups and individuals
• Provide the opportunity for local BME members to have their voices heard regarding access local services
• Identify barriers to accessing local services through sharing experiences of accessing or using public and social provision
• Identify ways to increase participation in integrated and joint up work and initiatives
• Explore how information sharing can be made more accessible and relevant to BME individuals
• Identify ways forward to develop culturally relevant services and processes that reflect and include BME needs

Format:

Following introductions, the space will be given over to the participants i.e. public sector delegates and the local BME community. Delegates will be divided into smaller groups with a facilitator at each table to help generate discussion through asking open ended questions on identified themes. Interpreters will be present as required. A scribe on each table will note main points and will feed back to the group at the end in an open space session.  A series of recommendations based on the open dialogue and an evaluation report will subsequently be disseminated to all delegates and attendees.

Training delivery: Alex Klokkaris in association with Rachel Walton from AFiUK, social enterpise.

For more details please contact me Alex Kokkairs on 07436113033 or drop me an email alex@changinglifecourse.com 

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Coaching Skills for Mentors

This one day course is designed to equip professionals working with individuals or groups with the basic principles and tools for coaching that can be applied to gain clarity, increased quality of communication and help reach specific workplace outcomes.

Each workshop is tailored to organisational or individual requirements and is preceded by a free consultation.

• The difference between counselling, mentoring and coaching
• The coaching mindset: 10 basic principles of life coaching
• Generating performance goals and associated success measures
• Skills of effective coaching
• Working with the TGROW model
• Identifying and reframing limiting beliefs
• Open and incisive questions to gain results
• The coaching success cycle

Feedback from delegates from Coast-ed Tendring School Mentors :

"Really enjoyed the course, thank you, got a lot out of it."

"Clearer in my mind about the differences and overlaps between coaching and mentoring, and will use both to be a more effective mentor."

"Great tools and ideas to take forward and put into practice, thank you!"

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 Building Successful Teams

Have you got what it takes to be a first class team player? This one day course will help you take your team-working skills to the next level. The course will include

- A brief exploration of team dynamics

-  Characteristics of teams and team players

- Inventory of strengths, roles and responsibilities 

- Co-operation, negotiation and ownership 

- Integrating individual goals into group and organisational goals

- Communication, conflict-management and decision-making

A powerful course designed to equip participants with tools for managing conflict in teams, communicating more effectively and increasing productivity in teams.

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 Personal and Professional Effectiveness in the Workplace

A course especially designed to enable individuals to become more effective and happier in the workplace. Emphasis will be on self-care and self-management, with practical strategies for stress reduction and a better work-life balance. Course components include:

- Practical time management techniques

- Identifying and removing energy and time drains

- Assertiveness techniques: When and how to say no

- Recognising the signs and impact of stress

- Powerful and effective stress management techniques

- Quick and effective relaxation techniques

"Insightful and easy to absorb!"

"It's been an excellent day! The course has covered many aspects of work issues I needed help with. "

"Enjoyed today, loved being able to be honest and open about my challenges, informative discussions, lots of tips and strategies to put into practice." 

Above quotes from Learning Mentors, Essex, 2013

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 Assertiveness Training

A workshop to increase assertiveness and deal more effectively with challenges in the workplace and other areas of life.

• Definition of assertiveness
• Rights and responsibilities
• The effectiveness of active listening
• Effective rapport-building and communication techniques
• The power pro-active asking
• Handling challenging situations and people with confidence
• Assertive body language using NLP tools
• Assertiveness techniques - 'broken record', 'negative assertion' methods

"The course has given me tools and food for thought about moving forward in every possible way and made me think more about establishing my own self-reliance."

E.S. Colchester

 June 2012



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"Opening Minds, Widening Opportunities"

A one-day workshop to help participants understand and explore new thinking and opportunities and develop a personal vision for their life and career.  A joint course with associate Dr Atul Shah, CEO of Diverse Ethics.

a.m. session:

- What is truly an open mind?

- Why is it important and what's in it for me?

- Practicalities : How do I cultivate an open mind?

p.m. session:

- Developing a personal vision

- Using coaching tools for developing clarity, focus and strategy

- Implementing your personal action plan for career success

- Tools for staying motivated and inspired.

"An excellent day, interesting and enlightening, thank you!" R.S. Colchester, May 2013

"Thank you for a thought-provoking and enjoyable day!" Rachel Walton, Colchester, May 2013

"A brilliant course! Thanks to Atul and Alex for their presentations. I will be reviewing the material we covered to really digest the process while in search for my true Essence!" Kayla, Chelmsford, May 2013



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ACCESS Cultural Awareness Workshop - in conjunction with TACMEP (Funded by the European Integration Fund)

Facilitated by Alex Klokkaris and Rachel Walton

Due to popular demand these workshops are now being repeated on the following dates:

This multi-agency workshop will focus on ways in which safeguarding processes need to take account of culture, ethnicity and race, and the possible impact of cultural background on accessing and using local services. It will focus on women and families migrating to the UK from outside Europe.

 It will explore issues such as:

• What is culture? Do we confuse it with religion and faith? How does this impact on responses to local services?
• Exploring cultures such as the South Asian and others, what are the generic lessons? How accessible are our services, for example?
• Do our service users reflect the ethnic makeup of the local area? Is this an issue?
• How sure can we be that cultural differences do not cloud our focus? Could we possibly have developed, or encountered stereotypical views of ethnically diverse service users?
• Do we need a clearer understanding of practices such as forced and arranged marriage; honour-based violence; female genital mutilation and cultural differences in terms of issues like mental ill health? Are we confident of how best to safeguard people experiencing any of these, in line with professional guidelines and legal duties?

Why this is important

• We have a Public Sector Equality Duty to eliminate discrimination.
• We need to ensure that all people get equal access to services and are not excluded.
• We need to feel, and be confident in communicating with service users from all backgrounds/cultures.

There is no charge to attend this event.

 Lunch will be available from 12:30 to give delegates the opportunity to network with the trainers and fellow attendees.

 All attendees will receive a Certificate of Attendance and a comprehensive guidebook to promote understanding of world faiths, cultures and appropriate services.

 For further information contact Louise Gooch, Strategic Migration Partnership, East of England LGA, email: louise.gooch@eelga.gov.uk    telephone: 01284 758308

Delegate feedback:

 "It has strengthened my commitment to work collaboratively with the existing agencies to establish community trust." Feb 2015

Emotional Resilience in the Workplace

A course to equip employees with powerful and effective tools to deal with the fast pace of change and stress in the workplace, through a range of prevention and intervention skills.

Customised, to suit your organisational requirements, key benefits include:

1. Increased levels of motivation
2. Improved staff performance
3. Decrease in staff absenteeism
4. Greater effectiveness in team conflict management
5. Increased levels of job satisfaction
6. Improved staff retention

Topics covered include:

- Recognising signs of stress and work overload

- Strategies for developing emotional resilience

- Creating optimal states for dealing with challenging situations

- Developing greater levels of sustained focus

- Improving effectiveness in decision-making

- Developing realistic optimism and sense of well-being

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Practical Coaching Skills in the Workplace

A one day course to equip individuals with a range of high-impact coaching techniques to increase personal and professional effectiveness in the workplace. The day's modules will include:

- Overview of the Coaching Model

-  Effective goal-setting and achieving positive outcomes

-  Powerful questioning techniques for first rate communication

- Rapport-building secrets and NLP communication techniques

-  Motivational techniques for yourself and your team

- The art of reframing limiting beliefs

- Application of coaching methods in conflict resolution

- Building confidence and positive self -image in the workplace

The day will be interactive and will draw on participants' own experiences to maximise the impact of the learning. Participants will also have the opportunity to work through the model on a topic pertinent to themselves to gain a thorough understanding of the coaching model in use.

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Open Dialogue Workshop at First Site, Colchester

Facilitation of an Open Dialogue workshop, between representatives of public services and local women who have migrated to the East of England.

The aim of the workshop is to encourage dialogue and awareness of access to public services and barriers encountered, to build positive and lasting relations in the community and to identify sustainable service improvements.

The workshop is part of the ACCESS project, organised by the East of England Migration Partnership in conjunction with Tacmep.

Attendance is by invitation only. To register your interest please contact louise.gouche@eelga.gov.uk

Date:November 5th 2014

Time: 9.30 - 12.30

Venue: First Site, Colchester, Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester, CO1 1JH.

Refreshments and light lunch provided

Feedback from delegates:

“Enjoyed workshop, found it thought-provoking, great discussions. Would like more opportunities such as this to increase my cultural competence and knowledge.”

“Opportunity to sort out and learn from migrant communities of issues/problems they have accessing services.”

“Excellent opportunity to meet representatives from local community and agencies, to hear real stories of life and the perspectives of those who count.”

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