Sparrow Training

Author Ian Fleming directs The Developing People Pocketbook at full time trainers and managers with staff training as part of their jobs. He deals with training needs identification, the pros and cons of different training methods, learning styles and learning blocks, finding and briefing external trainers, assessing the outcome and applying the learning. Reviewing this title, training education employment journal wrote: 'A worthy overview of training needs identification, design, delivery and evaluation. Read this and you could save many hours ploughing through far less accessible tomes on the subject'.

Unacceptable behaviour, substandard work, poor morale, frequent absences, bad relationships, awkwardness; The Discipline Pocketbook looks at the causes and how you should respond. It stresses the importance of having fair and consistent procedures and of finding the correct balance between improvement and punishment. A practical approach, with case studies and examples.

Linbert Spencer, author of The Diversity Pocketbook, believes firmly that combating discrimination, promoting equal opportunity and valuing the differences in individuals is morally, socially and economically advantageous. It adds value to an organisation - by making it more attractive to investors, would-be employees and customers - and improves output, both quality and quantity. The Diversity Pocketbook is for everyone with responsibility for directing, managing, supervising or influencing others within an organisation. It describes how to: formulate a strategy that values diversity; implement such a strategy; recruit and train a more diverse workforce (the 5D's - desire, definition, decision, determination and discipline); and set personal diversity and equality objectives. The appointment of a 'diversity champion' and dealing with grievances are also dealt with.

In The Emotional Intelligence Pocketbook author Margaret Chapman, a coaching psychologist and coach-supervisor, demystifies a complex subject that hitherto has only been covered by academic, heavyweight literature. The book takes readers through each of the five steps to attaining EI and describes how organisations can become emotionally intelligent.

This new, updated edition of The Employment Law Pocketbook, published in summer 2006, provides managers and HR professionals with a quick and ready grasp of employment law. Written from the perspective of employers rather than lawyers, the pocketbook takes a practical approach, presenting the facts clearly and concisely. Readers will be told how to avoid taking actions that prove indefensible in law and how to follow procedures that meet statutory requirements and can be shown to be fair. The pocketbook also explains what records need to be kept and when and where advice should be sought. From making selection decisions and appointments to dismissals and redundancies, the content covers all aspects of employment law including working with trade unions, workplace and attendance problems, and health and safety matters.

Empowerment is often confused with delegation and, wrongly, is often seen as a form of power or authority over another person. The authors of The Empowerment Pocketbook prefer to liken empowerment to a licence that is issued only after those concerned have proven their ability and only when the scope and conditions of the activity to which the licence applies are clearly defined. This Pocketbook explains what empowerment is, what can be gained when it is in place and how to put it there and keep it there. It will be helpful to managers, trainers, consultants and all those people who are concerned with getting the best from their workforce. Areas covered include: identifying the need for empowerment, enabling the individual, implementation (nine steps to get empowerment in place) and, finally, monitoring and feedback.

The 'facilitraining rainbow' won't lead you to a pot of gold but it will enable you to decide on the most suitable approach for your next facilitation session. This innovative decision-making model is central to The Facilitator's Pocketbook - a comprehensive guide covering all stages of facilitation, from planning through to implementation. Interpersonal skills (including attitudes and values) and session skills (including energising and problem solving) are dealt with at length.

Flexible working recognizes individuals' differing needs, lifestyles and life stages. It's about creating an environment in which people can achieve a work-life balance that leads to fulfilment inside and outside their place of work. The Flexible Workplace Pocketbook looks at the reasons for creating a flexible working environment and at the benefits for the individual and for the employer and its customers. Flexible working options are many and varied. They involve an organisation changing where, when and how their employees work. The Flexible Workplace Pocketbook explores the different options for flexible working, looks at how to introduce flexibility across the organisation, how to encourage 'flexible behaviour' and how to measure its success.

The Handling Complaints Pocketbook looks at why and how people complain, and the key types of complaint: aggressive, passive, constructive and professional. The author explains that all businesses should welcome complaints because they provide direct feedback and an immediate opportunity to improve the service to customers. The next sections cover a strategy for handling complaints, and the use of transactional analysis in understanding complaint behaviour. The final section looks at ways to turn complaints into compliments and create loyal customers. From the author of The Problem Behaviour Pocketbook.

The Icebreakers Pocketbook contains some 40 original activities that will enable trainers to add impact to their training workshops. The activities are grouped together according to their suitability for particular areas of training - for example: assertiveness, communication, coaching & mentoring, people management, teams and trainer training. For each activity the authors describe the aims, outcomes and relevance of the learning, and provide full user instructions along with information on timing, number of participants, materials required, necessary trainer knowledge and possible variations. Most of the activities take between 10 and 30 minutes to complete. There are those suitable for small groups and those appropriate for any number of people. A good read.

The Impact & Presence Pocketbook explains the importance of impact and shows readers how to develop a congruent and personal presence, enhance their leadership skills, create an atmosphere in their teams that will motivate and enthuse, and how to manage difficult situations. Subjects covered in the new pocketbook include: self-awareness (with a questionnaire that will enable readers to review their own impact), visualisation, creating a brand image, posture, gesture, eye contact, emotional control, dress style, creating rapport, what to do in difficult circumstances and how to create impact in different situations (e.g. meetings, interviews, presentations and one-to-one sessions).

To deliver more from less (more sales, profits, etc from fewer resources) you must understand in detail your organisation's operations or processes. The Improving Efficiency Pocketbook challenges four areas of operations: The design (Why are things done in a certain way?) The plan (Is there a better way to meet demand?) The controls (Are the right things being measured?) The way improvements are made (Are you involving your people, customers and suppliers?) The book follows a 6-stage model, with each of the stages covered by a separate chapter. The consistent and systematic application of the tools and techniques contained in this Pocketbook will improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of your processes and resources.

Profitability, rather than profit, is the key measure of a business's performance. If you know how to measure profitability, you will be able to manage it, and understand which decisions increase it. The Improving Profitability Pocketbook looks at the essential areas of effective use of assets (Asset Turn) and cost-efficiency (Return on Sales). It also includes detailed sections on capital expenditure appraisal, how to evaluate make/buy decisions, and how to use a profit-cost-volume model.

First impressions count! A well-planned and thoughtful induction process will give new employees a sense of belonging and lead to greater motivation and productivity. The Induction Pocketbook examines ways of introducing a successful programme at all levels. It looks at the benefits of induction, who to involve in delivering induction (not just personnel staff!) and who should receive induction (not just newcomers!). There are further chapters on what to include in the induction programme, when and where it should take place and how to evaluate the induction. Finally, there is a series of checklists (one for each stage of the process) and a case study.