5 Responses

1. Time

   Hi Claire

   I think the most important thing to do with any course, but particularly a Time Management course, is to find out if the delegates have a time management issue or problem.

   I attended a compulsory Time Management course last week even though time is the least of my problems.

   Needless to say it was a waste of time! As Albert would say…

   “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on

   the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining

   the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question,

   I could solve the problem in less than five minutes”

   —Albert Einstein

    

    

2. What do you want to achieve?

   I think you need to start with what you want your learners to do, or do differently, as a result of this training.  As Steve says above, it may be they don't need time management at all. Maybe they need assertiveness skills or their managers need to know they are overloaded!!! Obvious maybe but always a good place to start.

   As for skills practice, I usually include a session on Saying No to unreasonable requests.  Once we have talked about how to say no and be heard, I offer them three different scenarios to work through – these can be work related (eg please stay late to finish this piece of work, go to this meeting for me, come in over the weekend to help in the office move) and they work in groups of three to practise refusing the request. If those scenarios aren't appropriate I sometimes use more personal ones, such as Can I borrow £10, will you look after my dog for the weekend, or will you lend me your car to collect my mum from the station. My idea for this is that so many people actually find it challenging to say the word NO – I link this to assertiveness too. 

   Jenny

3. E Mail Me

   Claire – If you send me an e mail I'll send you what I have.

   gplatt[at]eef.org.uk

4. Time management exercices and role pay

   Hi there

   Thanks to all of you 4  for your anwers, and please excuse my late thanks !

   Claire

    

5. Time Management exercise

   Hi Claire

   Try the Time Robbers exercise, a visual exercise in small groups where delegates 'build' a time robber brick wall of time issues using laminated cards. The idea is to 'break down' the wall with tips and tactics around reducing the time barrier issue.

   Download a copy from http://www.abctrainingsolutions.biz/management_skills_free_download.html. Also try the 70 ways to be a better time manager on the same download page.

   Hope that helps.

   Bryan