*This Law Society Skillnet discount is applicable to all practicing solicitors working in the private sector. The standard fee is €520. 

Workshop Schedule

Workshop 1: Thursday 7 March 2024 9.30am-12.30pm in person at the Law Society of Ireland
Workshop 2: Thursday 11 April 2024 9.30am-12.30pm in person at the Law Society of Ireland
Workshop 3: Thursday 2 May 2024 9.30am-12.30pm in person at the Law Society of Ireland

Aim and objectives
Law Society Skillnet presents our Interpersonal Skills for Leaders & Managers course as part of Skillnet Ireland’s EU Year of Skills 2023-2024 . The EU Year of Skills mission is to promote a mindset of reskills and upskilling thereby boosting competitiveness of European companies, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises. 

The course consists of three workshops which are designed to complement each other. Each workshop will run from 9.30am to 12.30pm in-person at the Law Society of Ireland. These workshops will highlight the skills a leader needs in order to successfully juggle the demands of their team, task and the individual. 

Who should attend
These workshops are ideal for in-house solicitors and sole practitioners leading or managing teams and for practice managers and team leaders working in law firms. 

Workshop 1: Getting the best from your team
Every team is different and each team has its own dynamics, strengths and opportunities to thrive. As a leader, this module will give you the opportunity to step back and evaluate your team, identifying where those strengths and opportunities lie; who on the team is trying, who is just getting by and who is flying. As a result, you will leave with a set of actions to enhance the motivation and/or performance of your team and an understanding of how you as a leader, can get the best from your team.  

Date: Thursday 7 March 2024
Time: 9.30am-12.30pm in person

Topics include

• Introduction to team performance & the role of the leader 
• Stages in team lifecycle
• Team audit
• Conditions needed for effective teams
• Who is trying, just getting by and flying?
• Maximising team motivation and performance 
• Typical scenarios 
• Action planning

Learning outcomes
At the end of this workshop participants will; 

• Gain an understanding of teams and how they work
• Understand the leader’s role in effective team performance
• Recognise the conditions required for teams to maximise performance
• Be able to identify the strengths and opportunities for the current team
• Be able to identify where team members are operating with regard to motivation and performance
• Develop an action plan for moving the team and the team members to the next level of effectiveness

Workshop 2: Leadership Communications 1: giving & receiving feedback

As a leader you are expected to communicate extensively in your role, communicate your overall vision, your expectations for your team, feedback on performance and share good and bad news on a daily basis. The first of two Leadership Communications modules; this workshop is focused on how leaders can effectively get your message across whether it is in a one to one, group, meeting or virtual setting.

Date: Thursday 11 April 2024
Time:  9.30am-12.30pm in person

Topics include

• Leadership communications - inspire me – your vision
• Communications audit
• Sharing good and bad news
• Maximising meetings
• The need for feedback – Jo-Hari 
• Types of feedback 
• Guidelines for giving & receiving feedback 
• Action planning 

Learning outcomes
At the end of this workshop participants will;

• Understand the communication skills required to be an effective leader
• Develop confidence in presenting your vision, sharing good and bad news with the team
• be able to identify actions to maximise and enhance communication with the team
• Gain an understanding of the need for feedback in the workplace
• Understand the principles of effective feedback 
• Learn tools and techniques for giving and receiving feedback 

Workshop 3: Leadership Communications 2: handling challenging employee conversations 
As a leader, part of your role is to give constructive feedback to your team.  It is important to highlight positive performance and address any underperformance or gaps to maximise effectiveness and promote continuous learning in the workplace. This may not always be straight forward. Sometimes individuals are not open to constructive feedback, or their perception may be different, or they may feel that the feedback is not valid or fair. If the situation is not handled effectively, it can cause defensiveness, disagreement, conflict and may even have a negative impact on the relationship. In the second of two Leadership Communications modules; this workshop builds on the guidelines for giving and receiving feedback and extends to handling challenging employee conversations.  

Date: Thursday 2 May 2024
Time:  9.30am-12.30pm in person

Topics include

• Recap on Leadership Communications 1: giving & receiving feedback
• Feedback demo
• Common challenges & why they are difficult?
• Understanding reactions – why & how people react
• The 6-step coaching conversation
• Planning the headline
• Typical scenarios
• Action planning 

Learning outcomes

At the end of this workshop participants will:

• Recognise situations where there is a requirement to give feedback
• Gain knowledge of the common feedback challenges
• Understand why giving feedback can sometimes be challenging
• Learn a 6 step structure to use for giving constructive feedback
• Develop skills in receiving feedback openly and non-defensively
• Apply newly acquired skills and knowledge to specific cases 

Trainer
Naoise Blake
A learning & development and Human Resources Consultant, Naoise has 25 years’ experience as a facilitator, trainer, people manager, business manager and a consultant in a number of organisations.

Naoise set up Naoise Blake Training & Development in 2000 and since then it has thrived. The company focuses on building strong & meaningful relationships with our valued clients in a wide range of sectors.  All new business is generated through referrals.  Driven by a passion for learning and maximising potential, Naoise’s facilitation style is open, engaging and she challenges participants to continuously enhance their skills and performance.

IMPORTANT

• These workshops will not be recorded, if you miss any of the workshops you will not be able to view the content again
• The CPD requirement for the 2024 cycle is 25 hours CPD, to include a minimum of 5 hours of professional development and solicitor wellbeing. Should a solicitor attend all 3 workshops he/she will have obtained their professional development and solicitor wellbeing hours for 2024. For further information see: https://www.lawsociety.ie/Solicitors/rules-legislation/CPD-Scheme/2024-cycle2   
• For full programme details download the Brochure
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• If you have additional queries, contact the Law Society Skillnet team on lawsocietyskillnet@lawsociety.ie