Here you focus on the fundamental underlying skills and behaviours of those who are great at building business relationships. Then we look at the key emotional intelligence competencies you can develop to be more effective in your business environment.

Think you don’t have a Gremlin? Think again. It’s the voice or feeling that pops up when things are changing in our personal and professional lives, taunting us with all the reasons why we can’t do something and why we should stay where and as we are. But it can be managed!

Today’s working environment is fast-moving, ever-changing and challenging. We are under pressure as never before to produce high volumes of quality work and deal with the uncertainty of constantly changing markets, clients and colleagues against a backdrop of Covid-19. All the while developing good relationships with others. The secret? Resilience.

Being able to manage your emotions, particularly when it comes to change, is a sign of good emotional intelligence. Learn how to manage your own anxieties about change and be a supportive and productive team member.

Here we look at communication style: being self-aware of your own and understanding that of others. There are four Social Styles: Driving; Expressive; Amiable; and Analytical. Your Style is your Style, however there is a clear correlation between your success at work and your versatility i.e. your ability to identify what other people need, and to flex your Style according to those needs.

Some people think that social media and technology solves all the issues around keeping in touch with colleagues and clients: well, no. That round robin email of the interesting article, bcc’d to your database, is poor fare. LinkedIn and the like are great tools, but never believe they are enough. Here we give you a multitude of ways to keep in touch and build and nurture your professional relationships.

Being able to manage your emotions is a sign of good emotional intelligence and a key criterion for leaders. You’re intelligent – of course. You’re good at your job – that goes without saying. You’re great at helping others recognise and manage their emotions…..are you? And do you stay the course when things get tough, in a way that’s productive and helpful for yourself and those around you? This session helps develop your Emotional and Resilience Quotients, as well as helping others through change.

How you communicate with others determines the effectiveness of your life. Everyone is different and has their own story to tell. Rainmakers intuitively adapt to others, letting them shine by first knowing themselves then balancing talking and listening; facts and storytelling; empathy and assertiveness.

Delivering on your promises is a very attractive quality: end conversations with an action, take control when you need to and call when you say you will. This is how to get yourself ahead in your relationships: by doing exactly what it says on the tin. The best relationship builders do what they’re supposed to, when they’re supposed to: they have exemplary modern manners. By the end of this session you will know how to move smoothly through the gears when it comes to developing your relationships.

Nobody ever got up in the morning for an achievable goal, but then resilience also means knowing when to quit. Andy Murray got to world number one against all the odds. Learn to love “selling”! Nobody is asking you to do the stuff we all hate when sold to.

Do you like being sold to? Most of us would say no to that, while knowing all business development activity is a sell, whether asking for follow up at a networking event or pitching a multi-million-pound deal. Many unwittingly commit the common crimes that turn the other party off, so this 90 tells you what they are and, more importantly, tells you exactly what to do to stop making them!

At this meeting there is an opportunity to close, when you have been asked in to deal with a specific enquiry. You might still do plenty of context or small talk or you might not; there may or may not be much preamble before getting down to nitty and gritty. You have to be able to pitch your ideas in the first few minutes if asked, or engage, listen and empathise for as long as it takes. This is not a formal beauty parade pitch, so don’t go tooled up with technology, and forty-five minutes of formal team presentation. It’s much more subtle and nuanced than that.