First Line Manager Training Course - Two Day

About this First Line Manager Training Course

Many first line managers feel under pressure from all sides. They feel under pressure from senior managers, pressure from customers, as well as from their own team members.

Unfortunately, many first line managers have not received sufficient training in the skills of leadership and management, which means they are performing on whatever innate leadership skills they naturally possess, which may be limited. These first line managers would, therefore, benefit from receiving specific training to help them in their role.

This unique course is designed to help first line managers to be more effective, by giving them the vital skills and knowledge that they need to fulfil their roles.

What are the skills required by a first line manager?

The six major skills needed by all first line managers are:

1. Setting realistic and optimistic goals
2. Communicating with confidence and clarity
3. Time management and prioritisation skills
4. Managing conflicts and arguments
5. Managing yourself (self-confidence, self-discipline, self-esteem, self-awareness)
6. Inspiring the rest of the team to move forward together

First line managers who attend this training course, will become confident and be more effective in managing people, immediately on their return to work.

First Line Manager Training - Two Day Course Overview

This course is here to help the first line manager. They need "A METHOD". In fact they need a series of methods, which will allow them to function more confidently and with more skill, in the management of people, conflict management, communication, motivation and time management.

Available Dates and Locations

Next Open Course Starts in 3 days, London - Central, places available Book Now >

Please note all our training courses include optional three months FREE telephone coaching to answer any on-going questions.

Course Timings: Start 09:00 - Finish 16:30. Lunch at 13:00, Tea Breaks at 11:00 and 15:00.
12 trainer-led hours, additional 2-3 via post-course portal independent learning

We currently offer training courses in: London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Maidstone, Scotland, Reading, Dublin, Ireland, Luton, Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Leeds, Gloucestershire

First Line Manager Training Course Content

First Line Manager Training - Day One - Morning

What is the role of a first line manager?

The role of the first line manager is to get the best performance from the rest of the team. The purpose of this course is to help your managers by developing their skills and abilities.

What are the skills required by a first line manager?

If you are a first line manager, then you need to:

1. Provide a clear goal - a sense of direction
2. Communicate clearly - explain yourself accurately
3. Manage time, prioritise and delegate tasks
4. Handle disagreements and conflicts
5. Inspire yourself
6. Motivate others

How to set a clear goal using SMART targets

1. Vision statement - the big picture
2. SMART targets: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and with a Time deadline
3. Develop your own personal standards

How to communicate clearly

Communication is essential, and first line managers need to be clear, specific, convincing and motivational.

1. The use of accurate language
2. How to speak and write more clearly
3. Give affirmative instructions
4. Questioning skills

How to tell the difference between a critic and a cynic

• An optimist thinks everything will work
• A cynic thinks nothing will work
• A critical thinker knows things will work, BUT only if they are done correctly!

First Line Manager Training - Day One - Afternoon

How to manage conflict and poor performance issues

Some first line managers are afraid to handle conflict and poor performance issues, simply because they do not know how to do it properly.
Sometimes they make their criticism sound like a reprimand.
First line managers should make criticism sound more like guidance.

1. Protect their ego
2. Tell them what they are doing wrong
3. Be objective and specific
4. Tell them what you want instead
5. Discover why and decide if that is a reason or excuse
6. Learn when to negotiate and when not to
7. Notes on proper timing
8. Notes on body language and voice tone

How to motivate people with proper praise and appreciation

The lack of appreciation is often the cause of bad feelings. The first line manager must remember to give appreciation, whenever it is due.

Real-life scenarios for the first line manager

Four real-life examples to practice your new skills.

First line managers professional development action plan

Write your own professional development programme action plan.

First Line Manager Training - Day Two - Morning

Time management, prioritisation and delegation for first line managers

Time management is the art of making the best possible progress in the minimum amount of time, by means of proper prioritisation, planning, preparation and delegation.

Manage your time according to value and deadline pressure

First time managers prioritise according to two major criteria, value and deadline pressure. There are four types of activity:

1. Crisis zone – emergency, all hands-on deck, stressful
2. Productive zone - preparation and planning
3. Busy zone – occupied, but not productive
4. Fruitless zone - waste of time, counter-productive

How to stop being so busy and be more productive

First line managers must get out of the busy zone and into the productive zone.

First line managers must manage three time-wasters

The time wasters SOS:

1. Self – own bad habits
2. Others – other peoples’ bad habits
3. Systems – inefficient work systems

First line managers must delegate properly

1. Good reasons to delegate
2. Bad reasons to delegate
3. How to delegate
4. Why some first line managers who should delegate, sometimes don’t

Prioritisation Method for First Line Managers

Prioritisation by value.
Prioritisation by deadline.
The first line managers most important question: What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?

How to handle interruptions by means of the 80/20 principle

80% of the value comes from 20% of the content.
First line managers need to find the 20% of their message, which will account for 80% of the useful information.

First Line Manager Training - Day Two - Afternoon

How a first line manager can create and sustain a positive team atmosphere

The team atmosphere affects performance and therefore results.

Conversation control for the first line manager

Conversation control leads to a positive, more productive environment.

Common mistakes of the first line manager and how to avoid them

Sometimes managers say the wrong things and create a negative atmosphere.
Negative atmospheres give rise to anger, fear, worry and resentment.
How to eliminate the negative and replace with the positive.

How a first line manager can run the team according a proven success formula

Success is not an event, but rather a process, formed of five parts:

1. Decide your outcome
2. Formulate your best plan in writing
3. Take consistent action
4. Gather and evaluate the feedback, both positive and negative
5. Use the negative feedback to guide your next adaptive change

Recognise the success formula is a continuous improvement process.

What is the difference between constructive and destructive criticism?

The first line managers should only give constructive criticism.

Practise changing destructive criticism into constructive criticism.

First line manager training course summary and action plans

How will you implement the ideas you have learned on this training course?

The Course Training Method

The training method follows this general pattern - the training is very interactive and interesting:

1. The trainer gives a clear explanation of the point in question with specific examples.
2. Then, the delegates practice by doing an exercise with each other.
3. The delegates practice by doing an exercise with the trainer.
4. All points are supported with full written notes to take away.
5. Delegates are asked to write down an associated action, for each point made.
   (At the end of the day, we have about twenty such actions, from which the delegates choose six which are the most personally meaningful).

Note: we do not believe in placing people in any situation of embarrassment by demanding that they 'perform' in front of the whole group. So you can relax: come on this course and be at ease; ready to learn new skills!

Express an Interest

If you feel you would like to attend but cannot yet commit to a secured booking, you can express your interest here.

Open Training Course Pricing and Availability

You are able to book this course online today.

Next Open Course Starts in 3 days, London - Central, places available Book Now >

The open training course costs only £875 +VAT per delegate. For this price we provide:

• Two full days of quality training
• Tea, coffee and cakes
• Lunch
• Full colour course handbook
• Written action plan
• Certificate
• Training articles and newsletters
• Access to additional free training material* after the course

Plus, 3 months free telephone coaching

To answer any on-going questions, you will also receive email and telephone support from your trainer after you have attended the course. Whilst you are implementing what you have learned we will be there to help you if you need us for advice, guidance and coaching.

Course Timings

Start 09:00 - Finish 16:30.
Lunch at 13:00, Tea Breaks at 11:00 and 15:00.

12 trainer-led hours, additional 2-3 via post-course portal independent learning.

After the course, how can you keep the training-momentum going?

We understand that it is important to keep the momentum of the training going, in the weeks after the course. The ideas and methods that you learnt during the course need to be implemented, not just for the two weeks after the course, but for all time!

In order to make that happen, we will give you continued, on-going support after the training course has finished.

* This support comes in the form of...

• PDF download of the training handbook
• Newsletters containing training blogs and articles, which will provide you with ongoing training and good ideas, whenever you need them.
• Fun questionnaires that are designed to tease out your strengths and weaknesses and then give you ideas as to how you might improve your performance.
• Decision matrices that will allow you to make decisions and prioritise tasks into the correct order.
• Summary diagrams and mind maps from the course.
• Conflict scripts that give you examples of how the conflict method can be used, in real life situations.
• Free eBook the effective leader manager.

All Open Course Dates and Locations

In-House Training Course Pricing and Proposal

This course is also available from just £1,950 +VAT per day as a bespoke in-house group training course in the UK and worldwide.

It has been designed to provide a similar experience to our open courses, however we can tailor the content to fit your specific needs. In-House Group training costs from just £1,950 +VAT per day for up to 20 delegates (international training price varies). Plus, hotel accommodation for trainer if necessary. (Premier Inn type: not the Hilton!)

This price includes:

• Quality training delivered by an experienced trainer
• Full days training
• Full colour course handbook
• Preparation work
• Travel costs and time
• Written action plan to take away
• Access to our post course portal
• Access to our on-line leadership and management decision matrix templates and tools
• Plus three months FREE telephone coaching to answer any on-going questions

In-House Proposal Document

Download the in-house training proposal document

Contact Us Today

Please call us on +44 (0)20 3856 3037 to discuss your requirements for the in-house training course.

If you want to know more about any other Management Training Courses, or their suitability for you or a colleague, call us on +44 (0)20 3856 3037.

Email your Manager

If you are reading this page with the intention of attending the course, then you may need to 'put forward a case' to a manager who makes the final decision.

So, you may find it beneficial to give your manager this document, which will give all the information needed to make the right decision.

To do this, please enter the manager's email address below and.. take me to your leader!

Other Popular Courses

You may be interested in one of our other popular courses:

• Leadership and Management Training - Two Day Course
  At your place of work, are you in the role of a leader-manager? Your role is to get the best performance from yourself and others. In order to do that, you may need to develop some additional personal skills. This excellent two day course will give you a proven, step by step guide to success as an effective leader manager.
• Personal Development Training - Two Day Course
  This personal development course will help you extend your professional skills in relation to communication, goal achievement, planning and prioritising, as well as handling difficult people and achieving a positive mental attitude. Improve your career prospects and develop your personal confidence with this CPD and ILM accredited training.
• Conflict Management Training - One Day Course
  Is it true that some people in your organisation do not manage conflict very well? Instead, do they sometimes mis-manage conflict and make the situation worse? Conflict in your team is inevitable and could even be beneficial, but ONLY IF it is managed according to correct principles.
• Communication Skills Training - One Day Course
  Are you as confident in your powers of communication, as you would really like to be? Clear and confident communication will help you improve the performance of your whole team. When you return from this fabulous course, you will feel more clear, confident and persuasive.
• Time Management Training - One Day Course
  Do you have days when you're busy but not productive? Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work? If so, then our training course in time management will give you practical techniques and tools. Learn to plan, prepare and delegate, avoid procrastination and time stealers. Become more productive and less stressed by learning effective time management.

First Line Manager Training Course Quiz

It is difficult to fill the role of a manager or team leader, for the first time.
You may feel the need for help, in the form of some excellent training.

All managers and team leaders need to master fundamental skills.

Take this course quiz to see where you are strong and where you are NOT so strong.