Change Management Training Course For Managers & Leaders
Training In How To Navigate Uncertainty
Embrace Empathy
Enhance communication and leadership by practicing empathy, crucial for effective change management.
Skill Enhancement
Gain confidence and proficiency in managing resistance, fostering cooperation, and leading effectively.
Sustained Development
Continuous coaching ensures lasting skill development in handling change with resilience and assertiveness.Refine your communication skills by learning to harness your emotional intelligence with one of the UK's most acclaimed management training courses.
Why Choose This Training?
More Than Just A Course Of Lectures
What gets in the way of developing and holding on to new communication skills are old habits of thinking and speaking. Even if the advice is very good the reason why it rarely sticks are the mental habits people inevitably revert to, especially under pressure.
Unlearning those old habits and internalising a more effective and lasting approach to communication needs more than a short course of lectures on how to do it.
What Makes This Training Stand Out?
What makes this training stand out is the exceptional support through one-to-one coaching sessions and continuous feedback. Changing behaviour is not an easy task as old habits are hard to break.
With a 40-year track record we can help you cultivate practical skills, and build your confidence to so you can successfully navigate real-world challenges, ensuring lasting behavioural improvements.
Testimonials
Join thousands of participants getting results
"What I love about this course is that I didn't just learn about the topic, this course is about ME. I'm confident I can reliably use my new skills, even when under pressure".
"A lesson for life! The power of effective communication is incredible when one masters the skills "listening with empathy" and "speaking assertively"
Clients We Have Worked With
Well-known companies who have used this course again and again, over many years
Course Summary
Training Objectives
This is a course designed to help you develop your ability to communicate change effectively, by providing clear explanations, addressing concerns, and engaging your team so they are carried along with you in the process. This training course can help you develop your skills at persuading others round to your way of thinking.
Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
You will learn a set of powerful emotional intelligence communication techniques so that you can manage difficult conversations, handle challenging situations, build relationships and set firm boundaries.
Transferable Skills
The goal of this training is to equip you with the tools they need to build strong, lasting relationships in your professional life, although because these skills are so transferable many clients report vast improvements in their personal relationships as well.
Develop Skills
This is a skills development rather than just a theoretical programme, so the emphasis throughout will be on you taking turn after turn, practising your skills, while receiving feedback and coaching about your effect on others.
Repeated Practice and Feedback
In your coaching sessions you will be helped to practise dealing with the kinds of situation you find challenging, again and again, until you are confident you can do it successfully.
Video Analysis
We'll combine practical, hands-on experience with video replay and analysis and discussion of the principles involved to help you gain both skills and understanding. Special attention is paid to your individual training needs, so you can practise your skills in real-life situations that you have to handle at work.
Sustained Change
That's why as well as your place in a small group, this training includes a generous amount of private and confidential one-to-one coaching sessions online, spread over several months, ensuring an exceptional level of support. This will ensure the changes you make are sustained over a longer period of time and any obstacles are overcome. Choose between online training available worldwide, or in-person face-to-face courses in the UK.
Course Dates and Price
For a list of upcoming course dates (for online coaching and face-to-face training), the locations of the next 3-day public courses in the UK and pricing Click here.
Free Initial Session
This initial coaching session serves as an introduction to the "Skills with People" course, allowing you to understand the course's relevance and effectiveness for your specific needs before committing to it.
What makes this change management training course so effective?
Overcoming Resistance to Change
For more than 40 years this change management training course has proven to be one of the most highly acclaimed. Over the years we've had thousands of managers and professionals through our hands. Many have said it's one of the best change management courses that they ever attended. We have helped our clients develop their programme management skills so they can communicate more effectively, and succeed in both their personal and professional lives.
Managing change can be a daunting task, as it involves making significant changes in an organisation's systems, processes, and people. Change managers need to be well equipped to deal with the challenges that come with change management. One crucial skill required in change management is emotional intelligence. On this course you'll learn the practical relevance of emotional intelligence when managing change. Once you've mastered it you'll be able to add this to your effective change manager's handbook, along with other management tools and strategies for being a change agent and managing change successfully.
One of the critical aspects of emotional intelligence in change management is self-awareness. Change managers need to be aware of their emotions and their impact on decision-making. You need to understand how your actions affect your team and the change process. By being aware of your emotions, you can better manage other people's reactions and make better decisions.
This change management course covers a broad range of topics, providing valuable insights into project management and organisational change. Our training courses are available both online and in-person, offering professionals dealing with change the opportunity to become a dependable manager that can effectively plan, manage and lead complex change projects.
On this training course you'll learn about organisational change projects and how to overcome the difficulties when you encouter resistance from others resisting organisational change. You'll become more effective at navigating the thorny change negotiation by being able to ressure your team about their concerns. Here are several ways;
| Feature | Benefits for Change Management Training Course |
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Emotional Intelligence |
You'll develop your communication skills so that you can not only listen to them more reassuringly about their concerns, you'll also be better at inspiring and motivating them with your vision for change management, explaining your rationale, hopes and expectations for organisational change. |
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Self-Awareness |
You'll be able to lead by example as you confidently demonstrate your commitment to change through their own behaviour and actions. |
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Listening Skills |
You'll become more skilled at tuning into whatever it is that is making them reluctant to change leaders and adopt the changes you're proposing. |
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Empathy |
You'll be much more capable at creating a supportive environment that encourages your most effective team member involved to be more open-minded about the changes you want the to embrace. |
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Assertiveness |
Once you've learnt to express your thoughts and feelings openly and honestly you'll be able to handle difficult conversations and challenging situations more easily when your team. With assertiveness training you'll know how to set firm boundaries and provide clear feedback without having to hold back. |
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Video Camera |
We use a camera so you can receive immediate feedback and analysis. Once you properly understand your impact on others you'll be able to adjust your approach accordingly. You might cringe to begin with, but more experienced managers find it a wonderfully useful tool for seeing what other people see when they look at you as you try to persuade others to come over to your way of thinking as you propose changes. |
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Resilience |
You'll be able to encourage your staff to develop resilience, and the ability to bounce back from setbacks, adversity and anything else that might make them nervous about the changes you're proposing. |
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One-to-One Coaching |
You'll receive ongoing support for development and refinement of your skills. Gain even more confidence with your newfound communication skills. Your coach will mentor you for continued support using the virtual learning environment of Teams or Zoom. As a matter of fact, we're so confident you'll be satisfied that your coaching won't end until you're completely confident you know what you're doing (at no extra charge) with our online courses. |
Is this the right change management training course for you?
Master of the art of opening people's minds when they resist change
Yes, if any of the following sound like you;-
- When change is necessary and inevitable I get very impatient when people can't see what is obvious and resist it.
- I wish other people would be more positive and accept that in the long run the risks of standing still far outweigh the risks of changing.
- I do my best to reason with people and urge them to think more positively, but the more I argue the more entrenched they seem to be. It sometimes makes me wonder if it's worth all the effort.
- I dare not allow people to get away with negativity in case they discourage others. If only people were more open-minded then change, transition and transformation within the organisation would be far easier to manage.
- In my experience the biggest challenge to organisational change is overcoming people's resistance. I try to reason with people, but this gets me into arguments, and it doesn't seem to make them any more receptive. I might be more successful at persuading people to change if I knew how to get them to keep their minds open.
If you're looking to develop your understanding of change management, then this could be the perfect change management course for you. This training course will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully implement transformation initiatives within an organisation, guiding operational line managers through the successful completion of each stage. You'll gain invaluable insight into how best to engage stakeholders, choose appropriate communication methods and build strong relationships with team members involved in managing the changes that arise.
How to be more successful managing change
- a London UK management training course & leadership development programme called Skills with People?
Why is change so difficult?
Making any kind of change can be difficult, and it's no different when it comes to organisational change, whether that's an overhaul of the workforce, an update in procedures or technology, a shift in corporate culture, or any other form of transformation. Any changes require putting plans into action and managing people through the transition process. This can result in resistance and upheaval as those affected grapple with yet another new experience.
Organisational change management requires knowledge and competency to ensure accuracy while implementing changes across multiple areas within a business organisation including strategy development, budgeting constraints, stakeholder engagement and communication planning - which can all add more complexity to the equation. It's up to the Change Manager to not only provide effective leadership but also gain buy-in from all stakeholders involved in order for a successful transformation initiative.
The success or failure of any significant organisational change project will depend on how well managers lead their team members throughout every stage of the process: from ensuring that timeframes are realistic to providing support along with developing career paths for those affected by these changes. Apart from this challenging task organisations need professionals dealing with human resources who can handle interpersonal dynamics during this often chaotic period caused by changing processes, job roles and functions. Whether you are looking at small incremental improvements or large scale restructuring - these elements all contribute towards making each organisational change difficult, regardless of its size or purpose!
What causes resistance?
While change is inevitable, people's willingness to cooperate with it isn't. When people become resistant you'll need to take steps to support people through change and help them to adapt to the new situation. This training course will show you how to help people to develop a more positive mindset.
Change can be an unsettling and challenging process. There are several reasons why we find adapting to change difficult, at both the individual and societal levels. Here are some typcial obstacles you'll need to overcome in order to manage the transition more skillsfully and successfully.
We are naturally resistant to change because we are hard-wired to seek out predictability. We find change disrupting to normal life, which can make us feel uncomfortable and anxious. We tend to resist change because we are frightened of the unknown. We'll be concerned about the unknown, and what the potential threat might be to our livelyhood and security.
We often become attached to our current situation even when change would be more sensible. We'll stay in our job, or relationship, or remain loyal to a brand that is no longer competative. Our emotional attachments can make it difficult for us to let go and to enthusiasitcally embrace something new, at least to begin with. We become emotionally invested having given a significant amount of our time or effort. It can take a while for us to come around, and warm up to a new idea.
We often find change difficult because we have only a limited capacity to adapt. We are being asked to change rapidly all the time by social media, and pressure from friends and family. Without being given the time or support to adjust to the new ideas it can often leads to a backlash as people dig in their heals and refuse to capituate to the will of the masses. It can be especially challenging if we are already dealing with stress, financial difficulties, or other challenges in life.
We are often influenced by cultural, social, and political factors that shape their attitudes and beliefs about change. For example, you may view change as a threat to your values, traditions, or ways of life, while others may see change as an opportunity for growth and personal development.
What you'll take away from our change management courses
| Skill/Outcome | Benefit of this course |
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Improved Listening Skills |
You'll become a better listener. With empathy you'll show how much you understand their point of view even if you don't agree with them. You'll become confident about how to display your empathy in your meetings. |
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Understanding Human Nature and Resistance to Change |
You'll develop a nose for what might be triggering resistance. What might be the unarticulated need behind their reluctance? What is the REAL reason for their reluctance? Once you've figured it out, and are able to show your compassion, you're more likely to be able to persuade them to let go of their attachments. You will practice handling resistance without descending into fruitless argument, and keep practicing until you're confident you can win their enthusiasm, even when you're under pressure. |
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Development of Emotional Intelligence |
This course will help you develop your emotional intelligence. You will not only learn theory about what to say, you'll practice how to say it repeatedly until you're confident you can manage it in the heat of battle. You will be able to win people's enthusiasm and cooperation. |
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Skilled and Confident Running of Difficult Meetings |
You will become more confident and skilled at running difficult meetings. You will practice leading meetings with a video camera, enabling you to develop your leadership skills, keeping stakeholders and team members engaged and motivated. The video camera will help you see what others see when they look at you. |
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Successful Way of Opening Minds and Motivating People |
Through group training in a small group, alongside a generous amount of private and confidential one-to-one coaching, you will learn an elegant and effective way of opening people's minds and keeping people motivated. We're so confident in the training your coaching won't end until you're completely satisfied you've got what you need |
This course equips participants with the essential skills to successfully lead and manage change initiatives, programmes or projects within their organisations. The course teaches key aspects of managing change such as effective communication strategies, stakeholder engagement techniques, using appropriate models to enact successful transformation initiatives and understanding how cultural change affects the implementation process.
Participants will be able to identify customer needs and effectively plan programmes which meet those requirements. Those undertaking this course will gain an understanding on how to become an effective Change Manager by carrying out roles such as initiating projects, performing key roles in programme/project delivery, leading change within their organisation. You can expect to receive a broad range of knowledge from planning for organisational changes through personal development activities like learning about human resources management concepts and techniques that are necessary for successful transformation initatives.
You will learn about approaches in dealing with different aspects related to performing tasks professionally like benefit managers, developing project plans, leading teams involved in these processes, working with stakeholders, navigating through operational line managers when needed.
What is not covered in this course?
Change Manager qualifications such as the APMG Change Management Foundation Exam are accepted world-wide as evidence of one's competence in change initiatives and gives individuals credits towards higher level certification such as Project Management Professional (PMP). Additionally, there is a Change Manager Practitioner Examination which tests one's ability to apply concepts learnt through formal training or experience in real-world situations where culture change arises from unpredictable sources like digital transformation or new organisational strategies. We do not offer either of these qualifications.
The Change Management Foundation & Practitioner Training Course is certified by APMG's Change Management Institute, and can give you definitive certification as an effective change manager. You'll have to pass both its foundation examination and practitioner qualifications. It's suitable for professionals dealing with human resources or benefit managers seeking to become more adept at leading change across their organisation. If you want this I'm afriad you'll have to look eslwere, as other change management training courses will provide you a comprehensive overview of these project and organisational management qualifications.
These qualifications are not provided here. Instead, this course focusses on developing your emotional intelligence and communication the communication skills so that you'll become more successfully at carry other people with you. That way you can make the transition between where you are now, and where you want to get much smoother, and deal with objections and obstacles with grace and empathy when people get stuck, or try to sabotage your efforts.
A practical guide
What this change management training can do for you
Why it is human nature to resist change, transition and transformation
Change often threatens the very things on which we feel our security and peace of mind depend, and the normal response to such a threat is fear. When we experience fear we become defensive and resistant to change and transformation. It's an instinct, and it kicks in even if the threat is more imagined than real. The trouble is that when our minds are awash with fear we have a strong tendency to behave irrationally and resist change even when it's necessary or beneficial.
How to turn people from fear into an open and rational state of mind
The key to encouraging people into a more receptive frame of mind is to invite them to express their fears, and to be patient while they do so. This enables them to let off steam. As they let off steam they naturally calm down and become more open-minded, receptive and available to change. This approach goes against the normal impulse to try to answer people's fears as quickly as possible. The reason why it works is because people's minds are opened more by how you listen to them than by what you tell them. We call it listening with empathy. Motivating people through listening with empathy is one of the two crucial skills you'll develop on our change management courses. The companion skill is speaking assertively. With these two skills you'll have a very powerful way of handling a wide variety of difficult situations.
What is empathy, and why is it an under-developed art?
Listening with empathy is focusing your attention on what's going on in the mind of the other person, particularly, what they're afraid of. Instead of trying to answer their fears, simply encouraging them to get their fears off their chest, to let off steam. When they let off steam they usually calm down and become more open-minded and receptive to change.
The reason why this way of responding to people is an under-developed art is that what most of us want to do is rush in and give answers and reassurance. Learning to listen with empathy means holding back on the natural impulse to give answers and using more patience in allowing people to express their fears, because that's what unlocks their minds. That's why people are persuaded much more by how we listen to them than by what we tell them. It's the way we listen to them that makes them trust us even more than what we tell them.
Why listening with empathy is so crucial for successfully managing change
There's a powerful biological reason why listening with empathy is such an important leadership skill and so crucial for the management of change. It has to do with how people instinctively react when they perceive a threat, for example when they're experiencing conflict or disagreement or in times of change. They instinctively become tense and defensive in order to respond to the threat. This reaction is driven by fear. It's the outcome of millions of years of evolution. People are usually unaware of this and so have little conscious control over it.
The crucial question is can we listen to them in a way that helps them be aware of, admit and express their underlying fears. If so they'll be able to let off steam, revert to a more rational and calmer state of mind. This'll make them more relaxed, less defensive, reasonable, cooperative, open-minded, flexible and willing to change. If not, they'll remain in a fight-or-flight state of mind, irrational, tense, defensive, unreasonable, uncooperative, closed-minded and unwilling to change. The fastest way to help them be aware of, admit and express their fears is our empathy. That's why it is such a valuable aid in the management of change.
How to handle a people resisting change in a meeting
Here's a suggestion about how to run a team meeting where people are likely to resist change. A very large number of our clients have found this method has been not only fun to use but also very effective in overcoming people's resistance to change within their organisations during "Change meetings" or "Managing change meetings". Although we don't provide a certification, it is a simple method that anyone can learn to implement without much difficulty. This method solves the problem of how to handle resistance to change in a room full of people each with a different concern. You can't empathise with them all at once, so how then can you encourage them to express their concerns and yet prevent the meeting from turning into chaos? It needs both a firm hand and a clear structure. Using this structure for running such a meeting it will enable you not only to listen with empathy to each person who has a concern, but also to keep firm control. It's also good fun running a meeting this way, not only for you but also for the other members of the meeting.
Why emotional intelligence is such a powerful leadership skill for facilitating organisational change
People become irrational when their emotions are aroused. We are more successful in life and at work if we are aware of, can admit, and can talk about feelings. However, this goes against the grain because many of us have got used to suppress feelings. Because our feelings can sometime be painful we learnt to protect ourselves (and others) by denying them with phrases like, "There, there, don't cry", "Pull yourself together", "Let's be rational - let's not get emotional". We learnt that if we express a bad feeling the worse we feel, so we learnt to stop expressing it so we can feel better.
But ignoring or suppressing emotions is a mistake. Bottling up feelings makes us tense, defensive, unreasonable, close-minded, rigid and inhibited. The more we are able to can admit and express feelings and let off steam the more we are able to be relaxed, reasonable, open-minded, flexible and uninhibited. When we learn to talk about feelings in a safe way it enables us to connect better with others and recover the full use of our rational faculties. Empathy and assertiveness are the skills that help us do this.
The practical emotional intelligence you'll develop on this training course (also offered as a coaching programme for those taking the course remotely) will teach you the leadership skills you need to become much more successful at carrying people with you. These communication skills have a long track record of helping leaders, managers and professionals develop the ability to speak in an inspiring and motivational way. You'll be much more successful at facilitating organisational change more smoothly.
Here's a tried and tested change management tool
A plan for dealing with resistance to change in a meeting
First, announce that the purpose of the meeting is to tell the people present about a change, and that your aim is to persuade them to go willingly along with it.
Next, say you're expecting them to have questions and concerns about it, and you want them to express these as strongly as they can even if they have to interrupt you. Tell them that every single concerns and questions will be written up on the flipchart, and that you won't try to give answers until they're satisfied you've fully understood each concern.
Listen patiently to each question. Don't try to answer it at this stage. Just try to show your understanding of the concern behind it. Write each question on the flip chart only when you're sure the person who asked it feels understood and taken seriously.
Finally address all the questions and concerns on the flip-chart as honestly and helpfully as you can, and only cross them off the list when the people who raised them are satisfied with the answer.
We suggest you introduce the meeting along the lines below (adapting the words as needed):-
- "Thank you for attending this meeting. My purpose is to tell you (or consult you, or help you decide) about X. This is an emotive/controversial subject within our organisation. I'm sure you will have questions and concerns about it, and I want to hear them all. So this is how I'm going to run the meeting ..."
- "Instead of waiting until I've finished talking, I want you to interrupt me whenever you have a question or a concern. Yes, it's quite okay for you to interrupt me. Instead of trying to answer you right away, I will first check that I understand your point and then I'll put in on the flip chart, where it will stay until you're satisfied it's been answered. The flip chart will be our agenda for this meeting."
- "Now, before I tell you about X, let's start building the agenda in the flip chart with your immediate questions and concerns. Who would like to start? …"
- "Is that all for the time being? Now I'll talk, but remember, please don't sit nursing a question or a concern. Call it out. Interrupt me as soon as it comes into your mind."
How to calm people down in a meeting - make them more receptive to change
The crucial skill you need for running this managing change meeting successfully is empathy in response to each of their comments, questions and concerns. It is difficult to avoid being drawn into trying to give answers, particularly when what they say sounds negative. If, for example you're introducing a change in working methods to your team, and one of them says:-
"Whose stupid idea is it to make this change, anyway?"
The person who asked this question obviously feels bad. But instead of being aware of it and admitting it, their feelings erupt as an aggressive question. They sound very negative, and your heart sinks because they're threatening to create a bad atmosphere in the meeting. But actually, even though they sometimes expresses themselves negatively, they're a highly motivated member of the team. Behind their aggressive question is a genuine concern. On the Skills with People course we'll give you a lot of coaching in how to respond with empathy to these kinds of questions, in the way shown in the example below:-
- THEM: Whose stupid idea is it to make this change, anyway?
- YOU (empathy): You obviously feel bad about the change. I imagine it's because you need to be convinced there's a good reason for it before agreeing to it.
- THEM (surprised at being handled so positively and calmly): We've had a lot of change lately. It makes it very hard to keep our standards up.
- YOU (more empathy): And that's why you don't want to do it unless you're convinced there's a real need for it.
- THEM (lets off steam): Exactly! (Your empathy has won his trust, as well as the trust of all the others.)
- YOU: Thank you. I hope by the end of this meeting you'll be convinced. (You write, “Why is it necessary?” on the flip chart with his initials beside it.) This won't be crossed off until you're convinced…. Who's next?
The others now feel encouraged to speak up frankly about their concerns. The atmosphere in the meeting rapidly improves. Everyone feels good. Their mood is now for you and for the change you want them to agree to. Their confidence in you has been given an enormous boost. Below are crucial guidelines and some helpful things to do and don't do when running this meeting:-
Dos and don'ts when running a managing change meeting
- Do listen with empathy to every single question or comment, in order to try to find the concern behind it. Keep reflecting back until each person speaking feels understood.
- Do write it on the flip chart, as near as possible in the words of the person raising it, before listening to the next concern or question. The flip chart is the meeting's agenda.
- Do have faith that behind any negative, hostile or confused question or comment is a genuine concern that deserves your respect and understanding. If you can keep this up people will be very impressed and you will have a very positive effect on the meeting.
- Do be assertive in keeping a firm hand on the meeting. Stick strictly to your plan.
- Don't be drawn into trying to answer a question or concern while you are drawing up the agenda of concerns, no matter how tempting. It will undermine your control.
- Don't take part in or allow any discussion until all questions and concerns have been captured. This, too, will undermine the meeting plan.
- Don't cross any item off the agenda until it has been dealt with to the satisfaction of the person who raised it. This will make people feel safe a give them a sense of control.
Organisational change can often bring about significant change initiatives, for project management, human resources, and operational line managers. A change manager must have the ability to adapt to these changes by effectively managing the team and aligning everyone towards the same goal. By using emotional intelligence, the manager can create a culture of collaboration and communication.
To become a certified change manager, one can take courses such as the APMG change management foundation, change management practitioner certification, change management models. This particular course focuses on emotional intelligence, change management fundamentals, and effective team member involvement. By taking these courses, change managers can develop the skills they need to lead organisational change initiatives and organisational change projects.
Change Management Training FAQs
1. What is change management training?
Change management training is a process of learning how to implement and manage changes in an organisation. On this course you'll learn core management concepts, processes, strategies and techniques necessary to ensure successful implementation and management of projects while minimising possible disruptions and ensuring that the changes implemented are accepted by everyone involved.
2. What topics are covered during this change management training?
Topics covered during this training course include understanding identifying stakeholders' needs, managing resistance to change, communicating effectively with impacted employees, developing plans for monitoring progress as well as tips for leading successful projects from start to finish.
3. How can I benefit from attending this change management training course?
By attending this change management training course you will learn about various tools and methods used within the field as well as obtain valuable emotional intelligence skills needed for successfully implementing organisational transformations like recognising challenges associated with the changes you're making, so you can practice resolving conflicts that might arise from the transitions. You'll develop deeper insights into leadership dynamics which would allow you to excel in your roles better than before. Although this won't give you a change management certification, or take any practitioner exams, you will receive a lot of practical support.
4. Are there any prerequisites required to attend this change management course?
No specific qualifications or prior work experience is required.