The Colander Online Academy

The past year has taught us many things - not least that online communications are here to stay....

We will all welcome the opportunity to meet again face-to-face and to see and feel the atmosphere in a room, to enjoy a chance encounter and raise a glass with people we know, as well as some we hope to know better. But, we also know that online communication has taken such a massive leap forward - both in its technology and in our familiarisation with it - that we are unlikely to turn our backs on it as we move to a more interactive future.

There is no doubt that the new normal will include online communications - whether design team meetings; pitches to win work; training sessions to learn a new skill; lectures from interesting experts; or simply chats with friends and colleagues, online is here to stay.

The Colander Online Academy is a attempt to make the most of this, by offering learning, occasional interesting lectures, networking and useful information to those who create the built environment - all online.

How will it work?

There are three parts to the Academy:

  1. Thought leadership and conversations
  2. Training
  3. Coaching

Colander Online Academy: thought leadership and conversations

We will be running occasional online lectures and seminars. Further information will be posted on this website nearer the time.

Colander Online Academy: training

Good leadership and clear communication skills remain as important as ever, and while COVID-19 has changed the training landscape completely, simply delivering our face-to-face courses over Zoom is not the answer. So, we have been looking at how best to share our knowledge and expertise with our clients, in a way that retains the interactive and immersive quality of our client relationships, while working remotely, online.

Enter a suite of online training modules that are being offered through the Colander Online Academy.. Please go to our training and coaching page to find out more.

  • Duration: We know that long training sessions do not work well online, so we have repackaged our expertise into a series of 90-minute modules, to make the best of the online format and ensure that delegates get the most from their time with us.
  • Topics: We will continue to address the key issues that our clients face in terms of leadership and communications; getting the best from colleagues; building relationships and winning work or simply managing a design-led business.
  • Modules: The modules have been designed to stand alone, but the short format limits the amount of ground that can be covered in each. This means that most clients will require a suite of modules to deliver a rounded training experience, particularly around the wider issues of good leadership and communication.
  • Tailored solutions: As with all our training, we are very happy to unpick each module and tailor the training to address the specific needs of individual clients.
  • Number of delegates: We will continue to recommend that the number of delegates on each module is limited - we prefer to work with groups of 8 to 12, maximum 16. This is so that we can engage with everyone and pick up questions and build on individual and team ideas as each session progresses.

Colander Online Academy: coaching

We have found that coaching is an activity that works remarkably well online, either one-to-one or with a small group of two or three people. It differs from training in that it is a dialogue and an in-depth exploration of the skills of the individual and the application of those skills to the world in which that person is operating.

So, through the Academy, we are pleased to offer coaching with a number of different Associates. Some of the themes we cover include:

  • Influencing with confidence and communicating with gravitas whether working face to face or remotely, by phone or video conferencing.
  • The ups and downs of leading an architectural business.
  • Inter-personal skills, behaviours and relationships, particularly with work colleagues and clients.
  • Attitudes, behaviours and perspectives, particularly those that limit people’s ability to achieve either personal or professional goals.

Each session is scheduled to last one hour but, as coaching sessions are tailored, the cost, number of sessions, and delivery of each session is discussed and agreed on an individual basis.

To find out more about the Academy or to take part....

.... please email: info@colander.co.uk