Training Workshops

IPGS workshops aim to provide exciting interactive training relevant to the day to day management of parks and green spaces.

Delegates come away from our training with new skills and fresh ways of thinking and a real desire to put their new techniques and ideas into practice.

Influencing and Advocacy

Bristol, 29 June 2011

Programme and more information

As the green space sector squares up to ever increasing demands on diminishing resources, the ability to influence, be an effective advocate and have a lasting and positive impact on people is more important than ever.

Delivering a clear, strong message that convinces decision makers of the true significance and value of the services that your team provides is fundamental to securing the sector's future.

Our Influencing and Advocacy workshop is designed to designed to help you with these challenges and proved popular at the recent CABE Space Leaders Conference. IPGS is pleased to announce that it will take place in Bristol on 29 June.

Booking information

IPGS members: £100 (+VAT)
GreenSpace members & Green Flag judges: £120 (+VAT)
Other: £140 (+VAT)

Please complete the booking form and send to the address provided.

Venue: Armada House.



Workshop review

September 2010
Written by Sarah Cox, Policy and Research Officer, GreenSpace

The latest IPGS training workshop took place in Birmingham on 21 September. The programme was designed so delegates could learn new practical skills and techniques to enhance their influencing skills and become more effective advocates. Delegates were able to practise these throughout the day with the workshop facilitators Steve Wood and Graham Wyles.

At a time when the parks and green space sector needs to be raising its profile and communicating the value of the service they provide to an increasingly wider audience, being able to develop and maintain valuable relationships with colleagues and partners whilst also create compelling and meaningful messages which are understood by a wide range of people is becoming increasingly important.

The one-day workshop combined short presentations and group discussions with group exercises, working in trios and duos and personalised and group coaching. Delegates were given the opportunity to learn, develop and practise new techniques which they felt would improve their ability to influence and leave a lasting positive impact on those who make important decisions around their area of work.

A core part of the workshop was an emphasis that successful influencers and advocators need to be more than just good communicators. They also need to be sharing something of real value, know who they need to approach to have a lasting impact, have the capability to build and maintain relationships and have the ability to choose the best behaviour to achieve the desired outcome.

During the course of the day, the workshop gave delegates the opportunity to think about their individual influencing and advocacy skills through self-analysis exercises. Delegates were then asked to consider what attributes would make them more effective. Once this was completed, delegates were able to define clear personal goals relating to advocacy and influencing and develop a plan of action for the future, enabling them to add new behaviours and approaches whilst removing and refining others.

IPGS delivers comprehensive training relevant to the parks and green space sector. Training sessions provide the opportunity for sector professionals to come together to learn and develop the skills necessary to take parks and green spaces forward. All courses are run by training professionals with practical working knowledge of parks and green spaces.

Further Information