South of
England Chapter
Best programs
are topical in nature and delivered in a very interactive way.
Over 25 people attended a session called “Achieving the Unattainable:
Developing a Career with Work/Life Balance.” The session
went well - we all had something to contribute on this topic,
but from a different perspective. Other topics that have gone
well have been on coaching, or on practical tools that people
can use in their practice.
We keep the
enthusiasm going by making sure that our sessions aren't too formal
with plenty of time for networking before and after the presentation.
We hold Chapter meetings bi-monthly, so we can get some good quality
speakers. Also that leaves people hungry for more rather than
swamping them with too many meetings.
We produce
a Chapter Newsletter 2-3 times a year - one to coincide with the
AGM, so we record our successes and make sure people are aware
of key dates coming up. We split the Newsletter into sections
- Chapter, National and International news.
We are exploring
introducing some peer support/supervision sessions to act as a
repository for useful resources. I think these suggestions would
fit with the Communities of Practice idea that International is
developing.
London
Chapter
Programmes
embrace Diversity and Work Life Balance plus Labour Market Trends
and Marketing. We aim to widen the age range of people attending
and move away from purely Outplacement.
Mark Venning’s
(ACP International) PICs are a useful guideline as Education,
Career Transition and Succession Planning will be key themes in
the future. We are pleased that more people involved in Coaching,
Management Consultancy and International aspects (e.g., an ex-Student
of mine who is Russian) are incrementally being drawn into what
we offer.
Toronto
Chapter
Most popular
events: Panel representing legal, business communities for members
to hear about realities in the workplace. We
had one as our September kick off: Employment Lawyer, Reference
Checker and Sr. VP HR who spoke about recruitment and retention
plus new trends in global hiring, etc.
Local Independent
Forum meets monthly and has topics generated from the group itself.
We meet at a restaurant where we each buy our own breakfast and
there is no fee for attending. We have had speakers on accounting
practices for entrepreneurs, new assessment tools, sales and marketing
training.
Holiday Party
had 49 attendees! It was held at the School of Hospitality at
a local college where student chefs made us a sumptuous three
course dinner. Our members were pleased with the meal and to be
able to support the students.
West of
England & Wales Chapter
We have had
a great year with much of the success due to a varied programme,
rather than specific ones. Hugely successful key meetings: a session
which focused on skills for career practitioners that looked at
the changes we are required to make to meet the changing demands
of the profession; the generalist/specialist debate; independents
vs. The Big Players; and dealing with 'smarter' clients - i.e.,
those who have been through outplacement several times. All that
was one session!
Other ones
that have been well received have been those with coaching topics.
Also, we had a great session on politics at work - how to recognise
and manage it without selling our soul.
We maintain
high attendance by having frequent meetings (which I know is unusual
and yes, is hard work!). We have 10 per year and this means that
there is a great momentum. 1) If people know they will miss one
it's not too long before the next. 2) The networking/sense of
community. It's genuinely a place where people share ideas and
the independents, especially, value this. We often remark that
at every meeting there's a good mix on members and guests, people
who always attend and people we haven't seen for awhile, and I
think people come along thinking 'I wonder who’s going to
be there tonight..' This mix enriches the interaction. 3) The
energy. There is a vibrancy which is not necessarily present at
other chapters’ meetings (We have had feedback to that effect.)
How you capture that I'm not sure, but it has a lot to do with
the above point. Plus we have an open and interactive style.
