Photographer - Teacher - Training Consultant

Photographer - providing images to suit clients needs. This can be simple product images right through to complex conceptual images for brochures/web/books/business reports/etc

I am also a freelance training and development consultant for business and NGO's. My capabilities include programmes for team and leadership development. I also provide 1-2-1 coaching and personal development specifically to suit the personal needs and requirements of the client.

I am able to offer design development and refinement of training programmes, as well as research and report writing for business development purposes.

Technical skills include use of Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint, together with Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Lightroom

Experience:
I have 25 years experience in a range of education, training and development roles. I have designed and facilitated programmes for Leadership Development to clients from major global finance companies in Japan, and been a teacher of Science and Outdoor Education with social development responsibilities in a residential school for boys with behavioural and social difficulties. In between the ends of this spectrum I have been responsible for delivering team development programmes for MBA students, cultural change programmes for a large logistics company, setting up training for associates for a development training company in Shanghai.

A common thread through out my work is an integrity that shows that all who attend a training programme are exposed to new ideas and approaches – including the people who design and deliver.

Each experience adds to my ability to improve on my own work and knowledge to the benefit of the next course. My confident approach, tempered with a humble attitude gives me the ability to encourage and promote the development of others, and I am often complimented on helping others find greater confidence in their own abilities.

Much of my work is based around behavioural awareness and the impact people have on each other, and how this awareness leads to the capability to improve the communication and understanding, and therefore the overall performance. But critical to this approach is ensuring that the financial Return On Investment of any training initiative is valid. I have promoted the gathering of data, especially on long term initiatives, that shows a financial performance improvement from the training. And, perhaps more importantly, linking the effects an individual can have on making a difference. One particular project, with a major logistics company, produced evidence that several millions of pounds was saved due to ideas from individuals. A change that made a saving of £2 per person per shift, multiplied up over one thousand people becomes £100000 in a matter of months. We also proved the same form of training targeted at health and safety reduces incidents. As well as the moral aspect of reducing injury, the cost benefits to a business are enormous – saving time, perhaps agency recruited staff rates, loss of production, etc.

My ability to take a broad overview of a situation and relate the specifics in terms of people and process provides a very useful skill to look at how training and development can be targeted to where it is most needed.

My wide experience also enables me to draw on a range of delivery methods. I have specialized in ‘experiential learning’ as I find this promotes engagement form an audience. This style allows for enjoyment, but has powerful learning applications. The key to this form of learning is that links are made back to the experiences and work of the audience and coaching them to help them develop their own solutions to the problems and opportunities they recognize themselves.

As well as being confident in my ability as a facilitator, I deliver effective presentations in a more formal setting. Again links from theoretical concepts into practical and pragmatic solutions is critical. Knowledge of what to do is no substitute for applying what you know into practical actions.

I am keen on my own development, and have just completed an MA Photography. My studies concentrated on the use of images in collaborative and participative photographic projects. Working with four young people from a disadvantaged background in Mumbai, India, through a ‘sport for development’ NGO, I taught them how to use a camera and produce images that they felt showed a message they wanted others to see. From never having held a camera before we produced a photobook ‘Through Our Eyes – Our Hearts – Our Minds’. We combined my images as an outsider, with theirs to produce a photobook. This formed part of my final MA submission, and is being used by a sport for development charity in Mumbai.

This process required me to project manage the whole programme. The elements required included financial management, teaching and facilitating, travel, presentations and designing, editing and producing the book. All between the UK and India. This required effective interpersonal skills, along with self belief. It also required adept computer skills with Word, Excel and Powerpoint, as well as Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and InDesign.

I have also designed simple, effective websites to showcase my own work, and am currently working on a website for one of my training and development clients. This work combines my knowledge of image presentation, web copy and client brand awareness. I am able to offer basic FTP services along with this web development.

Education and Training:
MA Photography (International Photojournalism, Travel & Documentary Photography) Bolton University (2007)

B.Ed. Environmental Science and Outdoor Education.
John Moore’s University Liverpool (1984)

Qualified ‘Myers Briggs Type Indicator’ Facilitator

• Facilitation and Coaching on a range of business initiatives: Leadership; Personal Effectiveness In Work; Interpersonal and Team Development; Coaching Skills For Managers; Health, Safety and Risk Assessment; Corporate Social Responsibility; Process Improvement.

• Training programme design & delivery, with excellent presentation skills

• Linking training with ‘Return on Investment’ and designing strategies to assess ROI

• In-depth research capabilities enabling linking theory and analysis to pragmatic solutions

• Cross-cultural abilities having worked in many European countries and Asia

• Leadership Development

• Application of concepts & theory to real, practical & pragmatic solutions & applications.

• Experiential Learning - indoors/outdoors


• Ability to work within a team and on own initiative - face to face and from remote locations.

• Quick to adapt to new situations and initiatives

• Computer skills: PC & Mac
Microsoft - Word; Excel; Powerpoint; Outlook
Adobe - Photoshop; InDesign; Acrobat; Lightroom

References available on request:
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