The Shapes
Toolkit Live Training
Wellbeing, productivity and resilience tools, training and resources for teams under pressure in health and social care.
1. Click the button below to get in touch & tell us your requirements.
2. Discuss your options & find out what works best for you.
3. Book your training and get a calmer, happier, more effective team!
What makes The Shapes Toolkit training different….
Designed by a GP and team of doctors, specifically for staff working in health and social care - so we know this works.
Engaging, interactive and practical training delivered live both face to face and online.
An online library of downloadable resources and tools shared with you to support your learning and help you share it with your colleagues
Simple, powerful tools used by thousands of health professionals to tackles stress and help them thrive at work.
Delivered by experienced trainers, doctors and coaches, who know what it's like to work on the frontline in high stress jobs.
Opportunities to network with colleagues, share insights and experience and get some peer support.
The Full-Day
Shapes Toolkit Programme
The Shapes Toolkit Programme can be delivered as a full day face-to-face (Session 1 in the morning, Session 2 in the afternoon), as two live half days online, broken down into 3 – 4 interactive workshops (see categories below) or as an e-learning course which delegates can do in their own time (see details below).
Shapes Toolkit Session 1: Beat Stress, Feel Calmer
In this session, we will explore the common causes of stress, how it affects our performance, and learn how to recognize the signs of stress in ourselves and our colleagues – and what to do about it. We will think about the neuroscience of stress and how we get hijacked by our amygdala causing us to respond negatively. We’ll then use the ‘In the Corner’ shape to change this negative response to help us feel calmer and behave more rationally.
We will use the Zone of Power to get clear on what we can control (and what we can’t), and then use the Prioritisation Grid to help take control of our time and workload, by prioritizing our time and increasing our focus, so we can concentrate on what’s truly important, rather than constantly firefighting the ‘urgent’.
Shapes Toolkit 2: Feel Better, Stop Rescuing
In this session, we will use the Vortex of Busyness to illustrate how we respond to an increasing workload by working harder and harder - leaving no time to look after ourselves. We’ll then do a personal audit of the wellbeing factors which protect us from burnout, and keep us mentally fit, and then generate some quick and easy actions which will make a big difference.
We’ll use the Drama Triangle to explore how we can get stuck in a victim mentality - feeling helpless, or in a rescuer role - feeling like we must ‘fix it’ for everyone else. We then use the Coaching Pentagon to learn how to escape these roles, by taking a coaching approach, being more proactive and having transformative conversations with our colleagues.
ENGAGING, RELEVANT, REALISTIC
"In Primary care we are faced with unprecedented demand for care and fewer resources to meet the demands. At the same time, post-pandemic, the people we serve are often struggling with complex needs, and often unrealistic expectations.
We used the resources of the Shapes Toolkit to support our teams with this. The training was engaging, relevant and realistic. I’d recommend the Shapes Toolkit training wholeheartedly to anyone leading a primary care service/general practice. Your teams will learn new skills, develop new mindsets and it will demonstrate that you care about their well-being."
Dr Jo Bircher
GP Partner and Clinical Lead for the Greater Manchester GP Excellence Programmme.
Keynote Talks
Dr Rachel Morris, host of the You Are Not A Frog podcast is a popular live conference speaker and is able to deliver keynote talks or webinars at events and conferences.
Our Keynote Talks
Our interactive keynote talks can be delivered face-to-face or online as live webinars by Dr Rachel Morris or one of our Shapes Trainers.
In this keynote talk we explore how to deal with the overwhelming workload that many professionals are experiencing in the new post - COVID ways of working. As it's just not possible to cram yet more into an already overscheduled day, the only answer is to prioritise what's really important, set boundaries and say no. We discuss how to do this, how to focus only on what you can control and then deal with the inevitable yet uncomfortable pushback that can cause our boundaries to crumble/p>
In this interactive talk, we explore the overarching principles which will enable doctors and other health and social care workers to stay well in the new ways of working, take control of their time, maintain a good work-life balance and stay resilient through change and uncertainty.
Many leaders are worried about the well-being of their teams and feel like they are running around like headless chickens to keep everyone happy. In this masterclass, we explore how we often try to ‘fix it’ for everyone, taking the rescuer role in the drama triangle. We then think about how we can focus on our own wellbeing and get out of the rescuer role, helping others to solve their own problems.
Most of us assume that to be successful, you have to work harder and harder. This webinar explores the surprising science of happiness and productivity which finds that happiness can lead to productivity and success. There are many ways in which you can take control over aspects of your work that will promote happiness and help you to thrive, such as focussing on your core needs and working in your Zone of Genius. We discuss these and more in this interactive talk.
In health and social care, we so often put the well-being of everyone else first instead of caring for ourselves. In this interactive talk, we look at how you can take control of your wellbeing, avoid the ‘Vortex of Busyness’, and stay mentally and physically fit at work using principles from positive psychology. We’ll examine the wellbeing factors that keep us re-energised so that you can work at your best even through challenging times.
With increasing patient demand and what feels like diminishing resources, staying on top of of your workload can feel impossible when you’re trying to do the day job on top of everything else. It can feel like all you ever do is firefight the urgent stuff and don’t have enough hours in the day to get to your important projects, rest or take care of your own needs. In this interactive talk you’ll learn some simple but effective tools to help you manage your time, prioritise your tasks and take back control of your to-do list.
LEVEL OF AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT WAS BEYOND ANYTHING I'VE WITNESSED
"The feedback so far has been stratospheric and I have to say that witnessing your ability to engage the audience so effortlessly and generate such a positive atmosphere in the room, was a joy to see. The level of audience engagement was beyond anything I've witnessed at previous events."
Dr Philip Green
Clinical Lead, GP Fellowship Programme, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Training Hub
Interactive Live Workshops
The Shapes Toolkit can be divided into shorter workshops, each covering a different aspect of resilience.
Our Live Workshops
Each topic can be delivered as a keynote talk or webinar, an interactive 90-minute or 2-hour workshop, or half day session and can be delivered both online and face to face.
This interactive workshop will help participants understand what happens to their performance under increasing pressure and give them some strategies to take control of their workload, their wellbeing, and their work-life so that they can beat burnout and work happier. We introduce some key coaching, productivity and resilience tools which will help participants feel less overwhelmed whilst working in challenging environments and feel calmer when responding to difficult situations such as a new role, conflict or complaints.
With increasing patient demand and what feels like diminishing resources, staying on top of of your workload can feel impossible when you’re trying to do the day job on top of everything else. It can feel like all you ever do is firefight the urgent stuff and don’t have enough hours in the day to get to your important projects, rest or take care of your own needs. In this interactive workshop you’ll learn some simple but effective tools to help you manage your time, prioritise your tasks and take back control of your to-do list.
This session helps participants change their response to challenging situations such as conflict, which causes anxiety and stress. Participants explore the neuroscience of the threat response and how we can become 'backed into a corner' by the stories we tell ourselves. They learn how to identify when they are triggered, press the pause button, and change their mindset to respond in a more human and compassionate way.
This session will help individuals who feel responsible for others to identify which role they take in the drama triangle and either get out of the victim mentality and be more proactive, or get out of the rescuer role, where they try to 'fix it' for everyone. Participants will practice using a simple coaching model, enabling them to take a coaching approach in their day to day conversations and transform their team interactions.
During this interactive session, we'll use positive psychology research and neuroscience to explain the core principles of happiness and wellbeing. Participants will learn how they can easily become sucked into the vortex of busyness, share wellbeing hacks and do a personal wellbeing audit to identify some concrete actions to escape the vortex and improve their mental and physical fitness.
All our workshops can be adapted to the needs of your team, and we can provide bespoke content depending on your requirements - contact us to chat further about how we can help.
INVALUABLE
“Thank you to Shapes Toolkit for supporting our GPs and primary care teams in Somerset over the past two years. The online and in person sessions are equally engaging.
These have been invaluable for our New to Practice GP Fellowship, and have been extremely well received.
I would highly recommend the workshops. They are a wonderful resource and support."
Dr Catherine Levers,
Medical Director, Somerset LMC
Shapes in Practice Half-Day Leadership Sessions
The Shapes Tools can also be used to address challenging situations which Healthcare Professionals encounter on a daily basis working on the frontline, such as having to influence when you’re not the boss, deal with complaints or navigate tricky conversations.
Shapes in Practice sessions include:
Our Shapes in Practice half day leadership sessions are a ‘deep dive’ into these topics where we also bring in other transformational leadership models and concepts to complement the Shapes Training. They cover situations which staff commonly encounter such as conflict, leading a team, negotiation, and change and focus on practical solutions, taking a coaching approach to give delegates tools to work through common scenarios they encounter in their daily work. These sessions are delivered as half-day interactive online or face to face workshops for small or large groups. We can also deliver a full day of face to face training which would include two Shapes in Practice Sessions.
Traditionally, when the workload builds up, the answer is to work harder and fit more into already busy days, and conventional time management and resilience training focuses on trying to fit more in, and help people increase their welling so that that they can survive. But what should healthcare teams do when they are at capacity and it’s not possible to work any harder? The only answer is to set limits, say no and keep a laser focus on what’s really important. This is easier said than done, people may not have the time and headspace to start to prioritise their work, and they may worry that if they say no, their patients and colleagues will be affected, or people will think badly of them However, if nothing changes, serious mistake may be made, or staff end up going off sick with stress or burnout. In this workshop we explore how delegates can prioritise their time so that they know what to say yes to, discuss why our limits as a human being can actually help us to set boundaries, explore what the consequences might be of setting boundaries, and consider how to deal with the inevitable pushback that saying no might bring with it.
Healthy conflict is normal in any team, but the stresses of working on the frontline in healthcare may cause conflict, which is often unspoken, and if not addressed, may become toxic. This half day workshop will examine the common reasons that we avoid conflict, and the consequences for our team of not having the conversations we know we should. Participants will learn the neuroscience behind how our brains react to conflict, and how this can lead to the 'five dysfunctions of a team'. They will learn how to use some simple tools to help them build trust, improve psychological safety and conflict well.
Many professionals in healthcare are in a role in which they are not the boss but need to implement some new ideas or approaches and need get people on board. Often tricky conversations or negotiations are needed but people are worried about ruining the relationship or making things difficult. Staff are also often working across several different teams in a role in which they need to influence others in their day-to-day work but have no direct control over what others do. The workshop will enable delegates to use some simple tools to help them understand their own response, the responses and motivations of other people and how to approach conversations so that they can have a greater impact in the workplace and influence others in ways that create win-win solutions for everyone.
At present, many staff in healthcare are going off sick, retiring early or just leaving due to the demands of the job. This creates extra work for others and causes a vicious cycle of overwhelm for those left behind. Many staff are so focussed on surviving their day jobs right now that they don’t have the time or headspace to think about their own career and craft a working life which is manageable in the present and in which they can thrive in the future. This session will help healthcare professionals to craft a career in which they can avoid burnout and love what they do. Participants will use a simple model to take a 'snapshot' of their satisfaction with their current role and then use principles from the science of happiness, success, and positive psychology to determine what changes are possible to work happier now. They will then explore some tools and strategies to enable them to design an enjoyable and sustainable work-life in the future which allows them to use their unique strengths, motivations and values and be in it for the long haul.
No-one wants to get a complaint but in a lifetime of working in healthcare, it's almost inevitable. Patients complain for many reasons - most of them out of our control, and no matter how well you practice, mistakes and failure happen. But when we receive a complaint, whether it's 'our fault' or not, the effects on us can be devastating and can cause us to question our own capability, cause severe anxiety, and worry, and it can feel overwhelming. In this session, we think about the way we respond to complaints and difficult feedback, and the unhelpful the stories we tell ourselves which can cause us even more suffering. We explore how to manage our emotions, our responses and our behaviour so that we can navigate these difficult times with more ease and self-compassion so that we avoid burning out, or making things worse for ourselves.
This session will help healthcare professionals, educators and leaders support their trainees, their teams and colleagues effectively, without getting stuck in a ‘rescuer’ role, feeling overwhelmed and burning themselves out along the way. Participants will learn to use a simple coaching model which will help them to stop rescuing, and instead take more of a coaching approach to empower people rather than trying to ‘fix it’. They will also learn how to have key one-to-one conversations using some of the Shapes tools which support their team members to escape the drama triangle and be more proactive.
The workshops are suitable for anyone who regularly deals with challenging situations, for example, Clinical Leaders, Doctors, Trainers, Senior Managers, GPs, PCN Directors and Practice Managers. They are particularly suitable for New to GP Fellowship Programmes, Trainers and Educators, First 5 or Mid-Career Programmes and as a follow up to the Shapes Toolkit Training.
FEEDBACK WAS UNANIMOUSLY POSITIVE
"The workshop was engaging and interactive from start to finish, and feedback was unanimously positive. There were so many practical tips and exercises for people to take away and start using immediately.
I would highly recommend this workshop to any group of professionals, particularly those under significant stress such as doctors. Trainees left feeling positive and empowered, and asking how soon we could do the next Shapes Toolkit session!"
Dr Elinor Carlisle
Salisbury NHS Trust
Career Development Programme for Doctors
We are delighted to offer a longer training programme for Doctors at a crossroads in their career. It is based on our work doing one-to-one coaching with doctors and addresses the themes which constantly come up for them in the coaching.It is a 6-9 month programme and combines the Shapes Tools training with transformational self-development models, and consists of live training events, group coaching sessions and personal reflection and exercises.
Design a Career You’ll Love
Our workforce is in crisis and many doctors are at a crossroads where they are often in leadership positions and responsible for a large team but are feeling trapped, overwhelmed with work and have concerns about their work life balance. They may be feeling increasingly stressed, worried about their own performance and wonder how they can work sustainably for the foreseeable future. Many are considering leaving before they burn out completely.
This programme will help doctors to think differently about their role, realise that they have a choice about how they live and work, and give the tools they need to develop their career, craft their job so that it is sustainable, and find new roles within their current practice which they enjoy.
The programme lasts 6-9 months and is made up of face to face and online interactive workshops focussing on helping participants survive in their work right now and create a craft a sustainable career which they will love, without leaving or burning out in the future. We’ll use the Shapes Tools to help participants think differently about their work, think about their goals and ideal working week. We’ll explore their strengths, skills and values and we’ll help them to network and find the right contacts and support to develop their career. Additional one-to-one coaching support is also available if needed.
This programme will give support to those on the frontline who are most at risk of burning out and / or leaving and create a network of peers for support in the local area. It will give people the career direction, tools and skills they need to craft their career and job so that can get a great work life balance, work sustainably and love what they do again.
This programme is ideal for workforce development and retention. It can be delivered through existing ICS Workforce Development Programmes, Primary Care Training Hubs, LMCs, First5 and New to GP Fellowship Programmes or can be commissioned as a stand-alone course - contact us to chat about how how this programme can work in your area.
CHALLENGED US TO THINK DIFFERENTLY
"It was great having Rachel along to our NHS leadership event today. Her presentation was excellent! She really engaged the audience, and left us all feeling inspired. Even though it was a virtual event, she ensured the delegates participated, with good use of the chat function. She shared some really useful and practical tips, which we can apply to our management roles, but also challenged us to think differently. The feedback from the delegates was overwhelmingly positive."
Ben Falk
Director of Operations, Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust & Talking Health Leadership.
The Shapes Toolkit for Leaders, Educators, Trainers and Coaches
This Shapes Toolkit Programme can be delivered as a full day face-to-face (Session 1 in the morning, Session 2 in the afternoon), as two live half days online, or broken down into 3 – 4 interactive workshops
The Shapes Toolkit Programme for Leaders
This is a version of the Shapes Programme with a specific emphasis on using the Shapes Tools to have transformative one-to-one conversations around issues of resilience, time management, mindset and wellbeing.
As well as teaching the breakthrough Shapes Tools, delegates will learn how to approach tricky topics in one-to-one conversations with their teams, and how to use the Shapes as additional coaching tools to help their colleagues, mentees, trainees or coachees get unstuck and make the changes they need to. It's ideal for a leadership team away day, CPD for educators, trainers, coaches and mentors and is also a powerful team development tool.Shapes Ambassadors
Programme
The We are also able to train and supervise Peer Group Facilitators in your local area - people who have a special interest in supporting their colleagues for wellbeing and resilience.
These may be past participants in the Shapes Programmes, Training Hub Clinical Leads, managers who have completed the programme, or Health and Wellbeing Leads in your local area.The Shapes Ambassadors Programme
We can train delegates to use the Shapes Toolkit, and run ongoing peer support groups within their deparment, organisation, practice, PCN or Training hub where staff can bring live issues and problems to work through in the group.
We also provide ongoing training, tools, supervision, and support for these Peer Group Facilitators. This training consists of: • Shapes Toolkit Training • Shapes Ambassadors Peer Group Facilitator Training Day • Online group supervision, support and follow-up • A dedicated online resource hubThe Work Well Programme
The Work Well Programme is a package of wellbeing resources and training and support for staff working in your organisation accompanied by additional support and training for your Wellbeing Leads. Organisations subscribe on a yearly basis to get access to the webinars, online resources and training for all their staff.
The Work Well Programme
A highly cost effective programme for ALL your staff, providing practical training, support and resources including:
MONTHLY LUNCHTIME WELLBEING WEBINARS: Our best content delivered as a 60-minute lunch n' learn webinar every month. Topics include - How to beat burnout, how to cope with anxiety working on the frontline and how to work well through the menopause. Each webinar is recorded and available on replay to staff in our online resources area for 3 months afterwards MONTHLY WELLBEING BOOSTER VIDEOS: Short (3 – 5 minute) bitesize content related to the topic of the webinar and emailed to all staff participating in the programme at the beginning of the month along with the details of the webinar.A LIBRARY OF WELLBEING BOOSTERS AND TEAM RESILIENCE ACTIVITIES: A on-demand library of our wellbeing booster videos and done-for-you team resilience activities (choose from 5 minute, 20 minute or 40 minute versions) for wellbeing leads and team leads to use in team meetingsWELLBEING QI TOOLKIT: A comprehensive online toolkit enabling your managers and wellbeing leads to run a quality improvement project in your practice or department. Giving guidance, resources and training to meet the QoF wellbeing QI requirements and improve the wellbeing of your team. WELLBEING LEADS MASTERCLASSES: Quarterly 90 minute deep-dive training, support and supervision sessions for anyone taking a lead in wellbeing in your organisation. Contact us to find out more and to get a quote for your organisation.“Excellent session! Very helpful for professional and private life.”
“Really helpful and inspiring.”
“Very interesting. Good opportunities to consider work based situations and how to apply a different approach to try and work through the situations.”
“Excellent session. 3 really practical models that can be implemented in minutes and facilitate significant change. Will definitely be using in practice.”
“What an eye-opener! Loved this workshop - will really be helpful with trainees and would find similar workshops immensely helpful in the future.”
“Lots of really useful learning both for myself and my role as a trainer.”
“Really well presented. I think this would be brilliant for ST3s for their full day of teaching each year.”
- Participant feedback, Salford & Traffordd
Who we've worked with...
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