Public Events at Queen Margaret University
QMU Public Lectures - Programme for 2012/13
The Queen Margaret Professorial Lectures offer fresh angles on topics of relevance and are designed to appeal to a wide audience.
The 2012/2013 series is now finished. Details on all our previous lectures (including slides and videos of the lectures), can be found at the Public Lectures Archive below.
The Edinburgh Lectures series
Queen Margaret University is a partner in the Edinburgh Lectures Series.
The lectures are led by The City of Edinburgh Council and presented in partnership with The University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Napier University, The Open University in Scotland, National Museums of Scotland, The Scottish Arts Council, The Royal Society of Edinburgh as well as Queen Margaret University.
Each series, which is open to the public, presents a wide range of thought provoking, challenging and inspiring talks.
The theme for 2012/2013 is ‘ Scotland, Naturally’ and we were delighted to announce that our speaker was award-winning cook and food writer Lady Claire Macdonald.
This lecture is now past, however, for full details and to watch the film of the lecture, please go to the archives.
The QMU lecture was just one of 9 thought provoking, challenging and inspiring talks which will take place over the next few months.
Tickets are still available for other lectures. For more information visit the Edinburgh Lectures website: Edinburgh Lectures
Managing Complaints Masterclass: Coping with Challenging Behaviour - for Higher Education Staff
Friday 19th April, 9.30am - 4pm
The Consumer Insight Centre at Queen Margaret University invites you to take part in this Masterclass exploring the skills needed to cope with challenging behaviour when handling student complaints, appeals and disciplinary processes.
The Masterclass has been developed for higher education senior administrative staff and managers whose roles include overseeing and dealing with student complaints, academic appeals and other internal processes, as well as frontline complaints, appeals and disciplinary officers. It will also be of interest to educators, quality assurance staff and staff in private higher education colleges seeking to improve their processes and develop their skills. The training has been developed with knowledge of the regulatory and oversight landscapes operating throughout the UK including the new Model Complaints Handling Procedure for Higher Education in Scotland.
Why attend this Masterclass?
Coping with challenging behaviour is one of the most taxing parts of complaints handling. What is the best way to respond to someone who demands too much time and attention, or who uses threatening or abusive language? What should I do when a complainant is saying that they will self-harm? How much is it reasonable to tolerate when the behaviour is caused by someone’s mental health issues? What are the best techniques for persuading university colleagues to engage with complaints and appeals and not react defensively? What might you or the organisation be doing to provoke or encourage challenging behaviour?
Students’ use of internal complaints and appeals systems is at an all-time high and this trend is only likely to continue. University processes for handling disciplinary and fitness to practise matters may also be invoked. Pressures on these systems can heighten situations that are already emotionally charged and where the outcome could lead to a student losing the chance to pursue a qualification or even to remain in the UK. Handling this ‘emotional labour’ is increasingly a core skill for those involved in operating university internal processes. This Masterclass will help attendees to develop skills in coping with these challenges and to manage and stay in control of situations even when they feel pressured.
What will the Masterclass cover?
In this Masterclass, Carolyn Hirst and Susanna Reece will draw on their extensive experience of working with universities and other complaints handling organisations, along with an up to date understanding of best practice in this area, to provide delegates with:
• the skills, knowledge and behaviours to enable them to manage challenging behaviour effectively;
• an advanced understanding of some tips and techniques that can be used to defuse difficult
situations ; and
• an understanding of current best practice in managing difficult complainant behaviour.
The Masterclass will be highly interactive, enabling participants to draw on their own experience of handling challenging behaviour and to share problem solving techniques and good practice suggestions with the group.
Who we are
The Consumer Insight Centre is a leader in the provision of ombudsman and complaints handling training to organisations in the UK and internationally. As part of the continuing expansion of our training services, we are delivering this timely Masterclass
Carolyn Hirst
Carolyn has extensive experience working in complaints handling and alternative dispute resolution
including mediation. She is a former Deputy Scottish Public Services Ombudsman and now runs her own business advising and training complaints handlers as well as conflict coaching and conducting mediations. Carolyn is a Visiting Lecturer at Queen Margaret University where she has played a significant role in the development and delivery of professional qualifications in complaints handling and ombudsman skills. Carolyn is an ardent advocate of the need for complaints handlers to develop the blend of emotional intelligence and intellectual rigour required to understand, manage and resolve complaints.
Susanna Reece
Susanna is a former Deputy Adjudicator at the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education and has 20 years’ experience of working in complaints handling schemes and training complaints handlers. She now runs her own independent consultancy business, supporting and training complaints handlers, and other regulation professionals. Susanna is a Visiting Lecturer at Queen Margaret University and helped to establish professional qualifications in complaints handling and ombudsman skills there on behalf of the Ombudsman Association. Susanna is passionate about improving complaints handling skills and procedures within universities to enable greater trust in and respect for complaints, appeals and disciplinary processes by students and staff.
Further information
We are pleased to offer this Masterclass at £250 per delegate.
To book a place on this course please email Events.
Or, for further information about the content, please contact Carol Brennan, Director, Consumer Insight Centre on 0131 474 0000 or on Email.
USEFUL LINKS:
Public Lectures Archive
Events Archive
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