Earlier this week, I trained a raft of professionals from across Stoke on Trent City Council’s Adults services. The course was created for Stoke’s Expert Citizens Insight Academy, part of the Changing Futures programme. And it has been exceptionally popular ‘Effective Factual Recording’ which of course some people dread! ‘Oh No!’ they cry, ‘Death by PowerPoint and legislation.’ Incorrect! Then they arrive at my training and realise that, ‘Oh he’s made it super interactive!’ And that’s rather rewarding.
Feedback from the course has ranged from: “Steven was extremely engaging as a host. The training really made me think about my own case notes and I’m a bit shocked at how I’ve let this slide. A brilliant refresher on the importance of the written word.” To, “So here’s the thing, I’ve been told by loads of people that Steven’s training is the best and he did not disappoint! Really, REALLY good! 😊”
Everyone loves to see the continuing misadventures of Joan, Thomasina, Monica and Sasha. Played with aplomb by my wonderful actors, Gwyn, Michelle, Heather and Sarah. Poor Joan, she just never gets a break, does she?
The learners love hearing what has happened to Joan and how Thomasina may not be quite as awful as we were first led to believe. I think the ‘self-care’ elements of the training have been very popular and I’m often told by professionals that note taking and writing up assessments is the first thing that goes out of the window when people are stressed. There is one more session before Christmas and then the whole new 2025 version of the course
emerges! Onward, ever onward!
More comments are below:
“I really enjoyed the activities, the videos and being involved in group work. Thank you.”
“I enjoyed the training, which made me think about how I record my information and how the client may feel about what has been written about them. This course will change how I factually record my visits and also my assessments”
“I really enjoyed the training, thank you Steven.”
“A great session, as ever when it is Steven’s training. I have learned LOADS!”
“There was no jargon in learning, which made a change from council training. I’ve not attended training with Steven before, but I’d like to attend again. A good, engaging day of work.”
“Good and knowledgeable training.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Informative. Inclusive. Respectful and challenging.”
“Excellent, informative and interactive.”
“Really enjoyable and informative training. I would happily take part again to up my knowledge even more! It has really helped me to look at how I’m working at the council and how I need to change how I’m recording my conversations with clients.”
“Very informative, Steven kept it lighthearted. We laughed as we were learning. The course was delivered brilliantly.”
“Because I have a niche job, sometimes training is not relevant to my role. However, with this training I found that there were plenty of elements and overlap with my job and I can put what I have learned into practice. Thank you Steven.”
“Informative, reflective, interactive and the use of plain English, rather than social work jargon was brilliant.”
“An excellent course that has made me reflect on my own factual recordings. Excellent as always Steve, thank you for creating this just for Stoke.”
“Steven is an amazing and insightful trainer. I have not met him before but I have heard stories. Informative without being boring. I absolutely knew what he was teaching me and his training is impeccable.”
“Excellent training. I loved all of the exercises and discussing ‘real situation’ and relating it to my role. It was also really good meeting other people from other departments and sharing best practice. Also, the environment was fun, it was a lovely atmosphere in the training room, everything was respectful, informative and relevant. And a great lunch!”
“A very good use of resources. Steven made films for us at Stoke on Trent City Council. This made it relevant to everyone and the training involved lived experience throughout.”
“Having training on case note recording is just what we needed. The activities were relevant to my job role and I don’t often say that. A good variety of tasks and everything was interactive.”
“Steven’s training made me think about my own case notes, how I need to summarise more, be more succinct and make sure the voice of the client is heard.”
“As ever with Steven Talbot training, I was engaged, enthused and entertained!”
“As always, Steve is engaging and amazing at making what could be a dull subject come alive. The videos are funny, but they also make you think.”
“Steven involved the whole group, and I liked that we were all moved around so that we got the opinions and thoughts of our colleagues from across the council. Everyone was involved and I liked how the trainer challenged some people and their views. A thoroughly enjoyable session and the time just flew!”