Get everything you can from your membership
Your events, training and resources
Join us for two member-only webinars next week, when you can learn strategies for optimising individual and team productivity.
- On Tuesday, experts from Microsoft will lead a briefing into M365 Copilot featuring live demos, practical guidance on prompts and a little look into some of the more complicated stuff that Copilot can help you with.
- Then on Friday our own Aidan Matthews will investigate research into hybrid/remote working with Belbin – uncovering findings and offering insights into addressing emerging challenges effectively
Your member-only training schedule continues next week with Managing and Motivating Remote Teams
Come away with practical methods and structures to use straightaway in leading and working with your team. Next week’s workshop (the first of two) on Tuesday 23 April will help you whether your team is working together in person or remotely.
You’ll be able to:
- Use management tools to achieve great results
- Discover insights into what motivates people
- Avoid the typical management mistakes
- Identify opportunities for quick wins
- Have motivating conversations
Don’t forget benchmarking
There are limited places remaining on the free-of-charge AI and Automation Benchmarking Pilot
Monitor and evaluate what you’re doing as part of a new benchmarking module. The pilot will assist you in comparing the resources and investment you’re making, along with the benefits you’re starting to discover and implement. And you’ll be helping the whole local public service Socitm community in building business cases for investment and support in demonstrating the value that it’s starting to bring.
The pilot is running from now until Friday 7 June 2024 and is free of charge (you will need to start and submit data in this time frame) for members. Get in touch with us on benchmarking@socitm.net ASAP.
Don’t forget mentoring
Join (and encourage your colleagues to join) the group of people volunteering to take part in 2024’s free mentoring programme). Both people in a mentoring relationship can impact the other in such a direct way. Exactly how, will only become clear once you’re doing it.
Don’t forget awards for President’s Conference
People Make Places
Keep sending in award nominations for your chance to be part of an evening of inspiration and celebration at June’s President’s gala dinner on Wednesday 19 June.
For all the details about categories and how to nominate, visit the awards page.
Have you registered yet? Immerse yourself in two days of re-imagining public services as we bring together the brightest minds and passionate souls from across the public sector in a safe and inspiring environment.
It’s more than just a conference — it’s a gathering where innovation sparks, ideas flourish, and connections ignite.
Take care. I hope you can have a great weekend.
Best wishes,
Alex.
Your Resource Hub
From Digital Trends 2024: Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is arguably the key technology trend for 2024, in almost every sector. Barely a day goes past when we do not read about the amazing possibilities, or the significant new risks that this technology poses…
Despite the hype, it is nonetheless difficult to predict the pace of AI adoption in the public sector.
From AI@Socitm: Responsible and Secure Use
Delve into guidelines, best practices and impact cases, empowering you to navigate ethical considerations, privacy concerns and security challenges.
Want to add your own content? Let us know on hello@socitm.net or use the contact us form [choose Research as your area of interest].
Let’s help each other connect the dots.
You might have missed…
Watch the webinar hosted by EngageProcess with a presentation by Kristin McIntosh of Newark and Sherwood District Council. Hear and see how she’s applying process management principles to address her housing projects.
For ease of viewing, the recording is divided into easy to navigate chapters, with subtitles and transcript available via the video player toolbar.
Accessibility and inclusion
Accessibility Week returns in May. Find support and information you can use straightaway:
- Monday 13 May: Introduction to digital accessibility
- Tuesday 14 May: Helping bridge the disability divide with Copilot for Microsoft 365
- Wednesday 15 May: Why we connect more with companies that care
- Thursday 16 May: The secret reasons why your website might be undermining your reputation
- Friday 17 May: Supporting diversity and inclusion through Microsoft and the web
Log in to check your Silktide Score and to complete your Digital Accessibility Maturity Assessment.
You will need a user account on socitm.net to access member-only resources. Let us know if need any support.
Training
Leadership Advocate Irene Docherty has recently completed the Empowering Women course:
“I was able to take time to reflect on my values and biases and to challenge my own thinking. The realisation that we all shared many views, issues and aspirations was eye-opening.”
Read all about it her new Q&A. How was your course? Tell us about it 🙂
Irene and her colleague Emma Macquarrie are our guests for the next alumni coffee hour on Friday 10 May. They’re going to talk about the Importance of development even in austere times.
Virtual workshops
- Tuesday 23 April: Part 1 of 2 Managing and Motivating Remote Teams | Teams | 1 point
- Tuesday 30 April: Introduction to Emotional Intelligence | Teams | 1 point
- Tuesday 21 May: Part 1/2 How to be an effective coach | Teams | 1 point
- Thursday 20 and Friday 21 June: Change Agent Manager | Teams | 0 points
Read Microsoft O365 brain frazzle (in a good way) by recent Change Agent graduate Emma Hart (from London Councils).
In-person programmes
- Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 June: Top Talent | East | 4 points
- Thursday 4 and Friday 5 July Place-based Leadership | Midlands | 4 points
- Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 July Empowering Women | London and South East | 3 points
- Thursday 25 and Friday 26 July Empowering Women | South West | 3 points
Training places are included in your organisational membership – subject to availability and membership level. If you have any questions or would like further information, please email the training team.
President’s Conference. People Make Places
Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 June in Birmingham
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to feel inspired, connected, and equipped to deal with whatever the future holds.
Socitm Awards 2024 are live
Awards celebrating local and regional government success are handed out to winners at the gala dinner on the evening of the first day of President’s Conference.
Log in to your account on socitm.net to see what is included in your organisation’s membership for the annual conference.
As well as conference passes your organisation may have seats for the President’s gala dinner and hotel rooms. Log in for your details.
To reserve your accommodation, get in touch with the events team.
Events
Member-only meetings
Meet people for catching-up, problem sharing (and solving) and great networking.
- Tuesday 23 April: How M365 Copilot can impact local and regional government
The session will feature a live demo, a crash course in prompt writing and a look at some more complex tasks you can do with Copilot. - Friday 26 April:
- 10:15 to 12:00 virtual meeting for members in the North East
- 13:00 to 14:00 Belbin’s Hybrid Working Survey: the results
Discover how productivity and engagement have fared as our relationship to our working practices evolves. Hear about the emerging problems, the potential of causing ‘silent fails’ in team performance, and how to address them.
- Thursday 23 May: in-person meeting for members in Yorkshire and Humber
- Tuesday 30 April: Members’ Connection Hour – make sure you keep getting the best and most from your membership
- Friday 10 May Training coffee hour with Irene Docherty and Emma Macquarrie (Wiltshire Council) talking about the importance of development even in austere times
- Wednesday 29 May: Northern Ireland Public Sector ICT Conference [invitation-only]
- Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 June: President’s Conference 2024 in Birmingham
Free webinars and meetings hosted by Socitm
- Wednesday 24 April: Future-Proofing Public Services: AI and data strategies for local government IT leaders
- Thursday 25 April Public services for the digital age FULLY BOOKED
- Wednesday 1 May Gaining productivity and efficiency
Get help driving productivity and efficiencies, all whilst delivering significant improvements in security. - Wednesday 8 May Protect against ransomware by extending your existing MFA solution to legacy on-prem environments
- Thursday 9 May Rationalising your application estate with low-code to deliver real cost savings
- Accessibility Week returns on Monday 13 May [see above for all the details]
Free webinars and events hosted by partners and others
- Tuesday 23 April: CyberXperience Summit 2024 [Manchester]
- Wednesday 24 April
- 08:00 to 17:30 AWS Summit [London]
- 11:00 to 12:00 Harnessing technology & procurement to power innovation
Panellists include Carol Williams (Socitm VP and Director Transformation and Digital for Walsall Council), and Phil Murkin (CDO of Swindon Borough Council)
- Thursday 25 April: Why and how to communicate your accessibility successes (Doing good things is not enough)
- Wednesday 1 May: Microsoft LocalGov Innovation and Collaboration Forum
- Tuesday 7 May: LocalGovDigital Live: LoRaWAN, IoT, AI
- Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 May: DigiGov Expo [London]
- Tuesday 14 May Transforming services; live digital improvement initiatives
- Tuesday 21 May: PublicTechnology Live 2024 [London]
- Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 May: Local Government Partnership Network North [Manchester]
Missed a webinar? Past recordings are available to watch in the resource hub.
Webinars are open to anyone in the public sector, membership is not necessary, so please do share them with your network.
Come and say hello
- Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 May: DigiGov Expo [London]
Join Nadira Hussain, Mark Lumley and Sam Smith on Wednesday - Tuesday 21 May: LGPN North [Manchester]
Join President Mark Lumley for the roundtable discussion Empowering communities: technology for public good - Tuesday 21 May: PublicTechnology Live 2024 [London]
Incoming President Carol Williams is a panellist for Are times too tough for local government transformation?
Canon demonstrates ‘The Power to Move’ at drupa 2024
Canon is thrilled to be returning to the drupa event in Dusseldorf from Tuesday 28 May to Friday 7 June. drupa is a major international trade fair for the printing, media and packaging industry that started in 1951 and is now held every four years.
Under the theme ‘The Power to Move’, Canon will demonstrate how its powerful combination of technology innovations, expert teams, excellent support services and dynamic collaboration empowers in house print teams to transform Public Sector Institutions.
This year’s event is set to be a pivotal moment for industry transformation. It offers an unparalleled opportunity to network with peers and engage with Canon’s dedicated experts. Together, we’ll explore new horizons and sustainable growth strategies that promise prosperity now and in the future.
For Canon, drupa is a place where customers from the public and private sectors can immerse themselves into a world-class portfolio of technology.
Thank you for reading (or scrolling) this far! Just one more thing…
With the strong theme in this week’s newsletter of where and how we work, you might enjoy listening to this Freakonomics episode: Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses?
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.