Specialist training courses for those working in the policy and think tank sector
With nearly three years of providing training to UK think tanks and other policy organisations we have developed a comprehensive, policy-centred series of courses, specifically designed to improve your professional skills in the core skills you will need as you progress in your policy career.
Each of our six training courses include both theoretical and practical activities designed to guide you through the key elements of each topic. You will leave each course more confident, with a greater understanding of how to apply these skills in your day to day job and at least two actionable tasks you can take away with you.
Our trainers are chosen for the energy and knowledge they bring to our training sessions as well as deep experience of the topics they teach on. They are also chosen to complement those working in third sector and policy environments.
Upcoming training
Project management training
29 January 2025
9.30am – 4.30pm
Do you want to understand how to effectively plan out a project? Get a good understanding of the key concepts and mechanisms of project management to apply to any project or software? Then this training is for you!
Members £250 (+VAT)
Non-members £450 (+VAT)
People management training
5 March 025
9.30am – 4.30pm
Are you new to management? Want to become a manager? Been a manager in your think tank for a while but never had any formal training and want to develop your management skills? This training is for you!
Members £250 (+VAT)
Non-members £450 (+VAT)
“Over the past 2 years, I have had the privilege of taking part in several Smart Thinking training days, and I can safely say that these are some of the best training workshops out there for think-tankers. I have seen marked improvements in my writing, fundraising, research project-management, and people- management skills, and feel more confident than ever to take on new challenges in the think-tank and charity sectors. There are few training opportunities out there for think tankers in the early career stage, and even fewer that are non-partisan. I would thoroughly recommend giving Smart Thinking a go. There really is nothing like them in Westminster!”
Clara Morrisey, Deputy Director of Academic Outreach, Institute of Economics Affairs
Training Courses
These six courses form the core of our Level 1 training and are aimed at those in the first 5 – 7 years in a policy career although, if you have never undertaking formal training on these topics, they will be relevant and useful to all policy professionals. Each training session consists of five ‘skills blocks’ focusing on the core skills to be developed for each topic, with a mix of theory and practical exercises. You will use examples or projects that you are currently working on to give the training as practical an application as possible and will get a chance to put into immediate practice what you have just learned to consolidate your learning. At the end of each course you will be able to take back to your day-to-day role at least two ideas to action immediately.
Media training
This is with a working journalist conducting real-life media interviews. Each attendee gets the chance to do a press interview, a radio interview and a TV interview. Interviews are recorded and played back for feedback and each participant receives an individual report after the session from the journalist with areas for improvement/focus.
Writing for impact
A detailed session that takes a deep dive into the mechanics of writing and style, followed by a look at how to incorporate data effectively and then a longer look at planning, drafting and editing your work. The day covers both report writing as well as looking at op-eds, blogs and press releases. You will be editing your own writing during the session ensuring that the course content is useful and relevant to your everyday work.
Public speaking training
A practical session where attendees build on skills and confidence throughout the day with multiple chances to practise. We delve into speaking confidently, controlling your nerves and look in detail at how to construct a speech or presentation. We round off the day with the final block looking specifically at speaking on a panel and handling Q&As.
People management
For those new to management, aiming to become a manager or those who are already a manager but have not had any formal training. Looking closely at managing small teams and people quite early on in their careers we look at some of the fundamentals of what makes a good manager, including making the transition up into management. We then focus on the three core skills you need to build – delegation, giving feedback and performance management and having difficult conversations.
Project management
This training session is a useful mixture of theory and practical application for the many different elements of a think tank research project. We cover all the essentials including building your timeline, managing stakeholders and the project cycle plus look at building out a budget and staying on track. Using some of the best practice from other industries, this course is tailored to help attendees execute well thought out and on time policy projects.
Fundraising fundamentals
Covering the essentials of think tank fundraising – who funds them, why do they fund, what do they fund; this session also develops practical skills for anyone in a think tank expected to raise money. Activities include how to develop your pitch, what documents you need and how to make the all-important ask. We cover all types of donors; individuals, trust and foundations and corporate donors.
“I found the ST management training much more useful than previous management training I have attended. Rather than spending the day listening to a presentation we had practical sessions that enabled us to put the learning into practice and made the learning much more relevant for everyday management challenges. I came away with a clear understanding of how to improve my management skills and, importantly, things that I could implement immediately.”
Dr Kerris Cooper, Senior Researcher, Education Policy Institute
How can I sign up?
We host at least one training session a month and people are welcome to sign up and book a space on the course individually. We also offer bespoke training sessions for organisations who have a few employees who would benefit from a particular topic. For these courses we work with you to tailor the content so we really focus on your particular training need. If you would like to find out more or have a conversation then please contact Emily at [email protected].
Our training sessions are open to all policy professionals and a member and non-member ticket price.
“The Writing for Impact training was an excellent deep dive into techniques to use when writing persuasively. The training covered lots of topics well, from how to plan shorter-form pieces such as blogs and op-eds through to tackling reports, with brilliant supporting materials provided throughout.
Connor Drake, Policy & Practice Officer, Centre for Progressive Policy
