Category Archives: Training

YBF Think Tank Career Development Workshop

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The next YBF Conservative Career Workshop is next Wednesday 11th January 2012

The event will be held at 55 Tufton Street, London, SW1P 3QL from 5:30pm – 7pm and tickets are completely free thanks to the generosity of our donors.

For free tickets please click here

Focusing on the world of think tanks, the event will be hosted by:

Matthew Elliott

Matthew is the Chief Executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance and Big Brother Watch. Matthew launched the Taxpayers’ Alliance in 2004 as a non-partisan grassroots campaign for lower taxes and better public spending. Under his leadership, the TPA has grown to become “arguably the most influential pressure group in the country” according to the Guardian, with over 60,000 supporters, 15 full-time campaigners and a huge media profile. He also founded Big Brother Watch in 2009 to campaign for civil and personal liberties.

From September 2010 to May 2011 Matthew took a sabbatical from the TPA to lead the NO to AV campaign in the nationwide referendum on changing Britain’s electoral system. The NO campaign won by a spectacular margin of over two to one.

Speakers during the event will include:

Alex Deane

Alex was Prime Minister David Cameron’s first Chief of Staff. Following this, he was the founding director of Big Brother Watch, the civil liberties think tank. Alex read English Literature at Cambridge University and took a Masters degree in International Relations as a Rotary Scholar at Griffith University. A World Universities Debating Champion, Alex is now Head of Public Affairs for Weber Shandwick.

Stephanie Lis

Stephanie is the Campaign Manager of The Freedom Association, Britain’s premier libertarian pressure group. She started working for TFA as an intern in early 2011 before being promoted to her current role. Stephanie read history at Nottingham University before completing her masters at LSE.

Raheem Kassam

Raheem is the Executive Editor of the acclaimed political website The Commentator as well as Director of Campaigns at The Henry Jackson Society and Director of the counter-extremism pressure group Student Rights.


Ben Harris-Quinney

Ben is the chairman of the Bow Group. He holds an MSc in International Relations from LSE. Ben has been involved in politics and international relations for more than 10 years, having worked on foreign policy issues for the Conservative Party in both the UK and European Parliaments.

Campaign Tips: The Seven Deadly Sins of Incumbents

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Last week we explained what opposition research really involves. This week we look at the seven deadly sins of incumbents – the key points to consider when conducting research when you or the candidate you support is challenging an incumbent office holder.

  1. Casting bad votes/missing votes: research how your opponent voted on a controversial or important local issue. Don’t just look at the title of the vote, research the substance of the motion. You might find that your opponent did a John Kerry – voting for something before voting against it. And make sure you look at votes that your opponent missed – is he lazy too? Continue reading →

Public Speaking & Debating Tips: Repeat Ad Nauseam

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Every Tuesday YBF publishes a public speaking or debating tip to help young conservative activists become even better at promoting the causes we share. 

One of the most effective tactics adopted by great orators is to repeat their best lines. I don’t mean that they should cut and paste excerpts of speeches or, worse, do as Joe Biden did and plagiarise others’ speeches. But if a public figure has a line that resonates with voters, he or she shouldn’t be afraid of using it – rather like a catchphrase. Ronald Reagan frequently said: “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet”, Bill Clinton reminded voters “It’s the economy, stupid” and Barack Obama tells his supporters: “Yes we can”. In Britain, David Cameron frequently returns to “Share the proceeds of growth” while Tony Blair extolled “Education, education, education” and promised to be “Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”. Continue reading →

YBF launches FREE Career Development Workshops

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Thanks to a generous donation from one of YBF’s many supporters, we are delighted to announce that the YBF Career Development Workshop series is now entirely free of charge. Those who have already paid for places have been contacted by email and will be refunded in full.

Places at YBF Career Development Workshops will be awarded on a strictly first come, first served basis and can be booked here.  

Would you like help in becoming a lawyer?

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It’s not always what you know – often it’s who you know that matters.

In today’s tough climate for graduates, YBF is pleased to be working with senior members of both branches of the legal profession to lay on the first of six Career Development Workshops aimed at those who wish to become barristers or solicitors.

The Working in the Legal Profession Career Development Workshop will take place next Wednesday, 12 October 2011 from 7pm to 9pm in Central London. This is your chance to hear from – and speak to – experienced barristers and solicitors to learn what life as a lawyer is really like and to learn how to obtain the best and most useful internships and work experience before you embark on a legal career.

Places are strictly limited and cost £10 for students in full-time education (and £15 otherwise). You can apply for places here or you can find out more by emailing YBF Chief Executive Donal Blaney at donal@ybf.org.uk.

But hurry! Time is of the essence.

2011/2012 Skills Training Workshop Programme: Tickets now on sale

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YBF is very pleased to announce that tickets for the 2011/2012 Skills Training Workshop Programme are now on sale.

YBF has pioneered policy and skills training among young conservatives in Britain since its formation in 2003. Having trained thousands of activists who are now MPs, PPCs, councillors, lobbyists and parliamentary staffers – as well as many who have gone on to successful careers in the City, the professions and business – YBF stands ready to help you achieve success in your chosen career too.

Continue reading →

Graduate Coaching

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Many of you will have finished with your 3 or 4 years of University and will have spent the Summer sending out applications and attending interviews.  The choices that you make and that are offered to you within the next 12 months could affect your career forever.  But everyone knows that it is just not that easy.  It can be difficult enough finding Saturday jobs, let alone getting that job, your dream job, your number one job at graduate level.

So how do you reach that dream graduate job?

Simple, you need to make every interview count and make sure that you stand out from the crowd.

But how?

In the news recently, it was reported that hundreds of young British graduates are going to China for work experience and to improve their CV’s. This is great, but not everyone can afford to go 5,000 odd miles AND take a year out, for a beefier CV.

A much easier and less costly option is to work with what you’ve got, exploit your own talent, experiences and learn how to sell, both on your CV and in that interview.

 

Professional Coaching from a Professional Coach

A former tennis coach, Peter Botting has over 23,000 hours experience helping people present and sell themselves better. This has included working with 13 PLC’s 2 governments, and over 1000 politicians including coaching and speech-writing for a Prime Minister.

In other positions he has also spent some time as the evil interviewer:-

  • As Group Managing Director of 3 manufacturing companies with 135 staff
  • In Magistrate Selections – Sussex
  • During 12 months working with the Head of International Human Resources at SAP headquarters.

Peter, a regular speaker at YBF Conferences, is offering YBF graduates a discounted rate of £50 off his courses (£20 off for virtual courses).  Please email Peter if you are interested in any of this courses with the Reference YBFGRAD.

Campaign Tips: Proactive Activism

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This week’s Campaign Tip is more of an encouragement to adopt what the Young America’s Foundation call “the Reagan Approach” to campaigning. Instead of being a “passive activist”, YAF encourages students to become “proactive activists”. Thus instead of whining about how awful your degree course, students’ union or the media are, you are encouraged to get off your backside and DO something about it!

So in that spirit, today I encourage you to adopt the same approach to activism. We are to become “proactive activists” – and the first campaign will be to attack the BBC for its astonishing bias over the US presidential election campaign. The contrast between last week’s coverage of the Democratic Party Convention in Denver and this week’s coverage of the GOP Convention in St Paul is astonishing. So here’s a way to get off your backsides and to campaign hard against the Barack Broadcasting Corporation.

Public Speaking & Debating Tips: Nerves

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A major reason people don’t enjoy giving speeches or speaking in public is because they suffer from nerves. Seeing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin speak last weekend when she was nominated by John McCain, it would be hard to think that she was nervous – but I bet she was. She just knew how to handle her nerves! Here are some tips for dealing with nerves:

  1. Saying “er” or “um” are irritating. The bond of trust with the audience is broken. If you feel the urge to say “er” or “um”, pause and use silence instead. Practice this in every day speech until it becomes second nature.
  2. If you are not pumping with adrenaline before you speak, you may be suffering from complacency. Harold Macmillan used to be physically sick before Prime Minister’s Questions. It’s ok to feel nervous!
  3. The better prepared you are, the less likely you are to feel nervous. If you leave anything to the last minute or worse, to chance, this will only make you feel nervous. Eliminate as many uncertainties as you can before you start.
  4. Walk slowly and purposefully towards the lectern (if there is one). Breathe deeply and take time to adjust your posture. If you exhibit confidence, the audience will be receptive.
  5. Once at the lectern, adjust the microphone. Survey your audience, make eye contact. Get your notes ready. Breathe. Pause before you begin.
  6. Radiate a sense of warmth, caring, sincerity and credibility. If you project a sense of liking yourself, your audience will like you too.
  7. If it all goes wrong, it’s not the end of the world. Nobody will have died. Keep things in perspective and resolve to learn from any avoidable mistakes.