Published on Jul 13, 2026
The first half of the year has seen IPI Academy deliver a diverse programme of free lunchtime learning sessions, bringing together expert speakers to explore some of today’s most important workplace topics. Across leadership, wellbeing, resilience and communication, the series provided practical insights for professionals looking to create healthier, more engaged and high-performing workplaces.
Supporting Wellbeing in the Modern Workplace
The Managing the Modern Workplace series focused on helping individuals navigate the challenges of today’s working environment.
Sessions on Dealing with Personal Stress, Breaking Burnout, Essential Tools for Resilience and Practical Strategies for Wellbeing explored the causes and impact of workplace stress, the warning signs of burnout, and practical techniques for maintaining wellbeing. Together, these webinars reinforced the importance of self-awareness, healthy coping strategies and resilience in managing workplace pressures and sustaining performance.
Rethinking Leadership
Leadership was another key theme throughout the programme.
In The Leading Note: Kevin Hard – Stop Managing, Start Leading, attendees were encouraged to move beyond traditional management approaches and focus on empowering, coaching and developing their teams. The session highlighted how effective leadership can improve engagement, retention and organisational performance.
The leadership conversation continued through the four-part Building a Culture of Care series, which examined what it takes to create workplaces where people can thrive.
Collectively, these sessions demonstrated that leadership is increasingly about creating environments where people feel valued, heard and motivated to succeed.
The Power of Communication
Communication was also a strong focus of this year’s programme.
Former hostage and crisis negotiator Nicky Perfect shared lessons from high-pressure negotiations in her session on Better Communication & Negotiation, demonstrating how active listening, empathy and trust-building can improve workplace conversations and outcomes.
Meanwhile, communication specialist Nick Looby brought energy and creativity to Zombie-Slaying Communication, offering practical advice on cutting through information overload and delivering messages that truly engage audiences.
Key Takeaways
While each session covered a unique topic, several common themes emerged. Organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of employee wellbeing and resilience. Leadership is evolving from directing people to supporting and empowering them. And effective communication remains one of the most valuable skills for building trust, engagement and positive workplace cultures.
Together, these eleven sessions offered a wealth of practical guidance for professionals at every level. Whether focused on personal wellbeing, developing leadership capability or improving communication, participants left with valuable insights they can apply to create stronger teams and more successful organisations.
Bring on Autumn 2026! We currently have the following live for bookings now: https://ipi.academy/product/schedule/32/leadership-management
Published on Jul 13, 2026 by Ella Thomas