Public sector employees don’t always think of themselves as customer service providers. Becoming Customer Service Stars teaches the skills needed to achieve customer service excellence and explores the impact of interpersonal staff relationships that affect the process. Participants evaluate areas that work and those areas that need improvement. The thrust of the course is skill building in the areas of identified weakness. The overall mission of the Department is reviewed and the place that customer service plays in carrying out the mission is examined. Phone, e-mail, and verbal communication skills are practiced. Participants take home a workbook they can use for future reference and create an Action Plan to transfer the learning in the class to the workplace.

Each of these generational groups has a different value system and way of experiencing the world and the workplace. Different doesn’t have to mean wrong. This course is tailored to fit your Department's unique needs and provides the participant the information that leads to a deeper understanding of all the generational perspectives. It also provides the communication skills to bridge the "generation gap." This is an enlightening course that delivers more than it promises: it brings understanding, appreciation, and insight. It is interesting and timely material. This course should be mandatory.

“The opposite gender is speaking a foreign language and I don’t know the rules!” How many feel this way? There are communication differences between the genders, but differences don’t have to get in the way of productive work relationships. In this course, learners define their own gender’s communication style and gain skills and practice in speaking to the opposite gender with enhanced information; this course spotlights methods for speaking and listening to the opposite sex at work with more insight, effectiveness, and skill! The result? Easier communication. These skills are also transferable to communications practices at home!

This two-day course focuses on business writing fundamentals: how to effectively draft, edit, and revise letters, memos, proposals, progress/status reports, and fact sheets. Clarity and conciseness, on the word and sentence levels, and many formatting tools and “tricks of the trade” create the context in which participants not only reflect on their own writing process but learn step-by-step formulas to write these documents. Models are shown and participants examine and deconstruct writing samples. This is an excellent course with very useful reference and resource materials.

This course focuses on change and the changing roles line staff experience as they move to management. Often when line staff get promoted, they find themselves in the new position of supervising their peers. This course offers the opportunity to discuss, explore, and learn ways to deal well with this change while being effective.  Additionally, new and seasoned supervisors learn strategies to make their team more effective; the focus is on leadership skills rather than simply “managing people.” Practical, logical, and insightful, this course provides supervisors skills to excel in their role.

Effective Performance-Based Evaluations are a productivity enhancement tool designed to motivate and encourage the employee. The relationship supervisors and managers create with employees motivates them (either positively or negatively). Meant to be non-punitive and instructional, the correct drafting and completion of these evaluations have one desired outcome: motivation. If effectively constructed, employee evaluations are helpful to the employee and aid in establishing, creating, and sustaining accountability within the department.

This course addresses unmanaged conflicts that can be potentially dangerous. Instruction is provided on how when one person loses their temper everyone around him/her can be affected. Participants discuss unresolved workplace conflicts that often have disastrous consequences: increased anxiety, anger, intimidation, blame, resentment, and loss of productivity. Our instructors provide the tools to manage conflict in a positive way, turning a conflict that was once a liability into an asset. This course addresses a variety of situations, from the most mundane procedural conflict to high tension and potentially explosive confrontations. This class is for all staff, from those whose first instinct is to react with anger in a difficult situation to those who avoid conflict so much they are paralyzed.

This course is for managers and supervisors who are tasked with implementing departmental or organizational changes. Our training presents tools and techniques to help staff define new or changing roles, establish individual and departmental responsibilities, address resistance, and encourage employee buy-in. Participants develop their own models for introducing change to employees, and practice tactics to dissolve conflicts arising from change. Managers and supervisors learn how to assess stress danger signs in staff, and they leave with tools to help them address change on a one-on-one level. We have found, and the research supports it, that most people perceive change as loss. This course helps people deal with transformation and supports managers and supervisors in this tricky leadership area.

>What are the root causes of stress in your work life? Participants examine stressors that lower productivity, job satisfaction, and impact their health and relationships, both on the job and at home. Stress is a fact of life for all. Recent research indicates increases in stress-related diseases that are caused by lifestyles saturated with stress and tension. Burnout, heart attacks, ulcers, decreased productivity; relationship problems, depression, loneliness, poor diet, substance use, and cynicism are frequent symptoms of chronic stress that adversely affect us personally, professionally, and physically. This class imparts techniques to lower your overall stress level. Participants learn to deal effectively with stressful people and situations by examining past lifestyle choices. Exposure to and practice with relaxation exercises is highlighted as is drafting a plan to make more drastic lifestyle choices. The course demands honest scrutiny of physical fitness and eating choices as well as ineffective communication strategies that may be causing unnecessary stress.

Engaging participants in the learning process and creating transfer learning takes more than a good presenter and quality content! In Curriculum Course Design, course planners learn to identify how they will meet the needs of the sponsoring department with clearly defined learning outcomes. Participants learn how to choose materials and activities that create an active, participant-centered learning environment. We make certain participants are equipped with an understanding of different learning styles, learner motivation, and the mechanics of constructive time use. Participants are invited to bring a course idea and leave with that idea turned into a well-designed course. This is a great experience if training units and content area experts want to shorten their training skills learning curve!

In this advanced customer service skills course, participants are shown that all internal and external contacts are customers: clients, managers, and professional support staff. Emphasis is on communication and identifying personal communication style and its role in miscommunication. Participants focus on changing and monitoring their own behavior and communication patterns to create solution-based problem solving. Heavy emphasis is paid on telephone communication with both internal and external “customers.” In addition, face-to-face de-escalation techniques are taught and practiced. Participants learn how to handle a variety of reception area problems as well angry clients. Emphasis is on productive, healthy communication strategies between line staff and supervisors, as well. This is a solutions-focused course and training experience.

This course explores the impact that personal value systems, socialization, media, and generational affiliation have on individual attitudes about other people. The learners identify many historical changes that impact the experience of diversity in contemporary American culture. While there is discussion of gender, cultural, racial, and societal issues, the focus of this discussion is not what one might expect: difference is generally the issue that divides people, more than skin color, cultural background, or gender. The course allows participants to engage in dialogue that leads to a greater appreciation and understanding of difference while at the same time affirming sameness and honing communication skills.

This course presents a simple, standardized process for giving writers feedback on a document. The writer is able to improve his/her ability to make corrections and address documents with a clear idea of what is expected. Supervisors practice on actual sample documents and take away a sample of a standardized way to edit.

This interesting course provides exposure to and teaches about gay, lesbian, and transgender lifestyles, issues, and dynamics. The class focuses on topics which may include: “coming out,” health issues, biases, and the legal and liability concerns/issues for those who interface with this population. When available, a community resource speaker is a part of this course. This resource answers questions about the topic as well as discusses local programs and support resources in your community.

Participants learn to be great “executives” regardless of their title by increasing their personal effectiveness through learning to prioritize and organize. Staff increase skill level by using effective “win-win” communication techniques and practice stress-management techniques for better results in all work situations. High-energy and participant-centered, this course combines direct instruction with collaborative learning and role-play. Our course workbook, journaling, small-group discussion, and team-building activities are used to reinforce content and skills that transfer to the workplace. Participant Action Plan acts as “follow-through” takeaway resource as does the Getting Control of Your Workday workbook.

Handling Change at Work teaches staff understanding and coping strategies to deal with rapid change in both their own lives and in their professional environment. The focus is on the dynamics of change and the typical resistance to it. Participants learn ways to stay both focused and productive. Staff also learn techniques to cope with the fear, loss, and stress that accompany change. At the conclusion of the course, using the techniques learned, participants are better able to proactively embrace the rapid changes taking place in both their personal lives and at work. This course offers a multi-dimensional approach to dealing with change and a substantial and solid book list.

Writing skills can be a big workplace challenge for non-native English speakers. Improving Writing Skills for Non-Native Speakers reviews the smallest building blocks of written English with focused grammar review and sentence and paragraph construction. Conquer those tricky contractions and possessive nouns! Practice correct usage of prepositional phrases, as well writing concise, complete sentences with appropriate punctuation. Many resources are shared, so that the participant leaves with a roadmap to enhancing their learning outside the classroom.

Leadership is the responsibility of every employee in creating a productive, safe, and rewarding workplace. Learning basic leadership skills allows each person to contribute. The Mission Statement of an organization drives programs and defines ways that staff behave with both each other and the clients/customers they serve. To create this kind of workplace requires teamwork. Participants learn about the components of leadership, teamwork, and effective ways to complete projects and/or assignments.

A great deal of time is spent preparing for work, yet almost no time is spent learning how to conduct or attend the meetings that are part of the process of getting the work done. Budget and time constraints make it crucial to make every meeting productive. In this one-day program, participants learn to plan, organize, and conduct productive meetings, both large and small. Staff practice exercises to define the steps for meeting preparation and agenda development as well as learn ways to get people involved in the meeting. Also, strategies for action follow-up, enabling participants to implement meeting decisions and provide accountability for assigned tasks are provided in this course. Learning in this action-packed program is both informational and experiential. The nuts and bolts of good meetings, learning to pay attention to content in a meeting, as well how to facilitate the process are covered. Participants learn to focus on “process,” so when they are “meeting leaders,” they know how to keep meetings on task and allow disagreements to be addressed openly. In this context, the objective is to manage meetings where all participants are willing to take the next steps, to put agreed decisions into operation once the meeting is over.

We spend a great deal of time preparing for the work we do yet spend almost no time learning how to participate in or conduct a meeting that is part of the process of getting the work done. Budget and time constraints make it crucial that every meeting be productive. Many people groan at the idea of another meeting because they are often mismanaged, get off track, are interrupted, take too much time, have unclear agendas, and/or lack effective leadership. In this one-day program, participants learn how to plan, organize, and conduct both large and small productive meetings. They come to understand the steps for meeting preparation, agenda development, and participation encouragement. Skills in handling counterproductive behaviors are covered as well as Action Steps for follow-up that implement meeting decisions.

Negativity in the workplace is a phenomenon that, in some organizations, has become a cultural norm. Negative thinking and behavior is a choice. Learners explore their own experience of negativity and assess its impact. The instructor helps the participants identify the sources of negativity: the “clients,” the department or division, co-workers, and/or themselves. Through group and individual activities, staff acquires many survival skills and communication strategies to limit and manage personal and others’ toxic, negative behavior.  Negativity is a choice:  this course helps participants understand the reasons they choose negative thoughts and actions.   At the end of the day, individuals and groups create Action Plans and anti-negativity materials to take back to their workplace(s) and home(s).  

Some days it feels like there is more information than can ever be organized. The piles on one’s desk seem like they get higher instead of shorter. Increasingly, information needs to be managed to be understood. There is only one solution to this potential crisis and daily stressor: developing the necessary skills needed to effectively manage time, information, and employees. Organizational Skills for Peak Performance imparts practical exercises in identifying, prioritizing, and managing information. Participants identify their organizational weaknesses in a series of activities that are fun and engaging. In addition, the course is tailored to departmental needs. Once identified, our instructors focus on specific tools to enable participants to turn their weaknesses into strengths.  This course is vital, and staff receive excellent, easy-to-use help.

In this course, participants identify their strongest skills and capabilities as well as define their stressors, problem areas, and personal pitfalls. Our trainers facilitate participants to develop approaches that improve participant effectiveness at work, within their families, within important relationships, and in all areas of their lives. The program focuses on individualized assessments and personal development content and reflection, ensuring participants know how to capitalize on their current strengths and how to use their best skills to create even more rewarding lives. This is both an enlightening and uplifting course, an intangible skill builder and gentle and affirming morale booster.

This course helps to create clarity about the characteristics of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It explores occupational stress, and the stress related to traumatic incidents. The class sheds light on the symptom constellations in stress disorders and teaches intervention strategies. The final module of the course equips participants with strategies specifically designed to work with or manage a person diagnosed with this disorder.

High-quality presentation skills are critical; this course teaches the basics of “group process” and explains how to use those “basics” to keep learners engaged and activities enjoyable and lively. The course teaches the best ways to both overcome resistance for mandated training and deal with disruptive and difficult participants. Presentation & Training Skills reveals the secrets of getting participants back from breaks on time, mixing up groups, and “reading your audience.” Each person receives feedback on their presentation style and a chance to practice their skills. This course takes the participant to the next level!

Identifying a problem is only a first step! Someone has to decide what is going to be done to fix it. Everyone can use tips on streamlining problem solving, and this course applies to the entire department. More than just “coming up” with solutions, our instructors teach participants how to get others to invest in the solution. That way, once a problem is identified, everyone works together to solve it. Problem Solving takes participants through different problem-solving styles and helps identify what strategies work best for a variety of practical situations. This course covers ways to increase confidence in a solution and addresses why defining expectations is crucial. The focus of the class is on strategies that get results, so the benefits of training can be used right away.

Sometimes it’s difficult to define what place ethics should play in the work environment. When is there a responsibility to act ethically? In Professional Ethics, participants learn both fundamentals as well as the ethical standards within their own organization. The importance of proper conduct and decision making is stressed, as is the importance of instilling a code of professionalism. The art and science of becoming an ethical role model is underscored, as is the reinforcement of each professional’s commitment to being the “best” they can be.

Budgets get leaner and resources often seem fewer each fiscal year. Yet large projects that affect everyone on a department-wide scale get implemented all the time. This one-day course explores the crucial components in a project, and trains participants how to guide a project from conception to completion. The secrets to being great at project management are revealed: detailed how-to activities explain how to create a plan, work with groups to implement it, and monitor the progress through to completion. Instead of racing to the “completion-date finish line,” participants learn to order dates and deadlines in a way that reduces stress on everyone, ensuring projects are successful. This course focuses on practical examples, departmental procedures, and tools that can be put into practice the very next day.

Speaking in front of people, from small meetings to large, can be a daunting task for seasoned and novice speakers alike. Public Speaking and Speaking On-the-Spot walks participants through proven methods that perfect their speaking skills, regardless of experience level. Our step-by-step strategies ensure that presentations are not only easy to prepare, but are organized, concise, and to the point. Participants examine what makes a good speech, what makes a good audience, tips for dealing with aggressive audience members or an aggressive speaker, and other easy-to-use tools.  Also, participants practice these skills (without having to stand up in front of the class). Public Speaking goes beyond the general and addresses how to overcome stage fright, even when speaking to management. Course exercises target individual fears so participants can address them.

In today’s climate of rapid change, early retirement, and faster promotions, many supervisors need more methods to manage their workloads. The stress of needing to hold staff accountable while keeping good working relationships is both time and energy consuming. This course focuses on creating a personal system to know how time is currently spent and ways to pre-plan time use. Participants learn stress-reducing techniques enabling them to be more efficient and better at prioritizing. They learn the dynamics of procrastination and use this information to better handle the increasing demands on their time and energy. Time is a finite component of the workday; this class enables all learners to assess how their time is spent and what activities and behaviors are not productive.

Sexual harassment and discrimination law, including Title VII, are detailed and reviewed in this course which defines and explains sexual harassment law. Effective sexual harassment policy is reviewed, and retaliation and adverse employment examples are discussed.  Participants examine mediation and investigation techniques. Case studies and scenarios are examined and scrutinized. This course demystifies the laws and provides personnel a clear picture of legal, and illegal, behavior.

With a trainer gifted at addressing sensitive issues in the classroom, this course allows work teams to identify the challenges in getting projects done effectively and on time. With the aid of team-focused learning instruments, groups self-assess and are able to give and receive feedback on their experience of team cohesion. Teams set goals and create Action Plans to move forward, and increase productivity while interacting in healthier, more positive and productive ways. Using advanced communication skills, individuals increase their communication competency and learn how to give feedback on ideas and processes. The result: growth in work relationships and increased productivity and morale.

Team Building facilitates all levels of staff to unite and reflect on how they work together as a team. This course takes a look at how Organizational Mission Statements drive programs and define ways that employees interact with department customers and each other. Focused discussion time compares the organization’s Mission Statement with the individual staff member’s Personal Mission Statement. Activities guide and assist participants to practice engaging in more open communication, increasing their ability to manage, resolve, and grow from conflict and power struggles. Teams analyze their problem-solving dynamics and draft Action Plans which address concrete ways to improve project execution.

This era of rapid change, early retirement, and faster promotions leaves many supervisory personnel without the necessary skills to handle common challenges. This course identifies the problem employee, develops a personal survival plan, and teaches concrete strategies to address problem situations. The common situations that are addressed: supervising a “friend,” supervising someone who was passed over for a promotion, people who “go behind your back”; older, or, much younger employees; employees who constantly bicker; and, employees with serious personal problems. Managers can also be a challenge. Learn strategies for dealing with managers who avoid conflict, micromanage, and/or throw temper tantrums. This course also offers the participant a strategy to get a handle on “rumor control” and a strategy to foster inter-department cooperation! Great leadership course!

This course is great for experienced managers as well as first-time supervisors. Managers feel overworked, not only because they have their own tasks to do, but also because they often take on tasks that should be delegated. Often managers have the “If I want it done right, I have to do it myself” attitude. Employees are qualified to handle tasks, if they receive the right direction. In this course, participants assess their current delegation practices, evaluate the effectiveness of those actions, and develop the steps to ensure effective delegation. Activities focus on defining expectations, examining the critical steps to a project, and communicating those expectations to employees.

Many feel that time “gets away from them.” But for some, it’s not just a rare occurrence, it’s a daily issue. Frustration at work can be a negative by-product of lack of productivity. This frustration can lead to broader dissatisfaction, and a loss of motivation. There are so many time wasters: telephone interruptions, meetings, tasks that should have been delegated, unclear communication, lack of planning, and crisis management. Time Management for Peak Performance addresses these interruptions in a proactive way. Participants learn to manage themselves and their time. The course focuses on essential skills: the ability to plan, delegate, organize, direct, and control the flow of work. This course enables participants to set goals, eliminate “time wasters,” and manage time, so the focus can stay on important priorities. This is a powerful course!

This course is built and delivered for those working in the training function, and managers, supervisors, and staff who need to train others either “on the job” or in the classroom. The following topics are covered: principles of adult learning, the “how and why” of doing activities (and what doesn’t work), special equipment (how to use the overhead, visual aids, etc.), learning aids, and a review of the fundamentals of “group process” and “reading your audience.” This course covers all the do’s and don’ts. We tell you all the secrets and shorten the learning curve for you!

Conflict is normal and healthy in human relationships; however, it doesn’t have to end up in a win—lose situation. We teach you how to have those "tough conversations” that get you what you want without making others angry or getting them defensive. Learn to control a conversation through listening (not talking). Take away powerful phrases that lead to solutions, and begin to take control through orchestrating a mutual “win” situation. This is a great class. Learn new skills and practice them the same day.

This course offers a variety of participants the opportunity to build skills in the nature and mechanics of workplace writing. Participants learn how to identify and correct grammatical/mechanical errors and build powerful sentences. In addition to correcting writing errors, this course underscores the differences between formal and informal writing and the need to understand and write to the expectations of specific audiences.  Writing with tact and sensitivity enables writers to more efficiently and effectively compose emails that are professional, productive, and get positive results.   

Writing for Management is designed to hone the skills of management while clarifying expectations for writing performance using guidelines and models. The main focus is on clarity, conciseness and structure, and “the handout” and “talking points” formats. Of particular emphasis is the shorter, one-page format for documents, with attachments or “handouts” as needed. Numerous samples of excellent writing are included for participant review. Your department or division is invited to outline the exact reports, letters, and memo formats that are the focus of this solid, no-nonsense writing course. If desired, managers are encouraged to bring their executive secretaries. This is a powerful course that gets down to business and gives managers and their hard-working support staff an opportunity to “get on the same page.”

The design of this course closely mirrors our Writing for Management course; what\'s more, Writing for Executive Secretaries adds the component of grammar review and proofreading strategies galore! Executive secretaries enjoy a review of the “anatomy” of excellent samples of written work; they gain the language they need to discuss writing projects of all kinds. Extensive department examples reinforce learning and help participants retain new skills. Resource materials are provided and executive secretaries are encouraged to add to their course binder examples of quality, signature-ready documents. This is an awesome course and could effectively be two days. Secretaries LOVE this course!

This course offers participants the opportunity to build skills in the mechanics of workplace writing. Participants will learn how to identify and correct grammatical/mechanical errors, focus on the comma splice and construct powerful compound sentences. This course ensures participants leave with the ability to write with directness and clarity. Also indroduced are six formulas for structured memos, strategies for bulleting, outlining, numbering, and “talking points.”

Supervisors (and soon-to-be supervisors) have the rare opportunity to experience the curriculum their staff experience in the Writing with Confidence for Supervisors course and enjoy the opportunity to review. They are in the position, then, to hold their staff accountable for learning. Each participant receives a Writing Resource Guide.  This is an extremely interactive course, and a great skills refresher.