QVCC Soft Skills Library

Soft Skills Workshop Library

Take a look at the menu below and contact us to develop a customized training program for your employees.

Please note: These workshop descriptions are general in nature. All of our workshop content can be fully customized for a given company. 

Administrative Skills

Administrative Support Skills

Administrative assistants are a key part of most office environments. They work quietly in the background, ensuring that the business runs smoothly and efficiently. This workshop will give new administrative assistants tools that will make them that person that the office can’t live without. Experienced administrative assistants will learn new tools that will make them more efficient and valuable than ever.

In the Administrative Support course, participants will learn the core skills that will help them use their resources efficiently, manage your time wisely, communicate effectively, and collaborate with others skillfully. The practices presented in this course may take time to be a part of your daily work routine. However, making the commitment to consistently apply the concepts every day is the key to changing and adopting new behaviors in a short amount of time.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Getting Organized

·         Manage their time more effectively

·         Prioritize their time so they can get it all done.

·         Complete Special Tasks

·         Verbal Communication Skills

·         Non-Verbal Communication Skills

·         Empowering Yourself

·         Deal better with their managers

·         Taking Care of Yourself is a priority

Administrative Office Procedures

Administrative office procedures may not be glamorous, but they are essential to the success of any enterprise. A well run office reduces miscommunications and helps to eliminate common errors. By making the administrative office a priority, you will establish clear policies and procedures with employee understanding and buy-in, which ensures that your work environment runs smoothly.

With our Administrative Office Procedures workshop, your participants will understand how an Administrative Office Procedure binder demonstrates professionalism and efficiency in an organization or office setting.  It is also a marvelous instrument for quick reference and utilization.  Strategies and procedures are a vital connection between the company’s vision and its everyday operations.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Organize a binder

·         Develop procedures

·         Prepare checklists

·         Understand succession planning

·         Collect the correct tools

Archiving and Records Management

Records are in every organization. From purchasing receipts to tax documents to communications, they need to be identified and managed properly. The method of records management that a company uses should be tailored to fit the needs of the organization. There are, however, some basic concepts in most records management systems.

With our “Archive and Records Management” workshop, your participants will discover the basic elements of records management programs and different ways to manage records.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define records and archives

·         Analyze records in context

·         Classify records

·         Understand different systems

·         Maintain and convert records

 Basic Bookkeeping Skills

Numbers! Numbers! Numbers! Wherever you go, you are bound to see them. On addresses, license plates, phones, prices, and of course, money! Numbers connect us all to each other in many more ways than we might imagine. Essentially, our world revolves around numbers.

Some of us enjoy dealing with numbers while others may have a fear of them, or even a phobia. For those of you who have already recognized and appreciate the impact that numbers actually have on just about everything, you deserve a cookie. Welcome to Basic Bookkeeping!

 Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand basic accounting terminology.

·         Identify the differences between the cash and accrual accounting methods.

·         Keep track of your business by becoming familiar with accounts payable and accounts receivable.

·         Use a journal and general ledger to document business financials.

·         Utilize the balance sheet.

·         Identify different types of financial statements.

·         Uncover the reasons for and actually create a budget.

·         Be familiar with internal and external auditing.

Business Writing

Writing is a key method of communication for most people, and it’s one that many people struggle with. Writing and communication skills have degraded with more and more people communicating through email and text messaging. Developing writing skills is still important is the business world as creating proper documents (such as proposals, reports, and agendas), giving you that extra edge in the workplace.

The Business Writing workshop will give your participants a refresher on basic writing concepts (such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation), and an overview of the most common business documents. These basic skills will provide your participates with that extra benefit in the business world that a lot of people are losing.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Gain better awareness of common spelling and grammar issues in business writing.

·         Review basic concepts in sentence and paragraph construction.

·         Know the basic structure of agendas, email messages, business letters, business proposals, and business reports.

·         Know tips and techniques to use when deciding the most appropriate format to use for agendas, email messages, business letters, business proposals, and business reports.

·         Know tips and techniques in writing agendas, email messages, business letters, business proposals, and business reports.

·         Gain an overview of Request for Proposals, Projections, Executive Summaries, and Business Cases.

·         Define proofreading and understand techniques in improving proofreading skills.

·         Define peer review and list ways peer review can help improve business writing skills.

List guidelines in printing and publishing business writing

Collaborative Business Writing

Writing and communication skills have degraded with more and more people communicating through email and instant messaging. Developing writing skills is still important in the business world as is creating proper documents (such as proposals, reports, and agendas) giving you that extra edge in the workplace.

The Collaborative Business Writing workshop will give your participants the knowledge and skills to collaborate with others and create that important document. Your participants will touch on the types of collaboration, and ways to improve them through certain tools and processes. These basic skills will provide your participants with that extra benefit in the business world that a lot of people are losing.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define collaborative business writing

·         Know different types of collaborative writing

·         Know how to collaborate with team members

·         Learn methods of handling conflict in writing

·         Build collaborative writing teams

Executive and Personal Assistants

Being an Executive or Personal Assistant is a unique position that requires a variety of skills. Whether you are updating schedules, making travel arrangements, minute taking, or creating important documents all must be done with a high degree of confidentiality. Confidentiality is one of the most important characteristics for every assistant.

Our Executive and Personal Assistants workshop will show your participants what it takes to be a successful assistant. Participants will learn what it takes to effectively manage a schedule, organize a meeting, and even how to be a successful gatekeeper. Being an Executive or Personal Assistant takes a special skill set and this workshop will provide your participants with the necessary tools.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Adapt to the needs and styles of management

·         Communicate through written, verbal, and nonverbal methods

·         Improve time management skills

·         Manage meetings effectively

·         Act as a gatekeeper

·         Use the tools of the trade effectively

Meeting Management

This workshop is designed to give your participants the basic tools you need to initiate and manage their meetings. They will learn planning and leading techniques that will give then the confidence to run a meeting that will engage the attendees and leave a positive and lasting impression. Through this workshop your participants will learn the needed skills in planning and implementing a successful meeting.

The Meeting Management workshop will explore how to reduce waste and make meetings more efficient. This is a hands-on workshop and your participation will help make it a valuable experience. Use this time to begin the process of developing your skills along with other participants who share the same desire to improve their meeting management skills.

Workshop Objectives:

  • Planning and Preparing
  • Identifying the Participants
  • How to choose the time and place
  • How to create the agenda
  • How to set up the meeting space
  • How to incorporate your electronic options
  • Meeting Roles and Responsibilities
  • Use an agenda
  • Chairing a Meeting
  • How to deal with disruptions
  • How to professionally deal with personality conflicts
  • How to take minutes
  • How to make the most of your meeting using games, activities and prizes

Organizational Skills

Developing good Organizational Skill is an investment that will provide benefits for years. To be successful means to be organized. These skills will filter through all aspects of your participants professional and personal lives. Throughout this workshop your participants will be given the tools necessary in developing better Organizational Skills.

Through Organizational Skills your participants will encounter improved productivity, better management, and an overall increase in professional growth. Every day people waste numerous amounts of time looking for items. So stop looking for those important items, and start knowing where they are by getting organized.

Workshop Objectives:

  • Examine current habits and routines that are not organized
  • Learn to prioritize your time schedule and daily tasks
  • Determine ways of storing information and supplies
  • Learn to organize personal and work space
  • Learn to resist procrastination
  • Make plans to stay organized in the future

Social Media in the Workplace

We are being flooded with Social Media invitations and updates. Web-based communication icons like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn are dominating the way we interact with each other. People are feeling the need to be updated at all times. It has become a time eater, and businesses are quickly becoming aware of the drain it can have on productivity. People love to share, but they need to know what is alright to share and what should not be sent out.

Understanding Social Media is about communicating the right way. We are beginning to communicate more through electronic means than face to face. Talking on a phone has been replaced more and more with SMS (texting.) Social media channels are becoming the main form of communication and your participants will realize how Social media and the Workplace can work together.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Learn the meaning of social media

·         Learn different ways social media is used and altered

·         Build and maintain a social media policy

·         Keeping your social media secure

·         Establishing rules for the social media the company posts

·         Discover the benefits and pitfalls of using social media

Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management improves the coordination and relationship between Suppliers, Producers, and Customers. It must be kept at a high level of organization to be successful in today’s global economy. Goods and services are now pieced together from all over the world, and this process can be hectic and complicated if not managed correctly.

With Supply Chain Management your company and employees will be on target to lower costs, improving efficiency, and increase customer satisfaction. This course will provide your employees with the understanding of how Supply Chain Management can improve and help almost any type of business.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Take a look at inventory management

·         Study supply chain groups

·         Review tracking and monitoring methods

·         Examine supply chain event management

·         Comprehend the flows of supply chain management and data warehouses

·         Understand the levels of supply chain management and their effects

·         Identify how supply chain management relates to: Customer satisfaction, Improving performance, Lowering costs, and Product development

Career Development

Assertiveness & Self Confidence

Self-confident and assertiveness are two skills that are crucial for success in life. If you don’t feel worthy, and/or you don’t know how to express your self-worth when communicating with others, life can be very painful. These skills will provide opportunities and benefits to your participants in their professional and personal lives.

The Assertiveness And Self-Confidence workshop will give participants an understanding of what assertiveness and self-confidence each mean (in general and to them personally) and how to develop those feelings in their day-to-day lives. These skills will encompass many aspects of your participant’s lives and have a positive effect on all of them.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define assertiveness and self-confidence, and list the four styles of communication

·          Describe the types of negative thinking, and how one can overcome negative thoughts

·         Explain the difference between listening and hearing.

·         Define the importance of goal setting, and practice setting SMART goals for assertive behavior

·         Utilize methodologies for understanding your worth — and the use of positive self-talk

·         List reasons why a pleasing appearance and body language are critical for creating a strong first impression

·         Practice sending positive communications phrased as “I-Messages”

·         Practice strategies for gaining positive outcomes in difficult interpersonal situations.

Communication Strategies

For the better part of every day, we are communicating to and with others. Whether it’s the speech you deliver in the boardroom, the level of attention you give your spouse when they are talking to you, or the look you give the cat, it all means something.

The Communication Strategies workshop will help participants understand the different methods of communication and how to make the most of each of them. These strategies will provide a great benefit for any organization and its employees. They will trickle down throughout the organization and positively impact everyone involved.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand what communication is

·         Identify ways that communication can happen

·         Identify barriers to communication and how to overcome them

·         Develop their non-verbal and paraverbal communication skills

·         Use the STAR method to speak on the spot

·         Listen actively and effectively

·         Ask good questions

·         Use appreciative inquiry as a communication tool

·         Adeptly converse and network with others

·         Identify and mitigate precipitating factors

·         Establish common ground with others

·         Use “I” messages

Creative Problem Solving

In the past few decades, psychologists and business people alike have discovered that successful problem solvers tend to use the same type of process to identify and implement the solutions to their problems. This process works for any kind of problem, large or small.

The Creative Problem Solving workshop will give participants an overview of the entire creative problem solving process, as well as key problem solving tools that they can use every day. Skills such as brainstorming, information gathering, analyzing data, and identifying resources will be covered throughout the workshop.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand problems and the creative problem solving process

·         Identify types of information to gather and key questions to ask in problem solving

·         Identify the importance of defining a problem correctly

·         Identify and use four different problem definition tools

·         Write concrete problem statements

·         Use basic brainstorming tools to generate ideas for solutions

·         Evaluate potential solutions against criteria, including cost/benefit analysis and group voting

·         Perform a final analysis to select a solution

·         Understand the roles that fact and intuition play in selecting a solution

·         Understand the need to refine the shortlist and redefine it

·         Understand how to identify the tasks and resources necessary to implement solutions

·         Evaluate and adapt solutions to reality

Developing Creativity

Children have an innate creative ability when they are born, but for some reason adults can lose it along the way. Your participants will move out of the mundane, be more curious, engage, and explore new ideas. Recognize creativity and be ready when it happens.

With our Developing Creativity course your participants will learn how to remove barriers that block or limit their creativity. They will improve their imagination, divergent thinking, and mental flexibility. Participants will learn mind mapping, individual brainstorming, and when to recognize and look for what inspires them to be more creative.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define creativity

·         Act with confidence

·         Engage in curiosity

·         Stop acting out of fear

·         Learn from introspection

·         Take risks

Entrepreneurship

Do you want to be your own boss? Have you ever dreamed of starting your own business? Don’t know what to do about your great business idea? If you have ever thought about these situations then you need our entrepreneurship workshop.

Let our Entrepreneurship workshop help you achieve your dreams. Being an entrepreneur can be full of risks. These risks are minimized through drafting a business plan, knowing your competition, and successful marketing. All these and more can be found in our Entrepreneurship workshop.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand how to start a business

·         Develop a business plan

·         Get financing for your business

·         Hire and train employees

·         Run your business

·         Grow your business

Interpersonal Skills

We’ve all met that dynamic, charismatic person that just has a way with others, and has a way of being remembered. Your participants will identify ways of creating a powerful introduction, remembering names, and managing situations when you’ve forgotten someone’s name.

The Interpersonal Skills workshop will help participants work towards being that unforgettable person by providing communication skills, negotiation techniques, tips on making an impact, and advice on networking and starting conversations. They will also identify the skills needed in starting a conversation, moving a conversation along, and progressing to higher levels of conversation.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the difference between hearing and listening
·         Know some ways to improve the verbal skills of asking questions and communicating with power.
·         Understand what is ‘non-verbal communication’ and how it can enhance interpersonal relationships.
·         Identify the skills needed in starting a conversation.
·         Identify ways of creating a powerful introduction, remembering names, and managing situations when you’ve forgotten someone’s name.
·         Understand how seeing the other side can improve skills in influencing other people.
·         Understand how the use of facts and emotions can help bring people to your side.
·         Identify ways of sharing one’s opinions constructively.
·         Learn tips in preparing for a negotiation, opening a negotiation, bargaining, and closing a negotiation.
·         Learn tips in making an impact through powerful first impressions.

Mobile Learning

Mobile learning, or mLearning, is defined as the delivery of learning, education or training on mobile devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops or PDAs.  MLearning allows training and support to be taken anywhere, making it flexible and convenient for companies to use.

With our mLearning workshop, you will begin to see the importance and usefulness of mLearning in any organization. By absorbing the ins and outs of utilizing mLearning, participants will possess the skills needed to take advantage of this new technology, in order to educate employees and clients more efficiently.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Know the meaning of mLearning

·         Recognize different methods of mLearning

·         Know the benefits/challenges of using mLearning

·         Train other employees regarding mLearning

·         Form an mLearning plan

Negotiation Skills

Although people often think of boardrooms, suits, and million dollar deals when they hear the word negotiation, the truth is that we negotiate all the time. Through this workshop participants will be able to understand the basic types of negotiations, the phases of negotiations, and the skills needed for successful negotiating.

The Negotiation Skills workshop will give your participants a sense of understanding their opponent and have the confidence to not settle for less than they feel is fair. Your participants will learn that an atmosphere of respect is essential, as uneven negations could lead to problems in the future.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the basic types of negotiations, the phases of negotiations, and the skills needed for successful negotiating

·         Understand and apply basic negotiating concepts: WATNA, BATNA, WAP, and ZOPA

·         Lay the groundwork for negotiation

·         Identify what information to share and what to keep to yourself

·         Understand basic bargaining techniques

·         Apply strategies for identifying mutual gain

·         Understand how to reach consensus and set the terms of agreement

·         Deal with personal attacks and other difficult issues

·         Use the negotiating process to solve everyday problems

·         Negotiate on behalf of someone else

Personal Branding

Personal Branding is identifying your assets, characteristics, strengths, and skills as an individual. Understanding Personal Branding will provide advantages in your participant’s personal and professional lives. Branding is a mix of how you present yourself and how others see you. It is important to be aware of how you are viewed.

With our Personal Branding course your participants will be able to share their vision and passions with others in your company. Utilize this knowledge through Social Media to define and influence how others see you. You are your brand so protect it. Live it.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define your image.

·         Control your image.

·         Understand how to sharpen your brand.

·         Use social media appropriately.

·         Manage your brand in a crisis.

·         Develop a professional appearance.

Project Management

In the past few decades, organizations have discovered something incredible: the principles that have been used to create enormous successes in large projects can be applied to projects of any size to create amazing success. As a result, many employees are expected to understand project management techniques and how to apply them to projects of any size.

The Project Management workshop will give participants an overview of the entire project management process, as well as key project management tools that they can use every day. Working with project planning documents, such as needs assessments, risk management plan, and a communication plan will provide benefits throughout your organization.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define projects, project management, and project managers

·         Identify the five process groups and nine knowledge areas as defined by the PMI

·         Describe the triple constraint

·         Perform a project needs assessment and write goals, requirements, and deliverables

·         Create key project documents.

·         Build a project schedule by estimating time, costs, and resources

·         Understand and use the work breakdown structure

·         Create project planning documents, such as a schedule, risk management plan, and communication plan

·         Use planning tools, including the Gantt chart, network diagram, and RACI chart

·         Establish and use baselines

·         Monitor and maintain the project

·        Perform basic management tasks, including leading status meetings and ensuring all documents are complete at the end of the project

Ten Soft Skills You Need

The meaning of Soft Skills can sometimes be difficult to describe. It can be that unique attribute or characteristic that facilitates great communication. It can be the special way that you show confidence in a challenging situation. These and other events can become more easily managed with this great workshop.

With our Ten Soft Skills You Need workshop your participants will begin to see how important it is to develop a core set of soft skills. By managing and looking at the way people interact and seeing things in a new light, your participants will improve on almost every aspect of their career.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Discuss how soft skills are important to success in the workplace

·         Understand the 10 key soft skills everyone should have

·         Use soft skills to relate more effectively to others in the workplace

·         Understand how to use soft skills to communicate, problem-solve, and resolve conflict

·         Apply soft skills to specific situations

Time Management

Personal time management skills are essential for professional success in any workplace. Those able to successfully implement time management strategies are able to control their workload rather than spend each day in a frenzy of activity reacting to crisis after crisis – stress declines and personal productivity soars! These highly effective individuals are able to focus on the tasks with the greatest impact to them and their organization.

The Time Management workshop will cover strategies to help participants learn these crucial strategies. Your participants will be given a skill set that include personal motivation, delegation skills, organization tools, and crisis management. We’ll cover all this and more during this workshop.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Plan and prioritize each day’s activities in a more efficient, productive manner

·         Overcome procrastination quickly and easily

·         Handle crises effectively and quickly

·         Organize your workspace and workflow to make better use of time

·         Delegate more efficiently

·         Use rituals to make your life run smoother

·         Plan meetings more appropriately and effectively

Women in Leadership

In this workshop, you will learn about how organizations can develop women leaders, about the benefits of women in organizations, as well as advancements for the future of women.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Discuss the leadership gap between men and women

·         Learn about women in various powerful positions

·         Discuss different traits associated with women in management

·         Understand the different barriers facing women in leadership positions

·         Learn about the benefits of having women leading the workforce

Human Resources

Business Succession Planning

The loss of valuable leadership can cripple a company. Business succession planning is essentially preparing successors to take on vital leadership roles when the need arises. It is essential to the long-term survival of a company. Every company should have a form of succession planning in its portfolio as it is not the expected absences that can cripple a company, but the unexpected ones.

Whether it is preparing someone to take over a position of leadership in a corporation, or the sole proprietor of a small business Business Succession Planning will teach you the difference between succession planning and mere replacement planning. How you prepare people to take on the responsibilities of leadership so that the company thrives in the transition is just as important as picking the right person for the job.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define business succession planning and its role in your company.

·         Lay the groundwork to develop a succession plan.

·         The importance of mentorship.

·         Define and use a SWOT analysis to set goals.

·         Create a plan, assign roles, and execute the plan.

·         Communicate to develop support and manage change.

·         Anticipate obstacles, and evaluate and adapt goals and plans.

·         Characterize success.

Contract Management

It is easy to overlook the importance of contract management because it seems to be a boring, mundane topic.  Contracts, however,  are the basis of most business relationships. If contracts are managed well, business relationship will flourish. If they are  not, companies face financial loss, relationship harm, and damaged reputations.

With our “Contract Management” workshop, your participants will discover the specifics of how contract management works and how to effectively source agents.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify contract elements

·         Understand ethical contract management

·         Calculate value

·         Negotiate contracts

·        Create basic amendments

Crisis Management

Crisis management is as important as finance management, personnel management, etc.  Having a clear and effective program and plan for an event is critical not only to your survival, but critical to the profitability and possibly the survival of the company.  Being able to identify risk, assess the situation and respond appropriately is important, and requires not only training, but practice.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify potential risks

·         Understand the myths behind workplace violence

·         Define escalation and identify examples

·         Learn concerning behaviors

·         Know what a trigger is and how that can escalate

·         Understand the proper response to an event

Developing a Lunch and Learn

Creating a Lunch and Learn session is a low cost training option. It is a great way to introduce a topic or give a small demonstration on a new product or service. Your participants will be shown the criteria involved in creating a great Lunch and Learn environment. They are usually voluntary, thus attendance can sometimes be an issue. With this workshop you will be given the knowledge work through this issue and others.

Our Lunch and Learn workshop will give your organization a quick and useful tool to add to its training department. Your participants will be able to use it as a follow-up or refresher to a previous training session. It doesn’t have to be just about a learning event, it can also involve collaboration, networking, or sharing best practices between employees.

Workshop Objectives:

·          Understand what a lunch and learn is and is not

·         Be able to set up and break down

·         Create new content

·         Address difficult situations and people

·         Create useful takeaways

·         Use feedback to improve future lunch and learns

Diversity and Inclusion

Experiencing diversity is a part of living in a civilized society. Differences do not equal a right way or a wrong way; it is variety that can lead to a common goal. Understanding the various forms of diversity makes for a better company and world in general.

With our Diversity and Inclusion workshop, your participants will recognize how to better manage diversity, and recognize its benefits. Your participants will learn how to implement and develop a policy that does not allow for discrimination. It is vital that every employer and employee understands the concepts of diversity.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define diversity

·         Understand various forms of diversity

·         Comprehend the importance of diversity training

·         Handle conflicts with regard to diversity

·         Implement and develop appropriate policies

·         Manage diversity and recognize its benefits

Employee Onboarding

Employee Onboarding is an important and vital part of any companies hiring procedure. Hiring, training, and bringing new employees on board cost a lot of money and are major investments. Onboarding is a secure investment that will assist newly hired employees in developing and keeping their skills, knowledge, and value within the company. It will stop highly skilled workers from being lured to a competitor, which makes your company stronger within the market.

Through Employee Onboarding you will find it lowers costs related to employee turnover. It will increase productivity and produce a happier and more skilled workforce. The new hire phase is a critical time for the employee and company and having a structured set of procedures will make this time run smoother and produce a greater chance of success.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define onboarding.

·         Understanding the benefits and purpose of onboarding.

·         Recognize how to prepare for an onboarding program.

·         Identify ways to engage and follow up with employees.

·         Create expectations.

·         Discover the importance of resiliency and flexibility.

Employee Recruitment

Many companies simply wait for talent to come to them. Simply advertising an open position and hoping that you find the right talent does not guarantee that you will find the best people for the jobs in your organization. Actively seeking out qualified candidates is the best way to ensure that you find the talent that you need. Recruitment is essential to the success of your business.

Hiring a new employee is one of the largest investments you can make in business. That is why hiring the correct employee is so important. Hiring the right employee is more important than ever, as training can be very expensive. Employee turnover costs companies a lot of money each year. This course will provide the Employee Recruitment that your hiring department need to help them interview and recruit the right employee for you.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Defining recruitment.

·         Understanding the selection process.

·         Recognizing the GROW model and how to set goals.

·         Preparing for the interview and question process.

·         Identifying and avoiding bias when making offers.

·         Discovering ways to retain talent and measure growth.

Employee Termination Processes

Having to fire an employee is never an easy task.  Sometimes, despite attempts of open communication and encouraging performance, an employee will need to be terminated from the company.  One of the hardest aspects of preparing to fire an employee is to separate the emotions from the facts.  Firing an employee should always be a last resort, so it is important that the manager has covered all other avenues possible before moving forward.

With our Employee Termination workshop, your participants will begin to see how important it is to develop a core set of skills when they find themselves in a situation where they have to let an employee go.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Create employee performance plans

·         Identify employees who should be terminated

·         Establish effective termination meetings

·         Know the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” of firing an employee

·        Be able to conduct exit interviews

Generation Gaps

While having various cultures in one workplace can present communication problems and conflicts, the benefits of such a variety in the workplace outweigh it. The workplace can present challenges to management in terms of handling the different generations present. As older workers delay retiring and younger workers are entering the workforce, the work environment has become a patchwork of varying perspectives and experiences, all valuable to say the least.

The Generation Gaps workshop will help participants understand the various generations present at work, and understand what motivates them and dealing with them on a daily basis. Both the young and older worker will have many ideas to offer, which will help the organization thrive in the marketplace. Learning how to deal with the Generation Gaps at work will help you become a better manager or co-worker.

Workshop Objectives:

·         History behind generation gaps

·         What are traditionalists

·         What are baby boomers

·         What are Generation Xers

·         What are Generation Yers

·         Welcoming Generation Z to the workforce

·         Differences between each type of generation

·         Finding common ground among the generations

·         Conflict management

·         Leveraging the benefits of generation gaps at work

Health & Wellness at Work

A healthy employee is a happy and productive employee, and that is a goal for every organization. Through our Health and Wellness at Work program your participants will experience the benefits of a healthier lifestyle and workplace.

Our Health and Wellness at Work course will be instrumental in creating a “Culture of Wellness” within your organization. Your participants will touch on common issues such as smoking cessation, nutrition & weight loss, and preventative care. Health and Wellness is the responsibility of everyone in an organization so take the positive step and create a program at your organization.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Access Health and Wellness Program Needs

·         Plan a Health and Wellness Program

·         Implement a Health and Wellness Program

·         Maintain a Health and Wellness Program

Hiring Strategies

Successful companies are made up of great employees, so why not hire great employees? Hiring and training employees is an expensive venture. Be sure to hire the right person for the right position. Hiring the right person is more about skills and abilities; it is about finding the right combination of skills, attitude, and fit for your organization’s culture.

Hiring Strategies will save your company time and money as you will be recruiting and hiring the right candidates. Your hiring department will benefit from this workshop as it prepares them to seek out that great candidate and make sure they are a fit for your company. Your participants will obtain the necessary tools required in finding that diamond in the rough.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Know how to present the current open position
·         Develop a workable hiring strategy
·         Know how to determine which candidates to interview
·         Steps and techniques to use in an interview
·         Welcome newly hired employees
·         Find potential candidates for the position

Human Resource Management

In recent years, tasks that were originally thought to fall under the responsibility of the human resources department have become a part of many managers’ job descriptions. The sharing and diffusion of these tasks throughout the organization has had an impact particularly on those that are not equipped with the skills or knowledge to deal with these issues.

The Human Resource Management workshop will give managers the basic tools to handle numerous human resource situations such as interviewing, orientation, safety, harassment, discrimination, violence, discipline, and termination. This workshop will provide your participants those skills and assist them with certain Human Resource situations.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Describe the implications of different aspects of Human Resource Management on your daily responsibilities

·         Define human resources terms and subject matter

·         Recruit, interview, and retain employees more effectively

·         Follow up with new employees in a structured manner

·         Be an advocate for your employees’ health and safety

·         Provide accurate, actionable feedback to employees

·         Act appropriately in situations requiring discipline and termination

·         Evaluate some of the strengths and opportunities for Human Resources in your own workplace

·         Identify three areas for further development within the Human Resources field as part of a personal action plan

Measuring Results From Training

Although we all know that training can have many amazing benefits, sometimes it can be hard to prove those benefits and attach a dollar value to training. Some topics, like sales training or time management, might have direct, tangible benefits. Other topics, like communication or leadership, might have benefits that you can’t put a dollar value on.

Our Measuring Results From Training course, your participants will learn about the different ways to evaluate training progress, and how to use those results to demonstrate the results that training brings. Once the training has been evaluated the next step is to modify and updated the curriculum to create a content that is better suited for the participants.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand Kolb’s learning styles and learning cycle

·         Understand Kirkpatrick’s levels of evaluation

·         Be familiar with many types of evaluation tools, including goal setting, tests, reactionary sheets, interviews, observations, hip-pocket assessments, skill assessments, and learning journals

·         Understand when to use each type of evaluation tool

·         Be able to perform a needs assessment

·         Know how to write learning objectives and link them to evaluation

·         Be able to write an evaluation plan to evaluate learning at each stage of the training and far beyond

·         Know how to identify the costs, benefits, and return on investment of training

·         Be familiar with the parts of a business case

Talent Management

Talent Management is an investment. Every company wants to have the best and brightest employees, and with Talent Management that can be achieved. The item that usually accounts for the highest cost for a company is its work force. With a company’s workforce being the highest cost to it, does it not make sense to invest in it? With Talent Management you are developing a more skilled workforce and attracting a higher caliber of new employee.

We all know that training and retraining costs money and Talent Management can reduce these costs. Recruiting the correct people, and keeping a talented workforce is a priority in today’s business environment. Having a talented group of employees has always been a key to success; it will translate into cost savings and higher productivity. Talent Management is the investment that will pay dividends over the course of its use.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define talent and talent management.

·         Understand the benefits of talent management.

·         Recognize performance management and ways to review talent.

·         Identify employee engagement.

·         Create assessments and training programs.

·         Learn how to improve employee retention.

Train the Trainer

Whether you are preparing to be a professional trainer, or you are someone who does a bit of training as a part of their job, you’ll want to be prepared for the training that you do. Your participants will begin the process of becoming trainers themselves, and understand that training is a process where skills, knowledge, and attitudes are applied.

The Train-The-Trainer workshop will give all types of trainer’s tools to help them create and deliver engaging, compelling workshops that will encourage trainees to come back for more. Skills such as facilitating, needs analyses, understanding participant’s needs, and managing tough topics will give your trainees what the need to become a trainer themselves.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define training, facilitating, and presenting

·         Understand how to identify participants’ training needs

·         Create a lesson plan that incorporates the range of learning preferences

·         Create an active, engaging learning environment

·         Develop visual aids and supporting materials

·         Manage difficult participants and tough topics

Universal Safety Practices

The importance of safety cannot be overstated. Every organization is responsible for the safety of employees while they are working. In 2015, OSHA estimated safety problems cost companies $1 billion a week. Understanding universal safety practices and how to implement them will help keep everyone protected while ensuring the company’s financial security.

With our “Universal Safety Practices” workshop, your participants will discover how safety affects employee engagement and the bottom line. Safety may seem like a boring topic, but an unsafe work environment cannot be ignored.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the importance and legal responsibilities of safety

·         Perform risks assessments

·         Establish a safety program

·         Monitor safety

·         Communicate safety policies

Workplace Diversity

With the world becoming more mobile and diverse, diversity has taken on a new importance in the workplace. Your participants will be able to use strategies for removing barriers and stereotypes, and to encourage diversity in the workplace and even through their community.

The Workplace Diversity workshop will help participants understand what diversity is all about, and how they can help create a more diverse world at work and at home. They will be instructed to use skills such as active listening to receive messages in a diverse population, employ effective questioning techniques, and communicate with strength.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Explain the definition, terms and history of diversity

·         Describe the meaning of stereotypes and biases, how they develop, and the reasons for your own perspectives

·         List strategies for removing barriers to encouraging diversity for yourself, in the workplace, and in the social community

·         Use active listening skills to receive messages in a diverse population, employ effective questioning techniques, and communicate with strength

·         Identify ways to encourage diversity in the workplace, and prevent and discourage discrimination

·         Understand and respond to personal complaints, and develop a support system to manage the resolution process

·         List the steps a manager should take to record a complaint, analyze the situation, and take appropriate resolution action

Workplace Harassment

Harassment can be based on a variety of factors that differ from the one doing the harassment, such as race, sex, and disability. Experiencing uncomfortable situations in the workplace may be more than an offense against an individual. It can be a crime committed against the law, which is why this topic has become a very important for every organization.

The Workplace Harassment workshop will help give participants the tools necessary to recognize harassment in the workplace as well understand your rights and responsibilities under the law, with regard to safety in the workplace. Through this workshop your participants will recognize that it is necessary for everyone to help create programs that teach employees to identify harassment and exercise anti-harassment policies.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify the words and actions that constitute harassment.

·         Understand what the law says about harassment.

·         Implement anti-harassment policies.

·         Educate employees and develop anti-harassment policies.

·         Discuss employer and employee’s rights and responsibilities.

·         Address accusations of harassment.

·         Apply proper mediation procedures.

·         Deal with the aftermath of harassment.

Workplace Harassment

Harassment can be based on a variety of factors that differ from the one doing the harassment, such as race, sex, and disability. Experiencing uncomfortable situations in the workplace may be more than an offense against an individual. It can be a crime committed against the law, which is why this topic has become a very important for every organization.

The Workplace Harassment workshop will help give participants the tools necessary to recognize harassment in the workplace as well understand your rights and responsibilities under the law, with regard to safety in the workplace. Through this workshop your participants will recognize that it is necessary for everyone to help create programs that teach employees to identify harassment and exercise anti-harassment policies.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify the words and actions that constitute harassment.

·         Understand what the law says about harassment.

·         Implement anti-harassment policies.

·         Educate employees and develop anti-harassment policies.

·         Discuss employer and employee’s rights and responsibilities.

·         Address accusations of harassment.

·         Apply proper mediation procedures.

·         Deal with the aftermath of harassment.

Workplace Violence

In order to prevent Workplace Violence, it is essential that managers and employees are able to identify individuals who could become violent and understand how to diffuse dangerous situations. This workshop will help participants to identify and address violence in the workplace, as well as giving them the tools to develop their own Workplace Harassment Policy.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define workplace harassment.

·         Understand bullies and how to avoid hiring them.

·         Create a risk assessment and understand how to handle violence.

·         Recognize social and business responsibility.

·         Develop relevant policies and procedures.

·         Learn how to investigate complaints.

Personal Development

Adult Learner: Mental Skills

Bloom’s Taxonomy is not just for elementary school teachers. The three domains of the taxonomy apply to adult education as well. In this manual, we will pay attention to the cognitive domain. This is the domain of knowledge and intellect, and it is the main focus of most educators.

With our “Adult Learner: Bloom’s Taxonomy – Cognitive Domain” workshop, your participants will discover the specifics of how the cognitive domain increases intellectual capability.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand Bloom’s Taxonomy

·         Explain the cognitive domain

·         Explore the two cognitive domains

·         Explain types of knowledge

·         Identify training in the cognitive domain

Adult Learner: Physical Skills

Bloom’s Taxonomy is not just for elementary school teachers. The three domains of the taxonomy apply to adult education as well. In this manual, we will pay attention to the psychomotor domain. This is the domain of action and physicality. It is important to remember that psychomotor works together with the other domains when implementing it.

With our Adult Learning – Physcal Skills workshop, your participants will discover how to better navigate their physical environment. The understanding and coordination of physical skills provides an incredible benefit to everyone.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand Bloom’s Taxonomy

·         Explain the psychomotor domain

·         Explore the different psychomotor taxonomies

·         Explain ways to implement training in the psychomotor domain

·         Identify psychomotor activities

Anger Management Skills

Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.’ We would add a third item to his list: anger. Controlling and limiting anger is important in every aspect of one’s life. Without control you are putting limits on what you can accomplish in your personal and professional life.

Anger can be an incredibly damaging force, costing people their jobs, personal relationships, and even their lives when it gets out of hand. However, since everyone experiences anger, it is important to have constructive approaches to manage it effectively. The Anger Management workshop will help teach participants how to identify their anger triggers and what to do when they get angry.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand anger dynamics in terms of the anger cycle and the fight and flight theory.

·         Know common anger myths and their factual refutations.

·         Know the helpful and unhelpful ways of dealing with anger.

·         Understand the difference between objective and subjective language.

·         Know tips in identifying the problem.

·         Express a feeling or position using I-messages.

·         Negotiation and solution-building.

·         Reflect on one’s hot buttons and personal anger dynamics.

·         Learn and practice de-escalation techniques.

Attention Management Skills

A distracted employee is a less effective employee. Employees who do not pay attention to their work can waste valuable time and make careless mistakes. Your participants will be more efficient at their job, make fewer mistakes, and overall be more productive.

Attention Management is a useful skill that allows managers to connect with their employees on an emotional level and motivate them to focus on their work and how to reach their personal and company goals. Your participants will gain valuable insight and strategies into what it takes to be more attentive and vigilant.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define and understand attention management.

·         Identify different types of attention.

·         Create strategies for goals and SMART goals.

·         Be familiar with methods that focus attention.

·         Put an end to procrastination.

·         Learn how to prioritize time.

·         Increased productivity

·         Increased job satisfaction

How to Become a More Likable Boss

Becoming a more likable boss can sometimes be a difficult process to describe. It can be one characteristic that facilitates great communication and great employee relationships. It can be the special way that you show confidence in among your team. These and other events can become more easily managed with this great workshop.

With our How to Become a More Likable Boss workshop, your participants will begin to see how important it is to develop better managerial skills. By managing and looking at the way people interact and seeing things in a new light, your participants will improve on almost every aspect of their career.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand how to develop leadership qualities

·         Know how to delegate effectively

·         Choose inspirational and engaging tasks for yourself and others

·         Use wisdom and understanding to lead others

·         Identify the roles of your team

·         Learn how to trust others and earn their trust.

Critical Thinking Skills

We live in a knowledge based society, and the more critical you think the better your knowledge will be. Critical Thinking provides you with the skills to analyze and evaluate information so that you are able to obtain the greatest amount of knowledge from it. It provides the best chance of making the correct decision, and minimizes damages if a mistake does occur.

Critical Thinking will lead to being a more rational and disciplined thinker. It will reduce your prejudice and bias which will provide you a better understanding of your environment. This workshop will provide you the skills to evaluate, identify, and distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information. It will lead you to be more productive in your career, and provide a great skill in your everyday life.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the components of critical thinking

·         Utilize non-linear thinking

·         Use logical thinking

·         Recognize what it means to be a critical thinker

·         Evaluate information using critical thinking skills

·         Identify the benefits of critical thinking

·         Revise perspective, when necessary

·         Comprehend problem solving abilities

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence describes the ability to understand one’s own feelings, and those of groups, and how these emotions can influence motivation and behavior. The concepts of Emotional Intelligence have been around since at least the 1900’s, but the term was first introduced by Wayne Payne in 1985.

As a result of the growing acknowledgement by professionals of the importance and relevance of emotions to work outcomes, the research on the topic continued to gain momentum, but it wasn’t until the publication of Daniel Goleman’s best seller Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ that the term became widely accepted by mainstream media.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define and practice self-management, self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, and empathy.

·         Understand, use and manage your emotions.

·         Verbally communicate with others.

·         Successfully communicate with others in a non-verbal manner.

·         Identify the benefits of emotional intelligence.

·         Relate emotional intelligence to the workplace.

·         Balance optimism and pessimism.

·         Effectively impact others.

Goal Setting and Getting Things

Goal Setting is one of the most basic and essential skills someone can develop. What makes a good goal? We touch on goal characteristics, time management, making a to do list, and what to do when setbacks occur. This workshop will provide the knowledge and skills for your participants to complete more tasks and get things done.

Our Goal Setting and Getting Things Done workshop will cover strategies to help your participants overcome procrastination. These skills will translate into increased satisfaction in their professional and personal lives. Your participants will learn the Goal Setting characteristics of successful people and in turn will become happier and more productive individuals.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Overcome procrastination

·         Manage time effectively

·         Accomplish important tasks

·          Self-motivate

·          Create SMART goals

Improving Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a term that is frequently used but rarely defined. Practicing true mindfulness encourages living in the present while it addresses the danger of distorted thinking, Staying in tune both mentally and emotionally improves perspective to enhance personal a professional success.

With our Improving Mindfulness workshop, your participants will begin to identify their own patterns of thinking. As they learn to practice mindfulness, they will cultivate positive emotions that will have a dramatic effect on the work environment.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define mindfulness

·         Develop techniques to make oneself more attuned to the present moment

·         Understand the value and utility of one’s emotions

·         Learn how to identify and counter distorted thinking

·         Learn how to cultivate genuine positive emotions

·         Become more fully present in social interactions

Increasing Self Awareness

Self awareness is an important part of everyday life. It transfers over to your personal, social, physical and work life. It can help one gain a better understanding of themselves, and how to live a better, more fulfilling life. When working to deepen one’s own self awareness, it is important to fully engage yourself. One should take the time and proper steps, to fully become self aware.

With the Deepening Self Awareness workshop, your participants will learn how beneficial becoming more self aware can be. A highly self aware person will become more equipped to deal with daily life and its challenges. Through this workshop, your participants will gain a new perspective on themselves and their emotions, and become a valuable member to society.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define the self and different aspects of the self

·         Learn from introspection

·         Understand the nature and value of emotions

·         Appreciate themselves

·         Appreciate others

·         Improve effectiveness

Increasing Happiness  With Positive Thinking

Increasing ones happiness can be done through the power of positive thinking. That is one skill that this work shop will touch on to teach your participants how to be happier. Happiness will spread throughout your organization, and have a positive effect on everyone.

With our Increasing Your Happiness workshop your participants will engage in unique and helpful ways to increase their happiness. This will have a robust effect on their professional and personal lives. It will improve their communication skills, increase productivity, and lesson absenteeism.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Discuss how planning ahead cultivates workplace happiness

·         Create a nightly routine and daily plan

·         Relate more effectively to others in the workplace

·         Understand how the workspace environment impacts happiness

·         Think more positively

·         Take actions that will create greater workplace happiness

Job Search Skills

Searching for a job can be intimidating. How do you know what job you’re best suited for? How do you build a winning resume and cover letter? Where can you find job leads? How do you network without feeling nervous? What happens when you land an interview? And most importantly, where do you find help when you need it?

The Job Search Skills workshop will give you the answers to all these questions, plus a plan to get you to a new job within a month. After completing this program, you’ll be more than ready to start your search for your perfect job. Identifying the purpose for working and the assessment of skills can help determine the types of jobs your participants should apply for.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define your objectives and purpose in your search for employment.

·         Help you establish SMART goals in the job-hunting process.

·         Assist you in developing a first month plan of action for your job search.

·         Craft an effective resume.

·         Form an attractive cover letter.

·         Develop and present a portfolio of your prior work.

·         Learn networking skills in finding leads for jobs.

·         Efficiently get interviews and thrive in the interview process.

Life Coaching Essentials

Many people often mistake a life coach for a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or a therapist. This misconception often leads people to believe they do not need a life coach since they feel as though nothing is wrong with their mental health. However, a life coach is designed to help improve a person’s professional and personal life by working with them to achieve their goals.

With our Life Coaching Essentials workshop, your participants will discover the meaning of life coaching and how life coaching services can be utilized to achieve their goals.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Determine the purpose of life coaching

·         Define benefits of life coaching

·         Know the tools and techniques for life coaching

·         Outline a life coaching session

·         Know the different areas of life coaching

Managing Personal Finances

There are millions of American citizens struggling with debt.  A lot of debt can be alleviated if you have the right tools.  This workshop will provide you with the tools you need to reduce or eliminate debt, and give you the financial stability you need.  The guide teaches you the benefits of having a budget and how to build a budget that fits your needs, and lifestyle. You will discover how you can cut costs, pay off debts, and live within your budget.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Discover how to establish financial goals

·         Evaluate where financial cuts can be made

·         Learn the basics about expenses

·         Determine what tools you need to stick with your budget.

Managing Workplace Anxiety

The workplace is one of the leading locations where people experience stress and anxiety. Every employee will encounter it sometime during their career. Everyone should be aware of the signs of anxiety and the tools needed to cope and deal with it.

Our Managing Workplace Anxiety workshop will provide your participants the important skills and resources to recognize and manage workplace anxiety. By identifying these symptoms and coping skills employees and managers will be better suited in dealing with these common situations. Through this workshop your participants will be better suited to the challenges that the workplace can bring.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Explore different types of workplace anxieties

·         Learn to recognize symptoms and warning signs

·         Determine ways of coping and managing problems

·         Recognize common trigger and accelerants

·         Learn the difference between anxiety and common nervousness

Personal Productivity

Most people find that they wish they had more time in a day. This workshop will show participants how to organize their lives and find those hidden moments. Participants will learn how to establish routines, set goals, create an efficient environment, and use time-honored planning and organizational tools to maximize their personal productivity.

Personal Productivity is a goal most of us have. Through this workshop your participants will be on the right track in achieving that goal. Some people blame everything that goes wrong in their life on something or someone else, but through this workshop your participants will take ownership and begin to lead a more productive life.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Set and evaluate SMART goals

·         Use routines to maximize their productivity

·         Use scheduling tools to make the most of their time

·         Stay on top of their to-do list

·         Start new tasks and projects on the right foot

·         Use basic project management techniques

·         Organize their physical and virtual workspaces for maximum efficiency

·         Take back time from e-mail and handheld devices

·         Beat procrastination

Public Speaking

Forget small spaces, darkness, and spiders, standing up in front of a crowd and talking is far more terrifying for most people. Through this workshop your participants will become more confident and relaxed in front of an audience which will translate into a successful speaking event.

However, mastering this fear and getting comfortable speaking in public can be a great ego booster, not to mention a huge benefit to your career. The Public Speaking workshop will give participants some basic public speaking skills, including in-depth information on developing an engaging program and delivering their presentation with power.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify their audience

·         Create a basic outline

·         Organize their ideas

·         Flesh out their presentation

·         Find the right words

·         Prepare all the details

·         Overcome nervousness

·         Deliver a polished, professional speech

·         Handle questions and comments effectively

Social Intelligence

Social Intelligence is about understanding your environment and having a positive influence. Your participants will become more confident in their social situations by learning how to express and interrupt social cues. They will create positive connections and increase their influence during social situations.

Increasing Social Intelligence will provide benefits throughout their professional and personal lives. It is a fantastic tool for coaching and development as people will learn “people skills”. Improving social skills through active listening, understanding body language, and being more empathic will give your participants the advantage in their interactions. Social interactions are a two way street, know the rules of the road!

Workshop Objectives:

·         Be aware of our own behaviors

·         Learn to be empathetic with others

·         Know tools for active listening

·         Effectively communicate interpersonally

·         Recognize various social cues

·         Determine appropriate conversation topics

·         Know various forms of body language

Social Learning

Social Learning is an effective way to train your employees through modeling positive behaviors. It is a great way to promote cohesion and involvement as it builds a culture of learning. Your participants will learn the best way to conduct role plays, share best practices, and provide constant and immediate feedback.

With our Social Learning course your participants will be creating learning communities that benefit every aspect of your organization. They will learn new behaviors through observation and modeling and be instilled with a passion for learning.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define and use social learning.

·         Identify social learning tools.

·         Manipulate group dynamics and culture.

·         Craft and lead role play scenarios.

·         Practice being a role model.

·         Understand modeling and observation.

Stress Management

Positive and negative stress is a constant influence on all of our lives. The trick is to maximize the positive stress and to minimize the negative stress. Your participants will be shown how stress can be positive and negative, and we’ll look at the Triple A approach that will form the basis of this workshop.

The Stress Management workshop will give participants a three-option method for addressing any stressful situation, as well as a toolbox of personal skills, including using routines, relaxation techniques, and a stress log system. They will also understand what lifestyle elements they can change to reduce stress.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify the best approach to a stressful situation (Alter, Avoid, or Accept)

·         Understand what lifestyle elements you can change to reduce stress

·         Use routines to reduce stress

·         Use environmental and physical relaxation techniques

·         Better cope with major events

·         Use a stress log to identify stressors and create a plan to reduce or eliminate them

Taking Initiative

Taking the initiative is a crucial step in moving forward in our professional and personal lives. By showing initiative, it reflects us in a positive light to others as well as builds our own self-esteem. If we want something to happen, we need to make it happen. That is what initiative is all about. Take opportunities and run with them. Do not let excuses cause you to miss out on amazing opportunities. See what you want, believe what you want, and make it happen.

With our “Taking Initiative” workshop, the class participants will learn what initiative is, how to take it on, the advantages of it, and when to know one’s place. By enrolling in this class, participants will be taking the first step in making something positive happen for them! Now that is initiative!

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify what initiative looks like

·         Recognize when you can take steps outside the normal

·         Build confidence for themselves

·         Learn to find opportunities

·         Learn good and bad aspects of initiative

·         Balance initiative and restraint

Taking Initiative

Taking the initiative is a crucial step in moving forward in our professional and personal lives. By showing initiative, it reflects us in a positive light to others as well as builds our own self-esteem. If we want something to happen, we need to make it happen. That is what initiative is all about. Take opportunities and run with them. Do not let excuses cause you to miss out on amazing opportunities. See what you want, believe what you want, and make it happen.

With our “Taking Initiative” workshop, the class participants will learn what initiative is, how to take it on, the advantages of it, and when to know one’s place. By enrolling in this class, participants will be taking the first step in making something positive happen for them! Now that is initiative!

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify what initiative looks like

·         Recognize when you can take steps outside the normal

·         Build confidence for themselves

·         Learn to find opportunities

·         Learn good and bad aspects of initiative

·         Balance initiative and restraint

Sales & Marketing

Body Language Basics

Can you tell if someone is telling the truth just by looking at them? It is a skill that a lot of people do not have. Through Body Language Basics you will be given a set of tools to use to your advantage. These tools can be utilized in the office and at home. Understanding Body Language will provide you a great advantage in your daily communications.

Body Language Basics will provide you with a great set of skills to understand that what is not said is just as important than what is said. It will also give you the ability to see and understand how your own Body Language is being seen. You will be able to adjust and improve the way you communicate through non-verbal communications.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define body language.

·         Understand the benefits and purpose of interpreting body language.

·         Learn to interpret basic body language movements.

·         Recognize common mistakes when interpreting body language.

·         Understand your own body language and what you are communicating.

·         Practice your body language skills.

Coaching Salespeople

Coaching is not just for athletes. More and more organizations are choosing to include coaching as part of their instruction. Coaching salespeople, when done correctly, will not only increase sales, it will have a positive impact on the community and culture of a company. The benefits of coaching salespeople are numerous and worth exploring

With our “Coaching Salespeople” workshop, your participants will discover the specifics of how to develop coaching skills.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand coaching

·         Identify the difference between coaching and training

·         Monitor data

·         Practice coaching activities

·         Affect company culture

Contact Center Training

For many people, the term Contact Center relates to sales calls and telemarketers.  There are so many avenues that a contact center can be of assistance within a company that do not pertain to sales calls.  A contact center can provide customer support, information technology support, and much more.  The key to having a great customer experience using a contact center is in the training.   A well trained contact center can be the difference between gaining more customers and losing customers.  Customers want a well-educated agent when they contact a business.  They want to know that the person answering their questions knows what they are talking about.  Training your staff, and giving them the information that is needed to effectively assist your customer base is paramount.

With our “Contact Center Training” workshop, your participants will discover the basic elements of being an effective employee of a contact center.

Workshop Objectives:

·         How to get management involved in training.

·         Why peer training works.

·         That manners are important with a contact center.

·         How to build rapport with the callers.

·         How to deal with difficult customers.

Creating a Great Webinar

Webinars are a great inexpensive way to reach a large number of people. Webinars are great tools if you want to market a new or improved product, train employees, demonstrate a new task, or have a meeting with employees located throughout the globe. Being an interactive form of media, Webinars provides a great environment for these activities and so much more.

Creating a Great Webinar is all about providing a great interaction between the presenter and the audience. Your participants will develop the skills needed to promote, host, or facilitate a great Webinar for your company. Sharing your passion and knowledge with a Webinar is the best way to reach many with the power of one.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define webinars and their purpose

·         Choose the best formats

·         Prepare for webinars

·         Avoid common mistakes

·         Understand how to interact with the target audience

·         Follow up successfully

Employee Recognition

Recognizing employees through various recognition programs is a fantastic investment. Being appreciated is a basic human feeling and reaps great rewards. Praise and recognition are essential to an outstanding workplace and its employees.

Through our Employee Recognition workshop your participants will recognize the value of implementing even the smallest of plans. The cost of employee recognition is very minimal in relation to the benefits that will be experienced. Employee recognition programs have been shown to increase productivity, employee loyalty, and increased safety.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Assess the type of Employee Recognition Program(s) your company needs

·         Train leadership to recognize their employees

·         Know when and where recognition is needed

·         Construct a culture of recognition

·         Maintain an effective Employee Recognition Program

Event Planning

Successful event planning starts with possessing good communication skills, being highly organized, and having the ability to follow up with vendors until completion. Preparation before, during, and after is crucial in helping reach your desired objectives.

With our Event Planning workshop, your participants will learn how to anticipate and solve common planning issues for any small event such as informal gatherings, up to complex meetings. Effectively troubleshooting will help insure a happy and enjoyable event.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the different types of events

·         Understand the planning process

·         Know how to organize your event

·         Understand how to manage and organize your staff effectively

·         Know how to tie up loose ends after the event

High Performance Teams

High Performance Teams (Non-remote Workers) are organizations, teams or groups working inside an office environment that are focused on achieving the same goals.

With our High Performance Teams (Non -remote Workers) workshop, your participants will begin to see how important it is to develop a core set of high performance skills while working in an office locale. By knowing and managing the way people interact in an office setting, you will be positioning your high performance teams for great success!

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the benefits of high performance teams

·         Address challenges

·         Conduct effective meetings

·         Be able to see the big picture

·         Work collaboratively

·         Adequately praise team members

In-Person Sales

In the age of online shopping and technology, in-person sales can easily be ignored. Do not overlook, however, the importance of personal contact. You never know when or where you will meet your next customer, and it is important to make a good impression. Everyone who is interested in sales must be confident in the art of in-person sales.

With our “In-Person Sales” workshop, your participants will discover the specifics of what it means to become an effective salesperson, and steps to success.  They will learn how to connect with customers and move them through the sales process.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand in-person sales

·         Explain the sales funnel

·         Explore sales techniques

·         Develop loyalty

·         Identify ways to build customer base

Internet Marketing Fundamentals

Marketing has changed dramatically over the last decade. Marketing is all about communicating, and the Internet has completely changed the way people communicate. The Internet is a marketer’s dream come true, especially with Social Media, as you have a low cost marketing tool that can reach a large audience.

Internet Marketing Fundamentals will provide your participants with a great set of skills to market your business online. Content is the king of Internet marketing, and your participants will need to know how to utilize your great content. If you want your business to grow then your participants need to understand Internet Marketing Fundamentals.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Know how to conduct market research

·         Develop a workable internet marketing campaign

·         Recognize your target market

·         Understand your brand

·         Grasp SEO and website characteristics

·         Find and capture leads

Marketing Basics

Marketing is an essential element for every business. It can be that one missing piece of the puzzle, and when it fits the big picture is revealed. Your participants will be given an introduction to marketing and its benefits. If you are not marketing your business you will not grow, and if you do not grow you will not succeed.

Marketing Basics will provide the basic knowledge to your participants, and give them the ability to build and grow your business. Marketing has changed a lot recently and having a new perspective will give your participants the needed information to assist them in their marketing decisions. No matter what your product or service is, your business will benefit with a better understanding of marketing.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define your market.

·         Know the different types of marketing and ways to use them.

·         Learn effective ways of communicating with the customer.

·         Know how to set marketing goals and strategies.

·         Recognize common marketing mistakes and know how to avoid them.

Media And Public Relations

In this workshop, your participants will get knowledge they need to manage effectively their image and value by forming solid networks through strategic communication planning. Effective networking is essential for day-to-day business or for those times when you are actively pursuing job opportunities. This workshop is designed to provide practical and hands-on tools that will give your participants a skillset in dealing with the media and the public.

Media and Public Relations is the most successful method of communicating your value to those around you. Furthermore, good networking skills enable you to tap into those relationships you already have and increase the scope of your network. The larger the scope the more people knows you and offers you opportunities.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Network for success

·         Manage “Meet and Great” opportunities

·         Dress for success

·         Write effectively

·         Set goals

·         Manage media relations

·         Plan issue and crisis communication

·         Use social media

·         Deliver effective employee communication

Motivating Your Sales Team

Everyone can always use some inspiration and motivation. This workshop will help your participant’s target the unique ways each team member is motivated. Finding the right incentive for each member of your sales team is important as motivation works best when it is developed internally. Harness this through better communication, mentoring, and developing the right incentives.

Motivating Your Sales Team will help your participants create the right motivating environment that will shape and develop their sales team with right attitude and healthy competition. Instilling that unique seed which grows the motivation in your team will ensure an increase in performance and productivity. Have the best sales team you can have through better motivation.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Discuss how to create a motivational environment

·         Understand the importance of communication and training in motivating sales teams

·         Determine steps your organization can take to motivate sales team members

·         Understand the benefits of tailoring motivation to individual employees

·         Apply the principles of fostering a motivational environment to your own organization

Multi-Level Marketing

Multi-level marketing, also known as MLM, is a business marketing strategy that many companies use in order to encourage current agents to perform while at the same time growing the team by recruiting and training new agents.  This tactic of marketing helps boost the company’s sales force not only from the sales of the primary agent, but also from the sales and profits of the agents they have recruited.

With our “Multi-Level Marketing” workshop, your participants will discover the specifics of how multi-level marketing works and how to effectively source agents. For many companies, it can prove to be a valuable tool for not only building revenue, but also for building their marketing and networking circles.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Know how multi-level marketing works

·         Build contacts

·         Recruit new agents

·         Be familiar with social media and marketing

·         Provide training for recruits

Overcoming Sales Objections

Experiencing a sales objection can be a disheartening event. Through this course your participants will learn how to eliminate the objection and push through to get that sale. Even the best quality services or items can be turned down, and learning how to overcome these denials will be of great benefit.

Overcoming Sales Objections is an essential part of the sales process, as it will open up a whole new set of opportunities. It will produce new sales and provide an ongoing relationship with new clients. Objections will always occur no matter the item being sold or presented.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the factors that contribute to customer objections.

·         Define different objections.

·         Recognize different strategies to overcome objections.

·         Identify the real objections.

·         Find points of interest.

·         Learn how to deflate objections and close the sale.

Presentation Skills

Many studies have found that public speaking is the number one fear amongst most people, outranking flying, snakes, insects, and even death. Ironically, it is also one of the skills that can make or break a person’s career. Your participants will be provided a strong set of skills that will complement their current presentation skill set.

The Presentation Skills workshop will give participants some presentation skills that will make speaking in public less terrifying and more enjoyable. This workshop includes topics that participants can look forward to including: creating a compelling program, using various types of visual aids, and engaging the audience.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Perform a needs analysis and prepare an outline

·         Select presentation delivery methods

·         Practice verbal and non-verbal communication skills

·         Knock down nervousness

·         Develop and use flip charts with color

·         Create targeted PowerPoint presentations

·         Utilize white boarding for reinforcement

·         Describe how video and audio enhance a presentation and list criteria for determining what types to use

·         Enrich the learning experience with humor, questions, and discussion.

Proposal Writing

A good proposal doesn’t just outline what product or service you would like to create or deliver. It does so in such a way that the reader feels it is the only logical choice. Your participants will explore the proposal writing process including the most common types of proposals.

The Proposal Writing workshop will take participants through each step of the proposal writing process, from understanding why they are writing a proposal; to gathering information; to writing and proofreading; through to creating the final, professional product.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify the purpose of a proposal

·         Identify different types of proposals

·         Identify and perform the steps in the proposal writing process

·         Perform a needs analysis and write a goal statement

·         Prepare a proposal outline

·         Improve their writing skills with a variety of techniques

·         Use appropriate resources and ghosting to build a strong case

·         Add illustrations to their proposal

·         Proofread and edit their proposal

·         Add the finishing touches to create a professional-looking final product

Prospecting & Lead Generation

Prospecting and lead generation is the method of making links which may lead to a sale or other promising result. The leads may come from various sources or undertakings, for example, via the Internet, through personal referrals, through telephone calls either by telemarketers, through advertisements, events, and purchase of lists of potential clients. These and other events can become more easily managed with this great workshop.

With our Prospecting and Lead Generation workshop, your participants will begin to see how important it is to develop a core set of sales skills. By managing and looking at the way people interact and seeing things in a new light, your participants will improve on almost every aspect of their sales strategy.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify prospects

·         Implement both traditional and new marketing methods

·         Use the pipeline effectively

·         Educate customers

·         Track activity and make adjustments as needed

Sales Fundamentals

Although the definition of a sale is simple enough, the process of turning someone into a buyer can be very complex. It requires you to convince someone with a potential interest that there is something for them in making their interest concrete – something that merits spending some of their hard-earned money.

The Sales Fundamentals workshop will give participants a basic sales process, plus some basic sales tools, that they can use to seal the deal, no matter what the size of the sale. Your participants will become more confident, handle objections, and learning how to be a great closer.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the language of sales

·         Prepare for a sales opportunity

·         Begin the discussion on the right foot

·         Make an effective pitch

·         Handle objections

·         Seal the deal

·         Follow up on sales

·         Set sales goals

·         Manage sales data

·         Use a prospect board

Social Media Marketing

Social media is a staple of modern life. It is so enmeshed in the way that we communicate that companies have little choice but to engage social media as part of their marketing strategy. Before implementing any social media strategies, you should take the time to understand the benefits as well as the risks of using different social media platforms to reach current and potential customers.
With our “Social Media and Marketing” workshop, your participants will discover the specifics of how to effectively use social media marketing and its pros and cons.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand different social media platforms

·         Identify audience

·         Monitor and measure performance

·         Consider pros and cons before making decisions

Telephone Etiquette

The meaning of Telephone Etiquette can sometimes be difficult to describe.  It can be a unique attribute or characteristic that facilitates great communication, inside and outside the office. It can be the special way that you show confidence in any challenging situation. These and other events can become more easily managed with this great workshop.

With our Telephone Etiquette workshop, your participants will begin to see how important it is to develop better telephone communication skills. By improving how they communicate on the telephone and improve basic communication skills, your participants will improve on almost every aspect of their career.

 

Workshop Objectives:

·         Recognize the different aspects of telephone language

·         Properly handle inbound/outbound calls

·         Know how to handle angry or rude callers

·         Learn to receive and send phone messages

·         Know different methods of employee training

 Top 10 Sales Secrets

No one is born a sales person.  No one has a special gift that makes customers buy products/services.  Everyone can however, learn how to sell successfully.  By learning to communicate with customers, build lead lists, and sell the company’s services with authority, anyone can be a successful sales person.

With our “Top 10 Sales Secrets” workshop, your participants will discover the specifics of how to develop the traits that will make them successful sales people and how to build positive, long lasting relationships with their customers!

Workshop Objectives:

·         Learn how to develop effective traits

·         Learn how to “know” your clients better.

·         Better represent the product/service

·         Cultivate effective leads

·         Sell with authority

·         Learn how to build trusting, long term relationships with customers

Trade Show Staff Training

Deciding to attend a trade show is a large investment for any company. Preparation is essential: It’s better not to go to a trade show than to go unprepared. Every person in your booth is an ambassador to your company, make sure they are prepared. Trade show attendees usually plan a list of whom they’re going to visit before ever entering the convention center doors, make sure you are on that list.

Make sure your staff has the right tools to succeed with our Trade Show Staff Training course. A successful trade show will benefit your company on many levels. The most basic statistic is that it can cost half as much to close a sale made to a trade show lead as to one obtained through all other means. Get your staff trained and get to that trade show!

Workshop Objectives:

·         Recognize effective ways of preparing for a trade show

·         Know essential points to setting up a booth

·         Know the Dos and Don’ts behaviors during the show

·         Acknowledge visitors and welcome them to the booth

·         Engage potential customers and work towards a sale

·         Wrap up the trade show and customer leads

Supervisors & Managers

Budgets And Financial Reports

Money matters can be intimidating for even the smartest people. However, having a solid understanding of basic financial terms and methods is crucial to your career. When terms like ROI, EBIT, GAAP, and extrapolation join the conversation, you’ll want to know what people are talking about, and you’ll want to be able to participate in the discussion.

The Budgets And Financial Reports workshop will give you a solid foundation in finance. We’ll cover topics like commonly used terms, financial statements, budgets, forecasting, purchasing decisions, and financial legislation.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify financial terminology

·         Understand financial statements

·         Analyzing financial statements

·         How to make budgeting easy

·         Understand advanced forecasting techniques

·         Managing the budget

·         Make smart purchasing decisions

·         Identify the legal aspects of finances

Coaching and Mentoring

You are in your office looking over your performance report and it happened again. Your low performing employee failed to meet quota this month even after you spoke with them about the importance of meeting goals. This employee has a great attitude and you know they can do better. You just do not know how to motivate them to reach the goal. Money used to work, but that has worn off. You are baffled and you know being frustrated makes matters worse. What do you do?

The Coaching And Mentoring focuses on how to better coach your employees to higher performance. Coaching is a process of relationship building and setting goals. How well you coach is related directly to how well you are able to foster a great working relationship with your employees through understanding them and strategic goal setting.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define coaching, mentoring and the GROW model.
·         Set appropriate goals using the SMART technique of goal setting.
·         Define the current state or reality of your employee’s situation.
·         Developing a finalized plan
·         Identify the benefits of building and fostering trust with your employee.
·         Giving effective feedback while maintaining trust.
·         Identify and overcoming common obstacles.
·         Transitioning your employee to other growth opportunities.
·         Identify the difference between mentoring and coaching.

Conducting Annual Employee Reviews

An annual review can help you keep your employees happy, engaged, and focused.  It is human nature to want to succeed.  Giving your employees feedback on their positive and negative attributes is part of the pathway to success.  A poorly designed annual review can have the reverse effect.

With our Conducting Annual Employee Reviews workshop, your participants will discover how to conduct a well-designed employee review. By determining the categories for an annual review and understanding how it affects employee compensation, an overall increase in performance should be seen throughout your organization.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the process of conducting an annual review.
·         Determine the categories for an annual review.
·         Know the mistakes managers make during an annual review.
·         Understand the concept of pay for performance.
·         Know how to tie employee compensation to firm-wide returns.
·         Know the value of employee communication.
·         Gauge employees’ happiness.

Developing New Managers

Management must be effective for the success of any business. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to overlook the training and development of new managers. When you provide your managers and employees with the skills and tools they need, you will greatly boost morale and strengthen your organization.

With our Developing New Managers workshop, your participants will understand the value of investing in employees and developing management. By focusing on development opportunities, your participants will establish a culture that retains top talent and improves succession planning.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Discuss strategies for developing new managers

·         Understand the importance of defining a clear management track

·         Determine core roles and competencies for managers

·         Understand the importance of continuous development for managers

·        Apply the principles of manager development to your own organization

Employee Motivation

When you think of staff motivation, many things may come to mind: more money, a bigger office, a promotion, or a better quality of life. The truth is, no matter what we offer people, true motivation must come from within. Regardless of how it is characterized, it is important to get the right balance in order to ensure that you have a motivated workforce.

The Employee Motivation workshop will give participants several types of tools to become a great motivator, including goal setting and influencing skills. Participants will also learn about five of the most popular motivational models, and how to bring them together to create a custom program.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Defining motivation, an employer’s role in it and how the employee can play a part

·         Identifying the importance of Employee Motivation

·         Identifying methods of Employee Motivation

·         Describing the theories which pertain to Employee Motivation – with particular reference to psychology

·         Identifying personality types and how they fit into a plan for Employee Motivation.

·         Setting clear and defined goals.

·         Identifying specific issues in the field, and addressing these issues and how to maintain this going forward

Facilitation Skills

Facilitation is often referred to as the new cornerstone of management philosophy. With its focus on fairness and creating an easy decision making process. Creating a comfortable environment through better facilitation will give your participants a better understanding of what a good facilitator can do to improve any meeting or gathering.

The Facilitation Skills workshop can help any organization make better decisions. This workshop will give participants an understanding of what facilitation is all about, as well as some tools that they can use to facilitate small meetings. A strong understating of how a facilitator can command a room and dictate the pace of a meeting will have your participants on the road to becoming great facilitators themselves.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define facilitation and identify its purpose and benefits.
·         Clarify the role and focus of a facilitator.
·         Differentiate between process and content in the context of a group discussion.
·         Provide tips in choosing and preparing for facilitation.
·         Identify a facilitator’s role when managing groups in each of Tuckman and Jensen’s stages of group development: forming, storming, norming   and performing.
·         Identify ways a facilitator can help a group reach a consensus: from encouraging participation to choosing a solution.
·         Provide guidelines in dealing with disruptions, dysfunctions and difficult people in groups.
·         Define what interventions are, when they are appropriate and how to implement them.

Knowledge Management

The Encarta Dictionary defines knowledge management as the organization of intellectual resources and information systems within a business environment. Sounds pretty simple, right? Take a moment, though, and think about all the information that each person has in their brain. That’s a lot of knowledge!

The Knowledge Management workshop will give participants the tools that they will need to begin implementing knowledge management in your organization, no matter what the size of the company or the budget. Wherever there are humans working together for one goal, there is knowledge to be harvested, stored, and dispensed as needed.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the basic concept of knowledge management (KM)
·         Identify the do’s and don’ts of KM
·         Identify the KM live cycle
·         Identify the new KM paradigm
·         Identify the KM models
·         Understand how to build a KM rational for your company
·         Understand how to customize KM definitions
·         Identify the steps to implementing KM in your organization
·         Identify tips for success
·         Understand the advance topics in KM

Leadership & Influence

They say that leaders are born, not made. While it is true that some people are born leaders, some leaders are born in the midst of adversity. Often, simple people who have never had a leadership role will stand up and take the lead when a situation they care about requires it. A simple example is parenting. When a child arrives, many parents discover leadership abilities they never knew existed in order to guide and protect their offspring.

Once you learn the techniques of true Leadership And Influence, you will be able to build the confidence it takes to take the lead. The more experience you have acting as a genuine leader, the easier it will be for you. It is never easy to take the lead, as you will need to make decisions and face challenges, but it can become natural and rewarding.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define “leadership”

·         Explain the Great Man Theory

·         Explain the Trait Theory

·         Understand Transformational Leadership

·         Understand the people you lead and how to adapt your leadership styles

·         Explain leading by Directing

·         Explain leading by Participating

·         Explain leading by Delegating

·         Kouzes and Posner

·         Conduct a personal inventory

·         Create an action plan

·         Establish personal goals

Lean Process And Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a data-driven approach for eliminating defects and waste in any business process. You can compare Six Sigma with turning your water faucet and experiencing the flow of clean, clear water. Reliable systems are in place to purify, treat, and pressure the water through the faucet. That is what Six Sigma does to business: it treats the processes in business so that they deliver their intended result.

Our Lean Process And Six Sigma workshop will provide an introduction to this way of thinking that has changed so many corporations in the world. This workshop will give participants an overview of the Six Sigma methodology, and some of the tools required to deploy Six Sigma in their own organizations.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Develop a 360 degree view of Six Sigma and how it can be implemented in any organization.

·         Identify the fundamentals of lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, and lean principles.

·         Describe the key dimensions of quality – product features and freedom from deficiencies

·         Develop attributes and value according to the Kano Model

·         Understand how products and services that have the right features and are free from deficiencies can promote customer satisfaction and attract

and retain new customers.

·         Describe what is required to regulate a process

·         Give examples of how poor quality affects operating expenses in the areas of appraisal, inspection costs, internal failure costs, and external

failure costs

·         Using basic techniques such as DMAIC and how to identify Six Sigma Projects

·         Use specific criteria to evaluate a project

·         Discover root causes of a problem

Manager Management

With this course you will be able to provide the skills, guidance, and empowerment to your team of managers. They will then be better suited in leading and motivating their team and thus produce fantastic results. To be a successful manager means having a wide range of skills. Through this workshop you will be able to disperse your knowledge and experience throughout your leadership team.

Manager Management takes a special type of leader. This workshop will expand your participant’s knowledge and provide a way for them to teach and lead new and experienced managers. As every manager knows that learning never stops, this workshop will have something for everyone.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Welcome and orientate new managers

·         Learn ways to successfully coach and mentor

·         Learn ways to measure and evaluate performance

·         How to handle complications

·         Communicate between employees and their managers

Middle Manager Skills

Traditionally, middle managers make up the largest managerial layer in an organization. The Middle Manager is responsible to those above them and those below them. They head a variety of departments and projects. In order for a company to operate smoothly, it is essential that those in middle management be committed to the goals of the organization and understands how to effectively execute these goals.

It is crucial for businesses to focus on these essential managers and provide them with the opportunities to succeed. No matter the organization’s structure or size, it will benefit from employing well-trained middle managers. Having a middle manager understand their role in the organization is very important. They are in communication with a very large percentage of the company, and will have a large impact throughout the organization.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define management.

·         Understand ethics in the workplace.

·         Manage information and make decisions.

·         Be familiar with the control process.

·         Use organizational strategies to facilitate change.

·         Create structures and processes to manage teams.

·         Manage as a leader.

Office Politics for Managers

You have likely experienced some form of Office Politics. Working with different personalities, opinions, backgrounds, and values is a challenge in any environment. It is an inevitable fact that when people are working together personalities can and will clash. No one is an island, so working together as a team is incredibly important for the organization and every employee.

Office Politics it is about creating and maintaining better relationships. It is about communicating and working with your peers and colleagues in a way that is mutually beneficial. Employees who understand the positive aspects of Office Politics are better team members and end up being more successful and productive.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the purpose and benefits of office politics.

·         Setting boundaries and ground rules for new employees.

·         Learn to interact and influence among colleagues.

·         Learn how to manage various personality types in the office.

·         Determine how to gain support and effectively network.

·         Recognize how you are a part of a group and how you function.

Performance Management

Performance Management is making sure the employee and the organization are focused on the same priorities. It touches on the organization itself by improving production and reducing waste. It helps the employee or individual set and meet their goals and improves the employee manager relationship. The key in keeping an organization and employee aligned, which improves performance and productivity, is Performance Management.

When changes occur Performance Management helps the transition to be smoother and less hectic. It helps the organization and employee have a stream-lined relationship which improves communication and interactions between the two groups. It will help close any gaps that exist in an employee’s skill-set and make them a more valuable employee through feedback and coaching.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define performance management.

·         Understand how performance management works and the tools to make it work.

·         Learn the three phases of project management and how to assess it.

·         Discuss effective goal-setting.

·         Learn how to give feedback on performance management.

·         Identify Kolb’s Learning Cycle.

·         Recognize the importance of motivation.

·         Develop a performance journal and performance plan.

Self-Leadership

As we grow, we learn to become leaders. Being a leader is natural for some, and learned for others.  No matter how we have become a leader, it is important to remember we must lead ourselves before we lead others. Take the time to motivate yourself and realize that you can do it.

With our “Self-Leadership” workshop, your participants will discover the specifics of how to be a better leader for themselves and for others. Your participants will be able to guide themselves in positives ways, which equals success!

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand what self-leadership is

·         Motivate yourself

·         Set goals

·         Reward yourself when positive things happen

·         Think positively

Servant Leadership

Servant leadership can seem like a contradicting term, but it is becoming a very popular tool in many businesses. Servant leadership is a philosophy that involves focusing on others (i.e. your employees), and focus on their success, and in turn build better professional relationships that can benefit both manager and employee.  Servant leadership shows that managers can be great leaders while boosting their employee’s confidence and further their success at the same time.

With our “Servant Leadership” workshop, your participants will discover the specifics of how servant leadership works and how it can benefit both leaders and employees!

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define servant leadership

·         Know the characteristics of servant leadership

·         Recognize the barriers of servant leadership

·         Learn to be a mentor and a motivator

·         Practice self-reflection

Supervising Others

Supervising others can be a tough job. Between managing your own time and projects, helping your team members solve problems and complete tasks, and helping other supervisors, your day can fill up before you know it.

The Supervising Others workshop will help supervisors become more efficient and proficient, with information on delegating, managing time, setting goals and expectations (for themselves and others), providing feedback, resolving conflict, and administering discipline.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define requirements for particular tasks

·         Set expectations for your staff

·         Set SMART goals for yourself

·         Help your staff set SMART goals

·         Assign work and delegate appropriately

·         Provide effective, appropriate feedback to your staff

·         Manage your time more efficiently

·         Help your team resolve conflicts

·         Understand how to manage effectively in particular situations

·         Understand what a new supervisor needs to do to get started on the right path

Team Building Through Chemistry

Teams are unavoidable in any business. The key to successful team building is addressing the importance of chemistry between team members. It is not enough to have a group of people work on a project; people have to connect and balance each others’ strengths. By staying aware of the chemistry as you build the group, you will increase the chance of avoiding pitfalls and developing a sense of unity.

With our “Team Building through Chemistry” workshop, your participants will discover the specifics of how building a team through chemistry will lead to success.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand the team development model

·         Identify team chemistry

·         Create vision and goals

·         Appreciate diversity

·         Manage conflict

Virtual Team Building and Management

There are an estimated one billion virtual workers in 2012, and the number is expected to continue climbing well into the future. With a global workforce you are provided with a cost effective and talented pool of employees to draw from. With a virtual team you are given a Follow the Sun production environment.

With a virtual team you have the normal issues of a localized team, with the additional challenges of distance and cultural differences. Virtual Team Building and Management will give you participants the knowledge to work with these challenges and succeed in a growing global workforce.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Know the keys to establishing a virtual team

·         Learn how to hold effective meetings and group sessions

·         Learn effective ways to communicate with team members

·         Use tools to build trust and confidence among employees

·         Know how to handle poor performing employees

·         Know how to manage a virtual team during any project

Workplace Essentials

Appreciative Inquiry

Organizations can be thought of as living beings made up of the individuals working within it. Appreciative Inquiry has the ability to change the whole organization by changing the people. Through positive questioning people will be directed to move in a positive direction. Recognizing the strengths and values of what works as opposed to what’s wrong will transform the individuals and thus transform the organization.

Appreciative Inquiry is a shift from looking at problems and deficiencies and instead focusing on strengths and successes. It is a tool for organizational change and it will strengthen relationships. Who doesn’t like to share good positive stories and events? Think about it.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Know the meaning of appreciative inquiry

·         Think in positive terms and avoid thinking negatively

·         Encourage others to think positively

·         Recognize positive attributes in people

·         Create positive imagery

·         Manage and guide employees in a positive environment

Business Acumen

Through our Business Acumen workshop your participants will improve their judgment and decisiveness skills. Business Acumen is all about seeing the big picture and recognizing that all decisions no matter how small can have an effect on the bottom line. Your participants will increase their financial literacy and improve their business sense.

Business Acumen will give your participants an advantage everyone wishes they had. The workshop will help your participants recognize learning events, manage risk better, and increase their critical thinking. Business Acumen has the ability to influence your whole organization, and provide that additional edge that will lead to success.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Know how to see the big picture

·         Develop a risk management strategy

·         Know how to practice financial literacy

·         Develop critical thinking

·         Practice management acumen

·         Find key financial levers

Business Ethics

A company’s ethics will determine its reputation. Good business ethics are essential for the long-term success of an organization. Implementing an ethical program will foster a successful company culture and increase profitability. Developing a Business Ethics program takes time and effort, but doing so will do more than improve business, it will change lives.

A company’s ethics will have an influence on all levels of business. It will influence all who interact with the company including customers, employees, suppliers, competitors, etc. All of these groups will have an effect on the way a company’s ethics are developed. It is a two-way street; the influence goes both ways, which makes understanding ethics a very important part of doing business today. Ethics is very important, as news can now spread faster and farther than ever before.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define and understand ethics.

·         Understand the benefits of ethics.

·         Create strategies to implement ethics at work.

·         Recognize social and business responsibility.

·         Identify ethical and unethical behavior.

·         Learn how to make ethical decisions and lead with integrity.

Business Etiquette

Have you or your employees ever been in a situation where:

You met someone important and had no idea what to say or do?
You spilled soup all over yourself at an important business event?
You showed up at an important meeting under or overdressed?

Let’s face it: we’ve all had those embarrassing etiquette gaffes. Our Business Etiquette workshop will help your participants look and sound their best no matter what the situation.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define etiquette and provide an example of how etiquette can be of value to a company or organization.

·         Understand the guidelines on how to make effective introductions.

·         Identify the 3 C’s of a good impression.

·         Understand how to use a business card effectively.

·         Identify and practice at least one way to remember names.

·         Identify the 3 steps in giving a handshake.

·         Enumerate the four levels of conversation and provide an example for each.

·         Understand place settings, napkin etiquette and basic table manners.

·         Understand the meaning of colors in dressing for success.

·         Differentiate among the dressy casual, semi-formal, formal and black tie dress code.

Change Management

Change is a constant in many of our lives. All around us, technologies, processes, people, ideas, and methods often change, affecting the way we perform daily tasks and live our lives. Having a smooth transition when change occurs is important in any situation and your participants will gain some valuable skills through this workshop.

The Change Management workshop will give any leader tools to implement changes more smoothly and to have those changes better accepted. This workshop will also give all participants an understanding of how change is implemented and some tools for managing their reactions to change.

Workshop Objectives:

·         List the steps necessary for preparing a change strategy and building support for the change

·         Describe the WIFM – the individual motivators for change

·         Use needed components to develop a change management  and communications plans, and to list implementation strategies

·         Employ strategies for gathering data, addressing concerns and issues, evaluating options and adapting a change direction

·         Utilize methods for leading change project status meetings, celebrating a successful change implementation, and sharing the results and benefits

·         Describe the four states of Appreciative Inquiry, its purposes, and sample uses in case studies

·         Use strategies for aligning people with a change, appealing to emotions and facts

·         Describe the importance of resiliency and flexibility in the context of change.

Civility In The Workplace

While a training program on workplace manners and courtesy may seem like overkill, the reality is: rudeness is an epidemic costing industry millions a year. Indeed, what society seems to be gaining in terms of both knowledge and technological advancement, it’s losing out on basic social values that directly impact the bottom line.

To address the growing problem of incivility in the work setting, this workshop introduces the concept of civility, its importance to a company, as well as its typical causes and effects. Skills needed to effectively practice civil behavior, as well as different ways organizations can systematize civility in the workplace will also be discussed. The benefits to Civility In The Workplace are countless and will pay off immensely in every aspect of your job.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define civility, understand its causes, and enumerate at least three of its behavioral indicators.

·         Calculate the costs of incivility, as well as the rewards of civility, within the workplace.

·         Learn practical ways of practicing workplace etiquette.

·         Learn the basic styles of conflict resolution.

·         Diagnose the causes of uncivil behavior.

·         Utilize forgiveness in conflict resolution.

·         Differentiate elements of effective communication.

·         Learn facilitative communication skills such as listening and appreciative inquiry.

·         Learn specific interventions that can be utilized when there’s conflict within the workplace.

·         Learn a recommended procedure for systematizing civil behavior within the workplace.

Conflict Resolution

Wherever two or more people come together, there is bound to be conflict. This course will give participants a seven-step conflict resolution process that they can use and modify to resolve conflict disputes of any size. Your participants will also be provided a set of skills in solution building and finding common ground.

In the Conflict Resolution workshop, participants will learn crucial conflict management skills, including dealing with anger and using the Agreement Frame. Dealing with conflict is important for every organization no matter what the size. If it is left unchecked or not resolved it can lead to lost production, absences, attrition, and even law suits.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand what conflict and conflict resolution mean

·         Understand all six phases of the conflict resolution process

·         Understand the five main styles of conflict resolution

·         Be able to adapt the process for all types of conflicts

·         Be able to break out parts of the process and use those tools to prevent conflict

·         Be able to use basic communication tools, such as the agreement frame and open questions

·         Be able to use basic anger and stress management techniques

Customer Service

Each and every one of us serves customers, whether we realize it or not. Maybe you’re on the front lines of a company, serving the people who buy your products. Perhaps you’re an accountant, serving the employees by producing their pay checks and keeping the company running. Or maybe you’re a company owner, serving your staff and your customers.

The Customer Service workshop will look at all types of customers and how we can serve them better and improve ourselves in the process. Your participants will be provided a strong skillset including in-person and over the phone techniques, dealing with difficult customers, and generating return business.

Workshop Objectives:

·         State what customer service means in relation to all your customers, both internal and external

·         Recognize how your attitude affects customer service

·         Identify your customers’ needs

·         Use outstanding customer service to generate return business

·         Build good will through in-person customer service

·         Provide outstanding customer service over the phone

·         Connect with customers through online tools

·         Deal with difficult customers

Customer Support

Customer support used to mean a face-to-face conversation with a customer, or a phone call.  Today, technology has changed how we approach customer support.  It now encompasses the internet, websites, webchats, and even smart phone apps.  The customer experience begins long before the purchase is made.

With our “Non-Telephone Customer Support” workshop, your participants will discover the new opportunities in customer support services via the internet, but also how to use these opportunities to their advantage.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define customer support

·         Know the different venues for customer support

·         Recognize challenges of customer support

·         Learn different applications

·         Know proper forms of documentation

·         Learning to be proactive in customer support

Delivering Constructive Criticism

Delivering Constructive Criticism is one of the most challenging things for anyone. Through this workshop your participants will gain valuable knowledge and skills that will assist them with this challenging task. When an employee commits an action that requires feedback or criticism it needs to be handled in a very specific way.

Constructive Criticism if done correctly will provide great benefits to your organization. It provides the ability for management to nullify problematic behaviors and develop well rounded and productive employees. Constructive feedback shows an employee that management cares about them and will invest time and effort into their careers.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand when feedback should take place

·         Learn how to prepare and plan to deliver constructive criticism

·         Determine the appropriate atmosphere in which it should take place

·         Identify the proper steps to be taken during the session

·         Know how emotions and certain actions can negatively impact the effects of the session

·         Recognize the importance of setting goals and the method used to set them

·         Uncover the best techniques for following up with the employee after the session

Developing Corporate Behavior

With this workshop your participants will be able to develop a business environment that reflects a positive set of values and ethics. Aligning these characteristics with the standards of conduct is what makes a business stand out and be a leader in the business world.

Through our Developing Corporate Behavior workshop your participants should see improved team building, better communication, and trust. By realizing the benefits of corporate behavior and developing a successful plan your participants should see a reduction in incidents and an increase in team work and loyalty.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Understand what behavior is

·         Understand the benefits of corporate behavior

·         Know what type of behaviors you want to see in your company

·         Implement and maintain corporate behaviors

Handling a Challenging Customer

Customer service is a necessary position in the job world today.  It helps companies give customers what they want and what they need. Although many customers can be difficult, with the right training, skills, and knowledge, any difficult customer can be handled properly and effectively.  With a positive attitude, your employee can effectively deal with the most difficult customers and both parties can end the conversation satisfied.

With The Handing A Challenging Customer workshop, your participants will learn how engaging customers properly can benefit both the employee and customer. Effective customer service can change a company’s reputation for the better.  Through this workshop, your participants will gain a new perspective on how to react to negative customers and leave the customer satisfied and as a returning customer.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Cultivate a positive attitude

·         Manage internal and external stress

·         Develop abilities to listen actively and empathize

·         Build a rapport with customers in person and over the phone

·         Understand the diverse challenges posed by customers

·         Develop strategies to adapt to challenging circumstances

Networking (Outside the Company)

Networking – according to Merriam Webster is “the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically:  the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business”. These and other events can become more easily managed with this great workshop.

With our Power of Networking (Outside the Company) workshop, your participants will begin to see how important it is to develop a core set of networking skills. By managing and looking at the way people interact and seeing things in a new light, your participants will improve on almost every aspect of their networking strategy.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify and avoid obstacles

·         Implement networking principles

·         Use online tools

·         Prioritize contacts

·         Manage networks effectively

 The Power of Networking (Within the Company)

Networking has become a crucial part of the world today. Most people are aware of external networking and primarily focus on that. It is important to pay extra attention to internal networking, or networking within the company. To be truly effective, internal networking must be utilized throughout the company.

With The Power of Networking (Within the Company) workshop your participants will learn how internal networking is changing the workforce. Through this workshop, your participants will gain a new perspective networking, and what benefits can come from fully utilizing and making connections with internal networking.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define networking

·         Understand networking principles

·         Use networking tools

·         Avoid common mistakes

·         Understand how to build relationships

·         Manage time successfully

Risk Assessment and Management

It is not possible to control or manage 100% of risk, but knowing what do before, during, and after an event will mitigate the damage and harm. Identifying potential hazards and risks and making it part of the day to day business is important. Safety should be the first priority as every business must face the reality of risks and hazards.

Through our Risk Assessment and Management course your participants will be aware of hazards and risk they didn’t realize were around their workplace. Identifying hazards through proper procedures will provide your participants the ability to prevent that accident before it occurs. Limiting and removing potential dangers through Risk Assessment will be an incredible investment.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Identify hazards and risks

·         Update control measures

·         Grasp the fundamentals of accident reports

·          Identify risk management techniques

·         Outline a disaster recovery plan

·         Communicate to the organization

Safety In The Workplace

Workplace safety is the responsibility of everyone in an organization. Companies have legal obligations to meet certain safety requirements, but many go further than the minimum obligations. Safety standards and procedures must be put in place, and everyone needs to follow the standards in order for them to be effective.

Our Safety In The Workplace course will be instrumental in reviewing common hazards, safety techniques and after completion, your participants will have the tools to help them create a Safety policy for your work place. By identifying and anticipating hazards, employers can prevent injuries and keep employees safe.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Define workplace safety.

·         Understand legal responsibilities associated with a safe work environment.

·         Create a safety plan and identify hazards.

·         Recognize the role of management.

·         Develop training procedures.

·         Learn how to implement a safety plan.

Teamwork & Team Building

For most of us, teamwork is a part of everyday life. Whether it’s at home, in the community, or at work, we are often expected to be a functional part of a performing team. Having a strong team will benefit any organization and will lead to more successes than not.

The Teamwork and Team Building workshop will encourage participants to explore the different aspects of a team, as well as ways that they can become a top-notch team performer. Your participants will be given the details and concepts of what makes up a team, and what factors into being a successful team and team member.

Workshop Objectives:

·         Describe the concept of a team, and its factors for success

·         Explain the four phases of the Tuckman team development model and define their characteristics

·         List the three types of teams

·         Describe actions to take as a leader and as a follower for each of the four phases (Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing)

·         Discuss the uses,  benefits and disadvantages of various team-building activities

·         Describe several team-building activities that you can use, and in what settings

·         Follow strategies for setting and leading team meetings

·         Detail problem-solving strategies using the Six Thinking Hats model — and one consensus-building approach to solving team problems

·         List actions to do — and those to avoid — when encouraging teamwork

Contact Us

Patricia Meyer

Workforce Development & Continuing Education

860-932-4110

email

Interested in holding a QVCC workshop for your company?