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Motivational:
“Recalculating!”
Skills for When Life’s GPS Takes an Unexpected Turn
We’ve all experienced that moment when, traveling our
journey of life, the road takes a sudden, unexpected
turn, and our life’s GPS announces, “Recalculating!”
For most of us, these sharp turns are laden with a certain
discomfort or even dread of what might lie ahead. This
fun, upbeat, and interactive session is chock-full of
practical, take-home strategies, based on current research
into how to face times of uncertainty with strength,
wisdom, and creativity. The next time your life’s GPS
announces, “Recalculating!” you’ll be looking forward
to the opportunity, not anticipating the worst.
Bring
Your A-Game…to Every Aspect of Your Life
What does it mean to “Bring Your A-Game”? What percent
of the time would you say that you bring the very best
you have to offer to your work life, your home life,
and your relationships? In this fun, interactive session,
we will explore—in a very painless way—what the latest
research has to say about ways to keep yourself feeling
upbeat and energized on a day-to-day basis. Join us
in taking the “Are You In a Rut?” test and in learning
practical strategies for shaking things up and bringing
your A-Game to your relationships and to every aspect
of your life.
Leadership
Development:
Leading
Others Through Organizational Change: Strategies and
Insights for Managerial Success
Woodrow Wilson said, “If you want to make enemies, try
to change something.” Undoubtedly, periods of organizational
change are some of the most challenging, and potentially
rewarding, times for managers. This engaging, interactive
session is focused on strategies for managers helping
employees through organizational changes. We’ll discuss
several stages that individuals and organizations tend
to go through when facing change, including common managerial
pitfalls to avoid during the change process. We’ll explore
the range of emotions that managers may encounter in
employees, and provide practical strategies for preventing
and resolving emotionally-charged conflicts. Finally,
we’ll discuss strategies for personal strength and resilience
during periods of change, understanding that the better
equipped you are to personally navigate change, the
more dynamic leader you will be for your employees.
Communication
Strategies for Managerial Success
How important is communication to your success as a
manager? Both research studies and practical experience
scream, “Very important!” In this engaging, interactive
session, we will explore the many components that comprise
excellence as a communicator, particularly when serving
in a managerial role. Topics to be covered include setting
clear expectations for staff, giving effective praise
and feedback, the role of verbal and nonverbal communication,
and how to communicate in ways that keep tense conversations
calm and productive. You will leave armed with practical,
take-home strategies that you can implement immediately
in your current position to make you more confident
and effective.
The
Mentally Strong Leader: Strategies for Facing Uncertainty
with Quiet Confidence
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “We do not have to become heroes
overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing
that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared,
discovering we have the strength to stare it down.”
In many of our ever-changing industries, today’s leaders
are being asked to demonstrate steady fortitude in uncertain
and volatile times. This engaging session focuses on
how leaders can become consistently mentally strong
in order to face these challenges with a quiet confidence
that says, “I can face whatever is thrown my way.” Using
compelling research and real-life examples, Brenda will
provide participants with practical, take-home strategies
for remaining positive, level-headed, and assured, i.e.,
truly the type of leader up to the task of leading their
people through whatever the future holds.
Death
By Meeting?
Learn the Skills to Run Productive, Positive, and Efficient
Meetings
Even the most skilled and experienced managers have
times when they dread running the upcoming team or project
meeting. The diversity of personalities, roles, personal
agendas, and communication styles often make meeting
facilitation a genuine challenge. This engaging session
will provide participants with practical, take-home
strategies to increase their skills and confidence in
facilitating productive, upbeat, and efficient meetings.
Topics to be covered include soliciting and managing
robust and civil idea exchange, preventing and/or addressing
common hindrances such as side-bar conversations, and
critical pre- and post-meeting work to ensure seamless
transition between meetings.
Toxic Individuals in the Workplace: How Can
We Protect Our Organizations?
More and more research has been conducted in recent
years on the significant, negative impact that so-called
“toxic individuals” have on workplaces. This session
will identify several types of toxic individuals and
what we, as organizational leaders, can do to make our
workplaces strong and healthy organizations where toxic
individuals do not thrive. Utilizing research from Kusy
and Holloway (Toxic Workplace!: Managing Toxic Personalities
and Their Systems of Power, Jossey-Bass, 2009), we will
explore effective and ineffective strategies for dealing
with toxic individuals, including strategies at the
organizational, team, and individual level.
Professional
Development:
Success
Strategies for Times of Change
It has been said that the only real certainty in life
is change. An ability to navigate change at work and
home with strength, optimism, and an open mind affects
not only your success in these areas, but also your
happiness and peace of mind. This engaging, interactive
session will provide practical, take-home strategies
for approaching change in ways that lead to successful
outcomes. We’ll discuss common stages that individuals
and organizations go through when facing change, including
how to overcome specific obstacles such as fear of the
unknown and conflicts with others going through the
change process with you. Reluctance to change is a normal
human emotion, but learning skills for confidently navigating
change sets you up for a bright future…personally and
professionally.
Rally
Your Communication Mojo!
How confident are you when you socialize or do business
with others? Do you look forward to speaking in front
of a group…or break out in hives at the thought? In
this engaging, interactive session, we will explore
simple strategies for increasing your skills and confidence
as a communicator. We’ll cover key areas including word
choices, clarity of message, consideration of audience,
nonverbal communication, the art of small talk, and
how to make others feel valued and at ease in your presence.
These strategies can be immediately implemented in a
range of business and social settings to make you feel
more confident and be more effective when you communicate.
Skills
for Handling Workplace Conflicts: Being Thoughtful of
Both People and Results
We’re all going to be faced with conflicts and disagreements
with others throughout our lives. For most of us, it’s
our least favorite part of living with, and working
with, other people. The good news is that there are
some simple techniques you can learn to increase your
skills and confidence in dealing with conflicts—at work
and at home—in more peaceful, effective ways. Join us
in identifying your own, natural style of responding
to conflict and in learning what to say—and not to say—to
keep difficult conversations calm and productive. Attendees
will leave armed with practical, take-home strategies
for “fighting fair” and experiencing the power that
comes with approaching conflicts in ways that are considerate
of both people and results.
That Sweet Blend: Strategies for Achieving Tremendous
Success When Working Toward a Common Goal
Baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth once stated, “The way
a team plays as a whole determines its success. You
may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the
world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t
be worth a dime.” This engaging, interactive session
will focus on strategies for working synergistically
as a team to achieve a common goal, despite diverse
backgrounds, perspectives, life experiences, and personalities.
We’ll identify common hindrances to team success, and
provide practical, take-home strategies for communicating,
listening, respecting, and ultimately, maximizing individual
and team capabilities.
Respecting
and Appreciating Generational Differences in the Workplace
Radio Babies, Baby Boomers, Gen X’ers, Generation Y…
We’ve all heard the terms, and chances are that your
workplace contains a sampling of each of these generations
working side by side. This engaging, interactive program
is designed to increase understanding of the different
points of view that each generation brings to a workplace.
Participants will leave armed with practical, take-home
strategies for respecting generational differences and
maximizing the benefits of working on, or leading, a
multi-generational work team.
Without
Saying a Word: The Power of Nonverbal Communication
in the Workplace
Research from UCLA tells us that 55% of what people
pick up from us in communicating is through our body
language. This engaging and practical session will help
you become more effective at reading others’ body language…and
better understand what you might be saying through your
own! We’ll cover several aspects of nonverbal communication,
including hand/arm gestures, positions when seated or
standing, facial expressions, and hand-shake positions.
You’ll learn how to establish a base line for interpreting
others’ body language and how to decode universal nonverbal
behaviors. Throughout the session, we will incorporate
real-life workplace applications, so participants will
leave with information that is not only fascinating,
but also helpful in successfully working with others.
Women’s
Events:
I
Know I’m Supposed to be Wonder Woman, but I Don’t Have
Any Bullet-Blocking Bracelets!
Remember Wonder Woman and her bracelets that could deflect
any bullets aimed at her? As women, sometimes it seems
like “bullets” are coming at us from all directions:
multiple responsibilities, too-high expectations, difficult
people, and daily aggravations. In this fun, interactive
session, you will learn strategies to take you from
burnt out and overwhelmed, to vibrant, passionate, and—dare
I say—powerful!
Pretty
Amazing…Just as I Am!
Do you feel “pretty amazing” just as you are, imperfections
and all? One of the most beautiful traits a woman can
possess is a quiet confidence in who she is. This confidence
involves an understanding of what makes her unique and
a willingness to use her strengths to enrich others’
lives. In this inspirational, interactive session, we
will deepen your understanding of your own worth, and
you will learn take-home tools for maintaining and increasing
that quiet, genuine confidence on a daily basis. You
will gain strategies for learning from past mistakes
without dwelling on them, and for planning a future
that entices you. And, if Brenda has her way, you will
leave this session believing with all of your heart
that you are truly amazing…just as you are!
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