Workforce Learning Classes

Communication Skills
Communications that Build Bridges

Communicating effectively is a greater challenge that most of us recognize. The majority of workplace problems are due to communication, or lack of! It's not that people don't communicate, but that we communicate in different ways, with different styles and usually with many assumptions about the receiver’s ability to decode our message - the spoken and unspoken. This program focuses on understanding the communication process and individual styles. Barriers to effective communication are examined and techniques are developed for communicating one-on-one, during meetings, and in small groups.

Objectives:

• Identify the components of effective verbal communications
• Recognize the barriers to effective communications in the workplace
• Develop techniques for communicating one-on-one, during meetings and small group presentations
• Develop effective strategies for solving communication problems
• Avoid behaviors that are roadblocks to effective communication

Courageous Conversations

There are some conversations that are more important than others – the issue is critical, the stakes are high and the situation is often packed with emotion. Learn to engage, not avoid these critical conversations. Address important issues that impact your organizational success and also your on-going relationships with colleagues by learning communication techniques that are based sharing information and examining alternatives.

Objectives:

• Identifying the “markers” of a critical conversation
• Overcome the “fight” or “flight” responses.
• Create dialogue skills that result in non-threatening conversation
• Practice effective listening and questioning skills.

Gender Communication Skills

This course focuses on the communication challenges experienced between men and women that are due to gender differences. Differences in cognitive processing, communication styles and body language are explored. By examining gender differences, you’ll be able to correctly interpret the messages of the opposite gender. And, when speaking, you will have the skills to develop and send messages that will be correctly interpreted. Improved gender communications enhance personal and professional relationships and improve workplace efficiency and productivity.

Objectives:

• Recognize the unique communication styles of men and women
• Identify common misunderstandings between men and women
• Develop skills for listening to the opposite gender
• Develop communication skills for giving praise and criticism, asking questions, seeking clarification and solving problems
• Develop effective skills and strategies for managing conflict with the opposite gender

Listening Skills

Our mind is capable of processing information faster than others can speak. So, we can easily be distracted from listening. Skilled listeners are able to discipline their minds to stay focused on listening to understand another person. Many people, preferring to be speakers rather than listeners, mainly listen for an opportunity to become the speaker and present their point of view! Fortunately, there is a way to improve our listening abilities. Through a series of assessment activities, participants are able to identify their listening strengths and weaknesses. The five elements of listening are discussed and the skills needed for each element are practiced through a variety of listening exercises.

Objectives:

• Assess individual listening, understanding and responding strengths and weaknesses
• Understand the factors that influence listening
• Demonstrate “active listening” skills
• Identify the barriers to effective listening
• Identify ways to help others listen to you

Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) for Communication

The MBTI is the most widely used inventory for helping individuals and organizations recognize and utilize their personality and thinking style. The MBTI gets at the core of how you perceive events and process information and approach life. You will take the MBTI on-line and receive a personal report about your type that will be interpreted and analyzed in class with a primary focus on improving communications. Specifically, you will learn how you naturally prefer to communicate based on your type, how other types prefer to communicate and how to “bridge” the gap when types are different!

Objectives:

• Improve individual communications and communication processes
• Improve group problem solving outcomes
• Improve relationships due to reduction in conflict resulting from miscommunication
• Identify and appreciate the value of different types

Presentation Skills

Public speaking is most peoples' greatest fear! This program will address all of the planning and organizational steps required to prepare a presentation by providing checklists, planning tools and the opportunity to plan and deliver a presentation. Presentation techniques and skills needed for different types of presentations will be demonstrated. Participants will have several opportunities to practice and demonstrate their skills while being video taped. Through practice and immediate feedback, skills can be enhanced and individual confidence will grow.

Objectives:

• Identify the preparation and performance requirements of an effective presentation
• Demonstrate effective vocal control and modulation, visual signaling and body language
• Identify personal apprehensions about presentations and develop effective “fear management” strategies
• Understand the unique characteristics of adult learners and how they learn
• Prepare and use visual aids: overheads, computer projection, slides, videos/VCR and flip charts

Writing Skills

Written communications impact workplace productivity and efficiency and reflect upon our individual and organizational image. Writing that is boring, repetitive, negative, and poorly organized may cause readers to lose interest and not respond - or respond inappropriately. Review correct grammar and punctuation, proper content organization for a letter, memos, e-mail, and report. Make sure that you communicate your message clearly and correctly and that it appeals to the reader's interests and needs. This class provides in-class writing exercises to develop and refine your writing skills.

Objectives:

• Create organized paragraphs and effective transitions in all memos, letters, and reports
• Eliminate clichés, redundant expressions, and sexist language so that your writing is both expressive and uncluttered
• Review and refine basic grammar and writing rules
• Express your thoughts and emotions sincerely and honestly while maintaining a diplomatic tone throughout all of your business correspondence

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interpersonal Skills:
Conflict Resolution

This course presents conflict as a natural occurrence that is made positive or negative by the input provided by the participants involved in the conflict. Conflict doesn’t have to be “ugly!” Conflict Resolution examines the roles that we play in conflict, discusses the reasons why individuals get upset and provides you with the tools to successfully navigate your way through these difficult experiences. In addition to identifying and defining the various sources of conflict, you will also learn which of the five conflict resolution styles you most frequently use, when and how to use all five techniques, and the AEIOU conflict resolution technique.

Objectives:

• Recognize the positive and negative characteristics of conflict
• Recognize the various sources of conflict in your life and why they occur
• Learn different conflict resolution styles
• Identify your “preferred” conflict resolution style
• Learn the AEIOU Conflict Resolution Technique

Customer Service Basics

Customer service is far more than a friendly “How may I help you?” Being fast, friendly, and helpful can be great attributes but they are no guarantees of success. Customer service success requires a keen understanding of how best to manage a complex relationship with changing expectations and increasingly demanding requirements. This class clarifies what customers expect and how to successfully meet their expectations. It also addresses common customer complaints and challenges and how to handle them.

Objectives:

• Recognize the basic expectations of all customers
• Identify the specific needs of internal customers
• Evaluate current processes and procedures based on the needs of the customer
• Develop basic communication skills for speaking and listening to customers
• Capitalize on every customer contact to create a positive interaction
• Manage complaints and “problem” customers more effectively

DiSC Personality Profile System

Do you prefer to work alone or with others? Do you tend to make quick decisions or do you weigh all the pros and cons first before making a decision? Are there some people you “love” to work with and others who “drive you crazy?” Based on your Disc Personal Profile, you will better understand yourself and your behavioral tendencies, the type of work environment you desire, the type of people you work best with, and how you can increase your personal effectiveness at work and at home. Find out, is your personality based on Dominance, Influence, Conscientiousness, or Steadiness?

Objectives:

• Learn to understand your behavioral tendencies and develop a better understanding of how these tendencies affect interactions with others
• Enhance personal effectiveness in accomplishing tasks by improving your relationships with others
• Develop strategies for working together to increase productivity

Dealing with Difficult People

Difficult people cost us a lot! Not only in terms of lost time and productivity, but more importantly they can cause you to lose your mind (or at least make you feel like you will anyway). But there is something you can do. This course presents ways to manage difficult behavior and reduce it or eliminate it altogether. It also provides constructive solutions to performance and interpersonal problems-whether with a co-worker, employee or boss-that makes everyone’s life more difficult than it needs to be.

Objectives:

• Recognize the “telltale” characteristics and traits of ten types of difficult people
• Understand the motivation and rationale behind their behaviors
• Develop specific communication techniques for handling difficult people
• Apply conflict resolution skills to avoid conflict escalation
• Recognize when and how to avoid, redirect and confront difficult people

Diversity Awareness

We know that the workplace is becoming more diverse, but that doesn’t mean that employees and managers are comfortable and knowledgeable about how to function in this changing environment. Understanding, appreciating and utilizing different assets and attributes of individuals is critical to workplace performance and harmony. This course will explore stereotypical beliefs and prejudices about “differences” in race, age, gender, ethnicity and more in a non-threatening, educational atmosphere.

Objectives:

• Recognize diversity issues that impact employee, team and organizational effectiveness and associated relationships
• Identify and use effective strategies and behaviors for working as a member of a diverse work team
• Identify the benefits of a diverse work team/organization to the individual employees, the work team/organization and to clients

Enhancing Workplace Relations

In today’s fast paced workplace, the ability to create and maintain “good” working relationships with clients, customers, co-workers, supervisors and outside vendors is critical. Being “good” at one’s job includes doing one’s work tasks well and demonstrating appropriate interpersonal skills. This program will help participants identify and demonstrate the attitudes and behaviors needed to develop and maintain positive relationships in the workplace.

Objectives:

• Recognize the dual job responsibilities of performing specific tasks and maintaining positive relationships with internal and external customers
• Develop skills for listening and responding to challenging customers and coworkers in a professional, respectful manner
• Identify and understand the expectations of “customers”
• Develop appropriate responses to challenging customers
• Develop skills for avoiding and diffusing conflict

Essence of Teamwork

Together Everyone Achieves More. Teamwork explores the characteristics of effective teams and the skills and traits needed to be a valued Team Player. You’ll gain insight into the benefits that teamwork offers to you as an employee and to the organization, the stages of team development, the individual skills needed to participate on a team and common challenges and problems faced by teams and how to deal with them. This class is designed around team events, games and exercises – come to “learn through playing.”

Objectives:

• Demonstrate the attitudes, beliefs, values, skills, knowledge and behaviors associated with teamwork
• Identify specific individual and organizational benefits
• Identify individual strengths and weaknesses as a team member
• Identify opportunities for developing your skills as a team member

Getting Things Done (When You’re Not in Charge)

In today’s workplace, our success is often directly related to our ability to get results by working with others - by getting information, support, timely decisions, etc. Learn techniques and behaviors to gain the support of others when you are not in a position of authority. Eliminate behaviors that are known to cause resistance. Develop your influencing skills and relationship building techniques.

Objectives:

• Identify the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?)
• Select an appropriate strategy for getting the response you need.
• Avoid common mistakes: assumptions, verbal harassment, bribery, threats

Personal Leadership

Personal Leadership focuses on developing leadership qualities, regardless of your position within the organization. Everyone “leads” in certain situations either due to circumstances or the inner desire to “take charge.” What’s the difference in being perceived as a “leader” rather than a “bully” or a “wimp?” This class will provide tools and information for: evaluating your leadership potential, understanding the characteristics of empowering leaders, and developing basic skills required for leadership.

Objectives:

• Enhance your overall effectiveness as a leader
• Identify your leadership qualities
• Identify opportunities for developing leadership skills

Problem Solving

Effective problem solving involves people working together to determine the problem and identify solutions. Tips for recognizing and interpreting problem symptoms before they become critical are presented. The key ingredient to organizational problem solving is engaging the "right people" with the appropriate skills, in a structured problem solving process. Various problem solving models are presented along with guidelines for selecting the appropriate method for a particular type of problem.

Objectives:

• Understand the difference between problem solving and decision-making
• Understand the challenges and opportunities of group problem solving
• Utilize a seven-step problem solving process
• Demonstrate specific skills and techniques related to group problem solving

Survive and Thrive in a Multi-generational Workplace

With four generations in the workplace “age” as become a source of tension and challenge. Each generation has its specific and unique approach to work – different work ethics, values, and processes. They also have different contributions to make - experience versus new knowledge, technology skills versus relationship skills. By understanding the natural work preferences for each generation and why they exist, you will gain valuable skills for creating better working relationships that will result in getting your work done easier and creating a positive work environment.

Objectives:

• Identify the challenges and opportunities of working in a multi-generational organization
• Recognize the expectations, behaviors, values, attitudes and work habits that are typical for each generation
• Understanding the “reasons” for the generational differences
• Identify potential strategies for better meeting the challenges of working in a four generation workforce

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personal Development
Boosting Your Brainpower

Within your head lies one of the most complex systems in the known universe. Your brain! The human brain is the most powerful information processor known to man and the most evolved system on the planet yet we don’t even come close to using its full potential. Boosting Your Brainpower is an enjoyable and uniquely challenging, interactive course that presents recent findings as well as time tested strategies and techniques designed to help improve your memory, increase your powers of concentration and grow your mind. By applying this knowledge to everyday tasks both at work and at home, you can begin to benefit from the brain’s natural way of functioning and tap into your incredible brainpower potential.

Objectives:

• Learn basic information about the structure and development of the human brain
• Use left and right brain functions to your advantage
• Maintain your brain and keep your mind fit
• Use time tested and proven memory techniques
• Avoid those embarrassing “I forgot” moments

Career Connections

Career Connections is a comprehensive career development and management program that is customized to help your company develop and retain valuable employees as well as enhance job performance and employee satisfaction. It also helps to align and integrate existing Human Resources Development activities, (i.e. employee orientation, job descriptions, learning programs, mentoring programs, etc.) while providing unique programs and services to employees to help them effectively plan and manage their careers. The outcome of these programs is a motivated, focused employee with a Career Map and Action Plan for pursuing short and long-term career goals.

Objectives:

• Empowered employees who assume responsibility for their career planning and management, professional development, and job satisfaction
• Improved employee performance, retention and job satisfaction by getting the “right people” in the “right job”
• Increased ROI of education and training programs by having the right people attend targeted training programs

 

Coping with Change

We are constantly adjusting to a shifting environment. Not only is change continuing to happen, but the rate of change is increasing and will continue to increase. This class is designed to help individuals cope with the many changes occurring in their work and personal lives. Inventories help individuals identify past and on-going changes and how they managed them. Techniques are practiced for re-framing one's approach to change by understanding the dynamics of change, the change cycle, and the stages for dealing with personal change.

Objectives:

• Understand the reasons organizations change and the benefits of those changes to the individual, the work unit, the department and/or the organization
• Understand the characteristics of change, the stages of the change cycle, and individual reactions to change
• Recognize the different roles that individuals adopt during change
• Describe positive attitudes and behaviors for handling change

Fearless Interviewing

The person who “gets the job” should be the best person for the job – not the one who interviews well. Unfortunately, your organization may be “missing” the best candidate because they are immobilized by fear during an interview! This class teaches fear management by helping the interviewee harness their emotions and learn to interact effectively during an interview.

Objectives:

• Recognize fears/anxieties associated with interviewing
• Learn techniques/strategies for reframing negative self talk
• Learn response strategies for commonly asked interview questions
• Learn the five phases of the interview process and how to properly prepare for the interview
• Learn how to evaluate your performance both during and after an interview

Goal Setting

“If you’re not working on your goals, you’re working on someone else’s!” Successful people and organizations know where they’re going! Have you examined your goals lately – personal and professional? Take responsibility for your future success and happiness by setting your goals and taking steps to achieve them. Tools and techniques will be provided to help you identify goal setting opportunities. Practice writing SMART goals, developing strategies and creating action plans for annual business goals, short and long term career goals, and your personal goals.

Objectives:

• Learn how to develop goal statements
• Identify potential barriers to reaching specific goals
• Identify strategies for meeting goals
• Develop an action plan for implementing strategies

Preparing for Your Performance Appraisal

Most people dread their performance appraisal yet it is critical opportunity to discuss accomplishments, new goals and assignments and development opportunities. This important event requires some planning and preparation on the associates’ part in order for it to be optimally effective in improving performance and identifying development needs. Performance appraisal should be a two way conversation between the associate and supervisor that results in mutual understanding and agreement. This class will help prepare the associate for this important conversation

Objectives:

• Understand the purposes and benefits of a well conducted performance appraisal
• Identify the types of documents, records, outcomes that support your accomplishments
• Demonstrate constructive dialogue about different perceptions of your performance
• Demonstrate non-defensiveness in your body language and discussion
• Identify the outcomes you want from the performance appraisal: assignment, training programs, promotion, pay increase, etc.

Preventing Burnout

A self-assessment tool allows individuals to gauge their degree of burnout by identifying symptoms in themselves. The causes and stages of burnout are discussed as well as the cost to the individual and the workplace if burnout is not recognized and addressed. Strategies for addressing burnout and its related stress are presented and participants can develop a plan for addressing their burnout symptoms.

Objectives:

• Understand and define burnout
• Identify the three stages of stress and their relationship to burnout
• Understand and define the three stages of burnout
• Recognize some of the symptoms associated with organizational and personal burnout

Public Speaking

Being able to speak in front of a group, large or small, can be intimidating and frightening. Yet this single ability creates an image of confidence, competence and credibility. This class will help you overcome your fears of public speaking and provide you with tools for planning an effective presentation and techniques for speaking in front of a group.

Objectives:

• Practice techniques for reducing fear.
• Use a six step model for planning and delivering a presentation.
• Recognize tools and methods for creating interest and effectively communicating your information.

Stress Management

Do you feel as if your life is spiraling out of control? Can’t seem to get a handle on everyday problems and issues? Do you feel overwhelmed by all of the stress in your life? Stress Management takes an innovative approach to addressing stress by focusing on specific techniques and strategies for reducing the level of stress in your life and managing stress related behaviors. Various stress reducing techniques will be introduced and practiced during the session and you will leave with an action plan for initiating the kind of behavior modification necessary for reducing your stress and regaining control of your life.

Objectives:

• Recognize the damaging effects stress can have on your physical and mental well being
• Manage and reduce stress at work and at home
• Eliminate stress related “bad habits”
• Select stress management techniques that will work for you
• Feel better!

Time Management

This program provides the techniques and tools to help make the most of every hour and increase personal effectiveness and workplace performance. Learn to control your time and accomplish tasks while making progress toward your personal and professional goals. Learn the importance of identifying personal and work-related values and how to set priorities and schedules accordingly.

Objectives:

• Understand the relationship between event control, proactive behavior and self-esteem
• Identify effective work behavior
• Control interruptions and procrastination
• Prioritize daily tasks
• Identify personal values, goals and objectives