Problem Solving & Decision Making
We make decisions and solve problems continually. We start making decisions before we even get out of bed (shall I get up now or not?). Sometimes, we will have made as many as 50 decisions by the time we leave for work. Despite all the natural decision making that goes on and the problem solving we do, some people are very uncomfortable with having to make decisions. You may know someone who has a hard time making decisions about what to eat, never mind the internal wrestling they go through in order to take on major decisions at work.
Likewise, we’ve probably all looked at a solution to something and said, “I could have thought of that.” The key to finding creative solutions is not just creativity, although that will certainly help. The answer rests in our ability to identify options, research them, and then put things together in a way that works. Having a process to work through can take the anxiety out of problem solving and make decisions easier. That’s what this two-day workshop is all about.
Project Management Fundamentals
Project management isn’t just for construction engineers and military logistics experts anymore. Today, in addition to the regular duties of your job, you are often expected to take on extra assignments, and to get that additional job done well, done under budget, and done on time.
This one-day workshop is not intended to take you from a supervisory or administrative position to that of a project manager. However, these topics will familiarize you with the most common terms and practices in terms of working on projects.
Project Management Training: Understanding Project Management
Project management isn’t just for construction engineers and military logistics experts anymore. Today, in addition to regular job duties, people are often expected to take on extra assignments and to get that additional job done well, done under budget, and done on time.
This workshop is not intended to take participants from a supervisory or administrative position to that of a project manager. However, these three days will familiarize them with the most common terms and the most current thinking about projects.
In this workshop, you will walk participants through the nuts and bolts of project management, from setting priorities to controlling expenses and reporting on the results. They may still have to cope with the unexpected, but they’ll be better prepared.
Project Management: All You Need to Know
Project management is no longer only for mega projects worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Small projects can benefit from project management tools. These time tested tools can help you to get that small project done well, done under budget, and done on time. This workshop is not intended for those looking to be certified as project managers but rather for those who complete projects at work from time to time.
In this course, you will gain experience using the most common project management execution tools from Project Tracking Forms, Risk Monitoring Tables to Communications Plans, Change Request Forms, Issues Logs and Lessons Learned Forms. Your small projects will be more successful than ever!
Project Planning: All You Need to Know
Project management is no longer only for mega projects worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Small projects can benefit from project management tools. Statements of Work, Work and Resource Breakdown Structures and Project Planning documents can help you to get that small project done well, under budget, and on time. This workshop is not intended for those looking to be certified as project managers but rather for those who complete projects at work from time to time.
In this course, we will gain experience using the most common project management planning tools and will completely plan a case study project from Statement of Work through Work and Resource Breakdown, Scheduling and end up with a completed Project Planning Worksheet. Your small projects will be more successful than ever!
Public Speaking: Presentation Survival School
A great presenter has two notable qualities: appropriate skills and personal confidence. Confidence comes from knowing what you want to say and being comfortable with your communication skills. In this two-day workshop, participants will master the skills that will make them a better speaker and presenter.
Public Speaking: Speaking Under Pressure
This workshop has been designed for those in positions where they must speak in front of audiences that are hostile or demanding. This material is also suitable for those who are relatively new speakers who want some encouragement to speak up in meetings or who want some training before they begin making presentations on behalf of the organization.
Speaking under pressure, or thinking on your feet, means being able to quickly organize your thoughts and ideas, and then being able to convey them meaningfully to your audience to modify their attitudes or behaviour. It applies to formal speeches as well as everyday business situations.
It requires presence of mind, goal orientation, adaptation, and judgment. It also requires differentiating between oral and written communications.
This course is aimed at improving your skills and learning some new techniques which will give you the persuasive edge when you are making a presentation, fielding difficult questions, or presenting complex information.
Risk Management
Risk management has long been a key part of project management and it has also become an increasingly important part of organizational best practices. Corporations have realized that effective risk management can not only reduce the negative impact of crises; it can provide real benefits and cost savings.
The risk management framework provided in this workshop is flexible enough for any organization. You can apply it to a single project, a department, or use it as a basis for an enterprise-wide risk management program.
Safety in the Workplace
Workplace accidents and injuries cost corporations millions of dollars and thousands of hours lost every year. They also have a profound, often lifelong impact on workers. Introducing a safety culture into your organization, where safety is valued as an integral part of the business’s operation, not only saves the business time and money, it also builds a committed, loyal, healthy workforce. This one-day workshop will give participants the foundation to start building your safety culture.
Survival Skills for the New Trainer
Few people choose training and development while they are still in school, and yet there are talented and knowledgeable trainers working in every industry. Some individuals become trainers because they are passionate about sharing their knowledge and about helping people. Others become trainers because their employer asks them to get involved in mentoring, training, or coaching new or existing employees. Trainers also get started when they want to make some changes to their daily activities, but wish to continue contributing to a particular organization or industry.
If you are thinking about becoming a trainer, or have started doing some training already and want to know more about what will help you to become an excellent trainer, this workshop will help. This one-day workshop is designed as an exploration of the essential skills that trainers need to develop, and to get you started in the learning process in an interactive and fun environment.
Talking To Employees About Personal Hygiene
As a manager, you’re probably used to dealing with tough situations: employees who insist on being late, team members who miss deadlines, and staff members who can’t get along. But conversations about an employee’s personal appearance are a whole different ball game. It’s something that we often avoid talking about, or worse, make light of.
This one-day workshop has two major themes. First, we’ll give you a framework for having those tough conversations. We’ll also give you some guidelines for customizing that framework for your organization. Then, we’ll look at some common tough conversations that come up, including body odor, flatulence, poor clothing and hair decisions, and bad breath. At the end of the workshop participants will have a chance to role play a tough situation. You’ll walk away well prepared for any kind of challenging conversation.
Team Building: Developing High Performance Teams
Success as a manager is heavily influenced by how well your team operates and what kind of results they achieve. Is your team able to solve problems? Can they resolve conflict? Are they enthusiastic and motivated to do their best? Do they work well together? This workshop is designed for participants who want to develop their team leadership skills and unleash the talent of their individual team members.
The ABCs of Supervising Others
This workshop is for people who are new supervisors or who are interested in a supervisory position, as well as those who are team leads or part-time supervisors without a great deal of authority.
This two-day course is designed to help participants overcome many of the supervisory problems that they will encounter as a workplace leader. Dealing with the problems that a new supervisor encounters isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to lead to discouragement.
The Minute Taker’s Workshop
No matter who you are or what you do, whether at work or in the community, you are likely involved in meetings. Meetings are costly, whether they are held in a company boardroom or at the local coffee shop. To ensure that meetings are productive and worth the expense involved, three ingredients are necessary: an assurance of closure, a strong chair or leader, and accurate minutes. It has been said that if accurate minutes have not been recorded, then the meeting may just as well not have taken place.
If people can’t remember or agree on what actually occurred at a meeting, how can the group effectively accomplish its objectives? After this one-day workshop you will understand your role as a minute-taker and the
The Practical Trainer
Most people who call themselves trainers today probably didn’t start out to be trainers. They often work in a field where they develop extensive knowledge and then are asked to share what they know. Many trainers have some experience with teaching, writing, or leadership, although they come from nearly every field.
As such, people who work as trainers are often put into difficult situations without much understanding of what training is or how to do it well. We know that being a good trainer is the result of developing skills to bring information to an audience. This information will then engage, empower, and encourage continued learning and development.
This three-day course will give you the skills that you need so that students not only learn, but also enjoy the process, retain information shared, and use their new skills back in the workplace.
Participants will also have the opportunity to conduct a short group training session that incorporates these training concepts.
The Professional Supervisor
With a host of new challenges and responsibilities to tackle, new supervisors need training that helps them adjust to their new role. Learning how to supervise your new employees on a trial and error basis can lead to discouragement. This three-day workshop can help you overcome many of the problems a new supervisor may encounter, and to set the groundwork for a successful change in your working life!
Training with Visual Storytelling
Training is constantly evolving, just as the needs and desires of learners are constantly changing. This one-day course is for trainers who are ready to make their training stronger, more memorable, and more engaging for learners by using visual storytelling and graphical techniques to create better learning experiences that lead to better retention.
Using Activities to Make Training Fun
Most people have been at a party or some other social occasion where someone has told an inappropriate joke and ruined the mood (at least temporarily). Likewise, we’ve all been somewhere where the class clown is able to lighten the mood and help people have fun.
The good news is that humor can help you make your training sessions just as engaging as those fun social occasions. Even better, you don’t need to be the class clown or an award-winning comedian to do it. This one-day workshop will help you identify what kind of humor you can bring to the classroom, and how games can help you engage your participants.
Women Leadership: Owning Your Strengths and Skills
Women have a long-standing history in the workforce, in all roles from front-line worker to visionary founder, influential behind-the-scenes patron to front-and-center CEO. As women, however, what are the influences, barriers and benefits to our leadership? Do we use or even acknowledge our strengths and skills?
This is a time of great change in the workforce, in part because of the increase in numbers and influence of women in the workplace. Flex time, daycare and caregiver support, and telecommuting are a few examples of workplace initiatives that benefit everyone, but evolved primarily due to the roles and influence of women who are often juggling multiple home, workplace, and community responsibilities. However, there are some areas in which women could still be more visible and vocal.
This course will explore the history of women in the workforce and offer personal opportunities for exploration, identification, and development of leadership strengths and skills.
Workplace Harassment: What It Is and What To Do About It
In 2012 alone, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ordered that $365,400,000 (that’s 365.4 million dollars!) be paid out for discrimination and harassment charges. No wonder companies are working to be more proactive in preventing harassment.
But how do you prevent harassment from occurring? What sorts of policies should be in place? What should managers do to protect their employees? And if a complaint is filed, what will we do? All of these questions (and more!) will be answered in this two-day workshop.
Workplace Health and Safety: The Supervisor’s Role and Responsibilities
This course aims to provide an understanding of the supervisor’s role in organizational health and safety. It will explore the requirements of due diligence, the rights of workers, supervisor and worker health and safety requirements, employee competency, and the role of Health and Safety Committees. The course will also look at supervisor’s roles in hazard identification and control, accident reporting and investigation and the importance of communicating health and safety information.
This course will highlight the most important aspects of the supervisor’s role so that they can participate effectively in health and safety responsibilities and work towards the continual improvement of health and safety performance in their organization.
Workplace Violence: How to Manage Anger and Violence in the Workplace
Violence of any sort has many roots. Sometimes there are warning signs of workplace violence, but this is not always the case. It is up to us to learn whatever we can to prevent, identify, and mitigate any threats, and this comprehensive workshop includes everything a workplace leader needs to get started.