Workplace Education

Are you comfortable with grammar, spelling, punctuation, tone and tailoring your emails/documents to your audiences? Are you ready to take your writing to the next level? If your answer to these questions is “YES,” then this course is for you. We will focus on identifying techniques to capture and hold your reader’s attention, writing for internal communications, making an impact in the digital world – whether for social media, marketing, blogging or corporate communications. Attendees will have the opportunity to assess their current writing levels and receive practical feedback. You are invited to bring a writing sample to class. There will be an assignment to complete between the class sessions.

Across all fields, industries, and workplace settings, the ability to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues, managers and subordinates is a critical skill. While writing isn’t necessarily everyone’s favorite task, those who do it well definitely stand out. In this class, you will learn strategies and tips for producing clear, concise business communication to not only inform but also to drive your audience to desired action.  Specific topics to be covered include:

• The basics of structuring business communication
• How business communication differs from other forms of communication
• Email etiquette and approaches to achieve desired results
• Tailoring your writing to a specific audience
• Common grammatical, punctuation, and usage errors to watch for and avoid
• How to apply strategies to specific channels, including emails, instructions and business reports
• Strategies for communicating certain topics, including praise, discipline and change

The ability to handle yourself properly can sometimes outweigh having the right technical skills. This is how important business etiquette is. Learn how to take your professionalism to the next level by learning proper business etiquette that will set you apart from competition. This course includes topics for various business settings such as:

• Effective networking, including making introductions, shaking hands and using business cards appropriately
• How to dress appropriately for every business occasion
• How to feel comfortable when dining in business and formal situations
• How to feel more confident of your business communication in every situation
• That extra edge that establishes trust and credibility
• How to navigate the virtual and hybrid environment

THE ESSENTIALS FOR EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE (WDT-208E)

Excellent service does not simply come from a friendly transaction or helpful technology—it is the result of truly understanding your customer’s expectations and putting the right guidelines and service standards in place to exceed them. When an organization puts the customer at its core, exceptional service becomes possible at every point of contact.

Participants will:

• Assess current customer service practices
• Determine how to differentiate the service to become a provider of choice
• Discuss quality service standards to create a consistent service experience
• Use tools to gauge the needs of customers
• Understand customer service practices that consistently deliver exceptional service
• Plan for Action

LinkedIn is a valuable social platform for professionals and business owners to maximize their exposure and reach, directly engage new customers, and search for new opportunities. Many well-established brands use this platform to create fresh connections and build long-term relationships. Learn from a dedicated professional who works at LinkedIn: how to maximize your LinkedIn presence for you or your business; the etiquette of LinkedIn; posting your credentials; how to get the most out of its settings; and much more. Learn how to define your audience and craft a strategy focused on your organization’s goals. In this course, you will gain a better understanding of best practices to incorporate content on LinkedIn while also defining which content resonates most effectively on the platform.

Dedicating the time to spend on your marketing plan is one of the hardest things you can do as a business owner. Most people want to spend their time making money for their business and there’s not a whole lot of immediate gratification for plugging away on your overall marketing plan. It’s important to make time for it and here’s why: your representation online is who you are and your identity to a lot of people.  Join this introductory class to learn more about your presence online and how to develop a marketing plan that will propel your success.

BUILD CONFIDENCE AND SHARPEN YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS TO WIN AT WORK

Does your presentation delivery capture your audience’s attention, so they become fully engaged to receive your message? Would you like to be able to control your jitters and increase your confidence? The techniques acquired in this training will provide you with a natural confidence to speak candidly and the composure needed to deal with either large or small audiences – whether virtually or in person. Learn how to use your PowerPoint presentations effectively and to sharpen your public speaking skills by focusing your message points, tailoring them to your audience, and conquering your jitters. Acquire tips to fine-tune your elevator pitch and to dress appropriately for your presentation. You will have the opportunity to practice and receive feedback in a safe environment.

SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATION – ESSENTIAL STRATEGIES AND SKILLS (WDT-206E)

Does the thought of having to negotiate create stressful feelings? Could it be because there are images of “hard negotiators” who intimidate their opponents? It doesn’t always have to be a negative experience. Attend this session to learn at least five negotiation techniques to increase your confidence, seek the win-win, and to know when – or whether – to walk away. We will cover the phases of the negotiation process, practical strategies, and effective tools to achieve your goals.

Research in North America suggests that more than 1 in 3 employees have experienced bullying, abuse, harassment or discrimination in their workplaces. This course provides organizations of all sizes in any industry with proactive tools for all employees to combat bullying, abuse, harassment, discrimination, and incivility for a safer, more productive quality of life in the workplace and their personal spaces as well.

An Interactive and Engaging Spanish Language Course for Business Professionals

If you are a non-Spanish speaking professional who would like to enhance communications with your Spanish speaking workforce, this program is for you. This course is designed for English-speaking professionals who understand and speak very little or no Spanish, and are interested in learning basic workplace vocabulary, Spanish grammar, conversational expressions, questions, and commands. Join this effective tailored to the workplace language learning experience.

This course is designed for English-speaking professionals who understand and speak very little or no Spanish, and are interested in learning basic workplace vocabulary, Spanish grammar, conversational expressions, questions, and commands. Join this effective tailored to the workplace language learning experience.

Some leaders immediately captivate their team’s attention and respect when they walk into a room. Do you have that kind of presence? If not, is it something that you would like to develop? This course will help you do just that by building your credibility, improving your personal appearance, honing your networking skills and enhancing your ability to communicate effectively. You will also receive an introduction to core skills to build trust and credibility as a leader. Create a strong positive impression and maintain that impression as you build your relationships.

Bullying is called the silent epidemic. Although almost half of workers have experienced or witnessed bullying, policies and laws dealing with it are far less prevalent.  This is, in part, because bullying can be hard to identify and address. People wonder, what does bullying look like? How can we discourage it in our workplace? What can I do to protect my staff and co-workers? These questions and more will be answered in this introductory class on Bullying in the Workplace.

Effective leaders understand how powerful an opportunity can be when they can tap into the intelligence, wisdom and innovation present in their workforce. Conversational leadership provides the space and infrastructure for knowledge sharing to take place; for employees, stakeholders and the community to be involved in discussing big, important questions; and to generate solutions that people within the organization can act on. In this course, understand the wisdom inherent in encouraging conversational leadership. Realize the power of communication through learning to describe the four I’s of conversational leadership. Learn to apply the principles of conversational leadership to improve results and enhance collaboration in your organization.

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS TO BECOME A PROBLEM SOLVER (WDT-207E)

The ability to clearly reason through problems and to present arguments in a logical, compelling way have become key skills for success in today’s world. This workshop will provide tools and hands-on experience with critical thinking and problem solving. We will define the differences between critical and non-critical thinking, identify your preferred thinking style, describe other thinking styles, such as left/right brain and whole mind, develop a process to build or analyze arguments and use creative techniques. Attendees will have the opportunity to practice preparing and presenting arguments and receive feedback on their technique.

Implicit bias or unconscious bias are subconscious attitudes that affect the way individuals feel and think about others.  We will examine how implicit bias impacts communication, relationships and decisions in the workplace.  In addition, we will discuss ways to handle situations where implicit bias is evident.

Participants will:

• Understand that everyone has implicit bias
• Learn about how implicit bias limits our perceptions and opportunities
• Understand roles that individuals play in implicit bias

Learn steps that can limit and address implicit bias.

LEADING WITH CONFIDENCE

Are you a “Natural Born Leader?” Despite the common phrase, a strong leader is not made overnight. In this course, learn how to develop your mindset to make decisions confidently. Using key principles, gain knowledge on how to develop your character, become trustworthy and earn respect. You will learn how to assist others in developing their own characters. Realize your long-term success in your organization through this leadership development course.

MASTERING THE DELIVERY OF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS FOR MANAGERS

Performance reviews are an essential component of employee development. The performance review meeting is an important aspect of career planning, and the outcomes of the meeting should be known to the employee and supervisor before the meeting actually takes place. Setting goals and objectives to aim toward, gives both supervisors and employees a focus. Having a focus is a key aspect to meeting overall company objectives. Supervisors must also learn how to give feedback, both positive and constructive, on a regular and timely basis so that employees can grow and develop. In this class, participants will learn how to master the art of delivering performance reviews and effective feedback.

When we adapt well to change, we find opportunity within each change and a sense of peace or even excitement. This is what we call resilience, or the ability to keep moving forward and make the most of any change, and not be paralyzed with fear, or lost sorting through the many possibilities for action. In this course, learn how to embrace resilience through identifying areas of irrational thinking to keep perspective, accept change, maintain a hopeful outlook and even learn from your past.

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 course is designed for participants who want to develop their team leadership skills and unleash the talent of their individual team members. Build teamwork by recognizing and tapping into the characteristics of an effective team. Promote trust and rapport by exploring your team player style and how it impacts group dynamics. Recognize the key elements that move a team from involvement to empowerment and how to give these elements to your team. Last, but not least, develop strategies for dealing with team conflict and common problems.

Women face unique challenges in the workplace, but they also add unique value and perspective. They improve communications dynamics and reinvigorate companies in ways that make them more competitive. Research shows companies with a critical mass of top-team gender diversity enjoy significantly better financial performance. This interactive session will enhance women’s leadership behaviors. Participants will leave with new ideas, skills, confidence and fresh perspectives to add more value to their organization.

Participants will:

• Build awareness of decision-making biases
• Learn how to create high-performing teams
• Negotiate win-win outcomes
• Manage crises
• Drive innovation
• Create an authentic leadership style