Professional / Leadership Training

Many of the stresses and problems that individuals face are linked to the inability to be assertive in relationships, whether at home or at work. An assertive person is diplomatic, yet at the same time very clear about his or her own rights and goals. True assertiveness is based on a foundation of respect for one's self and for others. It is not about aggression or manipulation. The purpose of this course will be to help you develop your self-confidence and give you a chance to practice specific assertion skills.

• Introduction and Self-Assessment
• Basic Communication Styles
• Three-Stage Assertiveness Model
• Dealing with Difficult People
• Increasing Your Self-Confidence
• Finding Your Assertive Style
• Specific Issues for Women
• Dealing Well with Superiors
• Assertiveness for Leaders

The ability to express yourself clearly and to relate well to other people is the one key factor that will determine your success - both in your work and in your personal life. The good news is that you don't have to be born with these skills. Communication is a learned art. No matter what your present skill level, the purpose of this course will be to help you enhance your talents, avoid communication problems with people, and become a great communicator.

Session One

• Introduction and Self-Assessment
• Emotional Response Patterns
• Fundamentals of Communication

Session Two

• Active Listening
• Empathy
• Understanding Nonverbal Communication

Session Three

• Expressing Yourself - Finding Your Communication Style
• Managing Difficult Emotions
• Graceful Assertiveness

Session Four

• Communicating with People of Other Cultures
• Understanding Organizational Communication Channels

To be human and to work with other human beings is to experience conflict. It is unavoidable. Conflict is always disruptive and at times it can be terribly destructive. But if it is handled skillfully, conflict can have a silver lining. It can foster personal growth and encourage intellectual and technical development. It can be a force that energizes and renews our businesses and organizations. The ability to positively resolve conflict is a talent that no real leader can be without. The purpose of this course will be to learn methods for dealing with both the emotional and the practical aspects of conflict, and to adjust these strategies to individual leadership and personality styles.

• Sources of Workplace Conflict
• Conflict Management Styles
• Self-Assessment
• The Emotional Components of Conflict
• Three-Step Approach to Conflict Resolution
• Cross Cultural Considerations
• Dealing with Difficult Personalities
• Using Conflict for Positive Growth
• Real Life Practice with Participants

Moving around the maze of change is an art that utilizes the science of leadership. This class develops an understanding of what teams and individuals can do to facilitate change, exploring the change process, change agents and barriers to change.

This class is tailored to the vocabulary and content commonly used in your company and emphasizes conversational skills as an aid to improving workplace communication.

Course Objective:
At the conclusion of this course the participants will be familiar with problem recognition, problem identification, making assumptions, generating alternatives, choosing alternatives and implementation of corrective actions. During the instruction and class discussions all participants should benefit from the exchange of experiences of other members of the class. The third and final session will allow participants to apply the lessons covered in a relevant practical exercise.Problem Solving Techniques

What:
Class will cover creative problem solving techniques. Students are to utilize various techniques covered in class to solve individual and group problems that have relevance to their jobs. Though there is no post test for grade purposes there will be a group exercise in which all class members work together to arrive at various solutions to real problems in the workplace.

Why:
Learning and applying creative problem solving techniques in the workplace makes good business sense and improves the quality of life on the job.

How:
Application and practicing of the techniques offered by the text and learning from shared experiences of others in the class in order to improve problem-solving skills.

Problem Solving Process

• Analyzing the Environment
• Recognizing a Problem
• Identifying the Problem
• Making Assumptions
• Generating Alternatives
• Choosing Among Alternatives
• Implementation
• Control

Real World Scenarios:
During the first class session the students will be asked to prepare a brief presentation of real problems they have encountered in their work that will be analyzed during the final class period. This will consist of a group project in which the participants will use the methods that were taught to develop solutions to these real problem scenarios. This group effort will provide relevant and practical experience which the students can use in their work places.

We are all a combination of strengths and weaknesses. A good definition of success is the ability to maximize our strengths and manage our weaknesses. This process begins with self-awareness. In order to get to where we want in life, we need to have a clear vision and achievable goals. The purpose of this course will be to give you real-life skills to help you become your best, most professional self.

• Understanding our Personality
• Clarifying Values and Goals; Our Ideal Self
• Building on Personality Strengths
• Using Self-Talk Positively
• Self-Realization Tools
• Impression Management
• Business Etiquette and Grooming
• Avoiding Political Blunders
• Building Relationships with Colleagues
• Building Relationships with Superiors

This practical course looks at the effective and efficient use of the telephone, fax and electronic mail as well as conversational and presentation skills.

Learn to maximize your strengths and manage your weaknesses through the process of self-awareness. Discover your own personality strengths and how to build on them to become your best, most professional self.

This course develops attitudes and skills for handling stress, identifying the ways and means of dealing with and managing 'burnout' in situations that are uncontrollable, thus enabling a more positive attitude and increased productivity.

Comprehensive overview includes the role of the supervisor, communication, people development, motivation, team building and leadership skills.

This class is essential if help is required with managing projects and project teams and provides insight into how to set practical goals, create a work breakdown structure and keep to budget.

This interactive class looks at the 7-step problem solving process, from identifying root cause to implementing a solution and offers the opportunity to work in groups to brainstorm, present and gain feedback.

This course fosters increased self-esteem, self-confidence and trust. For groups, this is an opportunity to be supportive of other group members, offer encouragement and see direct results of this support.

This important issue is examined and identifies methods of prevention of workplace harassment. Learn how to create or revise a harassment policy containing legal and EEOC guidelines.

An interactive class designed to show how to develop competent and committed employees by diagnosing their development level and managing with the appropriate leadership style. The class will also enable you to develop your personal action plan.

Stress is a part of everyday life and in fact helps us to achieve results! This session explores the psychological and physical effects of stress, stress reduction techniques and strategies for changing negative environments.

Objective:

Participants learn the differences between leading in a traditional workplace and in a team environment.

Content:

1. Reasons for having a team
2. Understanding the different types of teams and the stages teams go through
3. Understanding how to establish team direction, and the basics of leading and facilitating teams
4. Exploring pitfalls and hurdles in team development

Beneficial to:
Managers and leaders working with in or developing a team environment.

The telephone is an important business communication tool, providing one-on-one contact with external and internal clients. In addition to identifying effective telephone techniques, this class provides guidance in the productive use of e-mail and outlines the basics of office etiquette.

Supervisors today face a world of tremendous chage and challenge. This series of four programs will help you to develop your leadership skills, as well as your understanding and confidence, in order to fulfil the important supervisory role.

Using time effectively is a skill that all individuals and especially team members should have and need to have to for personal and team success. This class looks at providing advice and guidance on time management and the development of personal success strategies.

This course is useful for anyone wishing to become and effective and organized instructor and uses a four-step model for the development of training sessions, along with presentation design, checklists and evaluations.

Need some help with identifying and planning the specific training needs within your company? This hands-on workshop will help you do just that. Come prepared with a sample job from your company.

Dates/Times: April 22, 8:00 – 5:00 PM / April 23, 8:00 – 12:00
Location: Collegiate Center at Northwest Arkansas Technical Institute

Course Description:

Essential Skills of Leadership
This module builds the foundation for helping your team leaders align team members with your organization's strategic objectives. Essential Skills of Leadership teaches team leaders how to maintain team members' self-esteem, focus on behavior, and encourage others to commit themselves to common goals.Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Essential Skills of Communicating
Communicating effectively is the key to implementing good management skills. In this module, your team leaders learn to create a climate of open communication, design clear, concise messages, recognize nonverbal cues, probe for clarification, and how to confirm another person's understanding of the issues. Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Effective Discipline
Most of us dislike having to discipline team members. We don't want to cause bruised and resentful egos. The skills your managers and team leaders will learn in Effective Discipline will preserve team members' self-respect and egos while changing the unacceptable behavior. This process encourages the best kind of discipline — self-discipline. It also motivates team members to accomplish their goals and work well within the organization.
Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Dates/Times: May 13, 8:00 – 5:00 / May 14, 8:00 – 12:00
Location: Collegiate Center at Northwest Arkansas Technical Institute

Course Description:

Developing Performance Standards
Unless your managers and team leaders are successful in spelling out the organization's specific goals, their team members are not going to know how to meet those objectives. This module teaches how to establish specific, measurable, attainable, result-oriented and time-framed performance standards. It then illustrates the steps that gain team member agreement and commitment to those performance standards. Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Coaching Job Skills
Upon completion of this module, the team leader will have the tools to conduct a successful meeting with a team member on how to perform a job, task, or skill. The team leader will also learn how to distinguish between performance problems that require coaching and those that can best be handled by some other means.
Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Delegating
This module gives valuable insight into and practice with the "Three W's" of effective delegation: When should team leaders delegate; to whom should they delegate to; and what explanation should they give to team members? Delegating also shows how to use delegation as a motivational tool and improve team members' skills.
Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Dates/Times: September 9, 8:00 – 5:00 / September 10, 8:00 – 12:00
Location: Collegiate Center at Northwest Arkansas Technical Institute

Course Description:

Dealing with Complaints
As the leaders on the front line, managers and team leaders are often the first to hear team member complaints. Though sometimes they may seem a barrage of whining, each complaint should be addressed and resolved. This module teaches how to resolve simple complaints and identify the "hidden agendas" that so often underlie chronic grievances.
Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Resolving Conflicts
Whenever people work together, conflicts arise. They may be simple misunderstandings that managers and team leaders can clear up. Or they may reveal subtle, but pervasive, morale problems that threaten to tear the delicate fabric of your organization. This module shows managers and team leaders how to explore a conflict and get to the heart of the problem to correct it before it's too late.
Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Supporting Change
As the link between management goals and the frontline labor force, the manger or team leader is the key to supporting change. Dealing with the comfort level of team members and involving them in detailed discussions will facilitate their acceptance of new ways of doing things. This module shows managers and team leaders how to introduce change without inducing defensive reactions.
Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Dates/Times: October 14, 8:00 – 5:00 / October 15, 8:00 – 12:00
Location: Collegiate Center at Northwest Arkansas Technical Institute

Course Description:

Improving Work Habits
Absenteeism . . . Repeated tardiness . . . Conduct . . . Dress code . . If your team leaders are faced with these or other work habit issues, this module will show them how to improve these issues. Merely quoting company regulations to the noncompliant worker will not solve the problem. The truly effective team leader immediately addresses poor work habits in a supportive, non-threatening way.
Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Performance Assessment
This module teaches the way an evaluation is done by the experts. First, relevant performance standards are established. Then, the team member's own performance evaluation is solicited. This accomplished, the stage is set for a summary evaluation that will be clear and credible to the team member. Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Communicating with Your Manager
Most managers and team leaders realize the importance of upward communication, but few accept their own managers. Managers and team leaders will learn how to model communication so that a desired result is achieved. Course Length: Classroom 4-hours

Based on that great book, this class will enable students to learn how to introduce changes into their organization and how to predict the impact of those changes on the culture. A must-have course for Managers and Leaders working in a team environment.

This class enhances communication skills and teaches clear expression and strategies for avoiding communication problems. It includes self-assessment, active listening and identifying personal communication styles.