Regina Clark is a seasoned trainer, facilitator, keynote speaker, and executive coach.
She believes adults learn best when they see value in what’s being offered and are engaged in the experience. Regina’s solutions are highly interactive and rich in content.
She regularly facilitates programs on presentation skills, train the trainer, leadership, management, change management, enhancing the customer experience, and improving the patient experience.
Clients
Regina has worked with hundreds of clients, including BD, Bell Helicopter, Chemtura, Child Mind Institute, Crystal Run Healthcare, Cummins, Daiichi Sankyo, Duke Energy, Friends of Crown Heights, Giorgio Armani, Independent ER Physicians, Jeff Bank, Johnson & Johnson, Mercedes Benz, Massena Memorial Hospital, Merck, NFL Films, NYS Conference of Mayors, NYS Youth Bureaus, OMNOVA, Orange County Government, Orange Regional Medical Center, Polaroid, Proctor and Gamble, Westchester Medical Center, and Wolters Kluwer.
Professional Background
Regina began her career in financial services, working as a sales assistant on Wall Street and attending classes at the New York Institute of Finance. This early experience gave her a first-hand understanding of the brokerage industry and the world of finance.
After that early experience, Regina left financial services and accepted a job as a training manager with Macy’s New York.
Comfortable in training and eager to continue her career in learning and development, Regina next accepted a position with Meldisco. While there, she and her staff launched the company’s corporate university.
Regina left her corporate position in 1994 to start her own training and development business. Her first client was Giorgio Armani. For that organization, she designed and delivered a fully customized sales training program for locations throughout the United States.
The next significant development in her career occurred in the late 1990s. While working for AlliedSignal, Regina became acquainted with the world of Six Sigma when she began conducting presentation skills courses for Black Belts. Over the next ten years, much of her practice involved delivering soft-skills programs to technical experts. Along the way, she learned the DMAIC and LEAN methodologies.
Her first product was Spice up Your Speaking, Tips for Delivering Technical Presentations which was followed by 30 Tips for Six Sigma Trainers.
Regina is an avid supporter of human resources professionals and has spoken at several Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) events.
She joined Business Training Works in 2017.
Education
Regina holds a BS in social science from SUNY Binghamton. Her graduate work includes courses and fieldwork in counseling.
Regina received her CSP, Certified Speaking Professional, designation in 2005 from the National Speakers Association. She is also a distributor for Wiley and certified DiSC instructor.
Publications
- Wow Your Customer or Somebody Else Will
- Are We Having Fun Yet? 75 Ways to Create a Motivating Work Environment
- Deadlines and Diapers 65 Tips for Working Moms
- 101 Ways to Get Fit by Fifty
- 101 Ways to Improve the Patient Experience
- The Service Path, contributing author
- Managing Made Easy
An Interview with Regina
What three or four words describe your facilitation style?
I’m a lifelong New Yorker, so I’m fast paced. I handle any challenge. I have a witty sense of humor. I like to think I’m passionate, engaging, participant centered, and flexible.
You’ve been doing this a long time. What keeps you motivated and engaged?
I love meeting new people and learning about their organizations. It’s such a privilege to learn so much from others and helping them improve their processes.
When you worked for Meldisco, you and your team set up a corporate university when that concept was still in its infancy. How does that experience influence your work?
In the early 90s, corporate universities were a new concept. Initially, we focused on developing high-potential employees. We then had to build the program and find the right mix of subject matter experts, external training providers, and internal resources. Because of that experience, I learned how to facilitate just about anything under the management umbrella. In terms of my work, I understand that there are a lot of pieces that come together to make up a holistic development plan. Training is just a part of the puzzle.
What does good training design mean to you?
Good training needs to address a client’s challenges and do so in a way that is engaging and meaningful. To me, this means finding pain points and putting a plan in place to address them. Once I understand the situation, I design practical activities to address the issue or issues. I focus on real-life stuff that doesn’t come across as theoretical mumbo-jumbo.
How do you prepare for a client?
Everything I do starts with gathering information, listening to the clients, and learning from them.
Do you tend to follow the book, or are you more spontaneous?
When I first went out on my own, I worked for a client that required me to deliver content exactly the way she did. I had to use the same stories, gestures, and so forth. I could do it, and I still can if that’s required.
However, that approach doesn’t always get clients where they want to be. To be really good at this work, you need to be able to respond in real time and address whatever comes up. You can only do that when you have a huge toolkit.
It doesn’t happen often, but I’ve had situations where I’ve gone in fully prepared to deliver one set of materials and ended up addressing a completely different need.
Among other things, you’re good with technical people. Why is that?
I started college as an engineering major because I have an aptitude for math and science. When I was introduced to Six Sigma, I immediately understood the methodology and I’m a firm believer in analyzing data to improve a process. I think I resonate with engineers and scientists because I get them.
Tell me something about your project management training.
Years ago, continuous process improvement thinking was limited to manufacturing companies. During the past 15 years, Six Sigma and Lean methodologies have been introduced to all kinds of organizations including healthcare. In some cases, the methodologies have gotten watered down.
Everything you touch is part of a process. And every process can be improved. If every employee understands that, the organization is going to benefit.
We’ve talked a lot about technical people. You’ve also done a lot in retail and around the customer and patient experience. What can you tell me about that work?
I was a training manager for Macy’s NY. I delivered new-hire orientation, sales training, inventory management, retail math, and customer service training. I then designed customer experience training for a luxury brand that focused on brand expectations and brand promises.
The healthcare industry is constantly trying to provide exceptional patient experiences. Helping healthcare professionals improve their processes positively impacts the patient experience.
What kind of projects aren’t a good fit for you?
It’s not so much the project. It’s the willingness of the people to share with us before we get in front of their audience. I want to be sure that whatever we deliver works for the client. When the client shares their pain points and challenges with us, then we can design a program to meet their needs.
How do you stay current?
I’m an avid reader. I’m also active in a few organizations; SHRM, NSA, Chamber of Commerce. I also learn so much about technology and lifelong learning from my kids who are Millennials and Generation Z. It’s an exciting time to be in this field.
Outside of work, what are your interests?
I love to garden and participate in women’s sprint triathlons, as long as the swim is in the Atlantic Ocean.