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Onsite Training Courses Catalog

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Onsite Training Courses Catalog

Catalog Overview

We’ve organized our onsite training courses catalog by topic. Click on the categories below to explore each category.

Note: There is a lot here, and some courses appear in more than one category. If you prefer to speak with someone rather than browsing on your own, just give us a call.

Mix and Match

If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, please contact us. Often we can combine content from different courses to create a custom program to address a group’s unique needs.

Onsite Courses Location Note

Onsite courses are workshops delivered at a client’s location or place designated by a client.

Team Building
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Team Building

Total Team-Building Workshop: Tactics for Working Better Together

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Get your team on the same page with Total Team Building: Tactics for Working Better Together. This workshop covers the fundamentals of the team-building process, communication styles, listening skills, reasons teams become dysfunctional and solutions for addressing problems, and the value of working collaboratively and leveraging each team member’s strengths. The number of exercises and the depth to which we explore each topic is dependant on the course length selected. We can easily modify this program to accommodate a wide range of goals and objectives.

Team Focus

Start Up or Reboot: The Team Focus Workshop

Format: Full-Day Training Course

This hands-on course provides practical tools for people who want to build or rebuild their teams. The program assesses a team’s current state and helps groups perform a gap analysis to identify quick wins. The workshop also focuses on clarifying the group’s purpose and articulating the team’s mission, vision, and values in such a way that they serve as guiding principles and not just a bunch of meaningless “mumbo jumbo” about which nobody cares. In addition to establishing a direction, during this program participants will learn about team-member types and begin to build a team charter document.

Team Strategic Planning

The Purpose-Driven Team: Defining Function, Focus, and Future

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Strategic planning can be fun! It is also a task most successful teams embrace. This course focuses on three core elements: strategic planning, innovative thinking, and people. The workshop’s purpose is to help groups identify where they are, where they want to be, and how to get there. The program consists of hands-on, practical, and interactive exercises. These activities are designed to yield a result and invigorate the group.

Team Building for Matrix Teams

Criss-Cross Functionality: Skills for Building Stronger Matrix Teams

Format: Half-Day Training Course

This interactive team-building workshop focuses on challenges faced by matrix teams and the processes and skills that can help members of those groups work better within a cross-functional environment. The course looks at group dynamics, team roles, formal and informal norms, and actions team leaders and members can take throughout a project to encourage buy-in, increase engagement, manage resources, and reduce conflict.

Cross-Cultural Team Building

The Tri-Focal Team: Building on Culture, Identity, and Perception to Create Better Work Groups

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Help your team move beyond awareness and toward an appreciation of cross-cultural differences during this workshop for teams. This program focuses on skills for understanding and building on culture, identity, and perceptions. The workshop is hands on and filled with practical skills participants can put into immediate practice following the session.

Collaboration Skills

Collaborative Thinking Skills: Driving Teams Toward Better Results

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

A culture of collaboration usually results in engaged employees who produce strong results for the organization. This interactive workshop for teams focuses on the skills needed to encourage collaborative behaviors. The program assesses the group’s current level of collaboration, and it addresses the eight environmental conditions that typically exist in organizations where collaboration is routinely practiced. Additionally, the course looks at how collaborative teams relate to such topics as trust, change, self-awareness, authority, decision making, communication, role definition, rewards, and reflection. This workshop is available as a one-day offering or a multi-day program. The main difference between the two options is the depth to which we explore topics and the time devoted to exercises and activities.

Communication Skills Training for Virtual Teams

Communication Skills for Virtual Teams

Remote Control: Communication Strategies for Virtual Teams

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Whether working across town or across the globe, virtual teams have a unique set of communication challenges. This team-building and communication course addresses the skills needed to build a cohesive and functional virtual team. The workshop covers such topics as defining or confirming a purpose, prioritizing issues and opportunities, facilitating productive virtual meetings and conference calls, and addressing team conflict.

Strengthsfinder®

Strengthsfinder®: Discovering and Making the Most of Your Team’s Natural Gifts

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

All teams do better when their members know the value they bring to the organization and have an opportunity to do what they do well. In other words, when people’s strengths are leveraged, they are able to use those gifts to accomplish their work. This interactive program for teams uses the results from Gallup’s Strengthsfinder 2.0 instrument. During the workshop, participants will learn about their strengths, identify their team’s gifts, and discuss ways they can work better together.

Storytelling Challenge for Teams

Once Upon a Time: Storytelling Team-Building Challenge

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Storytelling is an undervalued workplace skill and one anyone who communicates to customers, clients, or coworkers should understand. This team-building challenge uses storytelling to explore empathy, the art of crafting narratives, the importance of leveraging team strengths, and tips and tricks for using body language to enhance messages. The program is faced-paced, interactive, and at the same time low risk.

Music Making Challenge

In Perfect Harmony: A Musical Team-Building Challenge

Format: Full-Day Training Course

This interactive workshop uses music to explore the team-building process. Working through a variety of collaborative activities, participants will explore a range of topics related to successful teams. Specifically, the program addresses people styles, the team-building process, the importance of leveraging strengths, basic project planning tools, cohesive messaging, and skills for handling the unexpected.

The Runway Recycled Challenge

The Runway Recycled: Fashion Design Team-Building Challenge

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Improve your team’s project management skills and ability to work together under pressure during this interactive creativity challenge. In this workshop, participants will create a range of fashions using recycled materials. Through a series of interactive activities, the group will discover information about each other, learn about collaboration and preferred work styles, and discover the importance of roles, planning, and sticking to a schedule.

Puppet Making Challenge

No Strings Attached: Puppet Palooza Team-Building Challenge

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Socks, spoons, sticks, and strings are just a few of the ingredients in this team-building workshop. Working together, participants will solve a variety of team challenges as they learn about themselves, each other, project management, and the process of collaboration. This engaging program requires no previous puppet-making or puppet-performance experience.

Train the Trainer Training Courses and Workshops

Train-the-Trainer
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Train-the-Trainer

The Talented Trainer: Delivering Participant-Focused Workshops, Courses, and Programs

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Whether you want to train inexperienced trainers or infuse a little energy into seasoned professionals, our most popular train-the-trainer course can get the job done. Facilitated by people with decades of experience in the field, this program addresses topics that can help both novices and seasoned trainers alike improve their teaching and facilitating. The workshop covers multiple topics: audience analysis, classroom charisma, participant management, and more. By the end of the seminar, those attending will understand what adult learners want and how they learn, know how to write effective learning objectives, be able to use activities appropriately, and handle the toughest crowds.

Training Skills for New Trainers

Basic Training Skills: Lessons for New Trainers

Format: Full-Day Training Course

If they don’t have the skills needed to successfully manage a classroom and conduct a workshop, a room full of people and all eyeballs locked on the facilitator can be terrifying to first-time trainers. This introductory course is designed for new trainers who are routinely tasked with delivering training to groups. During this session, participants will learn the basics of training and facilitation as well as essential skills for managing adult learners. While this course covers some elements of course design, this program mainly focuses on facilitation and content delivery skills.

Advanced Training Skills

Ta Da!: Advanced Methods and Techniques for the Experienced Trainer

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Our advanced train-the-trainer workshop is best suited for participants who have a solid understanding of adult learning concepts, program structure, training delivery methods, activity design, classroom management, and evaluation. The course takes a “deeper dive” into methods for accommodating learning preferences, facilitating discussions, evaluating training, devising opportunities for active learning, and adjusting to the modern classroom. Participants are encouraged to bring materials from programs they currently deliver or from those they plan to use in a future course. By the conclusion of this seminar, those in attendance should have a plan in place for addressing existing training issues and several new tools in their design and delivery arsenals.

Instructional Design

Designing for Action: Developing Dynamic Training Programs

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

This instructional design course marries theory with practical tools and tips for cutting design time and crafting participant-focused workshops that effectively transfer knowledge and skills. During this program, we will look at training as part of a larger employee-development ecosystem, explore various design methodologies, walk through the components of a needs analysis, work through a training map, introduce tips and tricks for creating engaging activities and exercises, examine assessments and their value in the design and delivery process, and suggest methods evaluating pilot programs.

Accelerated Learning Techniques

Noodle School: Using Brain Science and Accelerated Learning Principles to Create Dynamic Training

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Knowing how the brain processes information is the first step in designing participant-centric training materials. This dynamic training course explores the principles of brain science and accelerated learning. By the conclusion of this workshop, participants should have a clear understanding of how learners best digest and retain information. They will also have a wealth of tools at their disposal for crafting and delivering programs that make the most of what is known about accelerated learning.

Creating Participant-Centered Training

Engage!: Techniques for Creating Participant-Centered Training

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Great teachers know that lecture doesn’t work, but what’s a trainer to do when he or she inherits a lecture-based training program and there’s no time to start from scratch? Engage!: Techniques for Creating Participant-Focused Training to the rescue. This lab-like workshop is designed specifically for trainers who need to infuse energy and activities into their existing training programs and shift their contents’ focus to their students. For this seminar to work as intended, participants must bring copies of their existing courses to class.

Microlearning Design Course

Better Bites: Microlearning Design Made Easy

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

If you need to train learners who don’t have time to set aside an hour for training, or if you want to offer learners resources to support on-the-job training or classroom courses, microlearning may be the answer. This hands-on microlearning design workshop is intended for people who want to learn how to create, curate, and crowdsource learning bursts. The program is available in both one-day and two-day formats. The two-day format has more time allocated for learning labs and practice. By the conclusion of the course, those who attend should know when to use microlearning, how to choose a format, how to select a delivery system, how to market their content, and when and how to refresh and edit their library of material.

Training Game Design

Game On!: Using Games and Gamification to Make Learning Stick

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

People remember what they hear for a few hours, they remember what they see for a few days, but they remember what they do for weeks or even years. This game design course teaches those who attend how to use games, game-like activities, and gamification in their training courses. The program addresses when, how, why to use games; reviews popular game formats; introduces the process of game design; suggests ways for repurposing existing games; provides a framework for evaluating games; and offers strategies for deploying games in the classroom.

Storytelling Skills for Trainers

Training with Tales: Captivating Learners with Stories

Format: Full-Day Training Course

A good narrative can make us laugh, it can make us cry, or it can make us take action. Why? Stories make whatever they are about real and relevant to the listener. During this storytelling program for trainers, participants will learn how to use narratives to set the tone for training, establish a connection with participants, link content to life back on the job, and provide memory aids for recalling information. The course covers how and when to use stories, storytelling models, and storytelling mistakes. It also provides several opportunities for participants to practice their storytelling skills.

On-the-Job Training Skills

On the Job: Design and Delivery Skills for One-on-One Training

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Training in a one-on-one environment is decidedly different than facilitating a group session. This comprehensive course addresses on-the-job training and how to design and implement an effective one-on-one training plan. During this workshop, participants will discover how to: create a total task inventory, distinguish which tasks are critical for safe and successful job performance, design meaningful activities to introduce knowledge and processes, establish trust and build rapport with learners, recognize any barriers that would prevent learners from successfully completing training, and follow best practices for documenting, coaching, and evaluating the efficacy of a training initiative.

Training Skills Training for Non-Trainers

Training Skills for Non-Trainers

Teaching Essentials: Practical Training Skills for Non-Trainers

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Too often subject matter experts find themselves in charge of training others. They’re in the role not necessarily because of their ability to teach but for their knowledge of a particular subject. It is for this group that Teaching Essentials: Practical Training Skills for Non-Trainers is designed. This program covers the essential training skills subject matter experts who find themselves in charge of teaching adults should understand. The course focuses on practical steps for leveraging strengths, determining what learners really need to know, conducting interactive exercises, managing a classroom, and appearing confident.

Training Skills Training for Healthcare Trainers

Training Skills for Healthcare Trainers

A Helping Hand: Training Customer-Care Skills for Higher Patient Satisfaction

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

This train-the-trainer program is designed for trainers and facilitators in healthcare environments who wish to improve their training design and delivery skills. Using their existing training materials or content from our library, participants will learn how to build and deliver learner-focused training to improve the patient experience and customer satisfaction. This course is not a program on how to conduct an off-the-shelf training class. Rather, the workshop teaches trainers, facilitators, and designers how to create learner-centered content to achieve organization-specific goals and objectives.

Training Skills Training for Safety Trainers

Training Skills for Safety Trainers

The Protection Connection: Train-the-Trainer Training for Safety and Health Instructors

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

Whether instructing on safety equipment, safe workplace practices, or OSHA regulations, safety trainers have an essential role in preventing accidents and mistakes before they occur. The subjects covered may be serious, but serious content does not have to be delivered in a dull or dry way. In fact, if it is exciting and active, participants are far more likely to remember what is taught. This train-the-trainer workshop is designed for safety trainers who wish to improve their ability to promote a culture of safety, generate learner buy-in, and engage their participants in meaningful experiential learning activities.

Creating and Using Training Videos

Worth a Million Words: Using Video in Training to Enhance Learning Points

Format: Full-Day Training Course

A great video can make a training concept come to life. This hands-on workshop explores the ins and outs of successfully deploying video in the classroom. From existing content to DIY options, this program is the perfect choice for groups who are interested in learning how to leverage the benefits of well-executed videos. By the conclusion of this course, participants should have a list of places they can search to find content they can legally use and enough proficiency with various technologies that they can create their own productions.

Change Management
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Change Management

Don't Look Now, But...: How to Manage Organizational Change

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

"Don’t Look Now, But…: How to Manage Organizational Change" is our oldest change management workshop. This activity-based program provides participants with an overview of the change process; an explanation of a range of human reactions to change; best practices for initiating change, involving stakeholders, and communicating progress; and awareness of common mistakes people make when in the midst of organizational transformation.

Overcoming Change Barriers

Status Grow: Moving Beyond the Way We’ve Always Done Things

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Stuck in a rut, need a shot of inspiration and energy, or tired of the status quo? If so, look no further. "Status Grow: Moving Beyond the Way We’ve Always Done Things" is the antidote to the same old way of operating. This course is about evaluating the present, choosing a future destination, and plotting a course to get there. It combines techniques from our critical thinking and creativity programs with the essential elements of our change management workshops.

Leading Change

Driving Force: How to Implement and Manage Organizational Change

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Organizational change rarely occurs without a hiccup or two. However, leaders who know how to manage the change process effectively can have a significant influence on an initiative’s outcomes. This course covers the tools and techniques leaders should implement to drive the change process successfully. Topics covered include understanding the change process, choosing a strategy, anticipating reactions to change, managing resistance, avoiding common failures, and communicating throughout an implementation’s lifecycle.

Team Management

The Adaptive Advantage: Managing Nimble Teams

Format: Half-Day Training Course

In a fast-paced and fluid environment, adaptability and flexibility are essential skills for teams to master. This workshop focuses on the building skills for managing nimble teams. During the program, we’ll discuss actions managers can take to enable and encourage adaptability, prepare their teams for change, sell a new direction, assign roles to team members based on their individual strengths, and address problems that pop up in organizations where targets and expectations frequently shift.

Storytelling
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Business Storytelling

Leading with Lore: Leveraging Stories and Storytelling for Business

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

This storytelling course for leaders explores the value of using stories in business. The program shares examples of successful workplace narratives, offers a method for isolating a plot and building robust characters, provides guidance for fleshing out details, and gives participants several opportunities to practice their skills throughout the day. In addition to building their own stories, those who attend this workshop will learn the art of story spawning and the value of listening to the stories others tell.

Storytelling for Salespeople

A Novel Approach: Selling with Stories

Format: Full-Day Training Course

The best salespeople understand the value of stories in the sales process. After all, a well-spun tale can reinforce a customer’s belief in a product, service, or company. Great stories can also help customers envision themselves using a particular product or service to solve a problem. In fact, a strong and memorable narrative can build brand awareness and strengthen a relationship with customers and potential customers alike. During this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to use stories to enhance their presentations and address the issues their customers care about.

Storytelling Skills for Trainers

Training with Tales: Captivating Learners with Stories

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Data-Driven Storytelling

Narrative Numbers: Designing Data-Driven Stories

Format: Full-Day Training Course

A lot can go wrong when people present data. They choose the wrong information, too much information, or too little. This course is designed for people who must present numbers. During the workshop, participants will learn how to isolate narratives, choose the right chart for the right task, use analogies and stories to support their message, and avoid common mistakes people make when creating visual representations of their data. This is not a platform skills course, its focus is strictly narrative design.

Storytelling Challenge for Teams

Once Upon a Time: Storytelling Team-Building Challenge

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Sales
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Relationship Selling

Stop Selling! : How to Listen, Learn, and Build Loyal Customer Relationships

Format: Full-Day Training Course

All things being equal or close to it, people like working with people they know and trust. This relationship-selling course focuses on the skills salespeople need to foster strong relationships with their clients and customers in an age where many customers complete the bulk of their initial research before picking up the phone. During this interactive and hands-on workshop, we will explore the customer-centric mindset, unique selling proposition, customer pain points, the relationship-selling process, networking, sales call choreography, responses to objections, closing skills, and servicing relationships after an initial sale. This workshop is ideal for anyone who wants to learn consultative selling skills.

Storytelling for Salespeople

A Novel Approach: Selling with Stories

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Basic Selling

The Right Ingredients: Selling Fundamentals

Format: Full-Day Training Course

This introductory course addresses the fundamentals of sales and the selling process. It is designed for those new to the field and for people who have recently had sales added to their existing workplace responsibilities. During the workshop, participants will explore the salesperson’s role, articulate the features and benefits of the products and services they offer, describe and follow their organization’s sales model, adhere to processes for staying organized, research their customers, follow up appropriately, and build rapport with their customers and clients.

Sales Negotiation

Transforming No: Overcoming Objections to Nail the Sale

Format: Half-Day Training Course

In sales, objections are inevitable, but that doesn’t mean they should stop the process or prevent a purchase. The key is understanding a buyers’ reservations and responding to them with information that addresses their needs. This workshop explores the ins and outs of objection handling. During the program, we will look at the source of objections; preventative, pre-emptive, and response strategies; tools for understanding and outlining a buyer’s decision-making process; a framework for gaining insight about competitors; a model for meeting buyer needs; and language for answering objections. This interactive course incorporates multiple roleplay exercises and ample opportunities to practice addressing the objections participants experience in the field.

Sales Prospecting

Finding Gold: Prospecting for Sales Leads Like a Pro

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Without prospects, a business can’t grow, or for that matter and in most cases, stay level. This course focuses on prospecting and skills for feeding the sales pipeline. During this hands-on workshop, participants will examine their current prospecting practices, their prospecting needs in light of their attrition rates and sales goals, and their prospect to sale ratio. Additionally, we will develop a prospecting model specific to their organization and action plans for various prospect segments. Also, we will discuss techniques for reactivating lost accounts, leveraging and building a sales network, and skills for using the phone as an effective awareness tool.

Sales Presentation Skills

Perfect Pitch: Designing and Delivering Effective Sales Presentations

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Solid presentation skills are critical for anyone who must get up in front of clients. This sales presentation skills workshop teaches deck creation, platform techniques, questioning skills, and other essential competencies anyone who routinely presents to clients must have. During this course, we will map a pitch and identify strengths and opportunities. Next, we will discuss steps for setting the stage and doing advance work in preparation for a meeting. We will then talk about the importance of asking questions before launching into a pitch. Following those introductory topics, we will spend time designing a presentation choreographing a meeting. The course concludes with a robust discussion around planning for the unexpected and staying calm under a wide range of unforeseen circumstances.

Persuasion and Influence

We Can Work It Out: Negotiating with Influence and Persuasion

Format: Half-Day Training Course

In most workplaces, people need people, and without an ability to persuade an influence, the likelihood of realizing a vision is slim at best. This interactive workshop teaches participants how to harness the power of influence and persuade them to take action. The course covers a range of information: how people make decisions; how beliefs, values, and attitudes influence behaviors; interpersonal skills for building trust; push and pull influencing techniques, and tactics for overcoming the biases that can affect how people see the world and make choices.

Effective Product Demonstrations

But Wait, There's More: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Conducting Engaging Product Demonstrations

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Strong product demonstrators are experts at showcasing a product and helping an audience envision themselves using it. This course is part sales training and part presentation skills workshop. The program explores the ins and outs of great product demos: researching an audience, conducting one-to-one and one-to-many demonstrations, presenting in person and virtually, incorporating stories, and avoiding sales-killing mistakes. The course also suggests tactics for building rapport and encouraging audience engagement, as well as skills for introducing innovations with which prospects are not familiar. During the seminar, participants will have ample opportunities to practice what they’ve learned and develop their ability to move prospects to the next phase of the sales cycle.

Telephone Selling

Calling All Callers: Tools and Techniques for Better Phone Sales

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Sales Training for Banking and Credit Unions

Relationship Banking

From Telling to Selling: Relationship Management Skills for the Universal Banker

Format: Full-Day Training Course

For banks transitioning from large branch staffs with a range of roles to offices staffed with fewer people who can perform a wider range of tasks, the transition can be difficult. This course addresses the universal banker concept and the soft skills required to be successful in the role. The program covers such topics as managing change; defining brand-specific actions, attitudes, and appearance; engaging customers; building profiles; relationship selling; and planning contacts. The workshop is ideally suited for banks and credit unions that have moved or will move to a universal banker model in their branches.

Trade Show Selling

Great Exhibitionists: Mastering Trade Show Sales and Booth Etiquette

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Too many companies deploy staff to a trade show with no plan for making the most of the organization’s investment. This trade show sales and selling course covers the ins and outs of successfully staffing a booth, setting realistic goals, generating foot traffic, qualifying leads, acting with professionalism, and following up after events. The program comprises practical discussions, role plays, case studies and facilitated planning and goal setting. By its conclusion, participants should have the basic skills they need in place to successfully navigate their next show.

Client Entertaining

Get the Most for the Host: Best Practices for High-Net-Worth Client Entertaining

Format: Half-Day Training Course

If your team members regularly entertain clients, they can’t afford to go in without a plan. This interactive program focuses on the mechanics and etiquette of client entertaining: researching before an event, preparing for conversations that go beyond the weather, working a room, and following up. While it’s focused on high-net-worth clients, we can adjust this workshop as needed to address your particular situation, concerns, and objectives.

Chat Selling

From Chat to Charge: Conversation Skills for Growing Online Sales

Format: Half-Day Training Course

The ability to conduct chat is only part of the chat selling puzzle. This chat sales course is designed specifically for people using chat as a communication tool in the selling process. This dynamic program covers the basics of relationship selling and the specifics of using chat when interacting with customers. Throughout the session, the program offers multiple opportunities to practice skills learned. For a full day of training, this workshop can be combined with Let’s Chat: Customer Service Skills for Online Service and Sales Representatives.

Trusted Advisor

The Trusted Advisor: Add Value, Increase Loyalty, and Grow Profits

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Whether you spell it “adviser” or “advisor,” becoming someone others trust and from whom they seek advice is a worthy goal for anyone in the workforce, especially people in service and sales. This program examines trust and what it takes to build professional credibility to the point where people believe what they’re told and take action. The program marries theory with practical tools participants can immediately put in place following the workshop. Topics include the value of trust, the trust formula, steps to building credibility, the importance of reliability, communication, and the customer-centric mindset.

Productivity
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Time Management

Taming the Time Monster: How to Stop Procrastinating, Start Planning, and Get More Done

Format: Full-Day Training Course

This time management workshop is one of our oldest and most popular productivity training programs. It covers the ins and outs of productivity. Through a series of interactive exercises, the workshop explains the benefits and drawbacks of various calendar systems, explores how to work better with others through delegation, demonstrates the use and organization of a to-do list, and aids in developing a personal action plan for better time management skills. By the end of this high-energy course, participants should be able to stop procrastinating, prioritize their tasks, say “no” to time-wasters, and feel more in control of their lives.

Time-Management Systems

Getting Things Done with Only Two Hands: Time Management Systems for Busy People

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Without a system, it’s difficult to manage time, objects, or anything else. This half-day workshop covers the essential elements of time management and the systems productive people put in place to stay on top of their work. The program addresses a range of productivity tools and methods. By the end of this program, participants should have a plan in place to leverage the techniques discussed during the session.

Project Management

Get It Done: The Basics of Project Management

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Since the beginning of time, people have been putting tasks in order, delegating them, and ensuring work stays on schedule. Despite how it might appear on the surface, most project management isn’t rocket science. Using easy-to-understand examples and interactive activities, this project management course introduces a range of tools in a down-to-earth manner. During this workshop, participants will learn about gathering requirements; asking the right questions; communicating clearly; documenting plans, progress, and problems; creating a work breakdown structure; managing scope creep and other issues; leveraging interpersonal skills; and closing out a project when it comes to an end.

Organizational Skills

Digging Out: How to Get Organized and Get Control When You Are Overworked, Overcommitted, and Overwhelmed

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Whether you’re unable to find information or a physical item, being disorganized is no fun! This interactive workshop tackles the ins and outs of organizing physical and virtual spaces. The program explores the freedom that comes from editing and curating the “stuff” with which we surround ourselves and tools and tactics for making the process easier. To get the most from this course, participants are strongly encouraged to bring their organizational challenges to the session and work on developing a plan for improvement during their time in the program.

Efficiency and Organizational Skills

A Clean Desk Is Possible: Organizing for the Overwhelmed

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Being buried in piles of paper and other “stuff” can be downright depressing. Where to start? What should stay, and what should go? How do you stay on top of everything? Find out the answers to those questions during this hands-on and interactive organizational skills workshop. Learn the skills you need to gain control and put systems and processes in place to stay that way.

Microsoft Outlook

Outsmarting Overload: Getting the Most from Microsoft Outlook

Format: Half-Day Training Course

While almost everyone uses Microsoft Outlook, few people know how to get the most benefit from the program. This interactive and hands-on workshop is a fast-paced overview of all Outlook can do. Participants will learn how to leverage keyboard shortcuts, templates, quick steps, quick parts, mail merges, and a host of other tools that will increase their ability to conquer their inboxes once and for all.

Meeting Management

Making Meetings Work: How to Schedule Fewer Meetings and Get More Done

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Bad meetings are not good for business. They waste time and money. This program is designed to help people improve their meeting management skills. It provides basic facilitation tools and suggests best practices for getting the most out of workplace discussions. The course outlines the cost of meetings, 14 best practices for running meetings, questions to consider before calling a meeting, basic facilitation skills, and tactics for addressing common problems. If they implement the suggestions offered and skills taught in the program, participants should find they have fewer meetings and get more enjoyment and better results from those they do attend.

Delegation Skills

Off My Plate: Effective Delegation Techniques

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Few people can get everything done by themselves. For that reason, knowing how to delegate is an essential workplace skill. This course explores the ins and outs of effective delegation and tactics for assigning the right tasks to the right people. Through a range of exercises and activities, during this interactive workshop participants will explore such topics as letting go, generating buy-in, communicating authority, monitoring tasks, using questions to coach, and monitoring delegated tasks.

Stress Management

The Attitude Day Spa: Managing Stress, Building Self-Esteem, and Staying Positive at Work

Format: Half-Day Training Course

A little stress is great. A lot? Not so much. This high-energy program explores the ins and outs of stress and stress management. By the end of this course, participants should be able to recognize what causes them stress, make changes to their physical environment to reduce stress, practice physical exercises for relieving tension, and use a variety of mental techniques for feeling in control and reminding themselves of what’s good about what they do and where they work.

Skills Administrative Assistants

The Polished Administrative Assistant: Keeping Those Around You Organized, On Time, and On Track

Format: Full-Day Training Course

While certainly important, technical skills are only a portion of what’s required from a first-rate administrative or executive assistant. This course addresses the soft skills people expect from those who support them. The program looks at personal credibility, language choices, professional presence, email etiquette, and tools and tactics for handling difficult personalities and challenging situations. By the conclusion of this workshop, participants should have a renewed sense of purpose and new ideas for supporting others back on the job.

Minute-Taking

Minute by Minute: Distilling and Documenting Meeting Conversations

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Top minute takers know what to capture when they sit in a meeting. They record the essence of what is said and leave out superfluous information, emotions, and details that don’t contribute to a document’s goals. This interactive workshop addresses best practices for distilling conversations and recording discussions. The program covers such topics as a minute taker’s responsibilities, minute-taking templates, and electronic and paper tools. This course is offered in both a half-day and full-day format. The difference between the two options is the depth to which business writing skills are addressed and the practice time allotted to various activities.

Repair Order Writing

Getting It on Paper: Understanding the Art of Automotive Repair-Order Writing

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Poorly written repair orders waste time, cost money, and negatively impact customer satisfaction levels. This specialized workshop addresses that problem. Designed for fixed-operations employees working in the automotive industry, this hands-on and practical course teaches the skills needed to elicit information from customers and clearly and comprehensively document those concerns in such a way that a technician can reproduce a problem and fix it right the first time.

Diversity and Inclusion
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Diversity and Inclusion

I Understand You: Capitalizing on Workplace Inclusion and Diversity

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Having a diverse workforce and an inclusive environment that values differences in thought, belief, and experience can give a business an extra edge. This course examines topics around workplace diversity and inclusion: what diversity means, how people differ from each other, the business case for hiring a range of people, the law, biases and how they affect perceptions and decision making, and concrete actions people can take to widen their circles and develop their relationships with others.

Managing Inclusion and Diversity

All Together Now: Embracing and Managing Workplace Diversity

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Top managers understand their ability to manage diverse work teams and encourage inclusion has a direct effect on employee engagement levels. This workshop explores the value of a diverse workforce, how diversity goes beyond such obvious differences as age, gender, and race, information about the law and diversity, and skills for helping all employees reach their potential. The course also addresses cognitive bias, the signs that people have bought in or checked out, and the everyday challenges managers are sure to encounter when working with a heterogeneous group.

Generational Differences

Bridging the Gap: Understanding Generations at Work

Format: Half-Day Training Course

“He actually asked me what gave me the authority to manage him!” “Never ever do I get any feedback. It takes more than a paycheck to motivate people. Doesn’t she know that? She seems to take very little interest in me?” “Back in my day, I never would have said that to my boss.” Let’s face it, times have changed. The workplace is evolving as older people retire and new employees join the ranks. Change is rarely easy, so is it any wonder that conflicts arise when people do not share a common understanding or similar expectations. This generational diversity workshop explores generations at work. It addresses the academics behind the idea that membership in a certain age-based cohort affects beliefs and behaviors and focuses on specific actions participants can take to work better with people from different generations.

Managing Across Generations

The Right Mix: Effectively Managing Generations at Work

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

“She’s older than my mother. I feel funny being her boss.” “I can’t believe that kid. He actually asked for two extra weeks off to go hiking in Tibet. When I was his age, I wasn’t acting like a kid. I was married with two children of my own. Time for myself wasn’t even on the radar screen.” If you don’t know how to manage them, generational differences can become obstacles instead of assets. This course provides managers and supervisors with an awareness of generations at work and suggests best practices for building rapport, encouraging communication, accommodating preferences, and leveraging strengths. The program also looks at such activities as delegation, coaching, and counseling people from different generations.

Cultural Diversity

Cultural Intelligence: Working Smarter in a Multicultural Organization

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Working with people from different cultures can be exciting and engaging. The experience can also be frustrating and difficult, especially when people come up against challenges related to communication and cultural norms. This course offers an introduction to cross-cultural communication and explores the benefits of a culturally diverse workplace. Topics covered include how culture is formed, Geert Hofstede’s research on culture, how different cultures view time, and how people from different cultures use words, body language, context, and other signals to communicate. This program is ideally suited for multinational companies and other organizations that routinely encounter opportunities to work with people from different cultures.

Communication Styles

Surviving in The Communication Jungle®: Concrete Tactics for Improving Relationships with Others

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Understanding communication styles is a first step toward improving personal communication, group meetings, and team dynamics. “Surviving in The Communication Jungle®: Concrete Tactics for Improving Relationships with Others” is an interactive workshop that explores four basic communication styles and how to leverage the strengths of each. During this hands-on program, participants will complete an assessment to learn about their preferences. Next, we will work through a series of activities to explore the styles and style stretching to accommodate differences. This program can be taught on its own or paired with some of our other half-day offerings for a full-day event.

Communication Styles for Teams

Jungle Expeditions: Advanced Style-Navigation Skills for Teams

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Dive deeper into “The Communication Jungle” with this communication styles course designed for teams. The program builds on the fundamentals taught in “Surviving in The Communication Jungle®: Concrete Tactics for Improving Relationships with Others.” During this workshop, participants will learn how styles develop, how to work with people with blended styles, and what questions they must ask and answer as a team.

Facilitation Skills
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Facilitation Skills

Conducting Conversations: Guiding Discussions and Keeping People on Track

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Facilitation skills are a necessity for anyone running a project team, department, or division. Knowing how to conduct discussion and put others in the spotlight takes a certain savvy. This program covers the fundamentals of solid facilitation and how to conduct a productive discussion. We will explore such topics as understanding the facilitator’s role, establishing ground rules, framing discussions, questioning points of view, summarizing information, keeping track of decisions, building consensus, and managing conflict. In addition, we will practice a variety of popular tools for generating and considering ideas.

Advanced Facilitation Skills

The Professional Facilitator: How to Get the Most from Business Discussions

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

This advanced facilitation skills course is designed for people who are already comfortable running meetings and looking for additional facilitation tools. While the course reviews some of the fundamentals covered in our standard program, it introduces concepts not addressed in depth in that program. We will spend time discussing people styles management and tools for uncovering values, beliefs, and motivations. We will also practice using Business Training Works’ strategic-thinking tool, Lenses: Gaining Focus and Seeing New Perspectives,TM a method for gathering opinion, making objective comparisons, and considering points of view. Additionally, this course includes an exploration of such meeting goals as consensus building, decision making, strategic planning, and brainstorming. Participants will talk about each objective and how the facilitator’s choice of tools must change depending on the task at hand.

Meeting Management

Making Meetings Work: How to Schedule Fewer Meetings and Get More Done

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Presentation Skills
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Presentation Skills

You Don’t Have to Imagine Them Naked: How to Create and Deliver High-Impact Presentations

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

At some point in their careers, most people find themselves in front of others and tasked with delivering a formal presentation. While some meet the opportunity with enthusiasm, others are less than excited to step up to the podium. This presentation skills course is designed for both groups. It is structured to provide neophytes with the basics and more experienced speakers with tips to sharpen their skills. The workshop is highly interactive and includes practice time for all participants to demonstrate what they have learned about audience analysis, creating messages, and competently communicating that information to others.

Introductory Presentation Skills

The ABCs of Public Speaking: Presentation Skills 101

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Whether you’ve never presented in a formal setting or it’s been a while since you walked up to the podium, Podium Panache: Presentation Skills 101 can give you the confidence to step up to the microphone. This introductory presentation skills course is ideal for those who do not have a lot of experience presenting information and for those who have not had to present to others in some time. The course covers audience analysis, presentation design, and essential delivery skills. Its primary goal is to provide those who attend with knowledge of the basics dos and don’ts of public speaking.

Technical Presentation Skills

From Statistics to Persuasion: How to Prepare and Deliver Effective Technical Presentations

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Presenting complex information can be difficult even under the best circumstances, but when an audience does not have the same understanding of the fundamental facts and processes or its interests are governed by a different set of criteria, the challenge grows exponentially. This presentation skills workshop is designed for engineers, technology professionals, scientists, and others who must communicate to a range of audiences and break down complex ideas or complicated information into manageable pieces.

Executive Presentation Skills

Podium Panache: Advanced Presentation Skills for Executives

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Your senior team may know how to stand up in front of people and deliver a message, but do they understand the nuances that make a speech go from satisfactory to spectacular? This executive-speaking class goes beyond the fundamental skills required to stand in front of a crowd. It covers key theme discovery and message development, proven frameworks for crafting a compelling narrative, audience analysis and methods for answering the needs of different groups, the use of rhetorical devices during delivery, platform choreography, and techniques for developing and delivering information when there is little time to prepare. Groups who participate in this course should have a strong command of basic presentation skills.

Presenting to Executives

To the Point: Skills for Presenting to Executives

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Presenting to the C-suite usually requires an ability to condense a great deal of information into a succinct message. This course focuses exclusively on creating and delivering presentations to senior leaders. During this workshop, participants will learn how to isolate their main message, target their content’s breadth and depth, include only slides that add value, and anticipate questions.

Public Speaking Skills

Swallowing Butterflies and Living to Tell About It: Techniques for Better Public Speaking

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Public speaking ability is an essential workplace skill in many professions. This interactive program focuses exclusively on delivery techniques. During this course, participants will learn how to project an image of confidence and reduce any feelings of nervousness when speaking in front of others. This workshop also addresses techniques for visually and verbally blocking a presentation, eliminating filler words, adding vocal variety, and communicating information without directly reading from slides.

Credible Communication

The Authenticity Advantage: Communicating with Credibility

Format: Full-Day Training Course

People who communicate with credibility are believable and inspire trust. Credible communicators know how to appear capable and confident across communication channels. This program explores the value of credibility and helps participants define a credibility target. The workshop also explores credibility at networking functions, at meetings, in writing, and during formal and informal presentations.

Sales Presentation Skills

Perfect Pitch: Designing and Delivering Effective Sales Presentations

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Effective Product Demonstrations

But Wait, There's More: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Conducting Engaging Product Demonstrations

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Presentation Skills Training for Virtual Presenters

Virtual Presentation Skills

Clicks and Tricks: Skills for Virtual Presenters

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

They cost less than in-person meetings, and they’re not going anywhere soon. In fact, as technology continues to evolve, you can bet a lot of gatherings that used to happen in the same room move online. Sounds great, or does it? If a virtual meeting is poorly designed, poorly facilitated, or a combination of both, participants will tune out, drop off, or worse. This presentation skills course for virtual presenters is designed to provide those who participate with the skills they need to design and facilitate well-run virtual meetings. The program offers suggestions for choreographing a meeting, building rapport, encouraging engagement, using web-based tools to focus participants, and looking good and sounding professional on camera or over the phone.

Extemporaneous Speaking Skills

Smiling While Dancing on Hot Coals: How to Speak with Ease Under Pressure

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

You’ve got little or no time before you step to the stage, yet you must sound credible and appear composed when you get there. How will you comport yourself and move with confidence toward the front of the room? “Smiling While Dancing on Hot Coals: How to Speak with Ease Under Pressure” to the rescue. This half-day workshop teaches the skills needed for fearless speaking on the fly and from the heart. During this program, participants will learn to organize their thoughts quickly, use their bodies and voices to portray an image of competence, field tough questions, and buy time if they can’t or don’t wish to directly respond to questions asked.

Stage Presence Training Lessons from Improv Comedy

Comfortable Speaking

Stage Presents: Using Improvisational Comedy to Discover Your Speaking Gifts

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Improvise your way to better presentations with "Stage Presents: Using Improvisational Comedy to Discover Your Speaking Gifts." During this dynamic course, participants will discover their natural gifts and enhance their stage presence through lessons using improvisational comedy. Through a series of experiential activities, participants will energize their presentations with stories, use their voices and bodies to improve their messages, and practice skills for handling the unexpected with ease. Although we can tailor this course to cover elements of presentation design, the program’s focus is helping people develop their platform skills.

Military Briefing

Power Points: Military Briefings Made Easier

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Military briefing is rarely described as “easy,” but it can be more comfortable if the briefer is well training and adept at handling a demanding audience. During this session, participants will learn how to isolate key points and lead with a “bottom line;” choose correct, clear, and concise supporting points; and deliver their content in an engaging manner – whether it is for the first or fiftieth time. Additionally, this course addresses basic slide design and suggests alternatives to text-heavy slides, a leading cause of “death by PowerPoint.”

Data-Driven Storytelling

Narrative Numbers: Designing Data-Driven Stories

Format: Full-Day Training Course

PowerPoint Design

Screen Gems: Creating Impactful Slide Presentations

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Do your slide presentations suffer from a poor narrative, lack of a clear purpose, heavy text, colors not found in nature, or some other problem related to PowerPoint? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, you may be suffering from BSS (Bad Slide Syndrome), a common ailment affecting PowerPoint decks. BSS can create opportunities for miscommunication, cause audiences to “tune out,” and hurt a presenter’s credibility. The good news is the problem can be managed and in some cases cured. "Screen Gems: Creating Impactful Slide Presentations" explores the ins and outs of solid presentation design and creating visual aids to support a well-crafted message. From establishing a narrative and considering transitions to selecting templates and images, this program is about learning how to develop strong content. Unlike many of our presentation skills programs, this workshop focuses on design and does not emphasize delivery. If you wish to add that component, consider combining this course with another offering.

Media Relations

Meet the Press: Mastering Media Relations

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

In the world of 24-hour news and 140-character tweets, the ability to present a coherent and succinct message has never been more important. From crafting narratives and writing press releases to handling unexpected calls from reporters, this media relations training course will prepare participants to interact with members of the press with confidence. The workshop addresses such questions as what is newsworthy, how do you create a compelling and cohesive story, how do you provide usable sound bites, how do you adjust your responses for print, radio, television, and other outlets, and, what do you do when a crisis occurs?

Negotiation and Conflict Management
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Negotiation

The Skilled Negotiator: How to Work Methodically and Creatively to Reach Agreements

Format: Full-Day Training Course

This comprehensive negotiation skills course is one of our oldest and most popular programs. The workshop teaches participants to follow a proven and comprehensive negotiating process and uses a variety of case studies and exercises to reinforce learning points. The course covers such topics as negotiation outcomes, negotiation styles, preparation, problem-solving, questioning and listening skills, steps for making and managing concessions, and traps and tricks of which to be aware. Throughout the program, there are multiple opportunities for participants to practice and apply what they’ve learned to their current negotiations.

Negotiation Essentials

Give and Take: Negotiation Fundamentals

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Develop your team’s deal-making skills during this practical and hands-on half-day training program. The course covers the essentials of negotiation and includes multiple activities and case studies to reinforce the program’s learning points. During this workshop, we’ll address such fundamentals as planning a negotiation, choosing a strategy, employing collaborative problem-solving skills, following a process, and avoiding the common pitfalls and errors at which negotiators often find themselves facing.

Persuasion and Influence

We Can Work It Out: Negotiating with Influence and Persuasion

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Sales Negotiation

Transforming No: Overcoming Objections to Nail the Sale

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Conflict Resolution

From Conflict to Resolution: How to Define and Discuss Tough Topics

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Good communication skills are an essential element in the conflict-resolution process. This interactive workshop explores a range of communication tools. During the program, we will look at sources of conflict, the consequences of unresolved conflict, resolution strategies, a resolution process, reflective listening skills, empathy, and body language. The course also explores how culture, values, and beliefs influence perceptions and when it’s time to call in a third party to help.

Basic Conflict Resolution

Winning Ways: Conflict Survival Skills for Getting Along in the Workplace

Format: Half-Day Training Course

This conflict resolution survey course is designed for people who wish to gain a basic understanding of conflict resolution and conflict management strategies. The workshop is ideally suited for groups who must address external conflict as part of their jobs. It also works well for teams who need to learn how to better navigate in-house disagreements.

Conflict Management

Managing Conflict at Work: Skills for Addressing Disagreement

Format: Full-Day Training Course

People have different values, ideas, motivations, perceptions, and desires. Sometimes the variances are trivial, and other times the gap is bigger than the Grand Canyon. When strong feelings arise, it’s essential to know how to deal with them in a way that is productive. This conflict resolution course offers tools for managing a range of workplace disagreements. During this workshop, we will explore sources of conflict, conflict management models, healthy methods of handling disagreements, conflict resolution styles and tactics for dealing with difficult types of people.

Human Resources
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Orientation Program Design

First Things First: Creating Effective Orientation Programs

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

A good onboarding and orientation program can mean the difference between an engaged employee and someone who has checked out less than 60 days into the job. This course tackles the ins and outs of creating an effective onboarding program. During this workshop, we’ll define goals, establish processes, and develop templates to promote the successful launch of new employees.

Recruiting Talent

Millennial Matters: Attracting a New Generation of Talent

Format: Full-Day Training Course

While technology has changed how most organizations recruit new employees, the candidates’ wants and needs have also altered the process. This interactive workshop addresses tactics for recruiting younger millennials and the digital natives who make up Generation Z. During this program, we’ll discuss what matters to these groups and what successful organizations have done to attract and retain young talent.

Interviewing Skills

Finders Keepers: How to Interview and Hire Well

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Avoid costly interviewing mistakes and teach your team how to identify top talent during this practical course designed to improve interviewing skills. During this program, participants will discuss the steps they should take before seeking candidates, identify best practices for keeping the process running smoothly, understand the questions they should and should not ask, practice techniques for getting to the truth, and explore best practices for checking references.

Performance Management Systems

Orchestrating Excellence: Understanding and Implementing a Performance Management System

Format: Full-Day Training Course

A good performance management system that has the full support of management and an organization’s employees can mean the difference between ho-hum performance or whistling a happy tune. This workshop examines the elements that comprise an effective performance management system and provides a basic roadmap for building a process that correlates employees’ work with the organization’s strategic and tactical goals. The program also lays out a procedure for developing an enterprise-wide competency model, identifying essential roles and competencies needed in those roles, managing organizational changes, identifying essential formal and informal management activities, and considering interviewing and succession planning as part of performance management.

Harassment Awareness

No, It's Not Okay: Understanding and Avoiding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Sexual harassment awareness training is not a “nice to have” but a “need to have.” Although in many states, the training is required by law, regardless of mandates, all employers and their staffs benefit from a workplace free of unwelcome advances. This interactive workshop is suited for all employees and is designed to be more than a “fact dump” or simple compliance training. As a result of the course, participants should understand the value of a no-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and how their behavior directly impacts the culture in which they work.

Harassment Prevention for Managers

Ouch!: Recognizing and Preventing Sexual Harassment

Format: Half-Day Training Course

This sexual harassment prevention course is designed for managers, supervisors, and others with direct reports. In addition to covering federal and state laws governing employer obligations, this course examines the relationship between organizational culture and employee behavior and the risk factors that can increase or decrease an organization’s exposure. The program also reviews the organization’s policy and reporting and investigation procedures.

Leadership and Management
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Management Training Workshop Series

Management Essentials: Skills for Supervising Others

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

This essential management skills course comprises four half-day workshops. The program covers four topic areas: making the transition from independent contributor to management; encouraging ownership, delegating, and holding people accountable; leveraging communicating, coaching, and developing people; and addressing performance problems and managing during times of change or uncertainty. While designed as a series, each half day also works as a standalone workshop, and completion of one session is not a prerequisite for participation in another. This program is ideal for organizations that wish to offer a basic management development program on an ongoing basis that people can join at any point during the course.

Basic Management Skills

Management Basics: Fundamental Skills for People in Charge

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Do your managers or supervisors need a refresher course or crash course in essential skills for managing people? This half-day survey course covers such topics as the manager’s role, communicating expectations, delegation, accountability, coaching, and balancing a personal workload with management tasks. By the end of this workshop, participants should have a basic understanding of the essential skills managers should demonstrate in order to supervise others effectively.

Leadership Development

Lessons in Leadership: Learning to Lead So Others Will Follow

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

This dynamic six-session leadership development program is designed for intact cohorts. The course addresses issues of central importance to leaders: what strong leaders do, how to articulate purpose, establish targets, and hold people accountable for their work, coaching skills and employee development, strategic planning and innovation, and communication skills.

Skills for New Supervisor

Step Up to Supervisor: Making the Transition from Buddy to Boss

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Give your supervisors the jumpstart they need with this onsite management training course. Topics covered include the supervisor’s role, a skills assessment, self-sabotaging behaviors, accountability, delegation, questioning skills, reflective listening, employee motivation, feedback, difficult behavior, and conflict management. This workshop can be taught in both full-day and multi-day formats. The difference between these options is the depth in which we explore topics and the number of experiential activities included in the program.

Management Skills

Supervision Skills for Managers: Coaching, Counseling, Delegating, and Developing an A+ Workgroup

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Focused on helping people become better managers, this survey course covers such topics as communication skills, communication styles, goal setting, giving effective performance feedback, and coaching. During this interactive workshop, participants will have ample opportunity to practice the skills featured in this training course and work on a plan to address any real-time concerns they have regarding their direct reports.

Employee Motivation

Give Me an M!:The Foundations of Employee Motivation

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Learn the basics of employee motivation during this interactive training session. This program discusses employee engagement and the processes, frameworks, and actions that should be in place to encourage people to take ownership of their work. This course is fully customizable and can be adapted as required to address a client’s needs.

Delegation Skills

Off My Plate: Effective Delegation Techniques

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Employee Accountability

Employee Accountability: The Nuts and Bolts of Delegation and Coaching for Better Performance

Format: Half-Day Training Course

If accountability doesn’t exist, engagement and buy-in usually suffer. This half-day workshop takes a deep dive into issues around employee accountability and actions successful managers take to get the best from their direct reports. During this program, participants will learn what to delegate and how, why good performance does or doesn’t happen, how to address shortcomings, and essential coaching skills for building trust and encouraging ownership.

Employee Feedback

Engaging with Feedback: Win-Win Skills to Improve Employee Performance

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Feedback is about guiding people to do their best work. This course explores the ins and outs of employee feedback and best practices for establishing a productive dialogue between managers and employees. During this workshop, participants will learn how to leverage both formal and informal feedback to increase employee engagement. Those participating in the program will also find out how to fit feedback into their daily routines, how to set expectations early in the process, how to manage negative reactions to feedback, and what to do when feedback about inappropriate behavior does not result in change.

Mentoring Skills

Master Mentoring: Understanding Both Sides of the Employee Development Conversation

Format: Full-Day Training Course

One of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to develop a workforce is through a well-run mentoring program. This workshop shares best practices for putting a strong structure in place. It also addresses the benefits of mentoring, the roles and responsibilities of mentors and protégés, and guidelines for holding mentoring meetings. During this course, mentors will complete a template in preparation for their first mentoring meeting and familiarize themselves with a framework for holding subsequent meetings. Additionally, this program explores troubleshooting strategies and ideas for handling surprises in the mentoring process.

Leadership

The Total Leader: Essential Skills for Successful Management

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

This two-day leadership development program covers several leadership fundamentals. The course looks at multiple models and theories and is designed to familiarize participants with the foundational skills needed to successfully lead a team. The workshop explores a range of essential topics: the difference between leading and managing, what it means to be a learning organization, the importance of personal mastery, mental models, how leaders inspire a shared vision, situational leadership, leadership styles, trust, and change management. Among others, the course looks at the work of Peter Senge, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, and William Bridge. In addition to exploring academics, this seminar pays special attention to translating theory into executable actions.

Courageous Leadership

The Courage to Lead: Having the Guts and Skill to Do What Needs to Be Done

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Too often leaders know what should be done, yet they hold back and fail to act, sometimes to the fatal detriment of their organizations. This course looks at what courage means in leadership, the tools leaders can leverage to exhibit courage, and strategies to promote candor and courage throughout their teams. This program is a must for teams that know that making hard decisions and taking decisive actions would have long-term gains.

Coaching Skills

Coaching for Results: Skills for Managers and Leaders to Drive Behavior

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Coaching is one of the most powerful skills managers can develop. Good coaching can increase engagement, encourage development, and generate organizational buy-in and ownership. This program focuses exclusively on coaching as a development tool. During this interactive workshop, participants will define coaching, explore a range of popular models, identify roadblocks that may prevent them from coaching and tactics for overcoming those obstacles, practice communication skills, and hold several coaching conversations. In addition, at the end of the course, group members will develop a coaching plan they can use back on the job.

Leadership Training for Individual Contributors

Leadership Skills for Individual Contributors

Follow Me!: Leadership Skills for Individual Contributors

Format: Full-Day Training Course

You don’t have to be a manager or supervisor to be a leader within an organization, nor do you have to be in charge to successfully lead others through a large-scale project. This interactive workshop focuses on leadership skills for individual contributors. The course addresses the traits strong leaders share and actions anyone can take to enhance their leadership skills. During this program, we will explore such topics as power – where it comes from and how to leverage it, skills leaders use to leverage language, behaviors effective leaders use to influence and how to develop them, and the importance of gratitude, appreciation, and adopting a positive outlook.

Engaging Government Employees

Engaging Government Employees: Inspiring Great Work in the Public Sector

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Public-sector employees are tasked with solving some of the most challenging problems, and they’re asked to do so in a world of increasing complexity, shrinking budgets, and greater demands on public services. To make matters worse, many public workforces are aging, and in some cases, finding top-notch replacements is a daunting task. Why? The perception is government employees have cushy jobs. The reality is the work is hard and often thankless. Morale problems can plague governments at all levels. This workshop provides tools to help managers dramatically increase engagement and nurture and sustain the kind of relationships that inspire people to bring their “A-game” to work each and every day.

Performance Management Systems

Orchestrating Excellence: Understanding and Implementing a Performance Management System

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Performance Management

Performance Management Skills for Managers: Getting the Best from Employees

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Many organizations have performance management systems, yet according to a Gallup survey, only 46% of employees surveyed felt that their performance management system was effective. Furthermore, rather than being motivated to perform well, many people felt exactly the opposite. So what went wrong? In some cases it was the process, but most systems failed because of the actions managers did or did not take. This course aims to correct that. The program covers the skills managers must master to do their part in performance management. During the workshop, participants will learn to empower employees, recognize and reward achievements and behaviors congruent with the organization’s goals, strategy, and values. They will also learn how to manage overperformers, underperformers, and the people int the middle.

Team Management

The Adaptive Advantage: Managing Nimble Teams

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Management Skills Training for Manufacturing

Managing in Production Environments

Material Concerns: Leadership and Management Skills for People in Production Environments

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

This management skills series is specifically designed for people who manage in manufacturing and production environments. The four-session program addresses communication and engagement; planning and time management; coaching, counseling, and mentoring; and conflict resolution and team building.

Leading with Trust

The B2 (Belief x Believability) Advantage: Managing and Leading with Trust

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Healthy teams have one thing in common, trust. Without it there is little chance that group members are fully engaged in their work. This dynamic leadership program examines trust and the importance of giving it and earning it in the workplace. Participants will learn the steps they need to take to allow themselves to believe in their people’s abilities to accomplish a task. They will also discover what being trustworthy means and the behaviors and attitudes they must display each and every day in order for others to feel confident about them and their ability to lead.

Communication Skills Training for Managers

Communication Skills for Managers

Communicating with Influence: Communication Skills for Managers and Supervisors

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

Effective leaders know how to use influence to develop and empower others. They understand the importance of creating a “want to” environment instead of merely treading water in a “have-to” workplace. This communication skills workshop for managers tackles the skills managers must develop to inspire others to take actions. This program covers a host of topics: understanding influence, taking inventory of the landscape and setting communication goals, leveraging proven processes, recognizing differences in communication styles, using stories and analogies to drive people to action, and more.

Business Storytelling

Leading with Lore: Leveraging Stories and Storytelling for Business

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Leadership for Customer Service Leads, Supervisors, and Managers

Leading Service: Setting the Stage for Great Customer Interactions

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Without strong leadership, you can’t build and sustain a superior service culture. This program examines processes that must exist to establish a customer-centric culture. The course looks at mission, vision, and values; best practices in hiring, training, empowerment, and employee engagement; the value of storytelling; management’s role in the service ecosystem; and how transparency correlates directly with trust.

Coaching Customer Service

Coaching for Better Service: Managing, Motivating, and Getting the Best Out of Front-line Employees

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

Great service doesn’t happen on its own, and it doesn’t happen consistently if there is no one leading the way. This course is designed for customer service managers, supervisors, and team leaders. The workshop covers the steps strong managers take daily, weekly, monthly, and annually. It also provides opportunities to practice the soft skills associated with those tasks. In addition to those topics, the program also includes a substantial discussion around employee motivation, tactics for building strong teams, and low-cost and no-cost ideas for rewarding good performance and making the workplace fun.

Harassment Prevention for Managers

Ouch!: Recognizing and Preventing Sexual Harassment

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Managing Inclusion and Diversity

All Together Now: Embracing and Managing Workplace Diversity

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Managing Across Generations

The Right Mix: Effectively Managing Generations at Work

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Listening for Leaders

Listening for Leaders: Six Essential Skills for Better Communication

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Strong leaders know that listening is one of the most important elements in their box of management tools. While some people are born with an aptitude for listening, others are not. The good news is listening can be taught. This workshop focuses on six essential listening skills for leaders: giving undivided attention, building rapport and establishing trust, staying engaged and focused, asking good questions, and reading emotions.

Customer Service
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Customer Service

Customer Service Excellence: How to Deliver Exceptional Service to Today's Busy Customer

Format: Full-Day Training Course

This is our flagship customer service course. It addresses the skills people need to better serve their customers, clients, and partners over the telephone and in person. We can deliver this program as described in the workshop overview or tailor the content to address challenges specific to your business. The off-the-shelf version of this course is also available as online self-paced training. For groups seeking a blended learning approach, we recommend online learning followed by instructor-led training.

Customer Service Communication Skills Training

Communication for Better Service

The Customer Connection: 20 Essential Communication Skills for Giving Better Service

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Would better communication skills improve the service your staff provides to customers? If you answered “yes,” this program can help. The course covers 20 skills for improving customer interactions. It is ideally suited for groups who want to improve their team’s consistency.

Customer Service Refresher

Step Up Your Service Game: Three Hours to Better Customer Service

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Reboot, renew, and reenergize your service team with this onsite customer service refresher course. This program is designed for people who’ve been on the job for some time. During the workshop, we’ll evaluate current service levels, discuss how customers form opinions, review the importance of consistency, explore basic service etiquette, examine service recovery, and determine what to do when the answer is “no.”

Telephone Customer Service

How May I Help You?: Outstanding Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service

Format: Half-Day Training Course

This telephone customer service course is designed for professionals who rely on the phone as the primary tool for interacting with and servicing customers. This workshop reviews the basics of setting a positive tone when answering the phone, professionally transferring callers, putting callers on hold, dealing with difficult situations and more. If members of your team rely on the telephone to communicate with customers, this phone customer service course can take their skills to the next level.

Front Desk and Receptionist Skills

Welcome!: Front Desk Professional Image Building

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Receptionists and other front-desk staff are the faces of an organization. How these people treat visitors, guests, and clients says a lot about the companies they represent. This course zeros in on the skills professionals at the front desk need to successfully man their posts and leave each person with whom they come in contact with a positive impression of themselves and their organizations. The program covers appearance, telephone skills, tactics for managing in-person visitors, and safety and security concerns.

Service Skills for Call Center Agents

The A+ Agent: Confidence and Professionalism for Call Center Employees

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Call-center agents have one of the toughest service jobs around. They move from one call to the next with little time in between to reset and refresh. Top agents know how to navigate a busy environment with ease and finesse. This course covers the ins and outs of call-center customer service. During this workshop, participants will review communication and phone etiquette; explore best practices for placing callers on hold, transferring calls, and documenting conversations; practice listening skills, questioning methods, and techniques for communicating empathy; create solutions to challenging calls; and identify opportunities to learn from past performance.

Service Skills for Help Desk Agents

S.O.S.: Help for the Help Desk

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Soft skills are sometimes the hard part of working at a help desk. Not only must agents be technically astute, they must know how to manage people who are frustrated, confused, or even downright hostile. This workshop covers the basic communication skills all help-desk agents should know how to use. The program explores rapport-building techniques, listening skills, positive words and phrases, written communication, and ideas for managing touch situations.

Service Skills for Chat Agents

Let's Chat: Customer Service Skills for Online Service and Sales Representatives

Format: Half-Day Training Course

This chat training course is designed for anyone who provides service or connects with customers via chat. From exploring best practices to guidelines for keeping those on the other end of the connection happy, this interactive workshop uses hands-on exercises, case studies, and multiple examples to reinforce learning points throughout the program. The course is appropriate for organizations already using chat and for those considering the tool.

Critical Thinking Training for Customer Service

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Customer Service

Smarter Service: Leveraging Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Problem Solving for a Better Customer Experience

Format: Full-Day Training Course

“We offered yet another service our customers didn’t want.” “We treat all of our customer groups the same, is it any wonder our VIP program can’t get off the ground?” “Our people must be seeing the world through some strange filter because they make decisions that seem better suited for an alternate universe. They’re smart too. I don’t get it.” If any of that sounds familiar, this course can help. The program is designed to help anyone who affects the customer service experience to improve their critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. This workshop focuses on defining problems correctly, recognizing biases, stating assumptions, applying a range of ideation techniques, and appreciating the differences in ways people think.

Client Relationship Management

Delivering Exceptional Client Service: How to Build Lasting Partnerships

Format: Full-Day Training Course

You can’t be all things to all people, but you should aim to be the absolute best you can be to your target market. Sounds logical enough, but this is impossible or close to it if you haven’t taken the time to define what excellent means. This client-management course is designed for people serving external clients, internal customers, or a combination of both. During this workshop, participants will define their service brand, articulate its values, and identify day-to-day behaviors that demonstrate “excellence.” The group will also discuss segmenting and the importance of tailoring service experiences to different groups. The course concludes with a discussion around customer-centric language and managing difficult situations.

Dealing with Difficult Customers Training

Handling Difficult Customers

Service Survival: Handling Demanding and Difficult Customers

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Anyone who has worked in customer service for longer than an hour knows that the job can be tough. Not all customers or situations are created equal. Whether customers are demanding, needy, critical, or confused, they are still customers.This interactive workshop focuses specifically on the skills needed to survive challenging customers and challenging situations.

Customer Service in the Public Sector

Citizen Service: Customer Service and Communication Skills for Government Employees

Format: Full-Day Training Course

When providing customer service in the public sector, often you are the only game in town. Your customers can’t go anywhere else. But even with this monopoly, it is important that you work as if every customer could leave at will. In fact, it’s critical. This training seminar addresses customer service in the public sector and communication for government employees who interact with the public, internal customers, and elected officials.

Retail Customer Service

In the Bag: Delivering Exceptional Retail Customer Service

Format: Full-Day Training Course

In the age of internet shopping, brick-and-mortar stores must do more to compete. This customer service course focuses on the challenges specific to retailers. During this program, participants will explore the processes and people skills associated with delivering exceptional service to shoppers. Upon request, we can combine this workshop with secret-shopper services.

Hospitality

At Your Service: Delivering a Five-Star Customer Experience

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Whether you run a resort, hotel, motel, restaurant, park, museum, or tourist attraction, providing five-star service is an essential element in the formula for growing your business. This guest services and hospitality workshop explores the elements of great service and outlines the importance of appearance, actions, and attitude and how they impact the guest’s experience. The course also explores tactics for handling service breakdowns, little extras that can enhance the guest’s stay, and service-related stress and how to manage it.

Customer Service Skills for Housekeepers

Customer Service Skill for Housekeepers

You've Got It Maid: Customer Service, Communication Skills, and Team Building for Housekeeping Professionals

Format: Half-Day Training Course

“The nurse didn’t have much time to talk with my mother, but the housekeeper really went out of her way.” “I was so surprised to see a bear made out of a towel when I came back to my room. What a surprise!” Housekeepers can be part of the “secret sauce” that makes a hospital, hotel, or another facility first rate. This course covers the people skills and teamwork that can make a difference.

Healthcare Customer Service

Patients Plus: Delivering Customer Service for Better Patient Satisfaction

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Healthcare isn’t retail, and great service at the mall is not the same as great service at the medical center. Patients and their families have a different set of concerns and expectations when it comes to their health and their healthcare providers. This course examines the people skills anyone in the medical field must master in order to earn a top patient-satisfaction score. During this workshop, participants will learn the value of patience, the importance of being present, skills for being polite and respectful, the value of being proactive, techniques for professionally addressing upset patients and their families, and tips fo staying positive no matter what the situation.

Sports Fan Relations

Fan-tastic Relations: Communication Skills for Athletes and Others Representing a Team

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Fans play a large role in the success and popularity of any team, and how players and other representatives treat them can make or break a fan’s experience. This fan-relations course is designed for athletes and others who interact with a team’s fans. The program explores the concept of brand equity and how one-on-one interactions can add to or detract from a brand’s value. The workshop also explores best practices for handling all types of people, managing tough situations, and staying camera ready.

Leadership for Customer Service Leads, Supervisors, and Managers

Leading Service: Setting the Stage for Great Customer Interactions

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Coaching Customer Service

Coaching for Better Service: Managing, Motivating, and Getting the Best Out of Front-line Employees

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

Branded Customer Service

Defining Excellence: The Look and Sound of Service Great Service

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

Superior service doesn’t happen by accident. It’s thought out, planned, hired for, and regularly trained. This workshop is designed for organizations that want to create a branded service experience for their customers. The program walks participants through several processes: identifying/confirming desired customer groups, planning the customer journey for different market segments, choosing processes and language that reflect the desired brand, hiring for success, and training employees. This workshop lasts a minimum of two days and often runs over the course of several months so clients can successfully reach their customer service goals and objectives.

Managing Customer Service Feedback Training

Managing Customer Feedback

Survey Says…: Managing Customer Feedback and Reviews

Format: Full-Day Training Course

This customer service course targets groups who must request, collect, and manage customer feedback as part of their workplace responsibilities. The program covers such issues as choosing what to measure, soliciting opinions, tracking results, responding to feedback, and comparing changes over time. If they already use customer feedback tools in their work, participants are encouraged to bring copies of their current customer surveys to the session.

Customer Relationship Management

More Than a Database: Customer Relationship Management

Format: Full-Day Training Course

In most businesses, great customer service requires not only strong people but strong systems as well. This workshop focuses on customer relationship management as a tool for building trust and connections with customers. The program covers such topics as choosing a relationship management vision, setting relationship goals, planning interactions, choosing communication channels, identifying appropriate language, selecting software, and identifying measurements.

Customer-Centric Writing

Mailbox Manners and Maneuvers: Building Rapport and Relationships Online

Format: Full-Day Training Course

A well-written email can build the relationship between customers and the people who serve them. Conversely, texts that are typed with little thought can alienate the very people organizations want to attract. This specialized workshop combines customer service and email etiquette. The program addresses the importance of identifying a voice and articulating desired feelings an organization wants its customers to have about it. The course also provides participants with a framework for creating customer-centric email and a list of positive words and phrases they can use to craft correspondence.

Repair Order Writing

Getting It on Paper: Understanding the Art of Automotive Repair-Order Writing

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Business Writing
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Business Writing

Bottom-Line Business Writing: How to Bring Clarity and Style to Anything You Write

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Learn the fundamentals of business writing during this hands-on workshop. Taught in an interactive format, the program introduces several practical tools writers can use to make their documents understandable in a single rapid reading. During this course, participants can expect to write, review, and edit documents.

Workplace Writing

The Business Writing Workshop: Tools and Tricks for Creating Stronger Written Communication

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

This business writing workshop is fast paced, fun, and full of tools participants can put into immediate practice back on the job. Available in both full-day and half-day formats, the program is light on theory and heavy on application. This seminar offers something for everyone who must produce documents as part of their workplace responsibilities. Whether you love writing or dread it, you’re sure to enjoy this course.

Advanced Business Writing

Beyond the Bottom Line: Advanced Writing Skills for Experienced Professionals

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

This advanced writing skills workshop is suitable for people who possess a clear understanding of the conventions of standard American English grammar and punctuation. The program relies heavily on samples students bring to the session and those they generate during class. To ensure this program is a suitable match for those who register, we strongly encourage attendees to complete the skills assessment we provide to them prior to the program’s start.

Technical Writing

Writing Made Easy as Pi: Effective Written Communication for Science, Healthcare, and Other Technical Fields

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

All substance and no fluff instructor-led technical writing course. Schedule this training workshop onsite or online. Fully tailored interactive writing programs for engineers, scientists, and other technical professionals.

Email Etiquette and Business Writing Training

Email Etiquette and Basic Business Writing

Email Etiquette and Business Writing: Crafting Clear, Correct, and Courteous Digital Correspondence

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Email comprises a large majority of the writing produced in the modern workplace. Unfortunately, much of it misses the mark in terms of clarity, tone, and adherence to the rules of good etiquette. This course addresses best practices for writing correct and courteous digital correspondence. It covers the ins and outs of email etiquette and fundamental writing skills. The program also touches on the law as it relates to email and the risks associated with electronic correspondence.

Editing and Proofreading

On Your Mark: Professional Proofreading and Editing

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

This onsite course in proofreading and editing workplace documents targets employees who are responsible for preparing error-free writing as part of their jobs. The skills covered in this workshop include reading texts for accuracy, consistency, clarity, and conciseness; using proofreading symbols to denote the location of mistakes in a piece of writing; using editorial marginalia to reveal problems in content, style, and organization; creating final drafts of documents that are free of mistakes. This seminar assumes participants have a fundamental understanding of basic American English usage and punctuation and a willingness to learn the symbols of proofreading and editing for the purpose of creating error-free copy.

English Grammar

An Adult's Garden of Grammar: Rules for Pest-Free Writing

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Regardless of how brilliant the person might be, bad grammar can hurt anyone’s credibility. "An Adult’s Garden of Grammar: Rules for Pest-Free Writing" is an engaging and interactive course designed to improve its participants' understanding of how English works. Taught in a down-to-earth style, the program is judgment free and full of suggestions for crafting well-written sentences that follow generally accepted rules of American English grammar.

Punctuation

Yes. Yes? Yes!: Punctuation Matters

Format: Half-Day Training Course

This onsite workshop focused exclusively on helping participants understand the importance of using correct capitalization and punctuation when they write. Beyond reviewing the conventional rules of punctuation and capitalization in American English composition, we will examine any organizational preferences that participants must follow when writing on the job. By its conclusion, participants should have a better understanding of how to use punctuation and capitalization to convey what they mean in writing.

GPO Style Manual Usage

Consistency Counts: Conforming to GPO Style Manual Standards

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

This course teaches participants how to apply the stylistic preferences outlined in the "GPO Style Manual" to their writing. This is not an introductory writing course or grammar and punctuation workshop. The program’s designers and instructors assume those participating in the course have a moderate to advanced level of proficiency with written English. Groups purchasing this program must provide several writing samples prior to the session’s start. These texts will serve as the primary documents participants will use when learning how to conform their writing to the guidelines set forth by the Government Printing Office.

Government Writing

Fit for Print: Written Communication Skills for Government Writers

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

As public employees, government writers are responsible to the citizens they serve. This program addresses concerns specific to government writers and the obligations they have under the Plain Writing Act. During this course, participants will learn to make writing choices that will result in documents the average person can easily understand. The workshop addresses such topics as identifying a main message, organizing supporting points, using words, grammar and punctuation correctly, and self and peer editing.

Plain Language

In Plain English: Government Writing and Plain Language Made Easy

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

This course introduces the concept of plain language and reviews the rules for its use. While the program’s facilitator will answer questions about grammar and punctuation, this course is not an introductory writing course. Rather, its designers created it for experienced government writers who need to understand their responsibilities under the law.

Plain Language for Lawyers

Raising the Bar: Plain English for Lawyers

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

“A lawyer must have written that! I don’t understand half of it.” Poor writing can frustrate judges, clients, and others who must read the texts lawyers produce. This writing course covers the essentials of Plain English and offers tips for improving a document’s clarity. The program is interactive and filled with practical exercises specific to the legal profession. Both lawyers and others working in the field will benefit from this hands-on seminar.

Military Writing

Commanding Attention: Writing for the Military

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

This military writing course targets active-duty service members and civilians who support the armed services. The class reviews the writing process, explains the basics of standard American English grammar and punctuation, and highlights the stylistic preferences of the branch or branches of service to which class members belong. The primary goal of this program is to prepare participants to write documents that are clear, concise, consistent, and comprehensible in one reading.

Policy and Procedure Writing

Great Guidelines!: Policy and Procedure Writing Made Easier

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Even small organizations usually find they have a need to document procedures and create policies beyond those offered by a template. The better written these documents, the more likely employees are to understand what they’re supposed to do and why. This course is designed for people who create those documents. The workshop is interactive and uses the participants’ workplace writing as the foundation for the program’s content.

Report Writing

Structured Findings: Writing Effective Reports

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Many people tasked with producing reports as part of their workplace writing responsibilities dread the activity. They have a lot of information to share, but they don’t know how to present it in a way that is easy for the report’s readers to understand. Maybe it’s an issue with organization, or perhaps the reports include the wrong amount of detail. Whatever the reason, Business Training Works can help. This course covers the ins and outs of effective report writing. It also provides solutions to common errors in grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation that can ruin a piece of writing.

Business Writing Training for Non-Native Speakers

Business Writing for Non-Native English Speakers

Total Translation: Business Writing for Non-Native English Speakers

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Too, two, to, tutu? There’s no doubt about it; English is one confusing language! This onsite workshop will help non-native speakers improve their ability to communicate in written English. The program covers such topics as audience analysis, organizing information, varying sentence structure, when and when not to use the passive voice, choosing up-to-date language, avoiding repetition, common errors, and useful business terms and phrases.

Writing for the Web

Perfect Pages: Copywriting for the Web

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Writing for web audiences is different than writing for other readers. This onsite web writing workshop focuses on designing effective online copy. During this session, participants will define the purpose of their website, segment their site visitors, determine what’s important to each group, define a voice for copywriting, implement best practices for creating scannable and skimmable text, revise and repurpose existing text for the web, discuss the importance of accessibility and usability, perform a site audit, and identify mistakes that take away from a site’s credibility and erode trust.

Minute-Taking

Minute by Minute: Distilling and Documenting Meeting Conversations

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Customer-Centric Writing

Mailbox Manners and Maneuvers: Building Rapport and Relationships Online

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Repair Order Writing

Getting It on Paper: Understanding the Art of Automotive Repair-Order Writing

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Cross-Cultural Communication
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Cultural Diversity

Cultural Intelligence: Working Smarter in a Multicultural Organization

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Cross-Cultural Communication

Communicating Across Cultures: Working Together in a Global Marketplace

Format: Full-Day Training Course

When working with people from different cultures, the golden rule often fails to live up to its implied benefits. In fact, when we do unto others in the way we would prefer they do unto us, we run the risk of sending confusing signals or coming off as rude and offensive. This full-day cultural-competence course covers the ins and outs of communicating with people from cultures different from our own. The program goes beyond awareness and focuses on specific tools for avoiding miscommunication and misunderstanding created by differences in expectations and lack of awareness of cultural norms. Topics include such subjects as relationships versus tasks and structure, high versus low context, differences in how people view time, and varying perspectives on power and its use. Skills practice focuses on listening, reading non-verbal cues, writing across cultures, and managing culture-related conflict.

International Etiquette

World Wise: Cross-Cultural Communication and Global Business Etiquette

Format: Full-Day Training Course

For global organizations, cross-cultural training isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a “need to have.” This international etiquette and cross-cultural communication workshop offers practical guidance for people working with international clients, coworkers, and suppliers. The program explores cultural norms, communication skills, country-specific etiquette rules, and culture-specific protocol. This training session is ideally suited to those who occasionally travel internationally as part of their work and who want to improve their culture savvy and international business know-how.

Relocating to the United States Training

United States Culture

Coming to America: A Super-Sized Survival Session for Living in the United States

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Relocating to a new country is not without its challenges. While most people are initially excited about their assignments and find no single element of the transition particularly problematic, the combination of differences can form a perfect storm. This workshop’s main aim is to reduce the stress associated with relocating to the United States and to provide a forum for frank discussion about moving from one set of expectations to another. This program is an ideal complement to basic relocation services. The course covers such topics as handling culture shock, adapting to American business norms, following communication practices in the United States, and meeting basic workplace expectations.

American Culture

The Red, White, and Blue View: Understanding and Doing Business with Americans

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Why do Americans act as they do? What makes these people tick? While the answers to those questions aren’t necessarily clear-cut, there are commonalities particular to the people who call themselves Americans. This course offers an introduction to the United States culture and many of its subcultures. The program covers such topics as what Americans expect, what’s important to them, and how they communicate. The two-day workshop is ideally suited to offshore teams who serve U.S. customers. The one-day program also works well as a team-building and communication skills program for U.S. employees who come from different parts of the country.

Living and Working Outside the US Training

Living Outside the US

Going Global : Getting Down to Business Outside the United States

Format: Full-Day Training Course

If your team is relocating for an overseas assignment, there’s more to preparing them for success than language training. This workshop is for people who will be living in another country for an extended period. In addition to receiving a country-specific briefing, during this session participants will explore the stages most people experience when moving to and working in a new culture. We will discuss tactics for dealing with culture shock and strategies for handling the stress associated with being away from home. By the end of the program, participants should feel more confident in their ability to tackle living and working somewhere else.

Cross-Cultural Team Building

The Tri-Focal Team: Building on Culture, Identity, and Perception to Create Better Work Groups

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Thinking, Planning, and Problem Solving
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Creative and Critical Thinking

Ah Ha! Learning to Think Critically and Creatively: Techniques for Sparking Ideas, Solving Problems, and Rethinking the Status Quo

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

This interactive critical-thinking course explores creative and critical thinking and exposes participants to multiple ideation techniques. By the conclusion of this workshop, participants should be able to isolate problems, recognize the difference between left and right-brain thinking, demonstrate the Osborn-Parnes principle, apply a variety of creative thinking techniques to business problems, and list strategies for generating buy-in and selling ideas to others.

Creativity

Get Juiced!: Creative Thinking from the Inside Out

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Some people are born with a flair for thinking creatively. Their ideas come quickly and are often innovative and clever one-of-a-kind thoughts. How do they do it? A lifetime of practice and a willingness to take risks and see differently. This creative thinking course introduces a range of creativity tools and techniques. During this workshop, participants will learn how to step out of their comfort zone, map problems, manage the creative process, and experiment with a variety of ideation and evaluation exercises. Throughout the session, participants will have opportunities to work alone, in small groups, and as a larger team.

Critical Thinking

Critical Considerations: Three Hours to Better Thinking

Format: Half-Day Training Course

At its most basic, critical thinking is about asking the right questions, evaluating information methodically, and avoiding errors in logic. This course offers an introduction to the fundamental skills anyone with responsibility for decision making should understand and be able to apply. The workshop looks at the process of critical thinking, reasoning skills and the questions associated with gathering good data, arguments frequently used to mislead or short circuit rational decision making, fallacies, and the role of language in defining problems, presenting evidence, and navigating ambiguity, vagueness, and “spin”.

Design Thinking

Design Thinking 101: An Introduction to User-Centric Problem Solving

Format: Full-Day Training Course

This hands-on workshop covers the fundamentals of design thinking. During the course, we will discuss the types of problems design thinking can address, the behaviors most successful design thinking teams exhibit, various design thinking frameworks, the tools associated with those models, and activities to consider during implementation.

Collaboration Skills

Collaborative Thinking Skills: Driving Teams Toward Better Results

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

Innovation

Innovative Thinking: Team Creativity and Problem Solving

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

In today’s world, if you stand still, you fall behind. Innovation is no longer a “nice to do,” It’s an essential part of staying relevant. This innovative thinking course challenges participants to question the status quo, consider their world from a variety of views, look for root causes, practice a range of ideation techniques, and evaluate solutions to problems, new product ideas, and other innovations. Depending on the needs of the group and the time available, this course can be taught as a one-day program or conducted in a multi-day format.

Decision-Making

This, That, What Is It?: Defining Problems and Making Decisions

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Even in the best of circumstances, some choices aren’t easy to make. This decision-making course explores the ins and outs of making decisions and tools for methodically approaching problems and weighing options. The workshop covers the essential skills people need to make a range of decisions. During the program, participants will explore methods for confirming problems, evaluating options, and avoiding common pitfalls many people experience when faced with complex problems.

Strategic Planning

The Better Business Workshop: Strategic Planning for Organizational Success

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

When done well, strategic planning helps a team decide a course of action that aligns with the organization’s mission, vision, and values. This strategic planning workshop covers the essential steps of strategic planning: assessing the current environment, confirming a direction, establishing a line of sight between strategy and daily work, selecting measures, identifying quick wins, establishing short-term goals, developing long-term objectives, and promoting conditions that ensure successful execution of a plan. This program is offered in both single-day and multi-day formats. The recommended option will depend on the condition of the group’s current plan and the team’s goals and objectives for the program.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Customer Service

Smarter Service: Leveraging Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Problem Solving for a Better Customer Experience

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Communication Skills
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Strategic Communication

Work Smarts: Communication Skills for Professionals

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

Effective communication rarely happens by accident. It requires careful planning and strong execution. This two-day workshop teaches people how to identify communication targets and realize those goals. The program addresses deliberate communication, workplace civility, language models and frameworks, client-centric email, tactics for managing up, and essential skills for creating and delivering presentations. This course is ideally suited for groups looking for something that goes beyond the fundamentals.

Communication Skills

Communicating with Tact, Diplomacy, Poise, and Finesse: What to Say and How to Say It

Format: Full-Day Training Course

"Communicating with Tact, Diplomacy, Poise, and Finesse: What to Say and How to Say It" is one of our oldest and most requested communication skills programs. It is an ideal solution for those seeking an interactive interpersonal skills course. The workshop covers academic theory along with practical tools participants can use immediately following the program. By the end of the course, participants will understand how to capitalize on their communication strengths, adjust to accommodate their weaknesses, effectively use office communication tools, and better handle difficult people and challenging situations.

Interpersonal Communication

The People Principle: Effective Communication for Everyone

Format: Half-Day Training Course

All things being equal, people like to work with people they like. This workshop explores the qualities likable people share and the steps anyone can take to develop those characteristics. During this interactive training course, participants will explore basic communication concepts, identify the actions and behaviors that make someone likable, practice listening and questioning skills, and discuss the importance of and techniques for reading non-verbal messages. This program also includes a self-awareness assessment and time for participants to develop an action plan they can put into immediate practice.

Communication Styles

Surviving in The Communication Jungle®: Concrete Tactics for Improving Relationships with Others

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Communication Styles for Teams

Jungle Expeditions: Advanced Style-Navigation Skills for Teams

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Emotional Intelligence

Raising Your EQ: Unlocking the Power of Emotional Intelligence

Format: Full-Day Training Course

While a high IQ may make academic life easier, it is tough to get along in the workplace without emotional intelligence. People with a strong ability to recognize and manage their feelings are usually open to new experiences, able to handle conflict and disappointment, and capable of processing constructive criticism in a positive light. This group’s strong ability to sense what’s going on with themselves and others sets them apart. So what’s the secret sauce? Each person leverages emotional intelligence in his or her own way, but there are a few fundamentals they almost always share in common. This interactive workshop examines the ins and outs of emotional intelligence and strategies for developing one’s EQ (emotional quotient). In addition to practical exercises, the program reviews the literature and science behind emotional intelligence and provides each participant with a baseline assessment.

Assertiveness Skills

The Confidence Advantage: Building Self-Esteem and Assertiveness Skills

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

“She said nothing for years, and then one day she blew her top.” “He runs hot and cold. He can’t find a balance, and I just walk on eggshells.” Finding a balance and speaking up can be a challenge for people. This program takes a deep dive into assertive communication skills. During this interactive workshop, participants will learn the value of assertive communication; how to speak assertively when they must communicate rules, regulations, and policies; how to assertively make requests; and the process of making behavioral changes.

Dealing with Difficult People

Handling Chronic Complainers, Time Stealers, Loudmouths, Emotional Vampires, and Other Difficult People: How to Work Better with Almost Anyone

Format: Half-Day Training Course

If a person is unskilled at handling difficult people and challenging situations, the stress created can lead to a lack of productivity, poor attitude, and reluctance to come to work – something no business wants. "Handling Chronic Complainers, Time Stealers, Loudmouths, Emotional Vampires, and Other Difficult People: How to Work Better with Almost Anyone" looks at the sources of conflict, how expectations can affect outcomes, skills for listening to others, and tactics for preventing problems, managing disagreements, staying resilient, and de-stressing after a tough interaction.

Managing Anger at Work

Hot Topics: Avoiding Frustration and Anger in the Workplace

Format: Half-Day Training Course

In itself, anger is a perfectly natural emotion and something everyone experiences at some point or another. When workplace frustration moves from irritation to full-blown rage, however, the environment can take a turn for the worse. This interactive course is designed for people who frequently experience pressure frustration as part of their work. The workshop explains the toll anger can take and offers techniques for minimizing its negative effects.

Listening Skills

Listening Loud and Clear: How to Use Your Mind, Heart, and Ears for Better Business Results

Format: Half-Day Training Course

This interactive listening skills course addresses seven listening competencies: adopting a willing attitude toward listening to others, creating a climate conducive to listening, showing interest in what others are saying, reading verbal and nonverbal cues, expressing empathy, staying focused, and practicing active and reflective listening. In addition to addressing those skills, during this program, participants will explore the value of listening, construct a model for effective listening, and develop strategies for listening to challenging speakers.

Empathy Skills

Emphasizing Empathy: Communicating with Passion, Compassion, and Concern

Format: Half-Day Training Course

“The situation was bad, but I could tell she knew it too. In a lot of ways, that helped.” “He couldn’t care less that I was stuck in the wrong city. I will never fly them again.” Some people understand empathy, and some people don’t. The ability to put oneself in another’s shoes is a valuable skill. Having empathy means being capable of understanding someone else’s point of view, even when you’re not experiencing the situation. Leaders, service people, negotiators, and healthcare professionals are a few of the groups for whom empathy skills can positively influence outcomes. This empathy course addresses the fundamental skills empathetic people have and suggests ways to incorporate empathy and empathetic listening in the workplace.

Emotional Literacy and Empathy

Better Emotional Literacy: Leveraging Empathy for Stronger Workplace Results

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

When communicating with others, you’re going to end up somewhere, so doesn’t it make sense to have a communication target or goal? This emotional literacy workshop introduces Business Training Works’ Deliberate Communication model and shows participants how empathy ties into the communication experience. The course also addresses the brain science behind empathy and tools for demonstrating emotional literacy. This program is highly interactive and easily adapted to a range of workplace environments.

Holding Difficult Conversations

Tough Talk: Planning and Managing Difficult Conversations

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Every day, conversations that should happen in the workplace don’t. Whether it’s fear of conflict, an inability to get started, or knowledge of previous failed attempts to correct problems, countless people avoid potentially difficult interactions. This workshop teaches participants to address conflict in such a way that they are both direct and diplomatic. The half-day course is interactive, filled with practical exercises, and ideally suited to people to people who need to learn a framework for addressing tough topics with coworkers, customers, and other people in the workplace.

Credible Communication

The Authenticity Advantage: Communicating with Credibility

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Workplace Optimism

The Optimism Advantage: Leveraging the Power of Positivity at Work

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Just as a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, a positive outlook makes the workplace more enjoyable. This interactive program focuses on the value of optimism and how to adopt an affirmative view of the world. During this course, participants will explore learned optimism, techniques for breaking bad habits, the value of positive language, and actions for building relationships with managers, direct reports, customers, and clients.

Strengthsfinder®

Strengthsfinder®: Discovering and Making the Most of Your Team’s Natural Gifts

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Trusted Advisor

The Trusted Advisor: Add Value, Increase Loyalty, and Grow Profits

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Communication Skills for Managers

Communicating with Influence: Communication Skills for Managers and Supervisors

Format: Multi-Day Training Course

Listening for Leaders

Listening for Leaders: Six Essential Skills for Better Communication

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Communication for Administrative Professionals

The Face of the Office: Communication Skills for Administrative Assistants

Format: Half-Day Training Course

In addition to being masters of time management and efficiency, great administrative professionals are superb communicators. This interactive course addresses the essential communication skills top administrative professional share. The workshop explores such topics as understanding what’s expected from an admin, practicing active reputation management, creating a communication plan to best support those in charge, communicating assertively, and working as a team player.

Communication Skills for Virtual Teams

Remote Control: Communication Strategies for Virtual Teams

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Communication Skills Training for Technical People

Communication Skills for Technical Pros

Power Networking: Communication Skills for Technical Professionals

Format: Full-Day Training Course

For people in technical fields, communicating with non-technical people can sometimes be tough. This course targets technical professionals and addresses the communication challenges scientists, engineers, and people working in information technology often confront. The workshop examines the communication process, communication channels, communication styles, how to generate buy-in and simplify complex ideas for non-technical people, and how to navigate a range of office politics.

Managing Up

Managing Up: Tactics for Working Well FOR Others

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Knowing how to work well for someone is an essential skill that can take years to develop. This course attempts to accelerate that process and put those you attend further along on the road to smooth relationships with the person or people they support. Topics covered during this program include such areas as setting expectations, reading people styles, asking for feedback the right way, managing workload, and speaking on behalf of the boss. Depending on the group’s needs, this workshop can be tailored to a variety of levels and workplace situations.

Communication Skills Training for Healthcare

Communication Skills for Healthcare Professionals

The Language of Caring: Leveraging Connection, Compassion, and Communication in Healthcare

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Good clinical care is only part of the patient experience. Without solid communication skills, service providers will struggle to achieve top satisfaction scores. This interactive workshop zeros in on communication in a healthcare setting. The program covers building rapport, establishing trust, uncovering concerns, giving instructions, and being authentic throughout the process.

Sports Fan Relations

Fan-tastic Relations: Communication Skills for Athletes and Others Representing a Team

Format: Half-Day Training Course, Full-Day Training Course

Business Etiquette Courses and Workshops

Business Etiquette
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Business Etiquette

Real-World Etiquette: Modern Manners for Today's Business World and Beyond

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Gain an extra edge at work and have fun doing it. Etiquette training can be fun and have a long-lasting impact. So say “goodbye” to stuffy and “hello” to "Real-World Etiquette: Modern Manners for Today’s Business World and Beyond," our flagship etiquette and professionalism workshop. This perennial seminar covers workplace behavior, networking, business dining skills, and dress. The course is fast-paced, informative, and the facilitator’s style relaxed. Depending on the needs of the participants, we can tailor the program to discuss such topics as international protocol, working with a culturally diverse group, trade show etiquette, international table manners, meeting etiquette, and more.

Personal Branding

The Professional Advantage: How to Get Along and Get Ahead with Better Manners

Format: Half-Day Training Course

It’s no secret that the world seems to be moving faster than ever before. And at no time in history has being in charge of one’s brand and reputation been more important. This course covers the ins and outs of business etiquette and addresses how to manage technology and social media effectively. From choosing the right fork to avoiding online humiliation, this comprehensive program is down to earth, fast paced, and fun.

International Etiquette

World Wise: Cross-Cultural Communication and Global Business Etiquette

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Dining Etiquette

May the Fork Be with You: Mastering Business Meals

Format: Half-Day Training Course

When it comes to business dining, what you don’t know can hurt you. This course covers the ins and outs of business dining. From the casual buffet to the seven-course meal, this down-to-earth program provides the answers people need to know to successfully navigate any dining situation. This workshop works best when it’s offered in conjunction with a practice meal.

Workplace Professionalism and Civility

Cubicle Conundrums: Understanding Basic Business Etiquette and Workplace Civility

Format: Half-Day Training Course

This workshop focuses on etiquette and civility in the workplace. It is designed for organizations that wish to ensure their employees are aware of workplace expectations and office manners. The class covers topics such as cubicle etiquette, email etiquette, social media etiquette, and behavior in public spaces. By the conclusion of the seminar, participants should have a clear understanding of what is acceptable at the office and what behaviors are better left for after hours.

Professionalism for New Hires

Work Experience: How You Should Act So People Think You Have It

Format: Full-Day Training Course, Multi-Day Training Course

For people new to the workforce, it is important to get started off on the right foot. This comprehensive workplace etiquette and professionalism course for new hires is designed for recent graduates and those shifting from one type of work environment to another. It was originally developed as a two-day workshop for a comprehensive orientation program. Topics featured in this hands-on program include workplace communication skills, professional appearance, managing up, handling conflict, managing time, and basic presentation skills.

Professionalism for Interns

The Next Step: Surviving and Thriving in the Corporate World

Format: Half-Day Training Course

You can’t expect summer interns or temporary associates to succeed if they don’t know what to do. This fast-paced etiquette and office professionalism program is a great solution for law firms, banks, professional service organizations, and others who want to prepare their summer staff for the world of work. By its conclusion, those who attend should be ready to hit the ground running.

Professionalism Training for Technical People

Professionalism for Technical Pros

On Target: Professionalism and Etiquette for Technical People

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Attention all engineers, scientists, and information technology professionals, do you want to improve your people skills and abilities to work with others? If so, "On Target: Professionalism and Etiquette for Technical People" is a fast and effective way to polish your skills. In addition to the topics many of our general communication and etiquette workshops address, this program gets to the heart of challenges specific to those working in technical fields.

Corporate Protocol

Best Foot Forward: Protocol and Social Etiquette for Organizational Representation

Format: Full-Day Training Course

While business cocktail parties and dinners can be fun, rarely should they be attended without purpose or a plan. This specialized protocol program focuses on organizational representation and working a room or event with an objective in mind. From creating a solid online networking profile and looking appropriate at an event to determining goals and working with purpose to achieve them, this workshop offers hands-on practical advice. In addition to those topics, the program also offers solid guidance for working with the media and handling interviews.

Professionalism Training for Retail Pros

Etiquette for Retail Pros

Service Savvy: Exceptional Etiquette for Retail Employees

Format: Full-Day Training Course

“Welcome to our store. Let me know if I can help you with anything.” When approached that way, 95% of the time customers respond with “I’m just looking,” and the opportunity to engage is lost, maybe forever. So what should you say? How should you sound? Where should you stand? How should you dress? Find out during this interactive workshop. Targeted specifically to address the concerns of those working in a retail environment, this communication and etiquette program focuses on using good manners to engage customers.

Corporate Concierge Skills

Putting Out the Pineapple: Hosting Corporate Guests

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Hosting corporate guests is part art and part science, and getting the formula right can mean the difference between impressing visitors or depressing visitors. This workshop teaches groups how to roll out the red carpet for corporate VIPs. Topics covered include making positive first impressions, welcoming guests, preparing for a variety of meeting types, selecting and serving food, being available but not obvious, and looking and acting in a way that supports a visit’s business objectives.

Service Staff Professionalism

Backstage Pass: Service Choreography Explained

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Government officials, diplomats, college presidents, and others who routinely entertain often do so with the help of a service staff. This workshop targets those behind-the-scenes employees. During this hands-on program, participants will learn their role in supporting entertaining goals, how to set a formal table, tips and tricks for caring for service items, how to serve and clear a formal meal, the importance of using checklists, and how to deal with a host of surprises. By the conclusion of this fast-paced and practical course, staff members should be well on their way to supporting the entertainment goals of the people for whom they work.

Dress for Success

From Top to Toe: Building A Professional Image

Format: Half-Day Training Course

If you don’t look the part, it is hard to do the job to your best ability. Our dress-for-success training workshop covers what is and what is not acceptable to wear at work, personal branding, aligning appearance with workplace expectations, image management, and more. Because every workplace is different, we will tailor this program to meet your corporate dress guidelines. If you do not have guidelines, we can help you create them.

Business Networking

How to Network Like a Pro: Growing and Managing Your Offline and Online Business Relationships

Format: Half-Day Training Course

You can’t show what you know if you don’t know how to get to the right person. This business networking training course teaches the ins and outs of networking and building offline and online relationships. Topics covered in this course include assessing a network, growing a network, feeding a network, networking etiquette and more. The program is ideally suited for executives, recruiters, sales groups, and others whose work depends to some extent on who they know.

Client Entertaining

Get the Most for the Host: Best Practices for High-Net-Worth Client Entertaining

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Email Etiquette

Email Etiquette: How to Send and Not Offend Online

Format: Half-Day Training Course

At the heart of confusion and hurt feelings in the office, often you’ll find poorly written emails are the culprit and source of a problem. In their effort to work quickly, many times people skip the essential elements good emails contain. This fast-paced course reviews the ins and outs of email etiquette, introduces a winning formula for creating courteous correspondence, and offers tips and tricks for staying on top of an active email account. Upon a client’s request, we will incorporate samples or examples from their workplace.

Email Etiquette and Basic Business Writing

Email Etiquette and Business Writing: Crafting Clear, Correct, and Courteous Digital Correspondence

Format: Full-Day Training Course

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Onsite Training Courses Catalog

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Total Team-Building Workshop: Tactics for Working Better Together

Start Up or Reboot: The Team Focus Workshop

The Purpose-Driven Team: Defining Function, Focus, and Future

Criss-Cross Functionality: Skills for Building Stronger Matrix Teams

The Tri-Focal Team: Building on Culture, Identity, and Perception to Create Better Work Groups

Collaborative Thinking Skills: Driving Teams Toward Better Results

Remote Control: Communication Strategies for Virtual Teams

Strengthsfinder®: Discovering and Making the Most of Your Team’s Natural Gifts

Once Upon a Time: Storytelling Team-Building Challenge

In Perfect Harmony: A Musical Team-Building Challenge

The Runway Recycled: Fashion Design Team-Building Challenge

No Strings Attached: Puppet Palooza Team-Building Challenge

The Talented Trainer: Delivering Participant-Focused Workshops, Courses, and Programs

Basic Training Skills: Lessons for New Trainers

Ta Da!: Advanced Methods and Techniques for the Experienced Trainer

Designing for Action: Developing Dynamic Training Programs

Noodle School: Using Brain Science and Accelerated Learning Principles to Create Dynamic Training

Engage!: Techniques for Creating Participant-Centered Training

Better Bites: Microlearning Design Made Easy

Game On!: Using Games and Gamification to Make Learning Stick

Training with Tales: Captivating Learners with Stories

On the Job: Design and Delivery Skills for One-on-One Training

Teaching Essentials: Practical Training Skills for Non-Trainers

A Helping Hand: Training Customer-Care Skills for Higher Patient Satisfaction

The Protection Connection: Train-the-Trainer Training for Safety and Health Instructors

Worth a Million Words: Using Video in Training to Enhance Learning Points

Don't Look Now, But...: How to Manage Organizational Change

Status Grow: Moving Beyond the Way We’ve Always Done Things

Driving Force: How to Implement and Manage Organizational Change

The Adaptive Advantage: Managing Nimble Teams

Leading with Lore: Leveraging Stories and Storytelling for Business

A Novel Approach: Selling with Stories

Training with Tales: Captivating Learners with Stories

Narrative Numbers: Designing Data-Driven Stories

Once Upon a Time: Storytelling Team-Building Challenge

Stop Selling! : How to Listen, Learn, and Build Loyal Customer Relationships

A Novel Approach: Selling with Stories

The Right Ingredients: Selling Fundamentals

Transforming No: Overcoming Objections to Nail the Sale

Finding Gold: Prospecting for Sales Leads Like a Pro

Perfect Pitch: Designing and Delivering Effective Sales Presentations

We Can Work It Out: Negotiating with Influence and Persuasion

But Wait, There's More: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Conducting Engaging Product Demonstrations

Calling All Callers: Tools and Techniques for Better Phone Sales

From Telling to Selling: Relationship Management Skills for the Universal Banker

Great Exhibitionists: Mastering Trade Show Sales and Booth Etiquette

Get the Most for the Host: Best Practices for High-Net-Worth Client Entertaining

From Chat to Charge: Conversation Skills for Growing Online Sales

The Trusted Advisor: Add Value, Increase Loyalty, and Grow Profits

Taming the Time Monster: How to Stop Procrastinating, Start Planning, and Get More Done

Getting Things Done with Only Two Hands: Time Management Systems for Busy People

Get It Done: The Basics of Project Management

Digging Out: How to Get Organized and Get Control When You Are Overworked, Overcommitted, and Overwhelmed

A Clean Desk Is Possible: Organizing for the Overwhelmed

Outsmarting Overload: Getting the Most from Microsoft Outlook