SERVICES

Politics.  Racism.  Elections.  Lockdowns.  Masks.  Climate change. Gun Control.  Sexism.  So many controversial issues facing us at one time!  Each of them pulling us apart, as the rancor between sides increases.

Partisanship accomplishes little in the halls of government, in offices, or in society at large.  People in all walks of life need to know how to talk about controversial topics in a manner that fosters understanding and builds bridges.

Built in partnership with C Parker Consulting, this highly interactive, online or in-person series focuses on how to have meaningful, productive conversations about controversial topics that are bigger than typical workplace concerns.  By becoming more adept at these types of conversations, people can learn from each other, gain new perspectives, and learn to accept the “others” in their midst.  All of which leads to a more productive and harmonious workplace and society.  This series contains the following two-hour workshops:

• Unconscious Bias reveals the hidden ways we let our impulses cloud our judgments and behaviors. This workshop focuses on overcoming those tendencies when making hiring, management, and business decisions so that we build a workplace which supports and encourages diverse perspectives.
• Conscious Inclusion answers the question, “Now that we realize we might be saying or doing things that unintentionally exclude people, what are we going to do about it? This workshop discusses the importance of curbing our tendencies to exclude, steps to avoid reacting impulsively, and ideas to create a more inclusive environment at work and in life.
• Controversial Conversations provides tips for how to discuss today’s most controversial topics in ways that lead to greater understanding, rather than shouting matches and hurt feelings. It also provides an opportunity to practice the skills while gaining perspective from other participants.
• Race Relations video provides easy-to-understand definitions and explanations of some of the complex concepts that are central to discussions of race relations.
• Race Relations workshop builds on the race relations video and explores concepts that are central to discussions about race relations.  It includes a facilitated dialogue around participants’ experiences and creates a safe space to discuss and learn from one another.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the U.S. had 1.2 million consultants in 2013.  In this crowded marketplace, what makes your consultants rise above the rest?  The best deliver quality results and identify ways to improve their client’s business.

This series builds skills that give your company’s client-facing consultants the edge they need to win new contracts and add-on work. Taught by and for experienced consultants, this series provides practical tools and techniques that build on your consultants’ experiences and address relevant issues.

• Communicating with Clients focuses on building communications skills to interact more effectively and build a “trusted adviser” relationship with the client.
• Asking the Right Questions teaches how to ask probing questions that get at the heart of issues.  In the process, it teaches how to use those questions to identify new business opportunities with the client.
• Say It with POISE: How to Tell People What They Don’t Want to Hear discusses how to turn difficult work conversations with team members into productive discussions that lead to enhanced performance, improved workplace relations, and reduced workplace stress.
• Using What You Can reviews how to use proprietary and copyrighted information appropriately to provide clients with the most efficient solution possible while avoiding potential intellectual property or confidentiality liabilities for your consulting company.
• Managing Progress and Challenges provides tips, tools, and techniques for keeping projects on track and for managing client expectations so that even when things do not go as planned, the client remains happy with the consultant.

With the cost of replacing an experienced employee running three times an employee’s salary, organizations need to focus on retaining top talent. Yet, surveys consistently rank lack of feedback and recognition in the top 10 reasons why employees leave.

This series helps your organization boost retention by improving performance management skills.  The activity-based workshops teach managers and employees how to write effective goals, self-assessments, and evaluations and how to discuss performance openly and calmly.

• Planning on Paper examines how to write effective and meaningful job objectives.
• Planning in Person focuses on how to discuss job objectives and expectations with employees.
• Promoting Performance on Paper details the how, when, and why of writing interim performance assessments.
• Promoting Performance in Person provides practical tips for providing oral feedback and coaching throughout the year to help employees achieve their goals.
• Portraying Performance on Paper teaches how to write an effective annual appraisal that meets legal standards and helps employees to develop.
• Providing Feedback teaches how to hold effective end-of-year performance conversations that provide accurate and adequate feedback to motivate and develop employees.

What is one of the leading causes of employee attrition? Managers with poor supervisory skills. A recent study indicated that 42% of respondents left their organization because of a poor supervisor. If your managers are guilty of micromanaging, demotivating direct reports, failing to develop employees, acting as a bottleneck in the workflow, or otherwise decreasing productivity, this series can help. Designed for those looking to build their management skill set, this series provides an introspective look at what it means to manage others and provides practical tips for how to avoid the most common pitfalls.

• The Keys to Successful Management identifies the challenges that technical professionals face as they transition to management and examines the required skills that managers need to develop to be successful.
• Understanding People’s Behaviors presents a five-spoke model for understanding how people process information and provides tips for recognizing and communicating with each type.
• Strengthening Leadership through Emotional Intelligence builds self-awareness about one’s own strengths and weaknesses as a communicator and influencer of others.
• Letting Go of the Reins: Delegating, Motivating, and Coaching uses the learning curve as the basis for making decisions about how to delegate work to others and to develop subordinates.
• Making Hard Decisions provides a practical model for overcoming indecision and making decisions when all information is not available.

According to a 2012 study by the outplacement firm Right Management, 46% of job seekers found their jobs by networking. A 2009 Harvard Business Review study found that 89% of business people agreed that face-to-face meetings are essential for “sealing the deal.” Whether trying to bring in business, uncork bureaucratic bottlenecks, or round up resources, today’s successful career people know they need to network for themselves, their team, their department, and the whole enterprise.  Opportunity comes to those who excel in technical skills and who know how to build long-term contacts.

In this series, based on the best-selling book on business networking Make Your Contacts Count, Karen Feeley, a certified Contacts Count trainer, provides tools, tips, and techniques that focus on building relationships to get the job done, advance careers, and contribute to enterprise-wide goals.

• Make Your Contacts Count explains how to thrive at networking events, including memorably answering the big three questions of “What’s your name?”, “What do you do?”, and “What’s new?”

• Strategic Networking focuses on identifying your networking goals, planning how to expand your network, and how to ask for Referrals.

• Developing Trusting Relationships examines how to turn casual contacts into active advocates.  It explains the different stages of relationships, teaches you how to build trust with others, and how to follow through with others.

• The Art of Interesting Conversation teaches how to move beyond small talk into conversations that result in deeper relations and more useful information.  It explains how to ask questions that prompt discussion, how to tell an engaging story, and how to listen with intent.