Employee Training

Participants will acquire the skills to design and successfully implement a change strategy.

Dealing with personal and organizational change • Why people resist change • Typical responses to change • What shapes our views toward change? • Overcoming the stress and anxiety of change • Language reflects our approach to change • The role of personal empowerment in the change process • Aim frame or blame frame...where do I/we go from here? • Change starts from the inside out...five keys for dealing with personal and organizational change • Designing an Action Plan to successfully deal with change

Creating a Work Environment for Optimal Performance: Eliminating Harassment in The Workplace

Harassment in the workplace has taken a dramatic leap into public awareness. This workshop is designed to help members of management teams become more aware of what constitutes harassment, and to develop strategies for resolving and preventing harassment in the workplace. Today's laws make it clear that any form of sexual or hostile harassment is illegal and exposes the organization and its members to possible lawsuits and liability for punitive and compensatory damages. This workshop will define what sexual harassment or hostile environment is, and what it is not. Using real life examples, participants will understand the impact of the effect of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1991, and recent court decisions regarding harassment in the workplace. This briefing for management is designed to raise organizational awareness and set clear boundaries as to what are acceptable behaviors, and what are unacceptable behaviors at work.

What is harassment and what it is not • Harassment participant quiz • Employer and employee liability for harassment . . . management's role Understanding the psychological and sociological impact of harassment • Recent legal developments in harassment cases • What to do if a complaint is made • What managers can do to prevent harassment and reduce liability

This practical seminar will provide participants with the tools they need to leave your customers with a positive image of your company. Participants will understand their importance as a public contact person; learn to work with the customer by using better communication skills; practice techniques for dealing with difficult personalities; and identify strategies to help build a positive organizational image. The results will be increased client satisfaction, higher employee self-esteem, and greater productivity for your organization.

The important role of the telephone in providing service • Telephone etiquette quiz • Self-esteem's role in the telephone communication process • The importance of listening skills • Selecting appropriate questioning techniques • Telephone stress test • Dealing with the challenging customer • The art of negotiation to achieve positive outcomes • Action plan to enhance telephone effectiveness

This program is designed to give managers, supervisors, and employees the behavioral skills and tools they will need to handle the angry or difficult customers or guests with confidence and competence. Research shows us that when we take corrective action and make things right for a difficult or angry customers or guests, six out of ten of these customers will continue to do business with your organization. This program will provide participants the skills they need to turn an unhappy customer into a satisfied, loyal customer.

Dealing with the customer's perceptions and expectations How to diffuse an angry or complaining customer Designing an effective customer service strategy for problem situations The role of listening in dealing with angry customers Empathetic listening skills Options instead of saying "No" How to avoid discounting the customer Six strategies that effectively diffuse difficult customer situations Keys for not getting emotionally hooked with difficult or angry customers

Most organizations are finding that it is getting tougher to compete in today's market. One dramatic change that is responsible for this increase in competition is that customers are raising their demands on the level of service they consider acceptable. A level of service that was acceptable to many customers even three years ago, today may create an unhappy customer. Everyone in the organization needs to be focused on both their internal and external customers. A typical company hears from only 4 percent of its dissatisfied customers. The other 96 percent just quietly go away and 91 percent will never come back. That represents a serious financial loss for the companies, owners, managers and customer contact personnel who do not know how to treat customers, and a tremendous gain to those who do. Organizations as diverse as financial institutions, school districts, theme parks, and professional sports teams are looking to increase customer satisfaction. Because customer service is today's most important business factor, this training session is for anyone who has or is responsible for internal or external customer contact.

The benefits of giving great customer service: PROFITABILITY • How successful companies provide great customer service • How to use customer service as a competitive weapon • What's the real value of one customer? • How to design an effective customer service strategy • The role leadership plays in customer service and training our employees • How to keep score: Designing a form of measurement • How to determine your customer's critical "Moments of Truth" and create a positive experience for each moment

If you ever hope to provide excellent customer service on the outside, you must first provide excellent service on the inside. Most organizations understand the importance of providing extraordinary customer service. However, most organizations find it difficult to create a culture where every employee understands the importance of internal customer service. Without each employee treating others within the organization as a customer, it is impossible to maintain a high level of external service. In order to achieve levels of customer service that create loyalty among customers, you need to instill a high level of service and support inside the organization. This program focuses on building the necessary skills to provide extraordinary internal customer service.

Improve service within your organization, increase productivity, and as a result, offer your paying customers better service. Create interdepartmental service strategies that help rather than hinder work flow in your organization. Eliminate "turf wars" among departments.

Identifying internal suppliers and customers • Determining each employees needs as a customer • Measuring internal service • Building a positive attitude for internal service • Eliminating blame and "That's not my job" attitudes.

Effectively Dealing with Different Types of People Accepting and understanding the fact people are different, and therefore need to be treated differently, is integral to the success of building any relationship. In this session, you will identify different behavioral styles, isolate your own preferred style, and learn how to communicate most appropriately with each behavioral pattern. When you learn to deal appropriately with different behavioral styles, you will find it easier to establish trust, credibility, and rapport with your counterpart. As a side benefit, you will also find you have more open, honest and tension-free relationships.

Assess your dominant behavioral style using the Personal Values Inventory (PVI) Outline the strengths of your preferred behavioral style and the challenges you may face when you over use it. Recognize the characteristics of other communication styles and develop action plans to work effectively with people who prefer to communicate using a different style.

Understanding the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of different behavioral styles • Utilizing techniques to effectively deal with different types of people • Adapting your communication style • Building relationships on the foundation of trust, credibility, and honesty • Using the information gained in this seminar to build a stronger team • Action Plans -- What will I do differently to communicate even more effectively?

Individuals who are influential within organizations know the importance of strong communication skills. This seminar is designed to teach employees, supervisors, and managers practical skills and techniques to make communicating with others more effective. Participants will be involved in activities designed to increase awareness as to the importance of effective communication, and how the ability to relate well positively impacts working relationships throughout the organization.

To provide participants with realistic skills to improve communication with superiors, subordinates, coworkers, and clients.

Key Topics: Identifying the variety of ways in which we communicate • The power of good listening skills • Understanding effective questioning and summarizing techniques • Roadblocks to effective listening • Effective attending techniques to enhance the listening process • The art of providing effective feedback • The role of nonverbal communication in the communication process • Communicating in a way that makes others feel they are valued

In today's competitive world, time management is an indispensable skill. Organizations have had to manage their time more effectively in order to meet the challenge of increased customer expectations. This practical seminar is designed to help personnel at all levels of the organization make the best possible use of their time, focusing not only on efficiency, but on effectiveness -- doing what is most important or meaningful. From a member of the administrative force to the president of the organization, this seminar will help you develop powerful strategies that will give you a distinct advantage over those who have not yet learned to manage their time effectively.

Participants will acquire practical management techniques for controlling time and turning it into a manageable resource. Attendees will learn to focus on the most important priorities and then apply techniques to utilize time more efficiently.

The benefits of good time management • Balancing your life...where does your time go and where do you want it to go? • Setting goals and developing a plan to achieve them • Controlling your time before it controls you • Dealing with time robbers and wasters • Making a daily "to do" list that really works • Preventing crisis management • When to get the important things done ...Charting your energy cycle • Moving from doer to delegator • Creating a time management Action Plan

*Creativity in The Workplace:
Finding Effective Solutions to Today's Problems

Several organizations are facing a competitive environment that has never been seen before. Considering the increase of information flowing into society, increased competition, a depressed economy, and the accelerated rate of change, yesterday's successful company may become tomorrow's failure if the company does not quickly adapt to the new environment. Creative thinking is one of the critical survival skills for the 1990's. Today, in almost every endeavor, it is imperative for supervisors and managers to go beyond what worked in the past, and to come up with new approaches. In this seminar, we will explore how the successful organizations in the 1990's are the ones who can creatively adapt to our rapidly changing environment.

How to think more creatively • Why creative strategies are critical to your organization's survival • How to foster a creative environment, even when the organization has never operated creatively in the past • Why logic confirms your limitations, and how to unoclk our logical "mental blocks" • Why sacred cows make great steaks