Each session/Training Boost below can be delivered in 90 minutes. Schedule a series of weekly Boosts to create an ongoing program. Or bundle several Boosts together for a half-day or full-day course.

 

Customer Service

 

Customer Satisfaction and Delight

This session explores the building blocks of customer satisfaction and the extraordinary moments that can be created when customers aren’t just satisfied – but delighted. Participants will:

• Analyze the customer service strategies of their favorite companies
• Brainstorm how to help customers feel welcome, important and understood
• Consider what creates delightful moments and how to design them

 

Handling Irate Customers

The most critical customer service skill is to diffuse customer frustration. Participants will:

• Practice the H.E.A.T Technique: Hear, Empathize, Apologize, Take Action
• Distinguish the difference between empathy and sympathy
• Discuss listening skills and demonstrate them

 

How to Say “No” with F.L.O.W.

Customers aren’t always right, but they do deserve kindness and respect. Participants will:

• Describe the F.L.O.W. method for saying “No”
• Role play relevant scenarios and receive feedback
• Practice the language and nonverbal behaviors that create harmony for customers

 

Telephone Skills

A phone call may give a customer their first opinion of a company. Extraordinary telephone skills can make a great first impression and keep that customer coming back. Participants will:

• Adjust tone of voice to create warmth and good will
• Practice techniques for “gorgeous greetings, “harmonious holds” and “tremendous transfers”
• Demonstrate active listening skills that are unique to telephone calls

 

Communication

 

Communicating with Diverse Personalities

Why are some people so hard to get along with? Often the answer has to do with differences in personality. Understanding and accommodating these differences is an essential skill at work. Participants will:

• Learn the four main personality styles
• Explore the assets and challenges of each personality
• Practice “style-shifting” to create rapport with each personality type

 

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Providing feedback tactfully takes practice and skill. Receiving feedback professionally requires a willingness to listen and learn. Both sides of these crucial business conversations are covered in this session. Participants will:

• Use the O.C.E.A.N. method for delivering feedback with diplomacy
• Describe techniques to receive constructive criticism with grace
• Learn best practices for giving positive feedback

 

Active Listening

In a world where distraction is the norm, professionals with sharp listening skills have an edge. Active listening builds relationships and diverts conflict. In this session, participants will:

• Determine if a situation requires listening or action
• Demonstrate nonverbal listening cues
• Master the technique of paraphrasing

 

Time Management and Organization

 

Scheduling for Urgency and Importance

When sorting through competing priorities, it helps to have a decision-making system. Using the time-tested methods from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, participants will:

• Distinguish the difference between what’s important and what’s urgent
• Discern important and urgent activities using data from their own to-do lists
• Brainstorm how to decrease energy spent “putting out fires” to focus on what matters

 

Managing Interruptions

The difference between professionals that flounder and those that flourish is often the way in which they manage interruptions. Lessening interruptions can help one carve out more productive time to get things done. In this session, participants will:

• Identify the biggest time-wasting interruptions of their workday
• Choose among a variety of solutions to diminish interruptions
• Explore methods to increase focus and productivity

 

Making the Best of Technology

Workplace technology is constantly evolving. Is your staff getting the most out of the features they offer? Jean will moderate a discussion amongst the group. Participants will:

• Learn who the super-users are for each app or software
• Share with each other tips, techniques and best practices
• Create a list of tech improvements to implement once back at their desks

 

Handling Paper and Things

An orderly desk communicates polish and professionalism, yet messy desks are often owned by the most creative people. In this session, all organizational styles are respected while offering tools for a more productive work area. Participants will:

• Take a paperwork inventory to figure out why items are getting “stuck”
• Acknowledge procrastination where it exists and strategize solutions
• Consider “clean desk” tips to try

 

Leadership

 

Delegating Well

A key component to success as a supervisor is the ability to delegate effectively. Participants will:

• Learn if a communication barrier is impacting successful delegation
• Practice providing instruction and confirming understanding
• Eliminate delegation disappointments and increase the chance for success

 

Inspiring Your Team

Human beings have enormous potential that can be tapped if they feel inspired. Understanding what motivates individuals can be a potent lever for staff productivity and satisfaction. Participants will:

• List what factors motivate people
• Consider which motivators are most important for individuals on the team
• Design a simple, personalized program for ongoing staff motivation

Giving Constructive Feedback

Supervisors with skill in providing constructive feedback can help employees improve performance. This session provides a method to help supervisors initiate these delicate conversations while remaining calm, compassionate and firm. Participants will:

• Practice preparing ahead for constructive conversations
• Learn how to handle defensiveness and keep the discussion on track
• Role play relevant scenarios

 

Disciplining Fairly

When performance is an issue, it’s important to figure out if the employee can’t or won’t improve. If the capacity is there, sometimes consequences are necessary to provide the employee the motivation to change. In this session, participants will:

• Learn how to escalate performance issues from a casual discussion to a verbal warning
• Determine when the issue must escalate further from a written warning to a Performance Improvement Plan
• Role play a meeting with an employee to discuss a Performance Improvement Plan

 

Conducting Employee Interviews

The ideal workplace is comprised of productive, interdependent teams. A strong hiring manager can assure that new team members have the needed skills and embody the values of the organization. Interviews are a necessary part of this process of discernment. In this session, participants will:

• Avoid violating anti-discrimination laws
• Craft interview questions that help vet the best candidates
• Practice deep listening to make the most out of each interview

 

Teambuilding

 

Teambuilding: The Silo Crusher

Work silos naturally occur when groups don’t share information or goals with each other. Over time, silos can impact an organization’s performance while entrenching an “us versus them” mentality. In this class, participants will:

• Partner with colleagues from different teams to solve problems
• Build camaraderie using group games
• Create the environment of trust necessary to begin dismantling silos

 

Teambuilding for Engagement, Connection and Fun

Ready for a boost of creativity and collaboration? This energizing teambuilding experience guarantees smiles and great memories. Participants will:

• Celebrate each other’s strengths
• Learn about each other’s values
• Compete in a fun group challenge

 

Running Meetings

 

Keeping Meetings Lean and Mean

Running effective meetings is a crucial skill to achieve business results. A common complaint about meetings is that they can waste a lot of time. This session aims to end that problem. Participants will:

• Assess what works and what doesn’t about the meetings they run
• Introduce the critical components necessary for an effective meeting
• Set expectations for meeting attendees to prime them to be at their best at meetings

 

Meeting Accountability: Commitment to Action

Meetings can feel like a burden for meeting leaders if attendees act like spectators rather than players. In this session, participants will:

• Pinpoint the various “jobs” of meeting attendees
• Clarify what happens during the meeting “wrap up” and how to make the transition
• Learn the post-meeting activities that will determine if the time spent was effective or a waste

Inspiring Innovation During Meetings

If fresh ideas and solutions are needed, it’s important that meetings be guided in a way the encourages innovation. In this session participants will:

• Clarify how to get everyone to participate – even the most introverted attendees
• Identify the components that allow for effective brainstorming sessions
• Practice the “Six Thinking Hats” to maximize productive collaboration

 

Negotiation

 

Understanding Negotiation Styles

To negotiate effectively, it’s important to know one’s own style and the style of the other party. Participants will:

• Distinguish among five negotiation styles
• Explore the strengths and potential weaknesses of each of them
• Clarify how to “style shift” to get the best negotiation results

 

Preparing for Negotiation

Launching negotiations without preparation can result in lackluster outcomes. Make the most of each opportunity with these pre-planning tools. Participants will:

• Describe the “homework” that can begin negotiations from a position of strength
• Brainstorm creative options, perks and concessions
• Adopt a successful negotiation mindset

 

Identifying Negotiation Tactics

Whether dealing with contracts, purchase decisions or another department within the organization, honing negotiations skills provides a distinct advantage. Becoming familiar with negotiation tactics is crucial to the process. Participants will.

• Detail nine negotiation tactics
• Clarify which tactics are ethical to use and can be added to one’s repertoire
• Manage emotions – the other party’s and one’s own – so they don’t hijack outcomes

 

Sealing the Deal

Negotiators can use closing techniques to get more efficient, robust results. In this session, participants will:

• Identify four closing techniques
• Troubleshoot negotiation obstacles
• Role play negotiations and receive feedback

 

Diversity

 

Navigating Work Relationships in the #MeToo Era

In the wake of #MeToo, people are thinking about their experiences and behaviors at work in a new light. How do I avoid being a victim? How do I make sure I’m never a perpetrator? How do I stay safe? How do I stay out of trouble? Participants will:

 

• Understand the cultural context of #MeToo
• Detail what’s okay and what’s not on the job
• Learn self-care strategies that decrease workplace incidents

 

Understanding Gender Diversity

Given that employees, vendors and clients may have diverse gender identities, now is a great time to help staff navigate what may be unfamiliar social terrain. Participants will:

• Define transgender, cis-gender and non-binary gender identities
• Clarify the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity
• Learn the etiquette of working with those who are gender nonconforming

 

Stress Management

 

Decompression Session – A

This soothing session utilizes the science of stress relief and introduces simple solutions to enhance wellness, focus and productivity. Participants will:

• Inventory one’s daily stress “hot spots” and find solutions
• Utilize time management strategies to lower unnecessary stress
• Practice proven breathing, imagery and attitude-shifting techniques

 

Decompression Session – B

Stress Management skills help staff sustain a positive attitude and a productive workplace. Participants in “Decompression Session – B” will:

• Describe how to increase calm in one’s body, mind, emotions and behavior
• Practice energy boosting rituals
• Set goals to implement stress relief strategies

 

The Zen Executive

Zen Executives know how to lower their own stress while helping their team manage theirs. Participants will:

• Learn how different individuals deal with stress and respond productively
• Harness the power of positive reinforcement for individuals and teams
• Brainstorm “low hanging fruit” to decrease organizational stress and boost effectiveness

 

Innovation

 

Improvisation and Mental Agility

Groups that could use a dose of stress relief will be challenged and delighted by this session. Participants will:

• Practice simple improvisational exercises used by professional actors and comedians
• Experience games that get the group “out of their head” and into a state of fun and laughter
• Team up for a competitive challenge that requires innovative thinking

 

Right Minded Thinking

Teams that need a break from linear (left brained) thinking will gain an expanded view of themselves and each other in this unique guided experience that accesses the right part of the brain. Participants will:

• Try relaxation techniques and simple guided movements to release tension
• Practice stream-of-consciousness writing activities to easily access creative thinking
• Share insights and inspiration resulting from the process

 

Sound Journey

The group will never forget this fun and inspiring team-building experience. Using simple drumming techniques and easy improvisational exercises, participants will:

• Learn basic drum and vocal rhythms with easy-to-follow exercises
• Improvise instruments using found objects around the office
• Create a one-of-a-kind sound collaboration

 

Storytelling

Teams can work together for years without knowing the amazing narratives of each other’s lives. In this unforgettable session, participants will:

• Learn simple storytelling techniques used by authors and screenwriters
• Practice storytelling using the challenges and triumphs of their own lives
• Optionally share and/or listen to each other’s stories

 

Writing Creatively

In this enriching session, participants will tap into their creativity using the written word. They will:

• Practice a “team writing” exercise that builds rapport and unleashes creativity
• Try several writing prompts that encourage associative thinking
• Optionally share and/or listen to each other’s writing

 

Playing with Color

Drawing, doodling and coloring have tremendous value in relaxing the mind and opening new channels of thought. In this session participants will:

• Practice guided activities using markers, chalks and/or crayons
• Play games using paper and pencil
• Design an original artwork for their refrigerator or desk

 

Personal Development

 

Using Values as Your Life GPS

What matters most? Is it family? Prosperity? Making a difference? Clarifying one’s values can be deeply motivating. It’s also helpful in navigating life’s choices. In this inspiring session participants will:

• Identify their values
• Transform those values into a personal mission statement
• Begin creating “big picture” life goals

 

Strengthening Intuition

Brain scientists explain that intuition is the result of messages from the “limbic” part of the mind. In business and in life, trusting “one’s gut” can result in extraordinary, positive outcomes. In this session, participants will:

• Share stories about the relevance and power of gut feelings in day-to-day life
• Practice a series of limbic brain activities to tap into and strengthen intuition
• Learn techniques to increase trust in one’s “gut feelings” and act on them

 

The Power of You

This feel-good session is a celebration of personal strengths and the positive influence we have on those around us. Participants will:

• Practice the “Did Well” technique to identify their best qualities
• Learn self-affirming techniques to help them be their best advocates
• Give each other authentic, positive feedback so they can understand the difference they make every day

 

___________________________________________

 

Getting Started is as Easy as 1-2-3

Ready to explore further? Follow these steps:

1. Download the Training Checklist and mark the topics that are relevant to your staff.
2. Total the number of topics and use the rate sheet to determine cost. Hint: The more Training Boosts you schedule, the less you pay.
3. Create a training calendar with me – your Trainer on Retainer.

 

Downloads

Click the buttons below to download these documents safely:

     

 

___________________________________________

 

“I had the pleasure of taking one of Jean’s courses. It was by far the most engaging session I’ve been in for a long time!”

Sean Coffey, Director – Staffing and Recruitment

___________________________________________