Leadership and Management for Non-Manager and Aspiring Supervisors (3 Day Course)
October 17-19, 2017

This course equips participants with the foundational concepts and skills to enable them to manage teams to perform to their highest potential. Participants will learn essential skills to gain the respect and support of others, as well as how to influence without authority. They will learn to use their role within the organization to lead, handle different personality types, solve problems and make decisions, become a change manager, and build solid long-lasting working relationships.

Objectives:

• Understand the critical role effective communication plays in managerial success.
• Learn tools and methods for anticipating and resolving conflict constructively
• Develop tools for decision making and problem solving
• Understand how to build and sustain effective working relationships upward, across and with employees

Who Should Attend: Individuals who are not in a supervisory role but who need to get work done through others or those who aspire to be in a supervisory role.

Emotional Intelligence (1 Day Course)
November 7, 2017

Emotional Intelligence (EI) can make the difference between average and star performers in leadership positions. Exceptional leaders have high levels of self-awareness and not only manage themselves but also understand and work effectively with others.

Is it right for me?

This interactive course is perfect for leaders who want to develop their own emotional intelligence and lead their team to enhanced levels of performance.

What will I learn?

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Describe the benefits of emotional intelligence to the leader, team and organization.
• Assess personal effectiveness in emotional intelligence competencies.
• Employ strategies to promote personal awareness, manage feelings and effectively provide direction to others.
• Identify opportunities to apply emotional intelligence in leadership situations.
• Apply emotional intelligence to daily work challenges that arise.

What will it cover?

• Leader performance and Emotional Intelligence
• Emotional Competence Framework
• Self-assessment Personal Emotional Awareness Tactics
• ABC theory of Emotions
• Activating event
• Beliefs
• Consequences
• Reframing and Conscious Relaxation
• Developing Direction
• Group Emotional Intelligence and Performance
• Action Planning

Management Skills for Secretaries, Administrative Personnel, and Support Staff (2 Day Course)
November 8-9, 2017

As agencies continue to do 'more with less', administrative professionals have never faced greater challenges and their support to the agency mission has never been more vital. Participants in this course will learn practical tools, tips, and techniques to help them manage their careers and their work with confidence and authority.

After completing this course you will be able to:

• Manage your time and priorities successfully
• Communicate with confidence – setting yourself up for success
• Increase your customers' satisfaction
• Manage those difficult behaviours
• Understand your own conflict management style and resolve conflicts effectively
• Network with others also

The Business of Writing (2 Day Course)
December 4-5, 2017

The best writers in all arenas follow some sort of writing process and know how to adjust their styles to fit varying situations and audiences. This course will help participants develop their own approach as they examine the principles of effective on-the-job writing. Case study examples, hands-on exercises, and lively discussion make this course both informative and practical. Participants are encouraged to bring questions about their own writing for instructor feedback.

Learning Objectives:

• Write clearly, concisely, and correctly, in "plain language"
• Follow an orderly series of steps to produce effective writing
• Use a systematic approach in planning and writing
• Identify purpose, readers, and major points
• Organize points and paragraphs to achieve purpose
• Write effective, business-oriented emails and memos
• Learn to identify and avoid most-common usage errors

Instructional Methodology: Instructor will provide lecture and interactive discussion, slide presentations, frequent brief written and oral exercises, and individual feedback.

Leadership and Management for Non-Manager and Aspiring Supervisors (3 Day Course)
January 9-11, 2018

This course equips participants with the foundational concepts and skills to enable them to manage teams to perform to their highest potential. Participants will learn essential skills to gain the respect and support of others, as well as how to influence without authority. They will learn to use their role within the organization to lead, handle different personality types, solve problems and make decisions, become a change manager, and build solid long-lasting working relationships.

Objectives:

• Understand the critical role effective communication plays in managerial success
• Learn tools and methods for anticipating and resolving conflict constructively
• Develop tools for decision making and problem solving
• Understand how to build and sustain effective working relationships upward, across and with employees

Who Should Attend:

Individuals who are not in a supervisory role but who need to get work done through others or those who aspire to be in a supervisory role.

Effective Briefings and Presentations Skills (2 Day Course)
February 7-8, 2018

Leaders at all levels are constantly called to give briefings and presentations to teams, senior management, political stakeholders, community partners and a variety of other groups that seek information and with which an organization must engage in collaboration. Briefing and presentation knowledge, skills and abilities are critical to effective communication dialogues, information transfer, problem identification, motivation for collaboration and securing buy-in of a solution or a strategy.

Course objectives include helping participants:

• Learn the steps involved and sections related to the writing and delivery of high quality briefings and presentations
• Identify and address anxieties and fears related to public speaking
• Distinguish the differences between briefings and presentations
• Clearly organize, articulate, structure and frame the content of their briefings and presentations
• Learn how to keep listeners focused during a presentation using proven techniques
• Experience, evaluate and practice the delivery of mini-presentations
• Explore briefing and presentation methods that are effective with different types of audiences
• Examine the use and misuse of visual aids
• Assess verbal and body language do’s and don’ts for briefers and presenters
• Review creative presentation techniques and space management techniques for holding the attention of listeners

Building and Leading Effective Teams (2 Day Course)
April 11-12, 2018

This course comes to life by linking practical leadership theories to dynamic team leading, and addressing the common challenges faced by teams. The goal of the course is to provide team leaders with three key principles and related techniques that drive outstanding team performance. If you are responsible for managing a team, this course will help you maximize your team’s performance. It provides a solid introduction to the processes of effective team management.

Objectives:

• Identify the key skills and characteristics of successful leaders and team managers
• Demonstrate flexibility across the leadership styles and develop personal strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of your team
• Develop your team’s strengths
• Resolve conflict and deal with difficult people and situations confidently and positively
• Revise the draft for conciseness, effectiveness, and standard usage
• Create and maintain an ongoing action plan for continuous improvement of the team and your individual management and leadership skills

Maximizing the Value of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace (2 Day Course)
April 18-19, 2018

This fast paced 2-day workshop is an intensive learning experience for participants. Participants engage in a thought provoking dialogue about the issues diversity and inclusion tend to raise; what others are doing to best manage those issues in other organizations; and engage people to think critically about their personal role in each of the topics.

This workshop is a practical, hands-on learning that uses small group techniques, real case studies using real-life situations. We balance the learning between presentation and application of theories to real life situations. Experience has taught us that adults learn best when a) they are applying the learning to their own situation, and b) they can see that the information they are getting will help them in some way. To ensure we teach to that philosophy, we engage students in talking with each other, invite sharing of dilemmas, and create safety in small group settings to allow for even the most restrained to share their views.

Past participants of our workshops indicate a high degree of satisfaction with the involvement our instructors are able to elicit from students. Because diversity and inclusion tend to be emotional and can be emotionally charged, we work to carefully create safety and anonymity as the students explore issues.

Learning Objectives for the Workshop:

• To gain a clear understanding of what diversity and inclusion is and how it compares with EEO and Affirmative Action
• Demonstrate flexibility across the leadership styles and develop personal strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of your team
• Develop your team’s strengths
• Resolve conflict and deal with difficult people and situations confidently and positively
• Revise the draft for conciseness, effectiveness, and standard usage
• Create and maintain an ongoing action plan for continuous improvement of the team and your individual management and leadership skills

Planning for Retirement for CSRS & FERS Employees (2 Day Course)
April 18-19, 2018

This combined course ensures that no program employee is uninformed. The CSRS retirement and survivor benefits session is run concurrently with the estate planning advisory session for the FERS employees. When the class is united, emphasis is given to the differences in Social Security and TSP programs for both. The workshop is applicable for all employees.