Our soft skills matter.   They impact job satisfaction, productivity, and success, as well as our ability to cultivate and build credibility, connection, and trust in one another and our relationships. 

As a communications expert, I provide soft skills training, mentoring, and coaching (live and virtual) to individuals and groups in business, medical, educational and nonprofit organizations.  The goal?  For clients to achieve professional success –for themselves and their workplace.

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LEADERSHIP

Having it All: What’s Really True About Assertive Leadership 

No need to be a tyrant or door mat; assertive leadership works. Assertive leaders are not only more confident, they’re less stressed, more highly regarded by colleagues and peers, more competent dealing with difficult situations and people, and more likely to get the job done.

  • Assess your assertive potential
  • Discover factors that prohibit direct, confident communication
  • Identify the behaviors, attitudes, and language of assertive communicators
  • Recognize the power of assertive communication to revitalize receptivity, cooperation and collaboration in the workplace.

Mindful Leadership: De-stressing Ourselves and Our Workplace
Even the best work environments can be challenging and stressful.  And while short term stress can encourage productivity and be a catalyst for positive change, long term, stress can be mentally and physically debilitating, disruptive to relationships, and undermining to productivity and morale.

  • Define stress. Identify positive and negative types
  • Evaluate and assess sources of stress and different stress responses
  • Learn about and experience tools and practices for successful stress management
  • Identify the communication skills and approaches of mindful leaders that support healthy, productive work environments.

Cultivating Strengths; Harnessing Differences: Tools for Great Leadership
Our differences aren’t the problem.  The problem is how we choose to navigate them.  Whether you manage or motivate others, or aspire to strengthen your own workplace performance, identifying and supporting strengths, contributions, and differences is key to maximizing workplace innovation, collaboration, and performance.

  • Define what is meant by a strength
  • Identify your unique talents and natural abilities
  • Recognize how knowing and working strengths and preferences elevates workplace satisfaction, retention, and success
  • Identify leadership skills that strengthen and integrate diverse talents, strengths, and perspectives to maximize the workplace potential

COMMUNICATION

Communication Etiquette: Creating a Culture of Respect
Our work relationships impact job satisfaction and success as much as our job skills. And while a respectful workplace can reduce stress, and encourage employee engagement, growth, and productivity, a disrespectful environment can adversely impact productivity, performance, and employee retention.   Learn how respectful, civil communication is key to long term professional and workplace success.

  • Learn what communication etiquette means, why it’s fundamental for success, and how it contributes to an emotionally intelligent work environment
  • Identify personal, cultural, and environmental myths and practices that prevent respectful communication
  • Recognize the goals, strategies, styles, and approaches of successful, respectful work environments

Can’t We All Just Get Along? Strengthening the Workplace Through Conflict
Conflicts can be risky business. Yet, learning how to reframe, navigate, and grow from our conflicts can be instrumental in creating productive, inclusive, and collaborative work environments.

  • Identify and assess the pros and cons of personal conflict styles and patterns
  • Learn about the causes, types, benefits and drawbacks of conflict
  • Learn to distinguish between high risk and skillful communication approaches
  • Identify and experience skills that strengthen relationships and build long term solutions, even when we don’t agree

We’re All in This Together: Building a Self and Socially Aware Workplace
Research shows that emotional intelligence—the ability to recognize and effectively manage emotions in ourselves and others— is a reliable predictor of workplace success.  Whether problem solving, decision making, defusing conflict, or navigating challenges with clients, co-workers, or customers, we all can benefit from the knowledge and skills of how to manage, use, and understand emotions in positive ways.

  • Learn about emotional intelligence—background, definition, application
  • Inventory and assess your EI (emotional intelligence) strengths and challenges
  • Identify obstacles and barriers to achieving open, aware, supportive work environments
  • Learn tips, tools, and communication skills to increase understanding of oneself and others in the workplace

Bringing Out Our Best: The Benefits of Real Self-Care
When life gets hectic, we often put our own needs last.  And if we haven’t established strong self-care practices, it will be challenging to contribute or function at our best. Real self-care enhances workplace performance and promotes good business practices by improving our energy, sharpening our mental acuity, strengthening our self- awareness skills, and positively impacting our relationships.

  • Define Self Care: Myths, Truths, Benefits
  • Assess current self- care needs and practices
  • Learn why self-reflection and awareness are vital skills for responding to our needs, for recognizing and developing our potential, and for identifying our impact on others
  • Experience techniques and learn skills that generate balance and strengthen productive communication, collaboration, and connections

Enough is Enough: Why Professional Boundaries Matter 

Poor boundaries disrupt our work relationships, lower morale, and diminish workplace motivation and productivity. Learn the importance of setting healthy, appropriate boundaries and the skills to create empowered work environments where everyone can contribute and grow.

  • Assess your boundary temperament
  • Learn what healthy boundaries are and why they’re important for supporting respectful, productive relationships
  • Identify factors that interfere with healthy boundary setting in the workplace
  • Explore attitudes, behaviors, and language that promote a healthy respect of self and other

Professional Presence: Essential Communication for Workplace Success 
Our professional image matters.  It influences how clients, colleagues, and customers perceive us, the people and organizations who choose to do business with us, as well as our ability to build long term partnerships.  Identify factors that may undermine your professional image and goals.  Learn to skillfully communicate professional strengths, attributes, and intentions to best serve you, your clients, and the workplace.

  • Assess and inventory workplace skills and strengths
  • Recognize what it means to be a professional in your field.
  • Learn how to identify, navigate, and capitalize on strengths and limitations.
  • Define professional image and recognize the importance and impact of our impressions.
  • Identify verbal and nonverbal communication as well behaviors that can elevate or diminish our connection to others.

PRESENTATION SKILLS

Speakeasy: Skills for Dynamic Presentations
Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned professional, public speaking is a powerful tool to promote yourself, your ideas, your business, and to support others in their learning and growth.  Identify the fundamentals of dynamic presentations. Learn tips and strategies to successfully engage any audience– in person or virtually.

  • Assess current presentation strengths and challenges
  • Debunk public speaking myths that undermine confidence and potential
  • Identify purpose, and learn skills to successfully prepare for your audience
  • Learn how to organize and deliver content that engages
  • Identify visual do’s and don’ts

Mastering Virtual Presence:  Skills for Presenting Your Best Self
Virtual presence has become an essential part of the workplace.  It saves time, money, more people can participate, and it often results in a more productive, engaged, happier work environment.   Yet, technical and interpersonal challenges can lead to burnout, a lack of engagement, and miscommunication.    Learn tips and skills to successfully navigate and maximize the virtual or hybrid work setting.

  • Assess current virtual strengths, knowledge, skills.
  • Define virtual presence – benefits, drawbacks, challenges, and opportunities
  • Learn about the technical and communication dos and don’ts for conducting successful virtual meetings and programs
  • Identify verbal and nonverbal communication and behaviors that impact perceptions about one’s professionalism
  • Learn virtual presentation tips and skills to strengthen audience engagement, along with speaker credibility and rapport

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CEU APPROVED PROGRAMS

The following programs are approved for continuing education clock hours for Ohio Social Workers and Counselors. Nurses may apply continuing education units/hours if attending seminars by other approved boards (inquire about CEU fee).

Assertiveness: Speaking Up for Patient Care : 1.0 and 6.0 clock hours

Bridges or Barriers? Keys for Successful Patient Care Communication — 1.0 and 3.0 clock hours

Communication Etiquette: Creating a Culture of Respect- 1.0 and 3.0 clock hours

Conflict Management; Skills for Navigating Differences in Patient Care Settings & Beyond—1.0 and 3.0 clock hours

The Ethics of Building Better Boundaries: Skills for Empowered Patient Relationships– 1.0 clock hour

Myers Briggs: Tools for Supporting and Enhancing Patient Care—3.0 clock hours