Our presentations are lively, interactive, and full of practical tools for immediate application. We encourage audience participation, basing discussions on participant situations and experience. We can assist with in-house promotion of the event, and can also suggest “pre-study” materials, such as an article, to stimulate curiosity, or resource materials (a handout), upon request.
Topics can be tailored to meet specific organizational needs and interests, and range in length from short, one-hour webinar or “brown bag” (lunch) talks to half-day seminars.
To see a comprehensive list of our full-length programs, click here.
- Breaking down Barriers to Collaboration and Innovation
Either as a live talk or recorded webinar (or both), this program points to the reasons collaboration is often not possible between groups or people that would most benefit from pursuing it. Full-length program. - The Innovation Cycle: Getting the Juices Flowing
Discover how a proven creativity strategy can open up new avenues, free yourself from the tyranny of the “inner critic” and skillfully apply business knowledge to inspire and apply fresh, innovative approaches. The Dream-Plan-Realize model has been successfully used by dozens of companies and countless individuals who have inspired visions they want to bring forward. In order to get past the barriers to innovation (see related article), entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs must get the support they need so that the nascent approach can take on a life of its own. Ideally, this mini-workshop would be used to address a real situation the group now faces, and will leave them with the ability to facilitate their own future innovation sessions. - Impact Investing: Aligning Portfolios with Values
A 45-90 minute program for financial planners, analysts, client services personnel, asset managers, corporate development, and certain professions (Certified Financial Planners, for example) on the emerging opportunity. See article for more or contact us for program description. - The New Rules of Communication @ Work
This short program introduces a set of new rules for effective workplace communication. It is particularly tuned to those working in a high-performance and chaotic environment, with changing goals, sudden shifts and often unreasonable expectations that everyone “turn on a dime.” High-performing organizations value innovation, participation (collaborative vs. command-and-control styles of leadership), and mutual accountability but it is a huge challenge to walk that talk. Rather than letting circumstances run the show, step back into the driver’s seat and take charge of your communication. This short program shows you how. ( more ) - Collaborative Leaders Ask Powerful Questions
Collaboration means asking intelligent questions more often. Part of the shift away from command & control to more effective leadership involves asking the right ratio of open-ended and leading questions. Both have their place. When do you use which type? Ideally, goals are mutual, with a high degree of commitment, not imposed and demanded. Asking questions provides a cooperative yet assertive form of leadership, ensuring mutual understanding, increasing commitment, saving time and energy. This can be subtle. How you ask questions is at least as important as what you ask. - Business Process Improvement & Redesign
When people are already motivated and working well as a team, what’s left? This talk provides an overview of current tools and techniques for process innovation and breakthrough results using a high-performance systems framework. - Leadership through Coaching
Skill at coaching is an essential management skill. Discover how coaching can increase effectiveness through shared power, accountability and personal leadership. Learn the 8 elements of coaching and self-assess your proficiency with each skill area. Discover how the alternative to coaching, giving advise, can backfire as it undermines the other person’s ability to find their own answers. - The Art of Agreement — Requests & Promises
Achieving goals and objectives through clear and complete agreements. What are the elements of a complete request? When do you actually have an agreement (versus when you pray that you do, but in truth, do not). This is the gateway to recognition, coordinated action, and accountability. - Maximum Leverage through Recognition and Feedback
Bypass defensiveness, provide acknowledgement and a positive attitude. This program is geared toward supervisors and managers, providing strategies to bring out the best in employees and co-workers. Sharpens techniques to deliver difficult feedback that gets heard and acted upon while “catching people in the act’ of their greatness and unique genius. - The Magic of Rapport
The art of meeting others where they are, vs. waiting for them to be more like you, more on your page. This is key to persuading and having influence and allows you to move gracefully towards shared goals. Rapport is key to gaining cooperation and dealing well with differences. - Dealing with Resistance
Staying centered and non-defensive in the middle of adversity, differences of opinion, and apparent conflict. This talk introduces the idea of “conversational Aikido” to unblock communication logjams and effectively move ahead. - Handling Negativity and ending the Blame Game Gracefully
Keeping conversations open, even when the going gets tough. Avoid the blame game by shifting the frame … virtually eliminates defensiveness and battles over “turf.” - Elements of Effective Teamwork
This talk addresses seven powerful principles for successful collaboration and teamwork (see “Sailing the Seven C’s of Business Relationships“). Begin a conversation inside your organization that builds a team atmosphere and helps people produce far better results with less effort. - Lean Meetings — Meeting Management that Works
Meetings are where the organization’s “rubber meets the road.” How effective are your meetings? Are there lost leadership opportunities due to boring, ineffective, or needlessly chaotic meetings? This session provides proven techniques and in-the-moment coaching to meeting leaders and facilitators with a light touch, and proven techniques for taking less time to be more productive, especially challenging in collaboration/innovation sessions. - High Performance Teams and the Balanced Scorecard Approach
Based on practical, real examples of how pay-for-productivity programs have worked and failed, this short presentation can inspire teams and management alike. Morale and productivity improvement at the same time? Yes, it can be done. Learn how.
