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If your organization is
struggling to provide training to employees in this tight economic climate,
consider 60 minute "Brown Bag
Learning Bites". Give your people a boost
in a short period of time at reasonable rates.
A sample list of topics include:
Deal with Difficult
Conversations in Five Steps Lead with Passion and
Purpose Set and Achieve Inspiring
Goals What's My Style and How Do
I Work with Yours? Seven Techniques for
Highly Focused and Effective Meetings Create Synergy on Your
Team Create Meaningful Focused
Dialogue in Your Meetings Build Consensus in Five
Easy Steps Handle Difficult Situation
in Meetings with Ease Form a New Team That Works
When you schedule more Brown Bag Learning Bites you save.
Call for our special package prices. ___________________________________
Did you have a chance to participate in our February Poll?
Here are the
February Poll Results: The question we posed was: Does your organization or department
have and use a strategic plan to guide it, and were you involved in creating it
and implementing it?
Responses were:
50% said yes, we have a strategic plan but it generally sits on a shelf and is
not used.
25% said yes, we have a strategic plan but I was not involved in creating or
implementing it.
25% said no, we do not have a strategic plan.
One of the greatest challenges and tragedies with strategic planning is that
often the people who must implement the plan aren't involved in creating it.
That and the tremendous amount of time and money spent on the planning process
for it to sit on the shelf and not be implemented at all or poorly. Our philosophy is to include many people in your organization and use participatory processes such as the Technology of
Participation (ToP) Strategic Planning Process. ____________________________________
Our featured article this month is on web conferencing.
Many of you have been using it for years and others are only familiar with
Teleconferencing. Web conferencing, when done well, can provide much more
engagement and keep people focused and participating at levels that
teleconferencing cannot. Our goal for the Technology Tools and Tips
Column is to share technologies that can enhance your web meetings and make
them more productive and effective. Enjoy
our regular columns this month which include: - Technology
Tools and Tips
- Web conferencing - Looking for a low priced or free tool consider
DimDim.
- The DiSC
Corner how
to sell to each style
- The Facilitator's Toolkit - provides a tool for gathering ideas from the large group and organizing them together called story boarding.
____________________________________
Trainer/Facilitator Highlight
Valerie Kendrick is a
seasoned professional specializing in performance improvement and business
skills training. She has over 20 years experience in management,
negotiations, and team development. She has saved companies millions of
dollars by evaluating needs and competencies then implementing the most
streamlined approach to meeting a company's strategic goals.
Valerie has a knack for very quickly "sizing-up" the situation and
determining the best solutions to meet needs, develop synergies, and build
trust. She brings an ethical perspective that relies on honest
communications between all levels within an organization.
Valerie's focus for the last eight years has been on helping corporations
and individuals communicate more effectively by improving both their verbal and
written skills. She has led over 200 seminars for financial institutions,
major manufacturers, and many city, state, and federal government agencies
throughout the U.S. and Canada.
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Web Conferencing: Virtual Meetings Made Easy
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Author: Steven Long
Do you need to connect with business colleagues and clients in an engaging yet efficient way without the hassle of traveling? If so, web conferencing could be a valuable tool for you. A relatively new communications phenomenon, web conferencing offers numerous benefits and advantages that could help you move your company to the forefront of the business world.
Deliver Messages Effectively
In the modern business world, it's essential to get your point across in a clear and convincing manner. Without good communication, your company will not be able to reach its full potential for success and productivity. On the hand, quality communication can help to move your business forward and to boost its success. By making use of web conferencing to connect with peers and clients, you will be able to deliver messages effectively and efficiently.
Build Strong Relationships
Another key to success in any industry is building and maintaining strong relationships with both colleagues and clients. When you are successful in this arena, all aspects of your business will benefit. Web conferencing can help you to create strong bonds with others by allowing you to communicate with them in a personal and engaging way, even when you are separated by long distances. It can also help meeting participants in different locations put faces to names and to work together in an interactive way, creating a better dynamic and allowing for a better overall meeting experience. Whether you need to foster good working relationships among your employees or to maintain a solid connection with overseas clients, web conferencing is a highly valuable communications tool.
Bridge Geographical Distances
As alluded to previously, web conferencing can also bridge geographical distances by allowing for virtual meeting experiences that are similar to face-to-face meeting experiences. No matter where the meeting participants may be located, this type of conferencing brings everyone together into a single working environment, allowing for more fulfilling and productive discussions. By combining audio and video with a number of different web applications and features, web conferences allow meeting attendees to share and exchange data and ideas in an open and dynamic way. As a result, geographical distances become insignificant and people can work together effectively no matter where in the world they are located.
Streamline Your Work
Web conferencing is also highly beneficial in the sense that it allows you to streamline your work. Through the integration of the Internet with video conferencing capabilities, web conferencing provides you with a powerful communications tool and allows you to make use of a variety of applications and features with a single, easy-to-use interface. From delivering memorable presentations and demonstrating software to launching new products and collecting feedback from participants, web conferences let you take care of all of your virtual meeting needs in a single forum. As a result, you will enjoy greater efficiency as well as the satisfaction that comes with streamlining your work.
Save Time and Money
Incorporating web conferencing capabilities into your business meetings will also translate into greater efficiency with respect to both time and money. Not only will you save time and frustration by streamlining your work, you will also significantly reduce your required travel time. By allowing you to conduct productive and engaging meetings without ever leaving your office, online conferencing makes collaborating with colleagues and clients highly convenient. Moreover, by reducing the need to travel, web conferencing also allows you to save money, so you can stay within budget and get the most out of your available resources.
Benefit from Versatility
When you take advantage of web conferencing, you will also benefit from its high level of versatility and flexibility. As a powerful and dynamic communications tool, this type of long-distance conferencing can fulfill a variety of different functions. From collaborating with a team of colleagues to providing training and orientation to new employees, web conferences have multiple uses and can meet numerous communications requirements. Whether you need to interact with large groups of people or small audiences, web conferencing offers the flexibility you need to keep your business running efficiently.
Employ Multiple Features
One of the reasons that web conferencing offers such a high level of versatility and flexibility is the fact that it comes with multiple features and add-ons. Many online conferencing solutions come with scheduling and invitation features that allow you to gather participants together quickly and easily. Audio controls and reporting tools are also commonly offered by conferencing providers. In addition, other features that often accompany online conferencing solutions include everything from security and technical support to streaming media and live feedback functions. With so many excellent features and such a wealth of benefits, it's clear that web conferencing is an outstanding communications tool for businesses large and small, one that can help you achieve your goals and take your company to the next level.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/video-conferencing-articles/web-conferencing-virtual-meetings-made-easy-358901.html
About the AuthorSteven Long is a free lance writer and frequent user of web conferencing services. Learn how Web Conferencing can help you build relationships and save money.
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The DiSC Corner
Are You DiSC Savvy?
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You're trying to sell your product, service, or idea - how do you approach each DiSC style?
- D's (Dominant) - focus on their goal of personal control and minimize their fear of being taken advantage of.
- I's (Influencing) - show how your product, service, or idea can increase their level of social influence.
- S's (Steady) - research how your product, service, or idea will provide support and how it will be steady, stabilizing, and simplifying.
- C's (Conscientious) - address the track record of your product, service, or idea, including why it is a logical investment for them to make.
Understanding how each style should be approached can help you build rapport and achieve better results.
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Quotes to Ponder:
"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said."
Peter Drucker
1909-2005
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Herding Cats
Public Sector Discounts |
Are you an employee of a government agency or nonprofit? You are entitled to a 15% discount on Herding Cats.
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Herding Cats Basic Facilitation - Public Workshops
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How much time do you waste in unproductive meetings?
Facilitation is a core competency for all levels of leaders today, yet most have never had training in foundational facilitation skills.
Effective meeting facilitation is more than creating an agenda and "leading" the meeting.
Do you want to strengthen your facilitation skills and add to your toolkit?
If you
want your meetings to be engaging, focused, purposeful and to produce the
results you want this workshop is for you.
2010 Dates:
Denver, CO
June 17-18, 2010
September 16-17, 2010
Loveland, CO
November 18-19, 2010
For more information click here
To register online click here
or call 303-380-2550
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| Facilitating Conciliation: Beyond Conflict Resolution
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Do you back off from conflict when you are facilitating?
In Facilitating Conciliation you will:
- Deepen your understanding about the sources of conflict and how to deal with them
- Use a multi-step process that leads to conciliation
- Develop your confidence for facilitating dialogue over sensitive issues
- Create lasting solutions so they don't keep recycling over and over
June 9-10, 2010 in Denver - Sponsored by ICA Denver
$645.00 - Public Sector Discounts available
call 303-380-2550 or email info@collaborativeconnections.com for more information
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| Facilitator's Toolkit | 
Story Boarding
Story boarding is a nonlinear technique for gathering ideas and information that allows you to later arrange the ideas linearly. It is great to use when you will want to categorize or sequence ideas at a later time such as for agendas, speeches, training programs, or projects that require the ability to move things around and look at information simultaneously. Materials: - Markers
- Large 1/2 sheet cards
- Sticky Wall or Tape
- Flip Chart Pads
- Post it notes large
Steps:
1. Introduce story boarding as a brainstorming technique that allows the group to categorize and sequence information at a later time.
2. Ask the group to brainstorm the topic and write the groups ideas on a 1/2 sheets for the sticky wall or on post it notes on the flip chart.
3. Ask the group to help you sequence the items based on the goal of the agenda item.
4. When the group agrees on the order, number each idea in the agreed upon sequence and keep posted on the wall for further discussion or documentation.
Note: Story Boarding is similar to Card Clustering except with story boarding the brainstorming is done with the whole group, with card clustering brainstorming is done individually and then categorized.
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Technology Tools & Tips Corner
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Needing to meet virtually but have a tight budget?Consider DimDim for your web conferencing tool. DimDim has a free account for up to 20 people and a Pro Account for up to 50. Features include: - Screen Sharing
- Share a Presentation
- Take your meeting to a website
- Collaborate on a white board with all of your participants
- Use voting tools and emoticons
You can use VOIP or free teleconferencing and record your meetings for those who couldn't attend. DimDim is one of the best deals on the market. Get your free or Pro account by using this link to check it out or register: To Register for DimDim |
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