Programs
Karen knows that every group is different. So it’s possible that what you want for your team, your work group or your retreat is a composite of these topics. Or maybe you want something entirely new. With 20 years of training and speaking experience, Karen will tailor a program to fit your needs. And if Karen designed it, it’s interactive.
Great managers are usually great coaches, who seem to instinctively create an environment where employees can grow and succeed. The truth is that almost anyone can learn coaching and counseling skills. Karen Snyder develops customized role-plays and demonstrations to give your managers, team leaders, and supervisors first-hand experience in providing effective feedback and helpful performance counseling.
A skilled facilitator can provide the framework that helps a group reach its goals. But, while lots of folks are given the responsibilities of leading groups, few are taught how. This course is designed for professionals who lead meetings, panels and workshops. It will also provide tips and techniques to those who wish to be a more effective group member. Participants will practice learn strategies for understanding and effectively managing group dynamics. They will learn ways to encourage participation and involvement. Planning, organizing, monitoring and evaluating a work teams activities will also be discussed in this highly experiential class.
To be effective, you must understand yourself and others. Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, you'll examine your preferred work and communication styles. You'll better understand your interactions with those around you, both at work and at home. Class exercises will focus on how you can make your communication style more effective with your supervisors and those you supervise. You’ll also learn techniques for teaching new skills and gaining agreement, and increase your appreciation for people whose preferred styles are very different from your own.
A single presentation can determine whether an organization wins a contract, whether a team can work together, or whether a person gets promoted. In Powerful Presentations, you will learn to plan, prepare and present speeches that are effective and professional, and to design and use supporting materials. Workshop topics will include speaking up in meetings, presenting briefings, negotiating effectively, and persuading an audience. You will have frequent opportunities to speak, and your speeches will be videotaped.
Make “teamwork” more than a metaphor in your organization. Let Karen Snyder develop a program to help your work group transform themselves into a synergistic team. They’ll learn how groups work, and explore their own group’s stage of development while practicing different techniques for facilitation, decision-making, and conflict resolution.
You are already a leader. Don't think so? Well, look behind you. You’ll be surprised to see who’s following you. By improving your leadership skills, you can become more effective in both your professional and personal life. In Concordia’s highly interactive leadership workshop, you’ll assess your leadership skills and examine the interaction of your personal identity, individual values and career goals. Then you’ll develop an action plan for increasing your visibility and influence in all your organizations—personal and professional.
How many hats do you wear at work? At home? Ever wish you could be more productive—even in the midst of chaos? Concordia can help you learn how to get more done, without letting yourself come undone. You’ll learn to recognize your “time personality traits,” to plan and organize your time, to develop (and revise) personal-action plans, and to set goals for continued improvement.
Who knows whether stress adds spice to life, or spice adds stress. But most of us have days, weeks, maybe even months and years, where bland and boring seems pretty attractive. Karen Snyder’s Stress Management will help you find a middle ground, You’ll take a new look at your stress—where it comes from and how you’re handling it—then practice proven methods for recognizing and dealing with the many unavoidable demands of work and home life.
You’ve heard it before: “Where is your career taking you?” But the question you should be answering is: “Where are you taking your career?” Both you and your employer benefit if you know the career options in your organization, set career goals, and map out orderly steps for reaching those goals. Karen Snyder will begin this workshop by helping you assess your skills and interests, identify achievable options, then plan a realistic approach to your career goals. You’ll also learn career resilience—how to prepare yourself for the unpleasant surprises than can upset even the best-laid plans—especially in today’s unstable economy. You’ll consider your own long-range goals, understand the importance of doing a good job now, learn how to find out more about jobs which interest you, practice preparing internal rŽsumŽs, and learn how to take charge of your own career and success.
Triumph, Triage, or Treaty? Managing Conflict Effectively
Conflict.
Who needs it?
Maybe you do. Even though we think we’d rather avoid it altogether, conflict—when
managed effectively—can lead to new ideas and a stronger team effort.
Poor conflict management, on the other hand, corrodes morale and erodes productivity.
Karen’s experiential sessions will help your group learn to deal with
conflict—to diagnose it, analyze their own reactions to it, and resolve
it constructively.
Customer Service: How to Answer When Colleagues Call
Do you know who your customers are? If you think you don’t have customers, think again. This highly interactive workshop will show you why outstanding customer service is crucial to success in any organization. You’ll explore your view of your own role, learn to see your colleagues as customers, and practice skills you’ll need to overcome personal and institutional barriers to superior service.
Change is inevitable—but not necessarily bad. In fact, it can be an opportunity for growth. In this course, you’ll learn to anticipate and confront organizational and personal change. You’ll explore ways to adapt your managerial strategies for dealing effectively with the resistance and stress associated with change, and practice the skills necessary to take charge and be successful in the midst of chaos.
Have you ever realized too late that you’ve hired the wrong person? Most managers learn interviewing techniques through example—often through bad example. This class will teach you how to narrow a list of applicants, and how to attract top-notch applicants when the supply is low. In addition, you’ll learn how to structure an interview for maximum results, and how to phrase questions to get the information you need. You’ll review legal guidelines, and learn to sell a job to the best applicant, then negotiate a salary that will close the deal.
Decide to Decide: The Art of Problem-solving and Decision-making
The most creative groups sometimes find it difficult to make decisions. This course helps you learn to confront problems rationally and resolve issues logically. You’ll learn how to find a problem’s root cause and address it, how to decide whether to involve other members of the work group or make a decision alone, and how to make your point of view known while being receptive to others. You’ll explore a variety of decision-making models, including force-field analysis, cost-benefit analysis, nominal-group technique, and multivoting. Hands-on practice of the theories and techniques discussed in class (including role plays of situations that could occur in any organization) will help you learn more about your own decision-making style.
People, Passion, and Performance: Getting the Best from All Three
Are you using performance appraisals as tools for increased productivity and improved motivation, or for testing the latest over-the-counter pain medication? Bring a copy of your organization's performance current appraisal form to this class, and find out how to make it so. In this highly experiential course, you will actually write performance appraisals, and role-play employee-appraisal sessions.
