Career Enhancement and Electives

Good presentation skills can catapult careers, but for some people the fear of speaking in public is a paralyzing obstacle. In this class, the fundamentals of public speaking are taught along with tips for turning the attention of the audience away from the speaker and onto visual aids. Each participant will have the opportunity to practice in a safe, supportive setting.
Objectives:
•    Differentiate among types of presentations
•    Identify the components of a presentation
•    Understand the importance of visual aids and control
TARGET AUDIENCE:  Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services, or
Those who manage people, projects, or programs
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit

Employees often devote up to three hours each day struggling to express their thoughts and recommendations in writing. Sadly, this time is squandered if emails, memos, reports, and other documents are misinterpreted or even ignored. With awkward sentence structure, poor organization, and murky language, most written communication drops off the radar due to information clutter. 
Advanced Writing teaches how to set quality writing standards that help increase productivity, resolve issues, avoid errors, and heighten credibility. Participants learn a four-step process to create writing that cuts through the clutter to write faster with more clarity, and gain skills for revising and fine-tuning every kind of document.
Objectives:
•   Organize initial ideas around a clear purpose
•   Structure a prototype based on solid writing standards
•   Evolve the prototype into a draft document
•   Review and refine the draft against formal standards
•   Produce a final and collaborative edit of the draft
•   Build skills to achieve a successful CPM project
TARGET AUDIENCE:  Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services, or
Those who manage people, projects, or programs
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit (Required for the CPM Program)

This course is designed to equip participants with the basic skills and techniques necessary to manage projects from implementation to completion by applying strategic management throughout the project's lifecycle:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
• Understand the Project Management Lifecycle - Recognize the stages of project management.
• Apply Project Planning strategies to develop a project plan and roadmap.
• Identifying and Mitigating Risks.
• Evaluate and Close Projects Successfully.
 

You don't need direct reports to grow people. This session gives participants practical coaching and mentoring tools to set clear expectations, give feedback that sticks, and help others build skills and confidence. Participants will leave with a simple framework they can use in their next one-on-one, whether they're leading that conversation or asking for it.

• If you supervise: Coach direct reports, address performance gaps early, and plan development conversations.
• If you don't yet: Mentor peers, help onboard new hires, and ask for the feedback you need to grow.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services, 
Those who manage people, projects, or programs
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit

This highly interactive training course equips participants with practical tools and proven techniques to elevate their customer service skills—both for external clients and internal colleagues. Through real-life scenarios, discussions, and hands-on exercises, participants will learn to identify their full range of customers, understand the root causes of common service issues, and distinguish between adequate, uncaring, and truly exceptional service. The course emphasizes delivering positive, professional messages—even in challenging situations—and developing proactive strategies for handling difficult interactions. Additional focus is placed on the impact of stress management, phone communication etiquette, and cultivating a strong customer-focused culture. By the end of the training, participants will be able to craft and implement a personal plan for ongoing customer service improvement. 

Change is constant, but resistance doesn't have to be. Participants learn why people (including themselves) push back on change, how to understand and share the "why," and how to keep morale and productivity steady. Everyone leaves with a practical plan for moving through uncertainty.

• If you supervise: A roadmap for bringing your team along and handling pushback.
• If you don't yet: Strategies to adapt quickly and be a steady voice your coworkers look to.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services,
Those who manage people, projects, or programs
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit

Civility is about citizenship, about learning how to live together in a community. Rules placed in law or just as standards we call good manners help us co-exist as good citizens. In the last month have you witnessed or experienced a rude behavor? What is your normal emotional reaction? In this course you will learn the benefits of civility and finding common ground.  
Objectives:
•   Understand the definition of civility
•   Review DiSC 
•   Assess your civility
•   Learn how to find common ground
•   Emotional Intelligence review
TARGET AUDIENCE:  Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services, or
Those who manage people, projects, or programs
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit 

This course is a comprehensive, interactive training designed to empower participants with the tools and techniques needed to become effective coaches and mentors in the workplace. Participants will explore the differences and synergies between coaching and mentoring, develop core skills such as active listening, powerful questioning, and constructive feedback, and learn how to build trust and foster growth in professional relationships. Through engaging discussions, role-playing activities, and problem-solving workshops, attendees will gain practical strategies for creating meaningful developmental relationships and overcoming common challenges. By the end of the course, participants will leave with actionable plans to apply their learning, fostering success for themselves and those they support.

According to the American Management Association, a communication skill set is one of the six core competencies a manager needs to develop. One reason is that effective communication between managers and employees is essential for an organization to succeed. Managers communicate so that their employees know what is expected of them, understand what it is that they’re doing correctly, and identify where they might need to improve. Clear communication also helps to increase employees’ motivation and commitment. 
The results of unclear communication can be costly: poor performance and work quality, inefficiency, inability to achieve goals, misunderstandings, frustration, disappointment, anger, reduced job satisfaction, and increased turnover. 
Learning to communicate effectively with employees helps you in several ways. You will have better relationships with your employees, encounter fewer problems, and achieve your goals more easily, making you more valuable to your organization. The ability to communicate clearly is an essential management skill that can make your job more fulfilling and improve your career prospects.
Objectives:
•    Understand the Why and What of Managerial Communicating
•    Learn to convey your message clearly
•    Learn how to communicate through changes
TARGET AUDIENCE: Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services, or
Those who manage people, projects, or programs
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit

Everyone is not OK but back at work anyway. In this session we look at the history, symptoms of, relevance of, and coping methods for compassion fatigue in public employees. Employees are going into performance reviews, brainstorming sessions and the office with all kinds of grief. Small problems feel large. Large problems feel colossal. And with mental health care hard to obtain, workers are trying to fill the gaps.
Objectives:
•    Identify the signs, symptoms and practice areas where compassion fatigue can occur.
•    Describe the challenges associated with identifying, preventing, and managing compassion fatigue.
•    Describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to compassion fatigue.
•    Discuss a plan to mitigate compassion fatigue as the COVID-19 pandemic continues
TARGET AUDIENCE: Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services, or
Those who manage people, projects, or programs
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit