Change & Diversity
Diversity is all around us. Capitalizing on the diversity in your team and company can give you a huge advantage. These programs enable participants to learn about the differences among their peers and in the world around them. They will also learn to appreciate and build on these differences, removing barriers to effective communication. Participants can also learn about how individual backgrounds and biases affect relationships with others. They also identify ways to put this knowledge to good use in both the workplace and in their personal lives.
Change is a constant in today’s world, yet many are resistant to it. Participants will learn not only methods for handling change, but also how to best deal with others in an ever-changing arena. Participants examine how to become more flexible and resilient to change, and how to regard change as an opportunity and not a threat. We’ll focus on the skills and attitudes needed to stay involved during periods of change, and will also look at individual reactions to change, different forms of change and how to best get through them.
Participants will explore:
- Managing at the Speed of Change: Resilient people handle change well by being focused, positive, organized and flexible.
- Managing Transitions: Learn about the four types of organizational change, and how best to navigate yourself and others through it.
- Understanding Change Strategies: In personal life and in business, there are various stages of reaction to change, from denial and resistance to exploration and commitment. Find the best ways to get through each.
- Dealing with Imposed Change: In this participatory exercise, groups work to hit goals laid down by top management. Along the way, they will have to devise innovative ideas to deal with unexpected changes as they occur.
- A Change Style Assessment: Everyone deals with change differently. Find out your own characteristic preferences for either adapting to or innovating with change. Why do some “do things better” while others “do things differently?” We’ll look at different approaches to problem-solving, creativity and decision-making and the pluses and minuses of each.
Stress is a fact of life. We’re all stressed and pressured from many different directions. Participants explore how they may be causing their own stress, and how to find better avenues for managing stress levels. Participants will learn to manage stress as part of everyday life by focusing on awareness, understanding and control. We’ll explore coping strategies for more effectively managing the stress in our lives.
The group will focus on:
- Understanding What Causes Us Stress: Everyone’s lives and circumstances are different; understanding where your stress originates is a first step.
- Acting From Your “Circle of Influence/Control”: Learn to let go of the things you can’t control or change and concentrate on the things where you can make a difference.
- Being Proactive and not Reactive: Facing life proactively can put us back on track and can be the beginning of a comprehensive method for minimizing stress.
- Taking Initiative and Accepting Accountability: Knowing that we’re all responsible for our actions is key to effectiveness. Once we understand that, we can explore ways to move ahead, one step at a time.
- Developing Effective Coping Strategies: Everyone has different strategies, and shaping a coping strategy of one’s own for day-to-day life can help everyone in stressful times.
- Communicating When Under Stress: Learn about the blamer, the avoider, the placater, the distracter and the leveler, and explore what happens to our own communications when stressed.
It’s no secret to adults that men and women communicate differently. This program helps you “translate” what others are saying and will help others understand your meaning as well. We will examine how men and women have different styles and methods for communicating and dealing with conflict. Participants explore how the genders developed differently, were socialized differently and how that affects communication. The group will also look at ways to avoid unintentionally undermining communication effectiveness. By building effective strategies for working with both sexes, participants can use each other’s strengths to make your organization stronger.
Participants will address the following:
- How Can I Communicate Effectively Across Genders?: Learn how to understand meanings behind someone’s words and truly grasp what they’re saying. Explore the differences in how women and men communicate, and how to make that work for both genders.
- Handling Conflict Across Genders: Each gender handles conflict differently. Find out how to reach win-win outcomes for all involved, and how and when to use different conflict management methods effectively.
- How Our Socialization Affects our Behaviors: Our backgrounds affect how we see the world, and how we react to others. Find out how your socialization colors your current decisions and what you can do to be certain you’re being true to yourself and those around you.
- What Message Am I Really Sending: Ensure that you’re reaching your own potential, find ways for both genders to discuss things more powerfully and explore “who gets heard and why.”
- Managing the Changing Roles of Men and Women: The world of gender roles is changing fast – explore what that means and how it plays out, for better and worse.
Diversity is all around us. Capitalizing on the diversity in your team and company can give you a huge advantage. This program enables participants to learn about the differences among their peers and in the world around them. They will also learn to appreciate and build on these differences, removing barriers to effective communication. Participants can also learn about how individual backgrounds and biases affect relationships with others. They also identify ways to put this knowledge to good use in both the workplace and in their personal lives.
Participants will explore:
- How Are We Different? How Are We The Same?: Once we understand different and common ground, it’s easier to move forward.
- What Shapes Our Opinions? Why Are We Different?: Everyone carries preconceptions and biases from their backgrounds. Participants will talk openly about what has influenced their thinking and opinions.
- What Can We Do To Understand and Value Cultural Differences?: Learning more about the issues that diverse groups goes a long way toward understanding those who are different from us.
- What Is Appropriate Behavior?: Despite differences, everyone deserves courtesy and respect. Learn to recognize which behaviors are appropriate, and which aren’t.
- How Can We Benefit From Diversity?: Find ways in which diversity can enhance effectiveness both at work and in our personal lives. This is vital for moving past mere awareness and on to acting on the lessons learned.
In today’s workplace, employers need to work harder than ever to motivate and retain tech workers. That’s why it’s important to understand their values and what motivates them. This session concentrates on communication, feedback, and management for this important part of the workforce that’s in such high demand.
- Understanding technical workers: Explore demographically who makes up this group, their values, and how they view themselves. Challenge common misconceptions and dig deeper into understanding core drivers.
- Tools for motivating technical workers: Discuss the 5 major influences that tend to shape this group, how they can often frustrate managers, and how to connect with them more effectively.
- Communicating more effectively: One of the most common frustrations for managers is communicating with technical workers. Learn how to listen more effectively, provide clear and compelling messages, and deliver feedback that drives positive change.
- Focus on values: Examine how values can differ and the consequences. Focus on developing common ground that facilitates improved communication and alignment.
- Retain the people you need: Discover how to develop long-range plans that meet the unique needs of each individual to build commitment and engagement. The cost of recruiting is much more costly as compared to retaining good people.
Managers need to be able to understand employees of all ages, and we’ll explore ways to build on what each generation of employees can bring to the table. We’ll focus on the best tools for managing and motivating each group and giving them what they need to grow and develop in their roles. We also explore ways of resolving the conflicts that might arise between people from different age brackets.
Participants will explore:
- Understanding Workers of Different Generations: Who are Generation X’ers? Baby Boomers? Traditionalists? Learn how to move past common misconceptions about each group.
- Motivating Across Generations: Understand why different things might motivate different people, and the major influences that shaped each age group. Explore the best motivational and coaching techniques for effective management.
- Communicating with Each Generation: Learn to hear the message behind words, and how to use feedback to improve understanding. Find out how to benefit from a younger generation’s thirst for information and older workers’ desire for stability.
- Examining Work Related Values: Discover how to understand and work with differences, and find common ground.
- Facing Challenges with Each Generation: Balance the need for encouragement and the need to be task-focused, using coaching and empowerment effectively. We’ll talk about issues specific to your company – how can we help?
- Retaining the Workers You Want to Keep: Find out what managers say about different generations, balancing independence with business goals, and what to try when nothing else will work.