The following list is not inclusive of all programs that are offered through Generation Works

Generations in the Workplace - Understand generational challenges/gaps and the effect they have on productivity and performance.  Topics may include:

• Understand generational traits
• Frames of reference that influenced each generation
• Intergenerational strategies for optimizing workplace performance
• Decrease turnover and improve retention
• Rewards and recruitment programs
• Strategic succession plans
• Sales and marketing efforts
• Customer Service strategies

Baby Boomers in the Workforce - Recruiting and retaining to ensure workforce stability is a need for all organizations as boomers will not be retiring as they had hoped during this economic downturn. What do boomers want to keep them engaged and happily productive in the workforce? Topics may include:

• Discuss tips for managing an aging workforce
• Identify creative retention strategies
• Describe the effective work environment
• Explore various roles and transitions that affect Boomers

Stress Management - Learn to respond rather than react to the cycle of stress through powerful self-management interventions.  The physical, emotional and mental effects of stress are reviewed while incorporating multiple interventions such as visualization and guided imagery.  This course is facilitated by a certified stress management instructor who offers three-hour presentations to in-depth three-day seminars. Participants actively practice stress reduction techniques.
Topics may include:

• Define stress
• Identify self stress responses
• Stress in relation to work role
• Work/life balance issues
• Implement stress management interventions

Communications - Attentive verbal/nonverbal skills are reviewed through a participatory session that looks at how our messages are communicated through body language, eye contact and voice tone.  You cannot not communicate!
Topics may include:

• Essential components of the communication process
• Barriers to communication
• Attending behaviors that facilitate good communications
• Verbal skills to enhance listening
• Effective listening techniques
• Styles of communication and strategies for communicating “In Style”

Conflict Management - Identify difficult people behaviors and how to effectively intervene with positive results. Utilize techniques for successful conflict resolution strategies and understand the unresolvable conflict. Topics may include:

• Sources of conflict
• Self preferred conflict strategies
• Conflict resolution styles
• Key elements of conflict resolution
• Key strategies for “unworkable” conflicts

Team Building - Develop a motivated goal driven working team through exploration of the dynamics of team development.  Focus on overcoming barriers to successful functioning. Topics may include:

• Characteristics of groups and teams
• Four stages of team development
• Team Roles
• Strategies that support team development & function
• Supporting the mission & vision of the organization
• Value of diversity on teams
• Pitfalls commonly encountered by teams
• Application of strategies to challenging team issue

Frontline Leadership - Leadership skills for supervisory personnel.  Behavior modeling is practiced in areas such as delegation, dealing with emotional behavior and giving positive feedback. Topics may include:

• Characteristics & traits of effective leaders
• Sources & steps to power
• Contrast tasks of leaders & managers
• Leadership styles
• Leadership skills and competencies
• Components essential to effective meetings
• Giving constructive feedback
• Getting your ideas across
• Dealing with emotional behavior
• Conflict resolution
• Building a collaborative relationship
• Establishing performance expectations
• Clarifying roles and responsibilities
• Managing change and innovation

Creative Problem Solving - These sessions are facilitated by a certified graduate of the Creative Problem Solving Studies at Buffalo State College.  The content focuses on fostering a creative climate using tools which expand your thinking potential for novel solutions.  Brainwriting, Brainstorming and ALU’s are a few of the tools that are used by participants in this presentation.  Topics may include:

• Initiate innovative thinking for yourself, others and the organization
• Major blocs in the creative process
• Tools of creative thinkers
• Create new solutions
• Evaluate novel ideas
• Utilize Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model
• Present ideas for implementation
• Relationship between creativity and effective leadership
• Have FUN!

Customer Service - Achieve service excellence by addressing the four critical elements of courtesy, system, effectiveness and safety. Service recovery is practiced as you learn how “Disney” customer service standards can translate into your organization. Strategies for developing a customer service program in your organization are explored, including gaining administrative support. This program is facilitated by a “graduate” of the Disney School of Customer Service. Topics may include:

• Customer service strategies
• Service values and application techniques
• Application of program content to service area

Career Management - This program provides the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively manage your career in the fast changing world of work.  Downsizing, mergers and reorganizations have made effective career planning essential to professional survival.  Modules of this program address changes in the workforce culture and an overview of critical tools which may include resume writing, interview skills and successful networking and job search techniques.  Topics may include:

• Changes in organizational reality
• Personal & professional changes in your work culture
• Survivor sickness
• The ambiguous environment
• “Me Incorporated”

Motivation - What are the things that “color your world”? Learn about what motivates us as people and workers. This is a highly interactive program that infuses participants with enthusiasm! Topics may include:

• Discuss three motivational theories
• Complete Management by Motivation Survey
• Interpret implications/applications of MbM scored categories
• Motivational qualities of leaders
• Eat chocolate!

Presentation Skills - Learning effective presentation skills has been identified as the major learning need of most managers and business executives. Learn how to effectively organize information and present your ideas to deliver a powerful message. Explore the seven learning styles as they relate to your style of presentation and learning.  Elements of a content module and creative training strategies will be integrated into your effective presentation.
Topics may include:

• Key techniques of effective delivery
• Five components of content development
• Use of audiovisuals
• Techniques for reducing “presentation jitters”
• Prep work assessment of objectives, audience & presentation
• Develop rapport with the participants and yourself!
• Engaging techniques to “change it up” and engage the different learning styles of your participants
• Determine participant needs, presentation purpose, objectives and content despite what your boss tells you
• Organize interactive stimulus to engage participants and you in the learning process
• Practice what I preach and relate creative thinking to topics you present
• Applause, Applause for everyone!

Time Management - Time can be managed effectively by setting goals, identifying priorities and formulating a personal plan for effective time management.  Topics may include:

• Challenges found in daily time management
• Essential principals of time management
• Methods to identify priorities
• Management of crisis and unplanned events
• Plan for effective time management

Humor in the Workplace - The lighter side of business is explored through the positive effects of humor and creativity on the human spirit.  Topics may include:

• Explore serious implications regarding use of humor
• Focus on integrating humor into your lifestyle and workstyle.
• Identify humor resources

Shift Work - Those who work other than day shifts often feel out of step with the rest of the world and suffer from unique health problems. The effects of shift work on normal body rhythms and strategies for living better when “shifting” are explored. Topics may include:

• Examine work schedules
• Discuss health and safety effects of shift work
• Identify coping strategies