Professional Development

The ability to communicate clearly is the critical core competency for successful managers at all levels and in all industries. This self-study course is your guide to business communication that delivers the message—whether written, or spoken, in person or via e-mail—with respect for the receiver, and in all business situations. This solid overview of all facets of business communication offers numerous opportunities to practice and apply your new skills and a log to track your improvement.

Course Objective: Utilize techniques to improve your communication skills by increasing reading, writing, speaking, and listening proficiency.

Learn positive, practical techniques for achieving a more professional writing style. Here are the "how to" keys of writing-from putting the first words on paper to the final polishing and proofreading. Participants will learn how to edit their writing for improved clarity, cut excess words, use transitional phrases, recognize and correct run-on sentences and overcome procrastination and impulsive writing.  This course can be used toward an American Management Association Certificate; a recognized benchmark of professional achievement.

Today’s leaders face many challenges in achieving their goals. Rapid changes in technology, a more diverse workforce, changes in government regulations, worldwide competition, and the growing complexity of things in general have increased our awareness of the need for more effective leaders. Developing leaders requires having an understanding of the knowledge and skills required for effective leaders.

First Level Leadership, focuses on five leadership skill sets necessary to ensure individual and organization performance: providing direction, leading by example, enabling others, sharing power, and seeking a better way. In addition to the leadership skill sets, the course examines the attitudes and mindsets of effective leaders. In the final analysis, the evidence of leadership is in the performance of the people and the organizations that follow the leader. When they perform well, the leader is a success. When they don’t perform well, leadership changes are almost always forthcoming. This course provides the background, real-world examples, practical applications, and numerous exercises to help prepare aspiring leaders. The lessons learned in this course can be applied to any leadership level in an organization and in any type of organization.

Course Objective: Build concepts and skills to lead your workforce to superior performance.

Join the thousands of supervisors who have learned the ropes with this classic self-paced course on mastering supervisory skills. Completely revised and updated, First-Line Supervision, Fifth Edition gives you all the confidence and know-how you need to achieve and maintain supervisory success in the contemporary workplace.

Filled with expert information on all the basics of the job—from managing time and stress to motivating and counseling employees— First-Line Supervision, Fifth Edition is light on business-school jargon and heavy on real-world guidance. Using self-assessments, action plans and relevant work examples, it shows you exactly how to apply crucial supervisory skills in your own workplace. Whether a novice or experienced supervisor, you’ll find First-Line Supervision, Fifth Edition inspirational, instructive and encouraging. Just think of the course as a trusted friend—one that will lead you step-by-step along a new path to success and satisfaction.

Course Objective: Develop skills to orient, train, manage and coach employees.

By definition, a facilitator is a person who makes things easy. But if you sometimes find the role to be tough—mainly because you're a manager, not a professional facilitator—this targeted course provides all the help you need. It teaches you the skills needed to keep a person, group, or team on track, and it shows you how to work well with diverse personalities.

Designed for general managers whose time is at a premium, the course presents a six-step process and tools that you can apply in any situation—whether you're facilitating a short-term problem-solving session or a multi-year strategic planning project.

Course Objective: Teach managers to understand the role of the facilitator in group, team, and individual settings and develop skills to facilitate short- and long-term projects.

In today’s competitive global environment—where people at all levels need to accomplish more, in less time, with fewer resources—the ability to manage priorities is a key element in personal and professional success. How to Manage Your Priorities, Second Edition, provides managers, team leaders, professionals, and others in the workplace with the tools to master this essential business skill.

The second edition, revised and updated with a new chapter on technology-based tools for identifying and organizing priorities, teaches managers the critical benefits of managing their priorities and removing the obstacles that interfere with success.

Course Objective: Acquire strategies to identify and manage key priorities, achieve objectives, improve the quality of work and reduce stress

This course is full of practical tips and techniques to help you plan, set, redefine, sell, track, troubleshoot, achieve and celebrate goals that drive the mission of any organization. You will leave this course with the skills and planning resources needed to manage and achieve your organizational goals. This course can be used toward an American Management Association Certificate; a recognized benchmark of professional achievement.