Webinars are the perfect way to continue training your workforce during this time
of uncertainty.
WKU Continuing & Professional Development can customize any course or program to meet the specific needs, objectives and interests of your organization. Please fill out the form to the right to set up a time to discuss how we can help create or customize a webinar to benefit your workforce!
Below you will find a list of available webinar offerings, organized by topic. These webinars
cover a variety of topics helpful for all career paths and industries. Please note: this list is NOT all encompassing – custom offerings are available.
How many times have you thought, “There’s just not enough hours in the day!” By learning to manage your time more effectively, it’s almost like you’re adding those extra hours! Studies have shown that the average American worker currently wastes approximately 32 percent of his/her time on the job and wasted time reduces productivity. In this course, you’ll learn easy and applicable ways to get more out of your day, starting now!
Learning Outcomes:
- Learn productivity and time management techniques
- Explore a how-to approach to time management
- Understand how the company/plant atmosphere contributes to effective use of time or promotes time theft
What motivates you? Is it inspirational music like the theme from Chariots of Fire? Is it a moving story like in the Rocky film series? Or, is it something (or someone) else? This course will examine what motivates people and will offer suggestions on how to build your influence and encouraging others.
Learning Outcomes:
- Explore differing personality styles that indicate how someone can be motivated and how s/he tends to interact with others
- Understand and apply motivational techniques
- Learn priorities that relate to all management
There’s an old saying that goes, “Negative people need drama like oxygen. Stay positive—it will take their breath away.” Negativity is everywhere, it seems, and its influence can be especially detrimental in the workplace- just like a virus. An organization can have various “carriers.” It could be a manager who’s overly critical or who vents frustration on employees. There might be people whose negative outlooks have nothing to do with work. Negative attitudes can disrupt entire organizations causing critical drops in morale and productivity. In this course, learn what you can do to protect yourself and others.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the different types and consequences of negative attitudes
- Learn to recognize the need to take responsibility for a negative attitude and its consequences
- Explore how to replace old, ineffective reactions with adaptable, productive responses
Baseball player Sam Ewing once said, “Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.” Unfortunately, the value of strong work ethic is a missing component in many of today’s business and industry organizations. This course can definitely help you in managing employees with problems in work ethic.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand how to "model" strong work ethic in a team environment
- Explore the consequences of procrastination/lack of strong work ethic
- Learn how to develop new behavior patterns
There’s a saying that goes “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Establishing goals and objectives can be a giant step in the right direction; however, following through and taking appropriate action is critical. This course will help you to not only determine goals but also the best methods of transforming those goals to a reality.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify opportunities for setting goals and objectives
- Write goal statements
- Develop and implement action plans
Inventor Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.” Learning how to boost your skills as a leader has the potential for profound effects, not only on yourself but also on your direct reports. In this session, you will focus on leadership style, directing employees and the basic expectations and the differences between the past and new fundamentals in leadership.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand basic supervision styles, concepts, and issues
- Learn how to create a positive climate for worker performance
- Explore different leadership styles and how to develop them
One of Sheryl Crow’s hit songs was titled “A Change Would Do You Good,” but is that statement really true? Changes (both positive and negative) are constantly occurring in the workplace. Whether we like it or not, “change” is one of the few constants at work—learning how to adapt is key.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the basics of change
- Explore methods of handling change in the workplace
- How to help other team members handle change in an effective manner
Did you know that for every point you’re able to raise your Emotional Quotient, your annual salary is said to raise $1,300? Emotional intelligence has been defined as achieving goals through the ability to manage feelings and emotions, and to be empathetic to others. Improving your EQ leads to influence- the ability to motivate others through conscientious and ethical behavior. This “other kind of smart” is the #1 predictor of success both personally and professionally. Knowing what it is and how to use it will help to improve both your personal and professional life.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand what emotional intelligence is and its importance for personal and professional success
- Recognize and understand the five competencies which build on each other to raise E.I. level
- Listen to and employ emotions for better decision making
Getting employees to accept personal responsibility for their actions can sometimes be challenging, but it is critical for a company to be successful in today’s highly competitive global economic market. This session will focus on how to develop and maintain a company culture built on the notion that when all employees take personal responsibility for their actions, everyone benefits, including the individual employee. Specifically, we will cover the right attitude (cooperation, motivation and pride), the right behaviors (efficiency, effectiveness follow-through), the right habits (time and resource management, constant improvement), and the right values (reliability, honesty and trustworthiness).
Learning Outcomes:
- Create a more highly motivated workforce with accountable employees
- Develop a culture of personal accountability and personal responsibility
- Build a successful organization through committed accountable employees
- Use policies, procedures and specific tools to enhance employee accountability
Getting new employees up-to-speed and performing to their full ability and potential is increasingly important to the continued viability of companies, organizations and agencies. This is especially true in today’s economy, where unemployment is low and the labor market is tight. This class is designed to help you streamline your orientation process so that new hires will be fully engaged and contribute significantly to achieving your mission and goals as soon as possible.
Learning Outcomes:
- Orient new employees to organizational culture while integrating into existing teams
- Facilitate immediate buy-in to your organizational goals and objectives
- Design and execute ongoing programs designed to enhance communication, innovation, and teamwork while navigating the political challenges that accompany the introduction of new employees
Being assertive is not being pushy—but it’s also not being a pushover. As author William Glasser once said, "Too many of us fail to fulfill our needs because we say no rather than yes, and yes when we should say no." Learning to communicate more assertively can help you speak up for your reasonable rights in a respectful manner.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand characteristics and behaviors of passive, aggressive, and assertive communication styles
- Recognize barriers to assertive communication
- Identify and apply strategies for improving assertive communication techniques
Communicating today is looking a lot different than it did just a few months ago! With fewer face to face meetings occurring, we are becoming more dependent upon alternative ways to communicate. In this training, you will discover ways to improve communication with remote teams, using various forms of communication tools more effectively.
Learning Outcomes:
- Learn the four components to Enhance Communications
- Determine how to choose appropriate Communication Methods for the Situation (Video Conferencing, Phone call/voice mail, Email, Text/instant messaging)
- Helpful tips and recognizing what to avoid
Interpersonal communication, the face-to-face interaction between two or more persons, is becoming more and more of a necessity in today’s workplace. Businesses with poor communication suffer increases in turnover and absenteeism and decreases in morale and sales. Being able to improve your interpersonal skills has never been more important.
Learning Outcomes:
- Recognize the importance of nonverbal communication
- Identify how to become a better communicator as well as an interpreter of messages
- Understand how to enhance interpersonal skills on the job
Some statistics: Currently, the majority of the workforce is in their 20s and the proportion of working 65-69 year olds in the US has doubled since 1985. With such a wide range in ages throughout the workplace, it is more important than ever that you know how to communicate, not only with your own generation but with others as well. In this course, you will explore why generations communicate the way they do and how to best get your message across to different age groups.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify potential challenges when interacting with the different generations
- Demonstrate techniques that foster respectful communication with diverse generations
- Develop an action plan to connect to all generations in your workplace
Unfortunately, we all have to deal with difficult people now and then. The remedy is simple—remove yourself from the situation/difficult person. But, what if the difficult personality is someone with whom you work? How do you handle that person when there’s no clear “escape plan?” In this course, you’ll learn to better understand and cope with these individuals—an invaluable skill in the workplace.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identifying difficult personalities and their associated behaviors
- Understand and apply coping strategies for dealing with difficult personalities
- Develop an action plan for dealing with difficult individuals/personalities
According to a 2013 survey, 77% of Americans believe that society is becoming more rude and less civilized (Rasmussen Reports.) Unfortunately, this trend can be seen in many workplaces as well. “Business etiquette” is typically a set of unspoken expectations in the workplace that most people either meet—or find out about when they do not meet them. In this course, you will learn how not only to improve your own manners, but also to positively influence your co-workers.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand how to use basic courtesy and manners
- Practice common business etiquette to build and maintain relationships
- Interact in a respectful manner with coworkers and subordinates
Author Marilyn vos Savant once said, “Many people feel they must multi-task because everybody else is multitasking, but this is partly because they are all interrupting each other so much.” The reality, unfortunately, is that managing multiple projects is part of our daily workplace routine. So, how do we achieve success? This session will help give you the skills necessary for bringing a project in on time and on budget, every time.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the importance of planning and scheduling
- Learn how to break down a project to define specific actions needed to complete it
- Demonstrate accurate scheduling techniques that show the relationship between tasks and time involved
A recent article featured on WebMD’s Stress Management Health Center offered the following statistics on stress:
- 43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
- 75% to 90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
With stress having such a harmful impact on so many of our lives, it is worth exploring ways to lessen the amount of stress we deal with on a daily basis. You won’t regret taking this beneficial course! The Stress Strategies Follow-Up course is also available on request.
Learning Outcomes:
- Define stress and its effects on the body
- Understand the relationship between personal needs and work needs
- Incorporate characteristics of stress resistance/relaxation into daily life
According to a recent CBS News report, professionals lose around 31 hours per month to unproductive meetings (four work days each month.) Do you agree that this is an accurate number? If you are interested in learning skills to help your meetings be more organized and productive, this course is for you! Start getting the most out of your meetings!
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the purposes of meetings
- Develop and design an effective meeting agenda
- Learn how to conduct business with a variety of team members and to succeed as participants in meetings
When explaining the way great teams work, Five Dysfunctions author Patrick Lencioni said,” “The ultimate test of a great team is results. And considering that tens of thousands of people escaped from the World Trade Center towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., there can be no doubt that the teams who risked, and lost, their lives to save them were extraordinary.” This course will help you to eliminate dysfunctions in your team and learn to be more effective through practical guidance for overcoming the Five Dysfunctions-using tools, exercises, assessments, and real-world examples.
Learning Outcomes:
- Identify the five dysfunctions of a team
- Identify behaviors of a functional and dysfunctional teams
- Discover and apply strategies for overcoming each dysfunction
Members of an efficient and productive group must meet two kinds of needs – what it takes to do the job and what it takes to strengthen and maintain the group. Functional roles contribute to group success while dysfunctional roles and behaviors weaken the group and decrease efficiency. This course will help you to become a stronger group member and help you to bring out the best in others in the group as well.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the role functions needed at any given time
- Learn the degree to which functional roles can help meet the group’s needs
- Recognize and prevent dysfunctional roles and behaviors
Happiness and Optimism is one of the most important factors in defining success individually and as a team. Jon Gordon said, “Being positive won’t guarantee you will succeed, but being negative will guarantee you won’t.” Leaders all over the country are implementing Happiness principles and practices into their work environments and acknowledging employees that exhibit these practices on a regular basis. This interactive session will focus on getting the brain tuned into being happy and optimistic, thus, providing positive energy in human interactions within a workplace environment.
Learning Outcomes:
- To analyze the evolution of Positive Psychology.
- To identify the role and effects of Negativity as a source of stress in the workplace.
- Explore companies that have “Optimism and Happiness” as one of their core values.
- Identify and discuss Happiness Principles to incorporate into the organizational culture.
- Develop an Action Plan to facilitate happiness into your life.
Would you like to: get more done in less time, manage information more efficiently, and increase your self-confidence? In other words, learn to… work smarter, not harder? Learning to adopt a proactive workstyle can help you in all of these areas!
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the elements that comprise a proactive lifestyle
- Explore “paradigms” and begin shifting own paradigm toward becoming more proactive
- Learn to communicate more proactively
Contact us to create your own webinar today!
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