Course Descriptions

1. Men and women at work

This class focuses on the differences between men and women at work. Every woman competing in a man’s world needs to understand how gender differences can affect her success. Every man working with women needs to understand these differences in order to create an effective workplace. Through interactive exercises and examples, the session demonstrates :

Why women and men think and act differently
How to make sure you are communicating
Motivating men and women
How to capitalize on the differences

2. Can you hear me now?

This class teaches how to get your points understood, adopted, and accepted. It is specifically designed for individuals who have difficulty getting their views accepted in meetings. Attendees will learn how to make an effective presentation that others cannot ignore and how to be politely aggressive. This class goes well beyond the basics of public speaking to address the ways speakers lose their audience and are not “heard” in meetings. The class will address:

How to present so others listen
Speaking with confidence
Renee’s rules for meetings

3. I wish I had a wife.

This class addresses the many issues of work life balance as you progress in your career and raise a family. Exercises are both introspective and interactive. They are designed to help prioritize, organize, and manage your life. Topics include:

Does it have to be work versus life?
The 60+ hour work week
How to make work and life balance
Balancing the guilt
Organization, organization, organization
Saying no without hurting you or your company
Having it all

4. It’s who you know

This class demonstrates the importance of networking and “who you know” to your ultimate success. It also focuses on the different ways the genders network and ways for women to compete against the “old boy’s network”. Exercises include:

The philosophy of networking
How to strengthen relationships and ties
How to “backscratch” effectively
Where to find your network
How to meet people and make a lasting positive impression
The importance of following up
Networking in a digital age

5. Will you be my mentor?

This class is designed to teach basic skills to make mentoring relationships work. (A point for managers- even when your employees tell you they have mentors, less than 40% usually do). The class will address:

Why you need a mentor, even when you are sure you don’t
How to pick the right mentor
Where to find the right mentor
Best practices for making mentoring work – for both the mentor and the “mentee”
Special considerations for females and diversity
Unique mentoring programs including speed mentoring, reverse mentoring, subnets, self-mentoring and other proven approaches
The best things I learned from mentoring
Things my mentor never told me

6. Dare I ask? Negotiating for yourself :

When successful women entrepreneurs were asked if they could do it all again, what would they have done differently, the most frequent response was, “I would have asked for more!” This class addresses the many ways that women unknowingly hold themselves back. Specific topics and exercises include:

How to realize when you should be asking
When is the status quo not enough?
How to set goals
How to benchmark those goals to be sure you have “SMARTS”
How to be proactive about your career
Tips for negotiating and winning

7. Some leaders are born women.

Today’s business and technical world needs more leaders. Women are excellent collaborators, cheerleaders and coworkers but they often opt out of management because they don’t want to control or confront others. This class is designed to help women decide whether or not to go into management, the differences between leading and managing, and how to avoid the most common traps women fall into. Topics include:

To be or not to be a manager
Collaborative versus controlling behaviors
Managing versus leading
Leadership styles and how to match yours to the situation
How to delegate effectively
Imagine the possibilities

8. I can’t work with that person – Dealing with difficult people

This class (for men and women) teaches basic techniques for confronting difficult people successfully. A scientific approachs is introduced which helps participants decide whether to confront and how to manage the confrontation successfully. In addition, the class will teach how to identify the type of difficult person which can then help with the right responses to diffuse difficult situations. Topics include:

Chronic versus acute behaviors
How to decide whether to “take it” or confront the issue
Men versus women in confronting
Skills to make the confrontation successful
Specific difficult types and “what to say when and how to say it”
Are you a difficult person?

9. A crash course for male managers

This class uses segments from each of the other classes offered to bring together the key elements senior male managers should consider in mentoring, sponsoring and promoting their best female employees. It is designed to open perspectives and bridge the gender gap. Lessons from successful male coaches of female teams, from leading female executives and from best practices in industry will be shared. This is an interactive and eye opening class.

10. Who’s buying? Selling to men and women

Just as men and women think differently in the workplace, their buying habits are drastically different. Whether you are planning a marketing strategy, trying to penetrate an account or designing a product for the marketplace, understanding gender differences will assure you do not ignore 50% of your customers. This class focuses on the gender differences in buying, negotiating and selling products and how to capitalize on these differences and maximize profits.

11. What do I do now? Leading in tough economic times

In today’s challenging economic times, we all face a level of economic and career uncertainty. This class teaches how to “recession proof” your career and your company. Topics include:

Economics 101- what is happening in the economy and why it is different from other downturns
What is happening in your industry
What true leaders do in tough times
How to help yourself- becoming indispensable
How to help your company

12. Winning Strategies for Workforce Reentry

The Workforce Reentry webinar explores the issues of getting back into the workforce, for both the employee and employer. It provides options, guidance, and practical advice from making the decision to leave through reentry. Specific topics include:

For employees

What to do before you decide to leave
- Are you sure?
- Might you reenter?
- Where to find help
What to do during your time away from the job
- Special issues for technical fields
- Maintaining your network
What to do when you are ready to return
- Building your confidence and credibility

For employers

Alternatives you can offer whether you have 2 or 200,000 employees
Career customization and what it means to your bottom line
Staying in touch
Easing the reentry
Following up