Business and Professional Seminars

Communication Skills

            Who should take it: Everyone

Both our work and personal lives are based on relationships. The quality of those relationships is determined by the effectiveness of our communication skills. Interestingly, that communication is more than just the words we use. In fact, most of communication is outside of our awareness. It’s really more important how you say something than what you say!

Our half day or full day workshop provides you or your staff with the skills needed to communicate effectively with clients on a face to face basis as well as on the phone.

Learn how to:

• Create instant rapport with a client
• While on the phone, discover your client's preferred mode of communication within 15 seconds
• Diffuse conflict situations
• Identify client “styles” to better communicate with them
• Learn questioning and listening techniques to better understand your client’s needs
• Offer feedback instead of criticism
• Discover ways to circumvent communication barriers
• Offer your clients information in the way they want it

Customer Service

            Who should take it: Anyone who deals with clients or customers.

Customer service is so much more than just supplying the customer with your service or product. With such a high level of competition in today's business world, we must create relationships with our clients. We must truly serve. This demands new skills and attitudes from our staff and employees.

What’s really important to the customer is their perceived value of your service or product. For this reason, it’s crucial to understand how your clients perceive you, your staff and your product and/or service.

In this workshop you will learn how to:

• Adjust your attitude to better serve the customer.
• Create positive, long lasting, win-win relationships with customers and clients.
• Actually hear what the other person is saying, not what you think they’re saying.
• Create instant rapport with the first contact on the telephone.
• Discover your client’s preferred communication style to create ideal relationships.
• Respond to customer complaints with skills designed to generate customer satisfaction and retention.
• Identify what’s really important to your client and then provide it.

Handling Difficult People

            Who should take it: Anyone interacting with clients, staff, or the public.

Handling difficult people is more about negotiation and resolution than about “problem” people. Sometimes, conflict arises from a lack of awareness and tolerance of another person's differences. We also tend to respond automatically to certain emotional behaviors in another person.

In this one day workshop, you will learn:

• How to separate intention from behavior.
• How to Identify your own “trigger” responses and learn to diffuse them.
• Techniques to discover the other person’s different communication style and how to “speak” to it.
• Negotiation techniques to create cooperation and compliance.
• How to respond to aggressive behaviors and turn them around.
• How to protect your own boundaries in a positive, calm manner.
• Create win-win situations.

Develop situations that keep your customers coming back for more.

Leadership

            Who should take it: Managers, supervisors, and staff looking to advance in their careers.

There are those that lead and those that inspire. Leading others can be hard work, whereas, inspiring others to reach their greatest potential is rewarding. In our 1 day workshop, you will discover how to be an inspired facilitator of people by learning what creates a person’s behavior and how you can utilize that knowledge.

By gaining greater awareness of yourself and your staff, you will save time, money and effort for the entire team. With the tools you learn in this workshop you can not only increase productivity, but increase staff satisfaction as well.

You will learn:

• Responsibility vs. blaming leadership.
• Simple techniques to discover each staff member’s motivational styles.
• How to discover the programs that “run” your staff.
• Quick decision making tools.
• How to think outside the box.
• How to move your staff to increased productivity.
• How to become more creative.
• Effective team-building techniques unlike anything you’ve ever done.
• How to improve your communication skills.

Team Building

            Who should take it: Managers, project managers, supervisors.

What makes a good team, and why do some work when others don’t? Is there any way we can facilitate the performance of a team? Actually, if we understand just a few things about the process of teams and their stages, we can create cohesive, result-oriented teams while avoiding excess conflict. As a facilitator or project manager of teams, knowing the dynamics of teams can help you assist the members to accomplish tasks, create positive work relationships and foster professional development.

In this 1 or 2 day workshop, you will learn:

• The 4 developmental stages of teams.
• Assisting your team members through each stage while encouraging the greatest productivity.
• Creating a team vision and goals that are actually manifested.
• How to assess team members and utilize their strengths.
• How to deal with power issues in a constructive manner.
• How to effectively set team parameters.
• Mediation, negotiation and arbitration techniques to handle team member conflicts.
• Team building activities.
• Group problem solving and decision making.

Stress and Crisis Management

            Who should take it: Every level.

It’s how we handle stress and crisis situations that make the difference. Some people seem to let things roll off their backs while resolving issues. For others, emotions take over and everything falls apart. In our ½ or 1 day workshop you will learn how you can take control of your emotions and therefore whatever situation you encounter.

Learn how to effect change in your world by creating change within yourself. Since we know that our feelings are created by our thoughts, which then determine our actions, it is possible to stop the negative self talk and create a positive frame of mind.

You will learn:

• The concept of “cause and effect” which will help you create change in your world
• How to control that little voice in your head!
• How to respond to each situation differently.
• To easily discover where agreements are being broken.
• How to have faith even when the situation looks bleak.
• How to handle any situation by finding the hidden power within yourself.
• How to create balance in your life.
• How to unhook emotional triggers.

Presentation Skills

            Who should take it: Managers, trainers, anyone who speaks in front of groups.

It’s been said we live in an information age. Many times in our professional lives, we’re called upon to deliver information by making a speech or presentation. Because of this, it is vitally important to present information in such a way that each participant is interested and informed. Often what makes or breaks a presentation is not the material, but the presenter.

In our 1-2 day workshop you will improve your presentation skills dramatically. Utilizing accelerated learning techniques will create a presentation that is fun and interesting.

You will learn:

• An easy 4-step system to develop your presentation material.
• Techniques to help you remember your presentations.
• Create instant rapport with an entire group.
• Accelerated learning states.
• Advanced language patterns to increase understanding in your audience.
• How to overcome fear of public speaking.
• Persuasion techniques.
• To love questions from the audience.
• The logistics of presentations.

Some of the comments regarding Debra Fentress' trainings:

"If you have the opportunity to attend one of Debra Fentress' workshops or seminars, I highly recommend you do so." Marian Manfre, Citrus College Staff Development Committee

"This is the first seminar my managers have actually wanted to attend the second day." Chuck Henry, Xentech

"Best training we've had. Our reps want more!" Mark Licardi, M.B. Electronics

"Practical approaches to problem solving and creating paradigms. Excellent program." Robert Latham, Attorney

"I have had so much come to me since I have seen you and I want to thank you for your help. I am always at the top of my section now and meeting all my goals. I am selling more and more each time. Thank you."  Ron Williams