59278 Courses

Project Stakeholder Relationship Skills This course is designed to provide project managers with the ability to: Analyze the complexities of major stakeholder relationship categories Apply the most appropriate interpersonal relationship skills to the different categories of relationships Align the dynamic needs of the stakeholders with a project's objective throughout the project life cycle What you Will Learn Examine traditional and non-traditional ways to identify and assess stakeholders Explain how competence, character, and trust lead to project success and strong relationships with stakeholders Utilize 'Embodied Leadership' skills to build stakeholder relationships Apply stakeholder engagement best practices to case study and real-life scenarios Getting Started Stakeholders and project success Stakeholder management research Managing stakeholder relationships Identifying Stakeholders Stakeholder categories Stakeholder relationships across the project life cycle Tools and techniques for identifying stakeholders Assessing Stakeholders Assessing stakeholder relationships Recognizing stakeholder attitudes toward the project Analyzing stakeholders Using other types of stakeholder assessments Building Stakeholder Relationships The importance of psychological safety Building trust and getting results The anatomy of trust Navigating Challenging Situations Dynamics of conflict Responding to conflict Managing difficult conversations

Virtual Agile Teams: In-House Training Agile teams are a must in this world of intense competition, marketing demands, and changing expectations. Global virtual teaming has become a necessity as organizations become increasingly distributed, with suppliers and clients actively engaged in joint projects. Agile Teams now work across geographical, organizational, and cultural boundaries to deliver solutions and services to global users. Distance and differences may amplify the effect of issues and factors that are relatively straightforward for co-located Agile teams. This workshop delivers practical concepts and techniques that participants will start using immediately with their virtual Agile teams. The goal of the course is to enable you to successfully execute your preferred Agile or Scrum methods in a virtual project team environment. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Explain the characteristics of a virtual team and how they differ from a co-located team Build an effective virtual Agile team using a Team Charter approach Develop Release Plans, including prioritizing user stories, with a virtual Agile Team Construct a Sprint plan, including effective user story estimates, virtually Execute a Sprint, including essential Agile or Scrum ceremonies, virtually Conduct effective virtual meetings in an environment supportive of Agile and Scrum methods Foundation Concepts Agile Mindset and Values Agile Benefits and Methods Scrum Overview Co-located vs. Virtual Teams Forming Virtual Agile Teams Exploring Virtual Leadership Focusing on Virtual Agile Leaders Developing a Virtual Agile Team Charter Meeting Team Challenges in a Virtual Environment Planning Releases with a Virtual Agile Team Planning releases overview Estimating user stories Prioritizing user stories Setting release parameters Getting consensus on the release plan Planning a Sprint for a Virtual Project Sprint Planning Overview Confirming Sprint Scope with Virtual Agile Teams Developing a Sprint Delivery Plan for Virtual Agile Teams Running a Sprint in a Virtual Environment Self-organizing a Sprint for a Virtual Agile Team Using Scrum tools in a Virtual Environment Conducting End of Sprint Meetings in a Virtual Environment Iterating as a Virtual Agile Team Creating an Environment for Success Piloting a virtual Agile team Creating an Agile-friendly virtual environment

Emotional Intelligence: In-House Training Emotional Intelligence is a set of emotional and social skills that collectively establish how well we: Perceive and express ourselves Develop and maintain social relationships Cope with challenges Use emotional information in an effective and meaningful way It is a skill set that transfers across all categories of relationships. It is also a predictor of success - both in life and at work. This highly-interactive course delivers a practical approach to developing, improving, and sustaining effective and mutually beneficial relationships. The design of the course involves individual reflection and paired activities, interwoven with small and large group interactions. The EQ-i 2.0® assessment reports will be debriefed over the course of the two days. In addition, participants will delve into their personal strengths and blind spots, and will explore topics including: the neuroscience of emotion, the connection between empathy and performance, and how communication styles impact our perceptions of self and other. Role-play activities give participants the opportunity to try out new behaviors and techniques. The program includes: A personal behavioral profile, the results of which you will bring to your training 2-day highly interactive workshop and experiential learning Optional professional coaching activities initiated in class that can continue over the four months after class ends What you will Learn Recognize your interpersonal strengths and potential blind spots regarding Emotional Intelligence Identify the five domains within the EQ-i 2.0 assessment model Summarize what neuroscience research has discovered about emotions and actions Recognize ways that human beings are physiologically impacted by stress Articulate ways to develop and maintain strong working relationships Describe how emotional intelligence translates into high performance Make use of the EI model and associated competencies Employ strategies for enhancing leadership through Emotional Intelligence Foundation Concepts The biology of emotion Why Emotional Intelligence matters The impact of EI on performance The EQ-I 2.0 Model Overview of the EQ-i 2.0 framework Exploring your report Balancing your EI domains Self: Awareness and Sensitivity Self-awareness and empathy Perception vs. reality Acting by choice, not impulse Other: Communication and Relationship-Building Elements of effective communication Communication styles Communication techniques Neuroscience and Behavioral Change Insights from social neuroscience Making a change

Strategic Thinking (In-Person) The goal of this course is to provide you with the building blocks and the motivation to develop the critical skill of strategic thinking. The participants will consider a four-part model that distinguishes strategic thinking from strategic planning and managing. With that understanding, you will investigate the critical components of strategic thinking and how to apply it effectively. What You Will Learn You will learn how to: Define strategic thinking and distinguish it from strategic planning and management Explain a high-level approach to gaining strategic thinking skills Integrate other interpersonal skills, such as self-awareness, systems thinking, leadership, constructive conflict, and collaboration, into the fabric of strategic thinking skills Select appropriate techniques to apply strategic thinking in specific situations Recognize and emulate effective strategic thinking behaviors Getting Started Introductions Course structure Course goals and objectives Foundation Concepts Interactive event: Define Strategic Thinking (ST) Interactive event: Discuss relationship of ST with Strategic Planning, Management and Decision Making Strategic Level Framework - Tying it all together Strategic thinking attributes Strategic Thinking Critical Success Factors Strategic Thinking Critical Success Factors - 5-part model Strategic Thinking and the Organization Critical Success Factors Model applied to an organization Tools Introduction (5): Environmental, 5 Forces, SWOT, Value Proposition, Integral Theory of Worldview Video: Fog of War Strategic Thinking and the Individual Critical Success Factors Model applied to an individual Tools Introduction (5): Thinking Styles, Six Thinking Hats, Reverse Thinking, Systems Thinking, Integral Theory of Worldview Strategic Thinking at the Interpersonal and Team Levels Emotional Intelligence - Self Awareness and Working With Others Team Leadership and Trust Constructive Conflict as the Gateway to Collaboration Interactive event: Testing the Models - Challenge Perspective; What's Missing Applying the critical skill of Strategic Thinking Worldview: Team versus client Trusted Advisor Interactive event: Doing what is asked (Case study, wherein participants review the default case scenario prepared for this workshop and add specific details to make the scenario more relevant to their experiences / needs. Teams develop an action plan for applying ST concepts and techniques they have learned here to the situation, then compare and contrast results.)

Building High-Performance Teams This course pulls together the most current and popular theories and writings on this complex topic and presents this amalgamated view in a highly interactive workshop and activity-based approach. Students will understand and have the skills required to build and participate in high-performance project teams and will possess the insight to proactively affect change within their respective organizations by guiding the existing culture to one that promotes high performance.

Leading Cross-Cultural Virtual Teams (In-Person) High-performing teams are a must in this world of intense competition and higher expectations. Global virtual teaming has become a necessity as organizations become increasingly distributed and suppliers and clients actively engage in joint projects. Teams work across geographical and organizational boundaries to deliver solutions and services to global users where distance and differences, both geographic and cultural, amplify the effect of issues and factors that are relatively straightforward when managing a team of people in the same location. This course delivers practical concepts and techniques that participants will start using immediately on their global projects. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Define relationships among foundational concepts (leadership and three dimensions of diversity) and explain their potential impacts on project performance Describe key components of successful project leadership and build selected Transformational Leadership skills Prepare to convert project challenges stemming from personal or cultural diversity into potential competitive advantage Implement selected best practices to meet key challenges facing virtual project teams Foster and grow an environment that supports continued success for CCVTs Getting Started Foundation Concepts Basic definitions Critical success factors for leading cross-cultural virtual teams (CCVTs) A roadmap to success for leading CCVTs Leadership Excellence in Any Project Environment Leading effectively in a global environment Transformational leadership The four components of Transformational Leadership Leveraging Personal Diversity Overview of personal diversity Mind styles The theory of multiple intelligences Connecting Transformational Leadership and personal diversity Embracing Cultural Diversity Introduction to cultural intelligence The impact of culture Cultural Dimensions Theory The Culture Map Managing Virtual Diversity Overview of virtual diversity Virtual time management Virtual processes and technology Virtual leadership Creating an Environment for Success Supporting a cross-cultural virtual-team (CCVT-) friendly environment Building a foundation of trust Developing a team charter Recap and review Summary and Next Steps Personal action plan

Effective Presentation Skills (In-Person) In today's results-oriented, global working environment, the ability to create and deliver presentations effectively is a necessary skill set for people at all levels of an organization. Regardless of your role, it's important to know how to synthesize your ideas into a coherent and focused narrative, add visuals that support and reinforce your message, and deliver it in a way that resonates with your audience. In this highly interactive course, we will unpack and practice some of the tools and techniques used by top speakers and influencers all over the world. In this engaging two-day course, you will plan, write, refine, practice, and deliver a presentation to the class. Your presentation will be filmed on both days, and you will leave the course with a flash-drive copy of your videos; participants of the virtual classroom workshop should be prepared to present via webcam. In addition to discovering and enhancing your own personal delivery style, you will learn how to create an overarching goal for your presentation and then organize and structure it for maximum impact. You'll gain insight into how to anticipate your audience's needs and tailor the content and delivery in a way that connects with them and sustains their attention and engagement. You will also learn skills that will help you control nervous energy, remain focused on and attuned to your audience, improvise under pressure, deal effectively with questions, and build a compelling call to action. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Construct an effective presentation goal statement, opening, body, and closing that connect with an audience Analyze an audience's needs and style preferences, including relevant DiSC®-related elements Deliver a complete criteria-based presentation that will persuade others Align usage of visuals as well as verbal and non-verbal techniques to maximize the impact of your presentation Getting Started Introductions and social agreements Course structure Course goals and objectives Opening activities Planning and Organizing Video: 'The Art of Misdirection' Setting your presentation goal Writing a goal statement Analyzing your audience Applying the 'reality' test Creating and strengthening supports Structuring your presentation 5 components of an effective opening Presentation body Presentation closing Write your presentation opening Audience Analysis Video: 'How to Tie Your Shoes' Everything DiSC® introduction Audience DiSC® Styles Analyzing your audience Further audience analysis Effective Delivery Delivery challenges and in-person Keeping your audience engaged Your body as your instrument Verbal / paraverbal elements Body stance and nonverbal communication What are your 'tells?' Controlling nervousness Staying attuned to your audience Responding to questions Review and edit your opening Deliver your opening Visuals and Enriching Elements Using images in your presentation Guidelines for visual composition Using questions to engage your audience The power of the pause Practicing and Applying What You've Learned Preparation Delivery Feedback Opportunity to put into practice the program content and receive a video copy Summary and Next Steps What did we learn and how can we implement this in our work environment? Your personal action plan

Work Breakdown Structures It's amazing how often project managers begin the project planning process by making an outlined list of every task they believe will be required to complete a project and then proclaim they have created the work breakdown structure (WBS) for the project. The result is a list of hundreds, or even thousands of tasks, many of them having durations of a few days or a few hours. Essentially, what they have done is create a 'to do' list, which they then use as a 'checklist' to measure progress. This approach leads to, and even encourages, micromanagement of the resources working on the project without consideration of more critical aspects of project management such as: requirements management, risk management, procurement management, estimating, scheduling, executing, and controlling. Further, it makes it impossible to see the big picture, at levels of detail, in keeping with the needs of sponsors, clients, project and functional managers, team leaders, and project performers. Join us for this exciting program and learn how to use the WBS to make better-informed business decisions. What You Will Learn You will learn how to: Describe the need for a project WBS Describe the WBS role in the project Gain practical experience in the development, decomposition, and use of the WBS Determine the appropriate level of detail in the WBS. Explain how the WBS integrates with project requirements, risk, procurement, estimating, scheduling, and overall project execution. Provide the basic tools to enhance efficient re-use of key information in your future projects Foundation Concepts Key definitions History of the WBS Importance of the WBS Overall structure Terminology Other breakdown structures WBS tools WBS & Scope Project scope management processes Specification of the project objectives WBS design based on project deliverable WBS decomposition process and 'The 100% rule' Work Packages and Control Accounts WBS & Risk Risk management planning and WBS Risk identification to enhance the WBS Risk analysis and the WBS Risk responses and updating the WBS Implementing risk response and Monitoring risks and the WBS WBS & Estimating Use of WBS in the estimating process Components and work packages Sizing and algorithmic estimates WBS & Scheduling Component Scheduling - High-Level Milestones WBS activity decomposition WBS elements dependencies Work Package Level Schedules Responsibility assignment matrix WBS & Execution and Control Earned Value Management and tracking of work performance Progress reports, forecasts, and corrective and preventive actions used to manage work performance Necessary information to close out a project

Emotional Intelligence (In-Person) Emotional Intelligence is a set of emotional and social skills that collectively establish how well we: Perceive and express ourselves Develop and maintain social relationships Cope with challenges Use emotional information in an effective and meaningful way It is a skill set that transfers across all categories of relationships. It is also a predictor of success - both in life and at work. This highly-interactive course delivers a practical approach to developing, improving, and sustaining effective and mutually beneficial relationships. The design of the course involves individual reflection and paired activities, interwoven with small and large group interactions. The EQ-i 2.0® assessment reports will be debriefed over the course of the two days. In addition, participants will delve into their personal strengths and blind spots, and will explore topics including: the neuroscience of emotion, the connection between empathy and performance, and how communication styles impact our perceptions of self and other. Role-play activities give participants the opportunity to try out new behaviors and techniques. The program includes: A personal behavioral profile, the results of which you will bring to your training 2-day highly interactive workshop and experiential learning Optional professional coaching activities initiated in class that can continue over the four months after class ends What you will Learn Recognize your interpersonal strengths and potential blind spots regarding Emotional Intelligence Identify the five domains within the EQ-i 2.0 assessment model Summarize what neuroscience research has discovered about emotions and actions Recognize ways that human beings are physiologically impacted by stress Articulate ways to develop and maintain strong working relationships Describe how emotional intelligence translates into high performance Make use of the EI model and associated competencies Employ strategies for enhancing leadership through Emotional Intelligence Getting Started Foundation Concepts The biology of emotion Why Emotional Intelligence matters The impact of EI on performance The EQ-I 2.0 Model Overview of the EQ-i 2.0 framework Exploring your report Balancing your EI domains Self: Awareness and Sensitivity Self-awareness and empathy Perception vs. reality Acting by choice, not impulse Other: Communication and Relationship-Building Elements of effective communication Communication styles Communication techniques Neuroscience and Behavioral Change Insights from social neuroscience Making a change Summary and Next Steps

Project Management Fundamentals: Virtual In-House Training Many projects are performed by highly competent and effective people who have little or no project management training. They perform projects like process improvement, marketing campaign development, new product development, event planning and production, and other 'tasks' which are projects. Project Management Fundamentals (PMF) is designed to support those people who need a solid foundation in project management, without being unnecessarily burdened to learn it while on the job. The course offers practical skills, concepts, and principles that can be taken back to the workplace, along with insights needed to adapt them to specific project environments. In today's environment, that means possibly adapting to Agile / Iterative methods. So, we have recently added key Agile concepts to provide a basic understanding of shifting towards agility. Since PMF's course goal is to achieve quality performance by learning effective planning and control, the focus is on a process orientation and an analytical, systems-oriented approach. Together, these frameworks promote project-related problem solving and decision-making skills necessary for real world projects. They honor project needs for collaboration, clear communications among people, and interpersonal and relationship skills. Recognition of these needs are woven throughout PMF, but are highlighted in two specific areas: Module 2 - People and Projects Module 8 - Executing, Communicating, and Developing the Team