Training Courses

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT'S SKILLS
Learn how to handle multiple bosses, track assignments, create a smoother work flow, select the best equipment at the lowest price, motivate, improve communication with management, negotiate, make decisions, solve problems, prioritize, juggle multiple projects, share suggestions and concerns, network, decline requests without appearing negative, develop relationship with your manager.

THE ANDROGYNOUS MANAGER - WHAT'S GENDER GOT TO DO WITH IT?
To be understood, first we must understand...
* How men and women lead, make decisions, solve problems, and communicate can differ
* There are common denominators - what men and women can learn from each other
* How we can improve results and relationships.
Co-author of A Woman's Place Management, author of The Woman Manager and The Female Entrepreneur, Dr. Sitterly's books have been translated in seven languages. She has trained thousands in five countries over twenty years on women in the workplace.
 
APPROPRIATE WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR
To maintain a positive harassment-free, non-discriminatory productive work environment learn what types of behaviors or comments can cross the line and how to respond. Understand our responsibilities and accountabilities, value differences, and gain awareness, sensitivity, and knowledge for appropriate conduct in our diverse workplace.
 
ATTITUDE: DEALING WITH NEGATIVITY
Negativity impacts morale, teamwork, quality- even retention of valued employees. Designed to help you reduce frustration with dealing with negative people and difficult situations, this program provides practical solutions for positive attitude maintenance and improved relationships and performance. Recognize negativity and become more optimistic and solution oriented. Assess and recharge your attitude and enthusiasm by recycling problems into opportunities with solutions. 
 
ASSERTIVENESS
To communicate directly, honestly, openly with tact and sensitivity, assertiveness training will identify areas that need improvement and provide techniques for getting more of what you want with win-win outcomes. Whether you need to become more direct or less abrasive or passive, or to deal with people who are abrasive or passive, improve your communication skills and personal power. Learn how to deal with anger, assert without offending or intimidating, and assess communication styles. ( Cassette tape available.)
 
BENCHMARKING
Benchmarking is a continuous, systematic way to identify "best practices" of those companies, products, services, systems and processes that can be integrated, adapted, managed and measured in a company's current operations. Learn the process and approaches of benchmarking, its role in the TQM/CI process and how to implement it in your company. Select an issue or subject for benchmarking and develop an action plan, prioritize improvement areas, set targets and assemble a benchmarking team as a result of this application oriented program.
 
BUSINESS 101
Need a refresher course on the process of business to understand how each employee or supervisor impacts the bottom line? Review the business basics, apply the business process model to your own business and company, identify the factors that impact your business environment, learn business cycles, develop a "business person's" mind-set, and build a foundation of business concepts, processes and factors as they relate to your company.

CHANGE
Facing rapid and continuous change is a way of life driven by continuous improvement, service, teamwork, productivity, empowerment, performance management, and more. To stay competitive, both organizations and individuals must manage change proactively. This session will clarify our roles, help us to use events to create win-win situations for both the organization and ourselves, understand change to stay motivated and productive under challenging conditions and transitions.
 
COACHING & COUNSELING EMPLOYEES
Diverse situations and problems require coaching and counseling skills to build support, productivity and synergy. Learn how to coach and counsel, delegate, motivate, solve problems interactively, build trust and collaboration, inspire individual and collective achievement, challenge high achievers, give and receive feedback, resolve conflict positively.
 
COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY
Good communication skills are critical for personal and professional success. Ensure results through effective interpersonal, verbal and non-verbal communication, assess communication styles, learn words to avoid and those to use, present an idea or share a concern, share an opinion, request or suggestion, listen, give and get feedback, instructions, and directions.
 
CONFLICT - RESOLVING DIFFERENCES
Managing conflict is an essential people skill for propelling professional and personal success. How differences are resolved can be as important as the issue itself. Learn how to recognize different types of conflict, apply resolution strategies, confront without hostility, recognize signals, value differences & set empowering ground rules for win-win outcomes, less stress, more confidence and better relationships and results.

CONSULTING - HOW TO START AND GROW A SUCCESSFUL CONSULTING BUSINESS
Both new and experienced consultants can benefit from learning how to start and build a successful, sustainable consulting business. This interactive seminar will help lay the foundation by covering the steps, skills and challenges of developing and growing your business. The seminar is presented by Dr. Connie Sitterly, CMC, and president of Sittcom Inc./ Management Training Specialists. CMC (Certified Management Consultant) is awarded by the Institute of Management Consultants USA and signifies the highest standards of consulting and adherence to the ethical canons of the profession.
 
CUSTOMER SERVICE - INTERNAL & EXTERNAL
Because quality service impacts the bottom-line, developing internal-external customer skills is essential in every business. Superior service is no longer an option, and external service is only as good as internal service. Participants will learn how service impacts results, establish service attitudes, identify service improvement opportunities, develop a service improvement plan, drive the service commitment to all levels, and maintain a high level of quality service throughout your business or organization.
 
DEALING WITH CHALLENGING PEOPLE AND SITUATIONS
Dealing with different types of people day in and day out can prove a challenge in today’s fast-paced environment. This course is designed to help you reduce frustration and burnout in dealing with challenging people and situations, give and take criticism, solve problems, avoid being the target for bad behavior, improve communication with tact and sensitivity, provide practical solutions to dealing with challenging people and situations. 

DELEGATE - UP, DOWN, & ALL AROUND
To maximize resources and develop employees and teams, learn to delegate, with and without authority. You will learn how to delegate and be delegated to skillfully, know what, when and why to delegate, delegate don't dump, identify barriers of effective delegation, understand requirements and guidelines for effective delegation, assess delegating skills, and prioritize to focus on results. Even if you have multiple managers, serve on a team or, have no one to delegate to, this program will help boost results, get more done on time, without reminders, and enjoy the process.
 
DISCIPLINE & PRAISE
Learn what discipline is and when to use it effectively, counsel poor performers, and avoid liability. On the flip side, learn how to reinforce, recognize, energize, praise, and, use performance management to improve behavior, results and communication.
 
DIVERSITY : VALUING DIFFERENCES
Enhance sensitivity and awareness of unconscious decisions and behaviors toward minorities, women and ethnically different employees and, set personally appropriate objectives to value differences. 
 
EMPOWERMENT
Management and employees must work together as a team, sharing common goals and responsibilities to satisfy customers. Understand and apply the concepts of empowerment, make yourself more valuable to the company, your manager and your customers, enhance your present position and future opportunities. Empowerment enables managers and employees to maximize information and self-management, foster independent decision making and creativity, improve trust, service and customer satisfaction, and save cost and time for improved morale, motivation and productivity. Identify organization's, managers' and employees' roles and responsibilities for practical application.
 
ETHICS 
Is separating right from wrong in our day-to-day business decisions more difficult than it used to be? Is there so much pressure to achieve results that integrity is tested? How do you handle situations that breach your basic sense of integrity? How do you approach someone who intentionally or unintentionally asks you to cross the line? This session explores potential ethical dilemmas, what constitutes unethical behavior, consequences and possible impact to the organization and individual, and recommended steps to take to prevent and correct such situations.
 
FACILITATION / PRESENTATION SKILLS
Enhance current presentation skills, raise confidence in addressing groups, facilitate discussions & interaction, determine appropriate training methods and styles, build rapport with the group and keep the group’s attention for an enjoyable process. 

FEEDBACK: HOW TO GIVE IT AND RECEIVE
Gain the necessary tools give or receive feedback, share concerns, diffuse anger, and confront problems without blaming. (Cassette tape also available.)
 
THE FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR © HOW TO START AND GROW A BUSINESS
Determine your entrepreneurial instinct--the what, why, when and where of owning your own business. In this course, women business owners will assess and prevent obstacles, risks and rewards, set goals, develop a business plan, learn how to promote, sell, negotiate, secure credit and financing, and more essential to growing a business. (Book The Female Entrepreneur is available.)
 
GOAL SETTING
Age 6 or 106, success is less of what you have and more of what you make of what you have. To achieve more of what life has to offer and enjoy the process, learn how to integrate goal setting into daily activities. Understand the process and importance  of goal setting, prepare meaningful, clear goals and follow  through during this motivational and application-oriented program.
 
IMAGE, ATTITUDE, PERFORMANCE - PROFESSIONAL ESSENTIALS
The professional essentials that impact your career and opportunities - positively or negatively- image, attitude, and performance. Learn how to project professionalism, gain support and sell your ideas, give and take feedback, use your personal power, overcome image killers, identify your style and strengths, deal with challenging people and situations, share goals, assess risks, increase visibility and credibility, project a positive attitude, understand changes, become a more valued contributor, and develop a personal action plan.
 
INFLUENCING WITHOUT AUTHORITY
As more and more companies re-organize along the lines of a horizontal structure as opposed to the vertical style of management, those who need to get action from other employees are not necessarily those in charge. As responsibilities increase, smooth operations and productivity of the organization depend on the ability to collaborate for common goals. Influencing Without Authority deals with the challenges of those who face increasing responsibilities without having the mandated authority to demand results from others. Participants will receive the tools to achieve goals, build confidence and collaboration, lead and deal more effectively with others. 
 
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Participants will enhance their abilities to assess listening, interpersonal, and assertive communication skills, read body language, and  facilitate team/group discussions. It will assist you in dealing with difficult people and situations, rumors and disagreements. Deal with anger and emotions, excuses, blaming, passive-aggressiveness, unfair criticism, counterproductive behaviors and comments to gain respect and self-control for greater effectiveness and less stress.
 
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Think about the most outstanding managers or employees you’ve worked with. What sets them apart? Learn how to make things happen and get things done by taking next step action- anywhere, anytime. Assess your leadership style, learn and apply the basic principles of leadership, achieve goals, fulfill personal mission, assertively deal with people and situations, sell ideas, and get results with or without authority. 

LEGAL ISSUES FOR SUPERVISORS
From orientation, hiring, firing, interviewing, evaluating, documenting, discipline, legal issues, harassment, record keeping, and compliance. Topics may be combined or are offered as separate programs.
 
LISTENING
We spend half our day listening yet remember half of what has been said. 25% of our days is spent doing the job a second time- preventable through clear communication and active listening. Learn to listen instead of hearing for greater relationships, respect, and results. Listening is one of the most used, needed and least taught skills. Listening skills will give you an extra edge.
 
MANAGING MULTIPLE PROJECTS & PRIORITIES
Juggling multiple projects and priorities with competing deadlines requires planning and organizing skills to optimize resources and time and unlearning habits that can block effectiveness. This session is designed to help you plan, prioritize, implement and complete multiple projects on time, delegate and track assignments, deal with changes and challenging personalities, eliminate time wasters, and integrate new habits and techniques to improve personal productivity.

MARGINAL PERFORMANCE
Marginal performance impacts results, relationships and can lead to escalating situations and deteriorating performance. Recognize symptoms early  to appropriately correct, prevent and improve performance or conduct. Learn how to respond to performance problems due to attitude or ability, communication, motivation, skill or insubordination. Develop a performance management plan with agreed upon tasks, responsibilities, and follow-up.
 
MEETINGS
Increasingly more work is accomplished through team meetings. Without proper skills, such meetings can cost up to 3 times as much as any results produced and waste half the time spent in them. This session helps you maximize time, results and resources to assure meetings are a source of productive satisfaction. Learn how to plan and lead meetings before, during and after, as both a leader and a member, and clarify roles, responsibilities and expectations.
 
MENTORING
Mentoring, a process used since the beginning of time to coach, advise, and develop those with less knowledge or experience, is gaining as a workplace strategy to benefit both professionals and their organizations. Learn how to develop a mentor program or mentor relationships, help mentors and mentees to assess potential, clarify expectations, set parameters, network, and avoid potential problems.
 
MOTIVATION FOR PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY
This session will help you to maximize productivity, enhance morale, support, inspire greater initiative and innovation. Learn how to motivate and de-motivate by knowing what today's employees want and expect, identify individual values, needs, drives and motives, to reward, reinforce, build loyalty, commitment and morale. 
 
NEGOTIATION - POWER PERSUASION
To get more of what you want, improve your communications, increase your business, close more deals, get better terms, and enjoy the satisfaction of win-win interactions, this course is for you. You will learn proven techniques to help you get ahead professionally and personally, to understand the cooperative nature of good negotiation, to overcome timidity, and develop insight into other’s motives. 

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT & APPRAISALS
Performance management and appraisals need not be a dreaded process when it can be a positive, proactive, and productive tool, depending on the approach, training and communication necessary to support the process. Learn what performance management entails by implementing an effective process and practice to support the success of the individual and company. Establish an appropriate environment, compare performance to objectives and job descriptions, provide effective feedback, comply with legal aspects, clarify requirements and expectations, prepare, conduct, participate, and follow-up discussions to productively manage performance and coach improvement. 
 
PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING
Faced with problem situations every day, managers must have practical, skills-oriented techniques to facilitate solving problems and making decisions. In this session, you will improve individual and group problem solving abilities, develop a preventive attitude, convert non-programmed to programmed decisions, reach consensus, facilitate group solutions, learn numerous techniques, and discover your approach to decision making.
 
PROFESSIONAL PROTOCOL
Success seems to be 80% people skills and 20% technical knowledge. Understanding professional etiquette, business protocol and people skills builds confidence and gives professionals a competitive edge. This course helps polish grammar, grooming, listening and communication skills along with providing practical instructions on business travel, entertaining, table manners, introductions and setting up effective business meetings. In a world of declining manners, it is that special polish that makes a person stand out. Topics can be customized.
 
QUALITY - CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
For continuous improvement, learn basic quality concepts, terms, principles, techniques, and methods, identify improvement opportunities, set objectives and develop  a quality improvement plan.
 
SELF ESTEEM
How much do you believe in yourself? Self-esteem is a personal trait that can be improved by any person willing to commit themselves to the task of positive self development. Enhance your personal and professional success by identifying your strengths, overcoming negative messages, building confidence and self-acceptance, and create a positive belief system.
 
SENSITIVITY AWARENESS
If approaching an employee or co-worker can seem difficult at times, learn how to communicate with sensitivity, give and take feedback to build relationships and results, and assert without offending.
 
SEXUAL HARASSMENT -CREATE A HARASSMENT-FREE, NON-DISCRIMINATORY WORKPLACE
Learn what sexual harassment is, the laws, company policies and procedures on harassment, how to respond to inappropriate comments or behaviors or to an employee's concern,   fulfill our legal and moral obligations.
 
SEXUAL HARASSMENT - HOW TO INVESTIGATE AND RESOLVE ALLEGATIONS
An employee walks into your office and claims sexual harassment. What should you do or not do? This program will strengthen your company and protect your people by preparing participants to swiftly and effectively deal with sexual harassment, determine what happened, respond with actions appropriate to the facts by investigating complaints and handling sexual harassment claims in a way that is fair to all parties--from prevention, throughout investigation to corrective action.
 
STRESS MANAGEMENT
We need skills to cope with the additional workload. This course will help you identify causes, reactions, types and symptoms of stress, recognize and prevent burnout, give and take criticism, make decisions and solve problems systematically, assert without offending, and improve your health,  balance and perspective.
 
SUPERVISOR'S ESSENTIAL SKILLS
Gain practical skills to improve your effectiveness & enhance your confidence as a supervisor, respond to higher expectations & increased responsibilities in a changing workplace. Learn how to interview, hire, solve problems, make individual & group decisions, lead a team, identify workstyles, develop & train, coach & evaluate performance, counsel and discipline, schedule, reward and recognize, solicit suggestions, give & receive feedback and directions, delegate, set goals, use authority appropriately, resolve conflicts, plan, manage multiple projects & priorities, understand legal issues, prevent harassment & discrimination, communicate, & build teamwork. 
 
TECHNICAL SUPERVISORS MANAGEMENT SKILLS
This session will help technical supervisors achieve objectives, involve employees, coach - counsel - discipline, give directions and feedback, delegate, build teamwork, motivate, recognize and reinforce, convert technical power to personal power and appraise technical staff while facing greater expectations and responsibilities in a fast changing workplace.
 
THE WOMAN MANAGER©
What does it take to get on top and stay there? This presentation is based on the book by the same name, written by Dr. Connie Sitterly. You will learn how to maximize your present position, understand power and politics, lead, gain visibility, be taken seriously, identify career competencies and overcome career blocks, develop promotable skills, network, leadership and initiative. (Book available.)
 
TIME MANAGEMENT - WORKING SMARTER
Get a 12-hour return on your 8-hour day by employing the techniques implemented in this course. You will learn how to manage the #1 asset -- time, manage multiple priorities and paperwork, handle interruptions, organize work area, manage telephone, overcome procrastination, clear clutter, implement planning techniques, delegate, give instructions, analyze how you spend your time and eliminate time wasters. (Cassette tape available.)
 
TRAIN-THE-TRAINER
This comprehensive course is designed for those who must present training programs. The need to address this vital skill is becoming more important as positions change and re-training is needed. This session teaches you to use adult learning principles, develop learning objectives, outline training content, select training methods suited to your audience, use and develop training tools, employ facilitation techniques, handle problem situations and apply your training skills like a seasoned pro.
 
TRAIN-YOUR-TRAINER: CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS
Train-The-Trainer certification programs are available on 20+ topics. Scripts, instructor's guides, workbooks and color overheads are included. Individuals may become a certified trainer/program presenter upon completion and fulfillment of the MTS Train-The-Trainer certification process and agreement.
 
TURN A GROUP INTO A TEAM
In the midst of a rapid changing, competitive business environment characterized by diversity, restructuring, downsizing and quality / service initiatives, teams drive the improvement process to accomplish more, better, faster. This course will help turn your group into a team, provide the guidance to avoid pitfalls of teaming, and create an esprit de corps in your workplace.
 
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
Dealing with hostility and violence in the workplace is an escalating issue costing U.S. companies $40 billion annually, and families, co-workers, friends and victims... unmeasurable. Recognize warning signs and traits of difficult or potentially violent employees, understand possible catalysts and legal considerations, learn how to diffuse potential violence, assemble crisis team, develop procedures and policies, deal with trauma. Learn how to talk with a potentially violent employee...what to do, what not to do.