Daniel Robin & Associates

Making Workplaces Work Better

Presentations for a Better Workplace

Topics are tailored to meet specific organizational needs and interests, and range in length from short, one-hour webinar or "brown bag" talks to half-day seminars. Our presentations are lively, interactive, and full of practical tools for immediate application. We encourage audience participation, basing discussions on participant situations and experience. We provide printed resource materials (usually a handout), tools to assist with in-house promotion of the event, and can also suggest "pre-study" materials, such as an article, upon request.

To see a comprehensive list of our full-length programs, click here.

1. The Innovation Cycle: Getting the Juices Flowing
   Discover how a proven creativity strategy can open up new avenues, free yourself from the tyranny of the "inner critic" and skillfully apply business knowledge to inspire and apply fresh, innovative approaches. The Dream-Plan-Realize model has been successfully used by dozens of individuals and companies who have inspired visions they want to bring forward. In order to get past the barriers to innovation (see related article), entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs must get the support they need so that the naicent approach can take on a life of its own. Ideally, this mini-workshop would be used to address a real situation the group now faces, and will leave them with the ability to facilitate their own future innovation sessions.
2. The New Rules of Communication @ Work
   This short program introduces a set of new rules for effective workplace communication. It is particularly tuned to those working in a high-performance and chaotic environment, with changing goals, sudden shifts and often unreasonable expectations that everyone "turn on a dime." High-performing organizations value innovation, participation (collaborative vs. command-and-control styles of leadership), and mutual accountability but it is a huge challenge to walk that talk. Rather than letting circumstances run the show, step back into the driver's seat and take charge of your communication. This short program shows you how. ( Read more )
3. Inclusive Leaders Ask Powerful Questions
   Collaboration means asking intelligent questions more often. Part of the shift away from command & control to more effective leadership involves asking the right ratio of open-ended and leading questions. Both have their place. When do you use which type? Ideally, goals are mutual, with a high degree of commitment, not imposed and demanded. Asking questions provides a cooperative yet assertive form of leadership, ensuring mutual understanding, increasing commitment, saving time and energy. This can be subtle. How you ask questions is at least as important as what you ask.
4. Business Process Improvement & Redesign
   When people are already motivated and working well as a team, what’s left? This talk provides an overview of current tools and techniques for process innovation and breakthrough results using a high-performance systems framework.
5. Leadership through Coaching
   Skill at coaching is an essential management skill. Discover how coaching can increase effectiveness through shared power, accountability and personal leadership. Learn the 8 elements of coaching and self-assess your proficiency with each skill area. Discover how the alternative to coaching, giving advise, can backfire as it undermines the other person's ability to find their own answers.
6. The Art of Agreement -- Requests & Promises
   Achieving goals and objectives through clear and complete agreements. What are the elements of a complete request? When do you actually have an agreement (versus when you pray that you do, but in truth, do not). This is the gateway to recognition, coordinated action, and accountability.
7. Maximum Leverage through Recognition and Feedback
   Bypass defensiveness, provide acknowledgement and a positive attitude. This program is geared toward supervisors and managers, providing strategies to bring out the best in employees and co-workers. Sharpends techniques to deliver difficult feedback that gets heard and acted upon while "catching people in the act' of their greatness and unique genius.
8. The Magic of Rapport
   The art of meeting others where they are, vs. waiting for them to be more like you, more on your page. This is key to persuading and having influence and allows you to move gracefully towards shared goals. Rapport is key to gaining cooperation and dealing well with differences.
9. Dealing with Resistance
   Staying centered and non-defensive in the middle of adversity, differences of opinion, and apparent conflict. This talk introduces the idea of "conversational Aikido" to unblock communication logjams and effectively move ahead.
10. Handling Negativity and ending the Blame Game Gracefully
    Keeping conversations open, even when the going gets tough. Avoid the blame game by shifting the frame ... virutally eliminates defensiveness and battles over "turf."
11. Elements of Effective Teamwork
    This talk addresses seven powerful principles for successful collaboration and teamwork (see "Sailing the Seven C’s of Business Relationships"). Begin a conversation inside your organization that builds a team atmosphere and helps people produce far better results with less effort.
12. Lean Meetings -- Meeting Management that Works
    Meetings are where the corporate "rubber meets the road." How effective are your meetings? Are there lost leadership opportunities due to boring, ineffective, or needlessly chaotic meetings? This session provides proven techniques and in-the-moment coaching.
13. High Performance Teams and the Balanced Scorecard Approach
    Based on practical, real examples of how pay-for-productivity programs have worked and failed, this short presentation can inspire teams and management alike. Morale and productivity improvement at the same time? Yes, it can be done. Learn how.

Full catalog of skill-building programs

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