Professional Development Training

See below for Current Public Workshops and Training Tailored to Your Group

Special Workshops offered by Leigh Tillman, Certified Mediator

Transforming Conflict in the Workplace

In this interactive workshop we will explore how to take situations that may seem difficult and explore causes of the difficulty, the creative potential inherent in conflict, and possible ways to navigate such situations. There will be a presentation of theory, practical application of different ways to approach conflict, and group discussion in which we all bring our wisdom and life experience to the table to try and find a freshness in addressing difficulties that arise in the workplace.

Participants will come away with:

An understanding of different types of conflict
A freshness in approaching difficult situations
A step-by-step process for approaching conflict and moving through difficult situations

This workshop is both for groups trying to work through difficult times as well as for groups who want to collaboratively develop a shared understanding of how they will deal with the natural hurdles that come up in a workplace.

"It felt comfortable, each portion of the meeting easily transitioned to the next. There was a good balance of information, discussion, and activities. Very engaging. I just wish our entire staff could have been here - it would have been a tremendous team-building exercise."

-- Anonymous evaluation of a conflict transformation workshop led by Leigh, 2011

Click here to learn more about Leigh.

Please call us with questions about any of our workshops: 207-729-5607, or contact Leigh directly to learn more about how these special workshops might benefit your group.

Cooperative Communications and the Rightful Role of Email

In our modern age with so many modes of communication available it is important to devise a shared understanding of the appropriate use of each. As a group we will look at the structure of communication in an organization and collectively decide how your group wants to engage the diverse means of communication available. We will also look at communication styles and gain an understanding of how different modes of communication are received by one another.

Participants will come away with:

A broader perspective of how others receive different forms of communication
Tangible experience of how miscommunication can occur
A shared understanding of how your team wants to use all the forms of communication available to conduct your business

This workshop is appropriate for all organizations as it addresses your specific team’s choices in how you want to communicate with one another.

Click here to learn more about Leigh.

Please call us with questions about any of our workshops: 207-729-5607, or contact Leigh directly to learn more about how these special workshops might benefit your group.

The Strength of Difference: Personality Types and Building a Strong Team through the Diversity of its Members

In this interactive workshop we will:

Identify difficulties we experience in working with others
Engage in several individual and group activities that highlight our uniqueness and diversity
Explore the benefits diverse perspectives bring to a team

Participants will come away with:

A better understanding of what they bring to a group
The importance of differing personalities in creating a solid team
An appreciation for the integral role each member of the team plays

This workshop is beneficial to new teams in learning about one another and also for long standing groups in celebrating what one another bring to the table.

Click here to learn more about Leigh.

Please call us with questions about any of our workshops: 207-729-5607, or contact Leigh directly to learn more about how these special workshops might benefit your group.

Training Tailored to Your Group

Consider hiring us to train your group in the principles and practices of good group decisions.

We seek to understand your learning objectives in advance and prepare a training agenda uniquely tailored to the desires of the group. We encourage active participation and draw out your stories from which to learn.

Craig Freshley

Learning together as a decision making group helps not only with the issues at hand, but with new issues as they arise. We specialize in training based on your specific needs and like to work with your real life issues. If you’re going to invest in training, why not solve some of your actual problems at the same time?

We provide useful handouts for all training workshops.

You might hire us to come to you and deliver a workshop on:

Cooperative Communications
- click here to view a stock, 3-hour agenda
Meeting Facilitation Techniques
- click here to view a stock, 3-hour agenda
Conflict Transformation
- click here to view a stock, 3-hour agenda
Facilitative Leadership
- click here to view a stock, 3-hour agenda
Roles and Expectations
- click here to view a stock, 3-hour agenda
How to Deal with Difficult People

click here to view a stock, 3-hour agenda

Throughout all our workshops we demonstrate practices that contribute to Good Group Decisions such as good listening, thoughtful reflection, open-mindedness, naming the sense of the group, etc. Please call to discuss what group process issues you are experiencing and we will be happy to share some suggestions. We can also provide a cost estimate for whatever you have in mind.

Current Public Workshops

Title	Instructor	Format	Dates	Location
Maine Farmers' Market Convention: Managing Conflict (see below)	Craig Freshley	1 Morning (3 hours)	January 28, 2012	Freeport, Maine
Meeting Facilitation Techniques (see below)	Craig Freshley	1 Morning (3 hours)	February 29, 2012	Portland, Maine
Maine Human Resources Convention: The Wisdom of Group Decisions (see below)	Craig Freshley	1.5 hours	May 9, 2012	Rockport, Maine

Maine Farmers' Market Convention: Managing Conflict

Craig Freshley will offer a workshop on managing conflicts in a farmers' market environment, including identifying the root causes of conflicts and taking steps to address and resolve them.

The Maine Farmers' Market Convention brings together farmers, market managers, vendors, municipal officials, legislators, and others from all over the state and beyond. Click here for more information and to register.

Please call us with questions about any of our workshops: 207-729-5607.

Meeting Facilitation Techniques

Are you called upon to facilitate meetings and wish you were better at it? Would you like some guides to help you plan and run meetings in ways that all participants will really appreciate? Perhaps you are an experienced facilitator looking for a refresher or new ways of doing things. This workshop will address the fundamentals of expert meeting facilitation and will draw on participant experiences to shed light on specific techniques.

This workshop will include:

An overview of what the best facilitators do to make meetings highly efficient and productive.
An overview of the basic steps from proposal development to agreement and how to facilitate differently for differing situations, such as: information sharing, brainstorming, developing shared understanding, and reaching agreement.
How facilitators make participants feel comfortable. How facilitators bring out the best in people.
How to facilitate through conflict and tense situations.
Practical tips for planning agendas and documenting meetings.
Handouts with valuable tips and resources for more information.

Who should attend:

This workshop is for anyone who has some experience facilitating meetings but would like to do better.

This workshop is a Maine Association of Nonprofits SkillBuilder. Advance registration will be required. Click here for more information and to register.

Please call us with questions about any of our workshops: 207-729-5607.

2012 Maine Human Resources Convention: The Wisdom of Group Decisions

Life should be peaceful and productive. And all life’s meetings should be efficient! HR professionals know better than anyone the huge costs of tension between employees, inefficient decision making, and unproductive meetings. In this highly interactive session we will explore principles and practices that contribute to peace, productivity, and efficiency in group decision making settings. I will share what I know, but I will also facilitate discussion and tease out wisdom from the participants. The session will actually demonstrate how "all of us are smarter than one of us.” This session is the way life should be: educational AND fun!

Participants will:

Have a general understanding of collaborative and inclusive decision; when to use it and when not to use it.
Understand how specific techniques can improve communication, develop leadership, and prevent conflict in the workplace.
Walk away with practical tips and tools that can be applied immediately; tips to handle specific meeting and group decision situations or generally improve employee morale and productivity.
Be inspired to act in new ways to achieve more peaceful, productive, and efficient meetings and group decisions.

This workshop is part of the Maine Human Resources Convention, one of the largest state HR conferences in the country. Advance registration will be required. Click here for more information.

Check out our Meeting Facilitation and Team Building services.

Check out Other Assistance to learn about how we can help with:

New organization start up
Strategic planning

Mergers and collaborations

Mediation

Virtual meetings and online tools

Video recording

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