Problem Solving

Three new simulations! Now there are six realistic adventure simulations in all! Set in America's most popular scenic wonder!

Take participants on an unforgettable learning adventure! Set in the Grand Canyon, these stimulating group activities provide an adventurous backdrop for enthusiastic participant involvement and memorable skill building.

Use Grand Canyon Adventures for active learning in:

• Creativity and Problem Solving
• Collaboration
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Conflict Resolution
• Consultation

More than the usual consensus-building activities
The creative design of the participant scenario booklets gives these learning activities a distinct advantage over other consensus-building simulations by supporting participants throughout the activity with helpful techniques and key learning points.

Six related activities provide new training flexibility
The Grand Canyon Adventures package includes three interrelated activities on problem solving, collaboration, and consensus decision making, which makes the program extremely flexible. Use all six activities with your entire team, or split up your group to focus on individualized skill development with a single activity.

Inspiring DVD gets participants involved
Start your session with The River Song, an 18-minute video which sets the scene for the simulations. It is an all-original, breathtaking video tour of the sites within the Grand Canyon where the simulations take place. It will motivate and focus participants on the activities, and ensure high-impact learning.

Stranded in Grand Canyon
A Creative Problem-Solving Adventure: In this activity, set on the Colorado River, the group must find its way out of the canyon using the problem-solving method provided. 1 “2 hours. (additional copies/ 5 pack $29.95 / Code SIGC)

Incident at Elves Chasm: Action Plan
Consensus and Consultation In this simulation, set on the Colorado River, a crisis has occurred and the group must build consensus and create a plan of action. 1 to 2 hours. (additional copies/ 5 pack $29.95 / Code IECAP)

Incident at Elves Chasm: Priority Setting
Consensus and Consultation In this simulation, a crisis has occurred and you as an individual and then with the group practice prioritizing. 1 “2 hours. (additional copies/ 5 pack $29.95 / Code IECPS)

Hiking Out of Lava Falls
A Creative Problem-Solving Adventure This activity, based on an actual event and set on canyon trails, gives team members practice in using a proven problem-solving model to accomplish their survival mission. 1 '2 hours. (additional copies/ 5 pack $29.95 Code GCHO)

Up Deer Creek without a Boatman
Collaboration Designed for two leaders or two teams, this exercise provides experience in working together and resolving conflict. Participants will assess their own effectiveness based on three measures of collaboration. 1 “2 hours. (additional copies/ 5 pack $29.95 / Code GCDC)

Overboard in the Roaring River
The Confluence of Crisis and Management This crisis management simulation, set on the Colorado River, gives groups practice in building consensus and action planning. 1 “2 hours. (additional copies/ 5 pack $29.95 / Code GCRR)

Grand Canyon Complete Package Includes:

• 10 copies of Hiking Out of Lava Falls simulation
• 10 copies of Up Deer Creek simulation
• 10 copies of Overboard in the Roaring River simulation
• 10 copies of Incident at Elves Chasm: Action Plan simulation
• 10 copies of Incident at Elves Chasm: Priority Setting simulation
• 10 copies of Stranded in Grand Canyon simulation
• Scenic 18-minute full color video, The River Song
• Comprehensive Leaders Guide which includes detailed debriefing suggestions, instructions for leading adventure simulations, and valuable tips on involving and motivating participants.

• Grand Canyon Adventures $499.99 [Add to Cart]

This compendium of activities will add real value to your training by taking critical thinking skills out of the box and into the workplace. Learners will sharpen their critical thinking skills and develop a thought process that are creative, accurate, and assumption-free.

• Quick Wits $149.00 [Add to Cart]

Activity Manual

Training Objective

• Develop creative thinking
• Offer new approached to problem solving
• Develop approaches to problems that will not respond to traditional problem-solving methods

Activities Cover

• Problem analysis
• Thinking process
• Finding solutions
• Implementation of creative problem-solving methods

Ensure Problems Get and Stay Solved

It sometimes seems that there is a never-ending stream of problems to solve in business. Ironically, many are not new. They are recurring problems that never seem to go away. Step-By-Step Problem Solving shows participants how to get at the underlying causes of these problems and not just the symptoms so they get solved and stay solved.

Skill-Based Program Content

• Applying a six-step problem-solving model
• Developing problem-solving skills
• Defining the problem
• Analyzing potential causes
• Identifying and selecting the best solutions
• Developing an action plan
• Implementing solutions and evaluating progress
• Applying problem-solving tools

Facilitator Kit:
The Step-By-Step Problem Solving Facilitator Kit includes materials listed below and must be purchased to order Participant Kits:

• Facilitator Guide
• (1) Participant Kit
• Online Tools with PowerPoint Presentation (CD-ROM)
• Participant Kit (See below)

Participant Kit:
Participant materials required to support the training program are available. Each Step-By-Step Problem Solving Participant Kit includes materials listed below:

• Participant Workbook
• Guidebooks: Step-By-Step Problem Solving; Team Decision-Making Techniques

• Step-By-Step Problem Solving: Facilitator Kit $499.99 [Add to Cart]
• Step-By-Step Problem Solving: Participant Kit $59.99 [Add to Cart]

Packaged Training Program: Integrated Curriculum

Don't be fooled by the myth that just because a process worked well in the past that theres no need to improve it. Needs and demands are constantly changing and so must the methods for meeting them. This comprehensive program takes a systematic approach to Continuous Process Improvement (CPI), incorporating customer feedback and fact-based decision making, to ensure that process performance improvement efforts maximize key business result areas and competitiveness.

Skill-Based Program Content

Intro: CPI Concepts And Methodology

• Following the supplier-producer customer chain
• Defining process relationships
• Applying a systematic CPI model

Unit 1: Selecting A Process To Improve

• Determining core customer segments
• Defining customer requirements
• Selecting processes to improve

Unit 2: Analyzing A Process

• Creating a process flow chart
• Assessing value-added versus non value-added tasks
• Determining process measures

Unit 3: Measuring Process Performance

• Displaying and interpreting measurement data
• Uncovering process improvement gaps
• Identifying process problem areas

Unit 4: Improving A Process

• Developing an improvement plan that defines goals and responsibilities
• Negotiating improvement goals with customers and suppliers
• Applying a problem-solving model

Unit 5: Evaluating Improvement Efforts

• Tracking and analyzing the impact of improvement efforts
• Developing a transition plan
• Standardizing processes for sustained performance

Facilitator Kit: The Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) Facilitator Kit includes materials listed below and must be purchased to order Participant Kits:

• Facilitator Guide
• Implementation Guide
• Quick-Start Guide
• PowerPoint Presentation*
• Online Tools
• Travel Tote
• 1 Participant Kit

Participant Kit: Participant materials required to support the training program are available. Each Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) Participant Kit includes materials listed below:

• Participant Workbook
• Participant Tools on CD-ROM
• Five Practical Guidebooks: Continuous Process Improvement; Continuous Improvement Tools, Volume 1; Continuous Improvement Tools, Volume 2; Step-by-Step to Problem Solving
• Pocket Reference Cards
• Certificate of Completion

Facilitator Start-Up Package: The Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) includes one Facilitator Kit and ten Participant Kits.

Program Length: 3 Days/Flexible Training Options

• Continuous Process Improvement - Facilitator Kit $1,395.99 [Add to Cart]
• Continuous Process Improvement: Participant Kit $235.00 [Add to Cart]

Hands-on experience is the name of the game with this unique spectrum of learning opportunities!

This diverse collection of reproducible games and simulations makes learning a fun and participative way for employees to gain experience in the key concepts and skills essential to their success in the workplace. It is an ideal resource for trainers looking for a creative way to instill new ideas and skills, but who do not have the time to develop a new game on their own. This valuable assortment of 18 unique training games is ready-to-use and includes clear objectives, detailed instructor guidelines and reproducible materials for participants.

Games and Simulations Cover

• Time Management
• Communication
• Leadership Skills
• Presentation Skills
• Team Building
• Goal Setting
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making

The AMA DISC Survey is designed and intended to be used for individual, group, and organizational development. The survey is equally suitable for managers, work group or team members, and individual contributors. The personal styles measured by the survey are relevant to programs focusing on personal development, problem solving and decision making, time management, interpersonal relations, conflict management, team building, and organizational change.

The AMA DISC Survey has several unique features that provide distinct advantages over alternative personal style assessments. These include:

• The Survey is explicitly oriented toward work-related behaviors.
• The Survey is designed to enhance reliability and validity.
• The Survey is printed on NCR (no carbon required) paper (easy to score).
• The Survey provides an efficient way for people to learnabout their styles.

The AMA DISC Survey comes with a Debriefing Guide that includes seven modules, each of which take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. The Debriefing Guide provides facilitators and respondents with a variety of options for understanding and applying The AMA DISC Survey:

• The Guide provides interpretations of dominant styles, as well as style combinations.
• The Guide encourages participants to apply the information presented.
• The Guide enables participants to examine the positive and negative aspects of their styles.
• The Guide is oriented toward self-development.
• The Guide can be used in a number of ways.

The AMA DISC Survey takes approximately 30 to 40 minutes to administer, score, and debrief.

The AMA DISC Survey can be used as an introduction to personal styles, or it can be used as the basis for a half-day session on personal, interpersonal, team, or organizational development. Appendix B presents a number of suggested program designs for using The AMA DISC Survey to accomplish different objectives. A set of transparency masters is contained in Appendix C.

This collection of experiential activities in game format will enable trainers and facilitators to make effective use of the outdoors as a vehicle for learning. It contains sixty-three creative games that can be conducted easily and safely with a minimum of materials and preparation. Many of the activities can be run equally well indoors.

Each activity is presented in a standard format that includes a summary, a statement of objectives, a note of any materials required, time requirements, and detailed guidance on the effective use of the games in training. The games vary in length from a few minutes to over an hour. Together they provide a rich store of adventure, energy, and memorable learning.

Games Teach

• Cooperation
• Decision making
• Ethics
• Goal-setting
• Planning
• Rewards
• Trust
• Inter-team collaboration
• Communication
• Creativity
• Leadership
• Problem solving
• Risk taking
• Team learning

This easy-to-use assessment solves one of your biggest headaches in customer service - ensuring consistency in your staff's performance. How? By giving employees a clear picture of their unique strengths and areas they need to work on - and the motivation to acquire all the skills of an all-around good customer service giver.

Employees can rate themselves in seven competency areas widely considered to be critical to the ability to provide exemplary service:

• Temperament/disposition
• Attentive listening
• Communicating clearly
• Resolving conflict
• Engaging in joint problem solving
• Carefully negotiating
• Building warmth and empathy

The questionnaire uses graduated response scales (almost never to almost always) that help employees draw accurate conclusions about how skilled they presently are in customer service.

• Customer Service Skills Profile Leader's Guide $149.99 [Add to Cart]
• Customer Service Skills Profile Assessments 5-Pack $69.99 [Add to Cart]

You've probably heard the story about the Father and Son who are on their way to a camping trip in the mountains when there're involved in a terrible car accident. The son is badly injured and airlifted to the hospital. The surgeon rushes into the ER, takes one look at the boy and exclaims, "Oh no, I can't operate on this boy, he's my son." How can this be?

If you don't know the answer, order a preview of this program today to find out. If you do know the answer, you'll probably remember the first time you heard this story and how effective it was.

By dramatically depicting the Father and Son tale, this versatile meeting opener enables you to open people's minds to:

• question old ways of doing things
• think outside the box
• change perceptions
• learn new paradigms

Use it for training in: Problem Solving, Change, Creative Thinking, Harassment/Discrimination Prevention

Package Includes: 5 minute video or DVD and discussion guide.

• Father and Son - DVD $295.00 [Add to Cart]
• Father and Son - DVD Rental $225.00 [Add to Cart]
• Father and Son - VHS Rental $225.00 [Add to Cart]

This humorous program gives learners the opportunity to recognize poor listening skills. Manager Ray only listens to his employee, Leo, with the intent to respond and get out the door, rather than with the intent to really understand him.

As Ray is forced to repeat the same interaction with Leo over and over again until he gets it right, viewers see the consequences of poor listening: inefficiency of communication, frustration, and plenty of inaccuracies and errors.

But, in the end, viewers are also reminded that:

• To be an effective listener, one must pay attention. (This includes eliminating distractions, feeding back to the speaker what you've heard and asking clarifying questions)
• Effective listening is a key factor in building interpersonal, problem solving and management skills.

Program Includes: A 11 minute DVD or Video and Leader's Guide

Online Training Option

• Pricing - $9.95 per user
• Minimum order - $500
• Users receive a post-test and certificate of completion. You set the test�s passing grade.
• You get an Administrator�s Page that shows who has logged on to take the training and the test score of each viewer.

Please contact us by email if you have more than 1000 users for special pricing options.

Note: When you order the online training version of this program, our shopping cart will show 50 items listed (minimum number of participants) for $500, each additional participant/item added is $9.95

• Nobody's Listening - DVD $495.00 [Add to Cart]
• Nobody's Listening - DVD Rental $275.00 [Add to Cart]
• Nobody's Listening - Online Course $9.95 [Add to Cart]

Best-Seller

This course is also available for online training, see details below.

In The Magic of We, you'll see a team of 25 Snapper employees gather in the main plant on a Saturday morning for a very different kind of meeting. Senior managers, engineers, suppliers, customer service and marketing are assigned one task: Put together 4 lawnmowers themselves.

It comes down to nuts and bolts - literally! As they work, these diverse teams realize that a universal bolt that was supposed to streamline production is causing more problems than it was supposed to solve. See how they use the 'magic of we' to find the solution.

The Magic of We is one story, shown five times with five different intros and closings, each addressing a different topic area: Leadership, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Lean Manufacturing, Communication.

Here is just a sample of the learning points covered:

• Gain first hand knowledge and experience. Walk your "four corners". (Leadership)
• Understand the team's mission and each individual's role. (Teamwork)
• Step outside your day-to-day environment to change your perspective. (Problem Solving)
• Help create a work environment that brings down barriers to talking, listening, and sharing. (Communication)
• Cultivate a culture of "us vs. the problem," not "department vs. department." (Lean Manufacturing)

The Leader's Guide provides step-by-step instructions for introducing activities, leading discussions, and making transitions between the video, group discussions, and exercises. It includes directions for presenting the workshop materials, along with suggestions for preparation, timing, and follow-up activities.

Program Includes: DVD Or VHS Video, Leader's Guide (including reproducible participant handouts), PowerPoint CD-Rom, and 10 "Magic of We" Post-It Notes.

Online Training Option

• Pricing - $9.95 per user
• Minimum order - $500
• Users receive a post-test and certificate of completion. You set the test’s passing grade.
• You get an Administrator’s Page that shows who has logged on to take the training and the test score of each viewer.

Please contact us by email if you have more than 1000 users for special pricing options.

Note: When you order the online training version of this program, our shopping cart will show 50 items listed (minimum number of participants) for $500, each additional participant/item added is $9.95

• Magic of We - DVD $795.00 [Add to Cart]
• Magic of We - DVD Rental $275.00 [Add to Cart]
• Magic of We - Online Course $9.95 [Add to Cart]
• Magic of We - DVD Preview $0.00 [Add to Cart]

Packaged Training Program: Integrated Curriculum

Today's organizations are utilizing teams more and more to meet customer demands and stay competitive in a changing marketplace. Team members must understand their increasing roles in the team process and actively work to support each other to maximize effectiveness and meet organizational expectations. HighINVOLVEMENT Teamwork provides managers, supervisors, team leaders, and team members with the practical skills needed to be successful within their teams. In this comprehensive five-unit program, participants develop the fundamental interpersonal skills that are the foundation of high performance teamwork.

Skill-Based Program Content

Unit 1: Engage With Understanding

• Recognizing teamwork foundations
• Understanding team member communication styles
• Creating strategies for building team communication

Unit 2: Share Constructive Feedback

• Tuning in to communications cues
• Planning and delivering feedback
• Handling feedback effectively

Unit 3: Participate Actively In Meetings

• Planning for productive meetings
• Conducting meetings effectively
• Evaluating meeting success

Unit 4: Resolve For Consensus

• Choosing conflict-resolution strategies
• Accepting team diversity
• Applying team decision-making techniques

Unit 5: Solve Team Problems

• Implementing a six-step problem-solving model
• Applying problem-solving tools and methods
• Applying a problem-solving model

Facilitator Kit: The High Involvement Teamwork Kit; (HIT) Facilitator Kit includes materials listed below and must be purchased to order Participant Kits:

• Facilitator Guide
• Implementation Guide
• Quick-Start Guide
• PowerPoint Presentation*
• Online Tools
• Travel Tote
• Participant Kit (See below)

1 Participant Kit: Participant materials required to support the training program are available. Each High Involvement Teamwork Kit; (HIT) Participant Kit includes materials listed below:

• Participant Workbook
• Participant Tools on CD-ROM
• Guidebooks: Coaching Through Effective Feedback; Success Through Teamwork; Meetings That Work!; Step-By-Step Problem Solving; Team Decision-Making Techniques
• Tools on Diskette
• Pocket Reference Cards
• Pre-Work Package
• DISC Assessment
• Team Member Skills Assessment
• Certificate of Completion

Facilitator Start-Up Package: The Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) includes one Facilitator Kit and ten Participant Kits.

Program Length: 3 Days/Flexible Training Options

By Lois B. Hart, Ed.D

This instructors manual for the Faultless facilitation program offers 48 in-class learning activities and optional training designs to go with the best-selling Faultless Facilitation Resource Guide. The instructors manual lays out exactly how to plan, run, and evaluate skill-based training for inexperienced facilitators.

Faultless Facilitation Resource Guide
The Resource Guide includes "how to's" on group leading and problem solving for new facilitators. It covers everything from agenda setting to selecting the right problem solving tools. Use it as a participant coursebook with the training program, as a self-study option, or for managers who need to understand more about the facilitator's role.

3-Ring Binder

Use this practice-oriented workshop to teach team leaders and group facilitators the key skills for leading productive team meetings. This workshop contains everything you need to teach others how to facilitate; it comes complete with background material for the trainer and participants, and handouts for evaluation.

The Resource Guide includes "how to's" on group leading and problem solving for new facilitators. It covers everything from agenda setting to selecting the right problem solving tools. Use it as a participant coursebook with the training program, as a self-study option, or for managers who need to understand more about the facilitator's role.

Fully Updated, Including:

• An all new chapter on process management
• More problem solving tools
• A new chapter on how to get started with a team and how to involve management in all phases
• Creative ideas for handling conflicts and dealing with difficult people in teams
• Improved material on preparing agendas
• Comprehensive bibliography

Contents Include

• Warm-up and agenda setting
• Observing, listening, and questioning skills
• Problem-solving methods
• Dealing with problem people
• Setting team guidelines
• Creating a Vision
• And much more!

• Faultless Facilitation Resource Guide (2nd edition) $99.99 [Add to Cart]

Comes complete with learning objectives, facilitator guidance, and reproducible materials.

Activities cover

• Observation skills
• Influencing others
• Group problem solving
• Reducing stress
• Personal motivation
• Responding to new challenges

Training Objectives

• Identify areas needing particular attention
• Determine a complete personal development plan
• Remove blockages to personal success
• Develop effective managers

• 50 Activities for Self-Development $159.99 [Add to Cart]

Ian Nicholls

Training Objective

Renew your teams with this stimulating, hands-on training tool. Team Building Blocks gives your teams an easy-to-implement, effective, and enjoyable opportunity to practice and refine their problem solving and communication skills.

Your teams will be motivated and stimulated by solving problems, reaching consensus, and resolving differences while involved with these experiential puzzles. The game comes complete with 14 wooden blocks and a 148-page activity manual, which includes 18 detailed activities, facilitator notes, post-activity commentary, and solutions.

Exercises Cover

• Risk taking
• Logic and spatial relations Diversity
• Trial and error learning
• Coaching
• Inter-team consultation
• Information sharing
• Time management

• Team Building Blocks: Practicing Group Collaboration $299.99 [Add to Cart]
• Team Building Blocks (additional set of blocks) $149.99 [Add to Cart]

Featuring John Cleese/ Release date: 2000

The aim of these programs are to ensure that managers understand how to use praise to make their staff realize that their efforts are appreciated. The program also enables managers to employ criticism as a means of preventing the recurrence of mistakes and improving staff performance.

This two DVD set includes the following programs:

Performance Matters: The Importance of Praise Free Preview
This new program makes the point that giving praise where it's due is a management tool that's powerful, cheap and easy to use. It can bring amazing results in terms of increasing the quality and quantity of the output of the people who work for them, providing it is correctly applied. (Length: 21 minutes)

The benefits:

• Addresses the reasons why managers don't praise
• Shows the value of adding praise to the corporate culture
• Makes managers aware that it's important to seek opportunities to praise staff
• Provides six easily-remembered rules for praising staff correctly
• Proves that praising is not a natural gift but a learnable skill

Performance Matters: The Need for Constructive Criticism Free Preview
Nobody enjoys being criticized, which is why few managers relish the prospect of criticizing their staff - yet it has to be done. Everyone makes mistakes, but no-one can be allowed to go on making the same mistake - and people shouldn't have to wait until an appraisal to discover they have done something wrong.

The programs aim is to ensure that managers understand how to use praise to make their staff realize that their efforts are appreciated. To enable managers to employ criticism as a means of preventing the same mistake from being made over and over. (Length: 21 minutes)

The benefits:

• Helps managers understand that criticism is an essential part of a manager's responsibilities
• Shows why people should only be criticized for what they've done, not what they are
• Emphasizes how criticism done badly can make things worse
• Lays down seven rules for ensuring that criticism is conducted effectively and without acrimony

• Performance Matters Series: Importance of Praise & Constructive Criticism - DVD $1,595.00 [Add to Cart]

Featuring John Cleese

This collection of short humorous ice breakers focus on key business issues or skills and the mishaps and mayhem that can occur when things go wrong. The series features John Cleese and many others. The programs are designed for use as humorous meeting openers, breaks and/or meeting closers.

Bosses From Hell!
There’s an art to being a good boss, but some people have yet to learn the right skills. Some typical examples will raise a smile in this collection of clips from videos such as Can you spare a moment?, The helping hand, The best of motives, Where there’s a will and I’d like a word with you. Free Preview

Colleagues From Hell!
You can rarely choose who you work with, and there are some characters that are a nightmare to deal with day-to-day. They’re typified in these clips in From ‘No’ to ‘yes’, Talking to the team, The paper chase, Straight talking and other programs. Free Preview

Communicators From Hell!
Some people just don’t know how to communicate at work, and need a helpful push through training to get the skills right. This amusing video really gets the message across. Free Preview

Customer service from Hell!
What can go wrong when you don’t have the right service skills? These amusing clips show the types of gaffes that can be avoided. Free Preview

Customers from Hell!
Difficult, demanding and down-right dangerous customers crop up in this collection of light-hearted clips.

Free Preview Employees From Hell!
Being a manager can feel like the hardest job in the world, especially when you’re dealing with Employees from Hell! This collection comes from titles including The dreaded appraisal, Managing problem people and Oh what the hell. Free Preview

Interviewers From Hell!
A light-hearted 10-minute look at interview gaffes and nightmares, featuring clips from classic John Cleese programs. Suitable as an ice-breaker, meeting break or to reinforce key interview skills learning points. Free Preview

Public Services from Hell!
Dealing with the public is a responsible position - but the service from some of those in authority leaves a lot to be desired in this selection of blunders.

Salespeople from Hell!
A collection of clips from award-winning Video Arts titles that confirm your worst fears about the sort of salespeople that give you hell. Free Preview

Teams from Hell!
A light-hearted look at what happens when teams aren't performing up to expectations, featuring clips from Talking To The Team, Meetings, Bloody Meetings and From 'No' To 'Yes'Free Preview

The series includes the following programs: Bosses from hell! Colleagues from hell! Communicators from hell! Customers services from hell! Customers from hell! Employees from hell! Interviewers from hell! Public service from hell! Salespeople from hell! and Teams from hell!

• Complete Hell Series - DVD $1,049.00 [Add to Cart]

Produced - 1994

Free Online Preview

This witty program makes it painfully obvious that there is only one thing worse than a problem which leads to a dissatisfied customer and that's a problem that crops up again and again because no-one has attempted to solve the underlying issue.

But not in the way the manager of a retail operation responds - by conducting a witch-hunt. She comes to realize that it is better to research the problem without apportioning blame to individuals. She also learns that it's important to let the people involved find a solution and this often means getting different departments to talk to each other.

The benefits

• Managers will learn how every complaint can be used to improve the quality process
• Shows the importance of allowing staff to solve the problems and propose solutions that should be monitored against agreed targets
• Better quality products and processes lead to fewer complaints, improved morale and more satisfied customers.

Program includes: DVD (28 mins), Briefcase Booklet and Discussion Guide.

• Complaints and Quality Management - DVD $999.00 [Add to Cart]

Meeting Opener

If meetings and training sessions are an essential part of your organization, you know the importance of getting off to a good start. If your goal is to get everyone to contribute, this quick and quirky video is the way to achieve it. It will challenge any audience to think right out of the gate - and out of the box. Using fun riddles and entertaining animation, this short video will supercharge every ones brain before the real business of the session begins.

Key Learning Points

• Consider simple answers before looking for complicated ones.
• Think about the consequences of your actions.
• Use all available information.
• Focus on the big picture, not just a small part of it.

Includes: DVD, Giraffe Bean Bag and Two Participant Pads. Length: 10 minutes

• How Do You Put A Giraffe Into A Refrigerator? - DVD $295.00 [Add to Cart]

Have you noticed how employees get engaged faster and learn better when the training process is fun? Now, with this facilitator-friendly handbook, you can inject play you’re your training to accomplish a variety of learning objectives and make learning fun and memorable.

Work/Play contains 36 varied and versatile activities that cover a wide range of training themes and can be conducted indoors and outdoors. Some activities are play in the sense of games of joy and physical exercise. Others are play in the sense of games like chess.

These activities are ideal for training focused on team building, group problem solving, leadership, communication, decision making, creativity and a multitude of other critical topics.

You can quickly find just the right game – when you need it – because the collection is organized into three easy-reference parts:

• Icebreakers, energizers and closing activities
• Scenario-based activities
• General activities for multiple objectives

Each activity contains all the step-by-step directions you need to conduct the experience – including directions and reproducible handouts. You’ll find activities for groups as small as 5 and as large as 200 or more.

The titles reflect how creative the activities are, ranging from Beam Us Down, Scotty! to Leap Frog to Belly High. Most of the activities are either brand new or have been uniquely adapted. So they are fresh and you won’t find them being used anywhere else.

Dr. Consalvo is the director of a consulting firm that specializes in training trainers and taking humor seriously in the workplace. He has pioneered research into the role of humor in management problem-solving groups.

322 Pages

Excel is a collection of 12 half-day off-the-shelf workshops, each dedicated to the development of a single critical competency. Each workshop is detailed below. These 12 competencies group in four distinct clusters:

Administrative Cluster: Managing Your Job

Communication Cluster: Relating to Others

Supervisory Cluster: Building the Team

Cognitive Cluster: Thinking Clearly

Review all workshop training topics

Development of the MAP/Excel Competency Model

Dr. Scott Parry, founder of Training House, Inc. and 1999 inductee into the HRD Hall of Fame, developed this competency framework by first analyzing the results of a series of large competency studies conducted by a number of major U.S. corporations. These studies were conducted to determine which competencies highly effective managers and supervisors possess to a greater degree than average performers. The 12 competencies selected for inclusion in the Excel series were identified by all these studies. They are fundamental building blocks for becoming an effective manager and are preconditions for effective leadership.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD

The instructional design of the Excel workshops is based on several important principles of adult learning, -- the most important of which is that learning occurs best when it is related to past experiences and current goals.

Learning Objectives for each competency focus on the attainment of new knowledge, attitudes, and skills. These behaviors are learned, practiced, displayed and evaluated during training through experiential activities that include hands-on exercises, role plays, script analyzes, games, and self inventories. Learning objectives support a central behavioral model for successful mastery of the competency.

Action Plan:

Every workshop participant creates an individual action plan shared with their managers, work team, and stakeholders. This is the vehicle for transferring learning to the workplace. The planning focuses on performance criteria: the application of competencies to organizational problems and situations. Excel has been designed to provide training that leads to “terminal behavior change” or in layman’s terms, learning that will be applied on the job.

Instructional Materials

Each Excel workshop includes:
 

• Instructor’s Guide: The Instructors Guide bases the detailed lesson plans and content on learning objectives. Participants interact in activities and discuss information presented in the workbook.
   
• Power Point Presentation: Slides provide the instructor with an easy-to-use, flexible way to liven lectures and discussions.
   
• Video: Short video segments from MAP, the number one video based assessment in the world, are used to illustrate the 12 Excel competencies in use on-the-job. The (MAP), Managerial Assessment of Proficiency was developed concurrently with Excel to assess a managers strengths and weaknesses in these 12 competencies in addition to providing information about a manager’s personal style, communication style, and managerial style. Film sequences show managers using both incorrect and correct techniques related to the Excel competency. Participants evaluate and discuss the techniques observed.
   
• Participant Workbook: Workbooks provide learners with additional lesson content, as well as experiential activities, handouts, and action-planning forms required to complete the course. Participant booklets for each workshop are sold separately for $20 each.
  
  Train-the-Trainer: A nationwide network of professional Training House Associates is available to deliver Excel workshops or provide training for your internal training staff.

What makes a government agency accountable? It is a willingness to be answerable and accessible to the public. And while the specifics of an accountability initiative can vary from one agency to the next, all have one thing in common: Everyone -- from the top down -- must demonstrate personal responsibility and integrity.

Designed specifically for government training, the 9 categories in this Toolkit, containing a total of 35 video clips, will help you demonstrate what it looks like when people hold themselves, each other and the organization accountable for keeping commitments and achieving results. It only includes clips that are set in a government agency or take place in a "generic work environment" that could be a government facility.

This Toolkit contains 35 unique video clips that fall within 9 categories of personal responsibility and accountability. It only includes clips that are set in a government agency or take place in a "generic work environment" that could easily be a government agency or government-run facility. The clips are provided on DVD and CD-ROM so that you can play them right off the DVD or embed them into a PowerPoint Presentation.

In these categories, the clips can be used to make the following points:

~ Take Ownership and Keep Commitments - When accepting responsibility for a task or project, take full ownership and do what you say you're going to do. For clarity, set deadlines-then keep them. When necessary, communicate and renegotiate commitments that cannot be met.

~ Be Proactive - Take the initiative in seeking improvements to processes and practices. Work to improve your own skills, and influence others toward improvement.

~ Communicate With Clarity and Set Measurable Goals - Getting to the right result requires clear agreements and an understanding of expectations and instructions. Accountability for results begins with clear directions, and places responsibility on both parties for clarification.

~ Be Ethical - Know what's right-by law, by policy, by procedure, by best professional practice-and act accordingly. Make decisions for the best outcome when two "rights" conflict. Speak out when someone acts unethically.

~ Be a Problem-Solver - Apply your own experience and knowledge to every problem. With this problem-solving mindset, you'll plan and take action towards a solution, rather than waiting for others to get things started.

~ Serve the Public Professionally - Every person you serve and work with deserves your best effort, whether it's a problem to be solved or a transaction to complete. Know the technical and procedural aspects of your work and bring a positive attitude to the service you provide -- the public expects competence and is paying you for it.

~ Don't Be Afraid to Speak-Up - Know what you need and what you deserve. In a professional manner, let others know it too. Those you work with and for may not realize when their actions are getting in the way. Claim what you need to do your best work.

~ Accept Feedback and Learn From Mistakes - Learning and changing direction happen quickly and frequently in an accountable environment. Listen non-defensively, give proper consideration to what's being said, choose to adjust, and move on.

~ Supervising and Managing an Accountable Workforce - Often held accountable for the work of others, managers and supervisors must first model accountable behaviors, then learn to require this type of personal responsibility from those who report to them. The manager's tone of voice, choice of words and standard-setting behaviors can make or break an accountable workteam!

The Toolkit package includes a Leader's Guide with discussion questions for each clip that will help stimulate further discussion and learning.

Program Includes

• Chaptered video clips on DVD
• Chaptered video clips on CD-ROM for importing into powerpoint presentations
• Leader's Guide PDF on the CD-ROM
• Flash Tutorial and Instructions on how to import video clips into a PowerPoint Presentation on the CD-ROM

• Accountability Toolkit (Government Version) - DVD $695.00 [Add to Cart]