A/E Online Courses >> Professional Development

Good communication in the workplace is more important than ever. And critical to your career advancement and success. Come get a comprehensive and intensive preparation with skills and techniques you can put to use on Monday morning. Take back a workable conflict management model, along with successful and practical conflict management strategies. Then work with a pro to learn how to improve your negotiation skills for a win-win outcome, including helping others to get what they want, so you get what you want. Finally, find out more about yourself and others using personality profiles for better work performance. You will be learning from some of our more popular instructors, and taking away new how-to skills that work.

A recent study conducted by the American Management Association (AMA) revealed that the average manager spends more than 20 percent of their day engaged in or reacting to a conflict situation. This study also identified that out of twenty-five management skills, conflict management was the only one positively correlated to higher earnings and promotion. Discover a workable conflict management model, discuss case studies in conflict management, and then take away successful conflict management strategies to apply in your workplace. Agenda Unit 1 Understanding Conflict - Definition of conflict. - The up side of conflict. - Describe performance expectations related to conflict. Unit 2 Understanding the Conflict Management Model -Using the model -Dialog for a conflict conversation -When to take action and address a conflict situation Unit 3 Conflict Management Case Studies -Review of real world cases -Analyze and evaluate the cases Unit 4 Strategies for success -Creating a standard of performance -Creating your own dialog -Applying the model

Make your visual presentations look professional and communicate effectively. Get the latest most advanced techniques on graphic design principles, including page layout, typography and basic design considerations. Take away more skills to create an effective and beautiful visual presentation on any presentation software program that you choose. Agenda Unit 1 Design Principles Contrast Alignment Proximity Repetition Compare effective visual presentations vs. poorly executed visual presentations Unit 2 Design Principles Part 2 Color Balance / Unity Page Layout Analyzing the work of a professional designer to draw inspiration Unit 3 Branding Your company’s brand, visually, core messaging (Analyze how to incorporate that into the presentation) Inspiration Board Concept / Theme of Presentation Stock Images and Illustrations that communicate to target markets Unit 4 Execute Your Visual Presentation Getting Critiques for Improvement Getting Feedback from Professional in your Industry / Target Expanding presentation to different formats – web, info graphics, in-person

Have you ever wondered how do I get to that next level in my career? What does it take? This course will help you identify those skills that all great leaders possess, while learning new skills that will help take you to the next level. Whether you are leading a department or a organization you will gain the knowledge you need to be successful. Learn how to incorporate a developed image and communication skills that will rocket you to that next level. Agenda Unit 1 Mapping your Career for Success -Defining where you want to be in your career in 5, 10, 15 years -Setting and monitoring your career goals -Establishing a mentor partnership as a start in your professional career Unit 2 Developing your Professional Career through Non-Verbal Communication -The difference between verbal and non-verbal communication -Conveying the right message with your body language -Writing what you think -Haptics – Using touch to convey non-verbal communication -How to understand others non-verbal communication Unit 3 Image is Everything -You are your brand -What you wear can determine where you go -How to determine if your image is headed in the right direction -How your communication and your image should agree with each other Unit 4 Using Social Media to help develop your Professional Career -The purpose of Social Media -How to use Social Media to create a professional online presence -How to avoid negative images trap that many people fall victim to on Social Media

Did you know most electronic presentations are built for the presenter and not the audience? Add impact to your presentations by using the most effective designs. It’s not about the software. It’s about how your audience processes your information. You’ll find simple, key ideas that will maximize your presentation for all learning styles. These ideas you’ll not find anywhere else.

Leadership today demands increasingly more sophisticated skills. Executives today need to know traditional leadership principles and standard practices. At the same time, our economy is moving swiftly out of the industrial age into the new economy of the Internet, knowledge and innovation. So executive leaders today require a new perspective on the external environment, as well as new tools to lead one’s internal organizational structure and way of doing business. This unique certificate addresses both these sets of skills. Begin with information not available anywhere else about how the marketplace and business is changing. Find out what you as an executive need to know about the external environment and how the workplace is changing rapidly internally. Take away a new perspective about how to position your organization for success, and what new leadership skills executives need in the 21st century. Then review cases of real leaders in business, education, and government who experienced initial success but ultimately failed because of their own actions. Find out the leading fatal leadership errors, and acquire practical recommendations to help you minimize these errors and help you perform your leadership role to an optimal level of efficiency. Finally, you will get information about leadership styles, traits, and values. Find out how leaders behave and speak differently from others in the organization in order to be effective and supportive. Discover why empowering leaders are more successful than others. After successfully completing the Executive Leadership Certificate, you will have new information about leadership today, a new perspective on the external environment and workplace, and an understanding of the leadership skills needed to position your organization, and your career as a leader, for success. Three one-month courses.

Discover how fatal leadership errors begin. Review cases of real leaders in business, education, and government who experienced initial success but ultimately failed because of their own actions. Find out the leading fatal leadership errors, inappropriate dispositions and attitudes, and lack of knowledge and skills. You will take away several practical recommendations to help you minimize these errors and help you perform your leadership role to an optimal level of efficiency. Agenda Unit 1 Elements of Evidenced-based Leadership The Call to leadership The CIIPT leadership model for organizational effectiveness The relationships among governance, leadership, and administration Developing a philosophy, inspiring values, and vision of leadership The ethical leadership test to determine worth of a decision Unit 2 Starting Points for Fatal Leadership Fatal leadership defined The premise of fatal leadership Fatal leadership self-assessment profile The 13 signs that you may be on the pathway to fatal leadership Unit 3 Actual Cases of Leaders who Succumbed to Fatal Leadership The phases of fatal leadership The Case of the Clandestine Leader The Case of the Complacent/Arrogant Leader The Case of the Mistrusting Leader The Case of the Demanding Controlling Leader The Case of the Threatened Leader The Case of the “Image Protecting” and Social Applause Leader Unit 4 Practical Strategies to Minimize Fatal Leadership Understanding the half-life of leadership How to share the vision, build trust, and inspire commitment How to appoint a competent team to the inner circle How to hire people at or above the competency line How to engage in self-development How to practice emotional intelligence in dealing with people How to create a culture of integrity and ethical leadership

After taking this course in Infographics, students will be exposed to a powerful, concise way to present information. The course begins with a history of Infographics and the types of infographics used in Business, Education and Industry. Students will be exposed to Pinterest and other web-based sources of infographics. The course proceeds to an exposure to various user-friendly infographic creation websites. Students will learn the basics of designing infographics and be able to make their own simple infographic. Agenda Unit 1: Introduction to Infographics -History of Infographics -Purpose of Infographics -Types of Infographics Unit 2: Web-based Infographics -Pinterest -Infographic of the Day Unit 3: Deconstructing Infographics -Sketch a story -Titles and Descriptions -Maps, Graphs, Charts and Timelines -Icons and Pictures Unit 4: Make an Infographic -Piktochart -Present your infographic

Learning to build your customer service skills will have a powerful impact on your career success as well as success in other areas of your life. Through this course you will discover the direct relationship between service skills and career achievement. You will become skilled at being an exceptional service provider. You can help your organization and your career by translating your good service intentions into a workable plan and gain knowledge of ways to consistently deliver great service. The payoff is enormous. Agenda Unit 1 Understand Service Matters Longevity and Loyalty Cost of a Lost Customer Engage Your Customer Unit 2 Listen to Your Customer Active Listening Avoid Improper Listening The Power of Feedback Unit 3 Web Sites and Electronic Communication Web-Based Customer Service Disadvantages of Web-Based Customer Service Evaluate Your Web-Based Customer Service Unit 4 Customer Turnoffs Exceed customer expectations Recognize and categorize customer turnoffs Deal with customer expectations and turnoffs

You can improve your value to your organization and serve your organization better by recognizing some of the legal issues that work organizations face on a regular basis. For non-lawyers in a variety of work environments, you will find out what you should know, and when to consult a lawyer. After completing this course, you will better understand legal issues in the workplace, know when your organization needs to consult a lawyer, and have the knowledge to better serve your organization and work with lawyers. Agenda Unit 1 Understanding Legal Documents -Common legal terms -Why lawyers write the way they do -Overview of regulations and how to find them -Contracts, when they generally happen Unit 2 Do I need a lawyer? -What types of things can I handle myself? -Copyrights, business formations, claims -Non-lawyer document preparation -Lawyer fee structures Unit 3 Intellectual property -What’s in a name? Copyright and trademark issues -Trade secrets and non-disclosure agreements -Covenants to not compete Unit 4 When Mistakes Happen -What kind of exposure am I looking at? -Criminal laws, personal injury -Employment -Product liability an copyright infringement -What to expect in a courtroom

Especially for Gen Y (born 1980-1999), the course serves as the first of three in a series addressing the development of Generation Y leadership. Find out what it takes to become an effective leader. Discover your style of leadership. Discuss task completion, building relationships with your subordinates, becoming socially perceptive to changes in the workplace, utilizing your emotions in a positive and effective manner, and addressing challenging goals. Finally, the course offers the opportunity to perform a case study analysis of workplace conflicts that require effective leadership, allowing you to apply your unique leadership characteristics revealed through completing the class. Agenda Unit 1 Introduction to Leadership Principles -What does it mean to be a good leader? -The multiple approaches to leadership -Models of leadership -The critical need for Gen Y leadership Unit 2 Recognizing your leadership style -Leadership Traits Self Assessment -Leadership Style Self Assessment -Leadership Skills Self Assessment -Task and Relationship Assessment Unit 3 Leadership Special Concerns -Handling Conflict in the Workplace -Managing Out-group Employees -Ethical Considerations Unit 4 Cases in Leadership -Case Study 1 -Case Study 2 -Self-reflection: What type of leader am I?

Enhance your management skills through this course for supervisors, managers, and emerging leaders. Nothing creates success like a solid foundation. Discover the keys for effectively managing your employees. Find out how to create clear expectations, engage and motivate employees, and increase your effectiveness through use of the DiSC personality profile (included). By the end of the course we will have you managing like a pro - quickly and with confidence. Agenda Unit 1 Fundamentals of Management - How to determine, set, and communicate job expectations - Linking employee behaviors to performance - Describing performance expectations - Increasing employee commitment and pride and evaluate performance Unit 2 Employee Engagement -Motivating and engaging employees to get the job done -Tools and techniques to increase employee buy-in and commitment -How to communicate with employees and get them involved and engaged in their own performance evaluations Unit 3 Increasing your Success Part 1 -Enhancing your ability to manage effectively -In-depth analysis of the behaviors of your style Unit 4 Increasing your Success Part 2 -Behaviors that inhibit your ability to manage effectively -Advanced analysis of the behaviors of your management style