As a business owner or manager, you need skills in many different areas: from financial management to marketing, sales, leadership and project management just to name a few! Developing or improving your skills in these areas will help your organization prosper. LearnSphere programs are here to help.
Our Programs
ProfitLearn is an accessible, bilingual learning program developed by LearnSphere, providing “best-in-class” business management skills development for New Brunswick SMEs since 2000.
Participate in eCommerce to gain knowledge and tools to create your own customized eCommerce roadmap that lays out a clear plan for immediate action and long-term success.
Accountability In The Workplace
Accountability helps to ensure that every employee will take responsibility for their performance and behaviors and continue to manage this responsibility. When we implement goals and communicate with one another, we can achieve powerful results. Building an accountable workplace requires strong teamwork and collaboration. Every team member must have a strong understanding of the values of the company and recognize the importance of their dedication, in order to attain success.
This course will provide you with informative tools and practical strategies that can be used to help empower the team to work towards achieving the benefits of accountability. Accountable employees will fuel performance and productivity and generate an enhanced workplace.
Target audience: Leaders, supervisors, managers
Benefits:
• To increase employee accountability and ensure the employee takes responsibility for their performance and behaviors.
Learning Objectives:
1. Define accountability and personal accountability and differentiate between ownership and accountability
2. Use feedback as a tool to enhance performance and understand the barriers of workplace accountability
3. Focus on building accountability leadership and effectively set SMART goals
4. Identify the components of the cycle of accountability
5. Work towards achieving the benefits of accountability
Adjusting to Changing Client Requirements
Business inefficiencies can often be hidden by great customer service, excess inventory, or heroic performance. This is the perfect opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of your operational processes so your business can become more efficient and flexible than before, and you’ll be poised for a quicker recovery!
This two-hour online workshop will help you to:
- Understand your critical processes
- Find the waste in your processes
- Identify where you need the most improvement
- Apply methods to streamline and improve your processes
Analyzing & Improving your Processes to Create More Value
The challenges faced over the past 18 months made any inefficiencies in our operational processes blatantly obvious. Flawed processes can sometimes be hidden (e.g. by exceptional customer service, excess inventory, or heroic performance) but once they come to light you have the opportunity to redesign them for greater impact and efficiency.
This two-hour session will help you and your team:
- Understand how to map the processes in your organization
- Identify the areas of process waste that go unnoticed
- Determine which processes are critical versus enablers
- Prioritize the areas requiring the most improvement
- Learn methods to streamline and improve your processes
Online Workshop — 2 hours
Online Workshop — 2 hours
Are we Improving? Implementing Daily Management for Teams
Daily Management is one of the most engaging tools for any team. These two days will train the team on how to run efficient daily huddles (5−7 mins) in order to keep them working efficiently without lengthy meetings. It also includes the implementation of a visual management board which allows the team to always know the plan for the day/week and how they are doing (the score) while at the same time facilitating the reduction of interruptions and increasing time spent on value added work. In this session, you and you team will:
- learn how to motivate employees without cake & pizza parties
- be introduced to daily management techniques that drive team performance
- learn how to create a visual management board for the team to know the score
Attracting and Retaining Talent
Gain insights into the key factors that make your organization attractive to potential employees and strategies to keep your top talent engaged and committed. Learn about the systems and processes that enhance employee experience, boost motivation, and foster engagement within your organization. Identify and implement practical steps to improve your Employee Value Proposition, making your organization a more desirable place to work.
Online Workshop — 3hoursBalancing all the areas of your life
We have all heard about the importance of having a balanced life, but what does it really mean? During this workshop, we will explore the different aspects of our life and how they all interact to affect our overall wellbeing. We will focus on the key areas (work, family, social, relationships and personal). By better understanding how these areas impact one another, you will be better equipped to create a solid equilibrium and improve your overall quality of life (professionally and personally).
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the different aspects of life that contribute to overall wellbeing.
- Gain insights into how various life areas interact to impact wellbeing.
- Create a solid equilibrium to improve overall quality of life, both professionally and personally.
Barriers and Solutions in the Workplace
We all have barriers, whether it is on a professional and/or personal level. This workshop will allow you to recognize your barriers and discover solutions that you can use to eliminate these barriers from your life. Many participants leave this workshop with a new lease on life and learn to discover their full potential to better perform in their life in general.
Throughout this workshop, you will learn about:
- The importance of identifying barriers that keep us from moving forward in our work and/or personal life.
- The importance of the power of our thoughts.
- The system of our beliefs.
- Many tools that will help you better self-reflect.
SME’s and non-profit organizations can strongly benefit from participating in this workshop – employers and employees alike. By investing in the personal development and wellbeing of your employees (and yourself) you are directly investing in the success and performance of your business!
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 3hours
Board Effectiveness
This course is designed to enhance the effectiveness of board members in leading organizational change and overseeing strategic initiatives.
Key topics include:
- The Role of the Board – Leading Change: Understand the critical role of the board in driving and managing change within the organization.
- Strategy and Our Responsibility: Learn how to develop, implement, and oversee strategic plans that align with the organization’s goals and responsibilities.
- Operational Oversight: Gain insights into best practices for overseeing operational activities to ensure alignment with strategic objectives and organizational efficiency.
Online Workshop — 3hours
Board Governance for Non-profits
This board governance training covers the following topics:
1. Overview: What is Board Governance?
2. Roles and Responsibilities of the Board:
- Setting Strategy and Direction
- Developing and Maintaining Organizational Policies
- Financial Oversight
- Supervising and Supporting the Executive Director
- Evaluation
3. Board of Directors – Inner Workings”
- Positions
- Committees
- Running (and participating in) effective board meetings
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2.5hours
Bookkeeping: Where to Start ?
Keeping accurate financial records is essential for any successful business; however, many small business owners are often too busy running the day-to-day operations they tend not to devote the necessary attention to bookkeeping. Some fail to record financial transactions properly and in a timely manner. Some ignore it completely until tax time.
This course will help you identify your bookkeeping needs and resources. In this hands-on introductory workshop you will learn:
- the need or purpose of bookkeeping
- bookkeeping and accounting terms
- recognition and use of bookkeeping records and reports
- learning/understanding the process of entering transactions
- learning/understanding the posting of information to the reports
Boost Engagement on Facebook
Part 1: Create posts that engage and help turn followers into buyers.
This workshop is right for you if you are struggling to get engagement on your posts, you can’t figure out what to post, and you want an easier process for posting.
- Understand the difference between posting to post and posting to create buyers
- Determine the right content mix for your business
- Learn tips that will help you increase post engagement and visibility
- Learn how to use Facebook Publishing Tool
Part 2: Analytics: understand your insights & save time
This workshop is right for you if you want to understand how your posts are performing and continually improve your engagement results.
- Learn how to use Facebook Insights, and how evaluate your posts.
- Discover and experiment with repurposing posts so you don’t always have to come up with new ideas.
- Learn time-saving tips that will help you schedule a month of posts at a time.
Online Workshops — 4 hours (2 * 2 hours)
Build an organic Facebook Strategy that drives sales
Most businesses are using Facebook, but their efforts are not paying off because just posting about what you sell is a turn-off that doesn’t translate into sales. Learn how to create a Facebook strategy unique to your business that will help you get more engagement and more sales for your efforts.
- Create a strategy that encourages connection and loyalty, and makes it easier to come up with ideas.
- Sell on Facebook without being sale-sy and turning off your fans.
- Boost engagement and conversion just by changing how you post.
Building a Business That People Will Want to Buy.
Learn how you can make your business attractive to buyers, increase profits and reduce the time and effort you put into managing your small or medium sized business.
This three-hour online workshop teaches attendees what scares off buyers and how to employ a strategy to not only increase the value of a business in the eyes of a buyer but make more money and free up more time in the present.
The workshop is intended for current and future entrepreneurs. Students will learn Barnett’s 12+1 step program for systematizing a small business that is already operating day-to-day.
This workshop is for you if:
- You want to buy or start a business or already own one.
- You want to make your business more profitable.
- You want to make your business easier to manage.
- You want to increase your vacation and family time while being a business owner.
- You want to ensure your business will sell quickly and for the best price when the time comes to sell.
OVERVIEW OF SEMINAR
- What do buyers look for?
- How are businesses valued?
- What problems keep buyers from moving forward?
- How can we make the business more attractive?
- How can we implement business management systems quickly and easily with minimal interruption in our opertion?
- David Barnett’s Secret 12+1 step business systematization process.
Building Your Buyer Persona
Please note this is a series of 3 one-hour online workshops and 1 hour of coaching per participant.
No matter where you spend your marketing time and dollars, to create effective marketing that drives buying behaviour you must identify and understand your ideal customers. You need to know more than just their demographics and your assumptions.
This workshop takes you from identifying who your ideal customer is to the primary research you need to truly learn how to motivate buying behaviour to creating a comprehensive buyer persona to use in all your marketing efforts moving forward.
- Determine who exactly your ideal customer is based on four key criteria.
- Discover what a buyer persona is and how you can use it in your marketing.
- Discover the interview technique and questions you need to ask do you can identify the real triggers for your buyers
- Research ideal clients on Social Media using the snooping technique to augment your primary research.
- Interpret your research with your coach to create a comprehensive Buyer Persona.
Entrepreneurs, potential entrepreneurs, marketing staff will benefit from participating in this series.
Online Workshop — 3 hours (Series of 3 one-hour online workshops + 1 hour of coaching/participant)Busy is the New Stupid: Productivity & Optimizing Time
Professionals are technical experts in their fields, they know how to do surgery, how to teach, how to weld, how to draft legal briefs. It’s what they are good at. Most professionals are not however trained in the field of operational efficiency & improvement and therefore they are wasting precious hours each day and each week on non-value added work. We have created a society that judges people based on how busy they are versus how productive they are, and this is driving the wrong behaviors in our workplaces. In this workshop your team will:
- be introduced to what productivity truly is and is not, and why you should care
- learn how to identify what is the true priority work you need to focus on
- find the minutes & even hours you are unknowingly losing each day
- learn how to maximize and optimize the time you have at work
Buying an Existing Business
Why start from scratch? Buying an existing business can offer you a head start in the world of business ownership.
In this workshop participants will learn:
- The advantages of buying an existing business over starting a new business
- The difference between a buyer-lead acquisition process vs. a seller initiated process
- How to approach a potential opportunity using intermediaries
- The key information for analysis, due-diligence and determining a fair value
- How to finance the purchase
- Which experts to involve and when you will need them, such as accountants, lawyers, brokers, bankers, etc.
Canva 2.0 – Upping your Canva game with Canva Pro!
Canva is a user-friendly program that allows even the most amateur computer user to create their own quality projects. There are so many different templates and designs that you can use that you will never run out of ideas for visual content to use in your business or organization.
This workshop is for anyone looking to up their Canva game to create stunning designs in no time with unlimited access to premium content, more powerful design tools, and AI-powered magic.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Master the user-friendly features of Canva Pro to create professional-quality projects effortlessly.
- Utilize a wide range of templates, designs, and tools to generate visually compelling content for their business or organization.
- Acquire practical skills to enhance their visual communication strategies and elevate the quality of their designs efficiently.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2.5 hours
Coaching Your People Online and Beyond
Help your team members discover their potential. Mentors, managers, supervisors and leaders, this two-hour online workshop will help you coach your people, to impact their day to day effectiveness and their career potential. You will learn techniques to help you move beyond informal coaching-from-a-distance to a more focused and effective virtual approach.
For example:
- Build trust from a distance
- Ask insightful questions
- Identify cues in a virtual environment
- Provide powerful feedback
- Develop and strengthen desired performance and behaviors
Create a Clear Marketing Message
The average person encounters over 3000 marketing messages per day — you need to be able to cut through the noise and focus people’s attention on your business!
This program is designed for marketers, sales professionals, managers, recruiters, and leaders responsible for strategy.
In this workshop, Erica Waddell takes you through her proven, seven-part framework to clarify your brand message. By the end, you’ll have a message that inspires and entices your customers. And you’ll understand how to apply it effectively: on your website, in sales emails, on social media, etc.
Your registration fee covers six hours of interactive online learning with Erica, as well as an hour with her one-on-one to help you with real life application of the information from the class.
Online Workshop: 2 sessions x 3 hrs + 1 hr 1‑on‑1 coaching with Erica (option to apply for additional subsidized coaching hours)
2 sessions x 3 hrs + 1 hr 1‑on‑1 coaching with Erica (option to apply for additional subsidized coac
Creating a Motivating Environment through a Total Rewards Plan
To implement a total rewards plan, business leaders must tackle a broad range of challenging questions— everything from who will design the plan and what types of rewards it will include to how the plan will be funded and under what business conditions the plan is intended to operate. This highly informative session encompasses not only compensation and benefits but also personal and professional growth opportunities and the importance of a motivating work environment.
The course will focus on current trends and common approaches to:
- Total Rewards: 4 quadrant model
- Compensation Models – base and at risk
- Motivation Factors
- Learning and Development and Work Environment
Upon course completion, participants are able to explain and apply their understanding and knowledge for development of reward models in their organization.
Online Workshop — 1.5 hourCreating Cohesive and Inclusive Workplace Cultures (Part 1)
Unity in Diversity: Building a Culture of Inclusion
This leadership and team series contains two workshop mini-series. Each one is designed to help elevate workplace culture through recognition of the value and contribution that diversity, equity, and inclusivity add to an organization. First, by identifying and understanding personal, team, and organizational key guiding principles, and then by using this learning to increase belonging, safety, and purpose by actively engaging in a collective applied learning project.
Module 1 (of 2): Cultural Impact Awareness: Values in the Workplace and Beyond
Workshop 1 (2 hours): Pillars of Purpose: Core Values as Cornerstones of Workplace Success
Objectives:
- Participants will gain an understanding of personal cultural values as “guiding principles” and be introduced to the vital role they play in contributing to workplace culture.
- Participants will identify their Core Values and pinpoint where and how they show up in life and in their organization.
Workshop 2 (2 hours): Beyond the Surface: The Influence of Values & Beliefs on Inclusive Practices
Objectives:
- Participants will make connections between core values and their beliefs/influences and motivations in relation to their professional presence, performance, and cultural impact in the organizational workplace setting.
- Participants will acknowledge the importance of being aware of core values by considering the impact that aligned and divergent values, beliefs, and motivations can have on workplace culture, and identify supportive ways to use this information.
Workshop 3 (2 hours): Charting the Course: Mapping the Journey of Personal Values and Organizational Culture
Objective:
- Participants will create a personal values map
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 6 hours (3 * 2 hours)
Creating Cohesive and Inclusive Workplace Cultures (Part 2)
Module 2: Practical Application of Culture and Leadership in Your Workplace
This leadership and team series contains two workshop mini-series. Each one is designed to help elevate workplace culture through recognition of the value and contribution that diversity, equity, and inclusivity add to an organization. First, by identifying and understanding personal, team, and organizational key guiding principles, and then by using this learning to increase belonging, safety, and purpose by actively engaging in a collective applied learning project.
Workshop 1 (2 hours): Building Blocks: Identifying Skills and Action Steps for an Inclusive Workplace
Objectives:
- Participants will identify personal and professional skills and competencies required to create and support an inclusive workplace culture.
- Participants will establish an area of focus in which their values, skills and competencies may be effectively demonstrated for the benefit of their workplace community.
- Participants will be introduced to a three-part plan they will develop to guide their learning and actively engage them in implementing what they have learned during Module 1 and 2 of this workshop series.
Workshop 2 (2 hours): Charting the Course: Tools and Techniques for Workplace Inclusion
Objectives:
- Participants will establish a clear vision for the inclusive workplace they want their organization and its people to experience.
- Participants will gain insight on and select effective best practices and strategies for creating an inclusive workplace culture in their organization.
- Participants will examine the value of evaluating the progress and impact of their “Creating an Inclusive Workplace” action plan.
Workshop 3 (2 hours): Navigating Obstacles: Solutions for Implementing Inclusive Action Plans
Objectives:
- Participants will identify potential barriers to implementing their action plan for creating an inclusive workplace and generate ideas for overcoming them.
- Participants will synthesize their learning by making connections to how personal and organizational values, skills, strengths, and competencies contribute to creating safety and belonging in the workplace.
- Participants will complete the final section of their action plan and consider what implementation supports they may want to access to increase success.
Can be online or in person (3* 2 hours)
De-escalating Customer and Clients
Customer service and client facing workplaces have always grappled with the question of how to de-escalate difficult situations.
In this workshop, participants will learn a simple model for de-escalation, the origins of our emotional reactions to escalation and the active listening skills that will help calm a situation down before resolving it. Participants will take away a plan for de-escalation, helpful language to use when speaking to escalated clients or customers, a script for dealing with verbally abusive people and strategies for handing threats and violence if de-escalation does not work.
This workshop is for you if…
• you work in customer service
• you work in a client facing role
• you have to de-escalate client or customer situations in your workplace
Delivering constructive criticism
Just about everyone finds delivering constructive criticism challenging. If done correctly, the feedback will provide great benefits to your organization. It helps nullify problematic behaviours and develop well-rounded and productive employees.
In these interactive online workshops, leadership expert Monique Gallie will provide valuable knowledge and skills to assist you with this task.
- Understand when feedback should take place and learn how to prepare to deliver the constructive criticism
- Determine the appropriate atmosphere
- Identify the proper steps to be taken during the session
- Know how emotions and certain actions can negatively impact the effects of the meeting
- Learn how to set goals with the employee and the best techniques for following up
Effective Board Governance
Facilitated by Jean-Guy Vienneau, this interactive workshop aims to equip the members of the boards of directors of non-profit organizations. Specifically, this course will allow learners to:
- Governance Concepts and Principles
- Importance of Effective Governance
- Governance versus Operations
- Roles and Responsibilities of the Board
- Roles and Responsibilities of Board Members
- Board/ED Relationships
- Risk Management
- Best Practises in Governance
- Board Policies and their Effectiveness
- Assessment- Performance of the Board
Effective Non-Profit Governance and Compliance for Directors
This workshop is for Non-profit, Charity and Board of Trade Directors in Canada
This workshop will cover:
Understanding Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities: Learn the essentials of non-profit governance, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of volunteer board members. Participants will gain a clear understanding of their duties, including compliance requirements, to ensure effective oversight and accountability.
Building a Knowledge Base for Risk Management and Strategic Planning: Board members will learn to manage organizational risk, strategically plan activities, and implement workflows that promote accountability and transparency. Get practical templates to help structure and streamline board operations.
Evaluating and Supporting the Executive Director: Learn the board’s role in evaluating and supporting the Executive Director. It will cover leadership in operations and team management, equipping board members with the tools to foster strong leadership and effective organizational management.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 3 hours
Effective Partnerships for Non-Profits
As demands on non-profits increase and resources decrease, partnerships are more essential today than ever before. Whether it’s to secure funding, increase capacity, or take collective action, non-profits must work effectively with partners and stakeholders. Wendy Keats has helped hundreds of non-profits increase their sustainability and impact through collaboration. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- Identify the effectiveness and relevance of current partnerships and the gaps that exist
- Identify the gaps and opportunities and how to overcome the challenges of partnerships
- Better understand the types of partnerships and how each can make a difference for your organization
- Develop strategies to engage new partners or strengthen existing partnerships
- Work effectively with community, government and corporate partners to increase your organization’s sustainability and impact
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 6 hours (can be divided in 2 sessions)
Employee Re-Engagement
Attend this interactive online workshop to gain actionable tips and tools to help employees quickly adapt to everyday changes and stress.
Through engaging facilitation by Tanya Chapman, you will leave the course knowing the critical elements of employee motivation and performance.
- Revisiting the Change Curve
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs
- Evaluate their team’s current engagement
- Identify and mitigate risks moving forward
Online Workshop — 2 hours
Empowering Change: NFP Fundraising Strategies in Atlantic Canada
Welcome to the exciting journey where we will learn how to master Not-For-Profit fundraising! This course stands as the first leg of an adventure crafted for the dedicated professionals, volunteers, and board members steering Not-For-Profit organizations across the vibrant landscape of Atlantic Canada. We will explore the core of NFP fundraising, weaving through the essentials of strategic planning and unlocking the secrets to crafting fundraising techniques that resonate with this unique region. Our mission is to equip you with the knowledge, tools, and insights necessary to launch your fundraising initiatives from the ground up, ensuring your organization’s resilience. Prepare to embark on a journey that will elevate your fundraising capabilities, where each moment is dedicated to turning your vision into tangible outcomes. This course is more than a mere learning experience; it serves as your introduction to enacting meaningful change within the Not-For-Profit sector of Atlantic Canada. Undertake this transformative venture to achieve lasting impact and innovation in our communities.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Understand the core principles and practices of NFP fundraising, emphasizing the unique context of Atlantic Canada.
- Develop robust fundraising strategies that align with their organization’s mission, resources, and the regional landscape.
- Explore fundraising techniques effective in the Atlantic Canadian context and apply them within their organization.
Online Workshop — 4hours
Exiting your business- Selling, Wind up, or Liquidation
Many people plan to get into business but very few take the time to plan how they will get out. Proper planning can ensure that you have as many options available to you as possible.
This session will examine:
- Timeline to consider for retirement
- How to calculate business value/worth
- Selling to outside buyers vs. inside buyers
- How transitioning differs from selling liquidating a business
- Your goals in succession
Whether you plan to retire or sell your business in the near future or in 5 or 10 years, this workshop will provide you with valuable information through real-life examples and demonstrations.
Online Workshop — 3 hours (2 * 1.5 hours)Finding the Hidden Waste in your Organization
25 – 50% of time at work is not actually spent doing something of value. Most organizations evolve over time into vertical silos or functional groupings of tasks: HR, finance, manufacturing, operations, shipping, sales. All of these functional areas have their own priorities and deadlines. But, the value being created by the work done flows horizontally and not vertically. This is where the waste hides.
The waste, or non-value added work, is what makes the day hard, frustrating, and often demotivating. Eliminating the waste in your day-to-day processes isn’t nearly as difficult as first being able to see it and recognize it as waste. In this workshop, your team will:
- learn the differences between functional and process focused organizations
- be able to identify what value added work is, versus value enabling & pure waste
- learn why simply adding more people or more capital never works to improve things
- be introduced to all the forms of process waste and how to identify them
- learn solutions to minimizing & even eliminating waste in your processes
Food and Beverage Processors in Atlantic Canada
Supply Chain 1−2−3 is a learning and development program to support growth-oriented companies. This program will help you learn how to increase your chances of winning a procurement contract.
Participate in a series of workshops led by industry experts. Gain the knowledge, skills and tools you need to help your business compete.
Gateway to Growth: Export Mastery from Atlantic Canada
In this course, we’re not just focusing on the theoretical aspects of exporting. We aim to provide actionable insights and strategies you can apply directly to your business or entrepreneurial endeavours. Whether you’re a seasoned business owner looking to expand your reach or a new entrepreneur aiming to make your mark in international markets, this course is designed to support your journey toward successful exporting from Atlantic Canada.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Navigate international markets more successfully
- Employ strategic approaches to exporting
- Leverage regional advantages more effectively
- Conduct effective market research
- Implement successful market entry strategies
- Gain knowledge of financing avenues
- Reach a deeper understanding of the international and regulatory legal environment
- Navigate marketing and sales more effectively
- Understand cultural nuances in exporting more thoroughly
- Enhance operational efficiency and reliability in the global market
Online Workshop — 3.75 hours (3 * 1.25 hours)
Get Results Faster (Online Series - Workshops and Coaching)
Want faster results? Then create a culture of #Data-DrivenAccountability within your team and watch the magic happen. #GetResultsFaster
If you are struggling to achieve the results you want in your organization, and you and your team members are frustrated as a result, chances are your organization lacks accountability structures that lead to inefficiency and prevent progress.
Through a combination of interactive online workshops and coaching, Andy Clarke will guide you through the process of:
- Developing an accountability chart for your organization
- Assigning ownership of key objectives to team members
- Identifying, measuring, and monitoring key performance metrics
- Implementing an effective meeting structure and cadence into your organization
Participants must have the capacity and willingness to implement change in their organization in order to achieve the desired outcomes.
Series — 3 online workshops (2 hours each) and 3 hours of coaching
Getting Started with AI for Small Business Owners
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI), focusing on its definition, applications, and impact across various industries. Participants will explore the transformative effects of AI on business processes, understanding both the benefits and challenges of AI adoption.
The course will also delve into real-world use cases, particularly for small businesses, showcasing successful AI implementations through case studies. Attendees will learn to identify key areas where AI can enhance efficiency and decision-making, and will be guided through an implementation roadmap that outlines best practices for integrating AI technologies into their operations.
By the end of the course, participants will have a solid foundation in AI and practical insights into leveraging AI for business growth and innovation.
Online Workshop — 1.5hours
Getting Started with Canva
Canva is a user-friendly program that allows even the most amateur computer user to create their own quality projects. There are so many different templates and designs that you can use that you will never run out of ideas for visual content to use in your business or organization.
This workshop is for anyone looking to create attractive and professional visual designs for their business or organization. Whether you are an entrepreneur, work in marketing or communications, an administrative assistant, or a non profit organization that would like their team to start creating their own professional graphics, this interactive workshop is for you!
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2.5 hoursGiving Constructive Feedback
Do you want to:
- Feel confident when giving constructive feedback
- Reduce your uncertainty on addressing negative behaviour
- Know how to motivate your team to increase productivity in the workplace
Then this course is for you! Discover the easy 3‑step process on giving effective criticism to increase your credibility and maximize your potential within your organization.
3 hours
Goal Setting
Set yourself up for success by establishing a vision for your future. Take the time to invest in yourself and identify personal and professional goals.
This session is for you if you want to:
- Understand what you want out of the next year or two
- Discover what you already have in place to succeed
- Design a plan that considers your definition of success
Online Workshop — 3 hours
Good Governance in Non Profits, Co-ops and Social Enterprise
This interactive course is designed for boards, directors and senior staff of non profits and aimed at building their knowledge and skills for good governance. Topics include:
• The Role and Legal Responsibilities of a Board and Directors
• Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest
• Efficient Board and Committee meetings
• Priority Results Agendas and Minutes
• Decision-Making Processes
• Monitoring and Measuring Performance
Online Workshop — 6 hours (2 * 3 hours)Governance 101: Advanced
A strong and dedicated Board of Directors is essential to the success of an organization.
This interactive online workshop for experienced board members will offer a more in-depth explanation of critical roles at the Board level, including the Chair and Executive Director, and best practices for Board development and communication.
Participants will learn:
- The role and responsibilities of the Board Chair and the Executive Director;
- Different elements of Board development and evaluation;
- Effective participation and conflict management; and
- Board ethics and confidentiality
1 x 2‑hour online workshop
Governance 101: The Basics
Governance is an ever-evolving concept referring to the manner in which a body leads and oversees the operations of an organization.
This interactive online workshop is designed to examine the different facets of governance and equip board members with the tools for effective participation.
Participants will learn:
- Definitions of governance, including its impact and characteristics;
- The fundamental pillars of governance, including relevant legal instruments, elements of stewardship and practices for sustainability;
- The duties and responsibilities of directors, including strategic and financial oversight;
- Best practices for good governance; and
- Effective board participation.
1 x 2‑hour long online workshop
Hiring in Today's Virtual World
In this interactive virtual session Carolyn Watson, Virtual HR Specialist, will lead you through this workshop that is designed to help business owners and managers understand the importance and impact of making the right hiring choices. Participants will be exposed to practical tools and tips applicable to all types of hiring situations.
At the end of this interactive session you will:
- Understand how to assess your recruitment needs in today’s market
- Explain strategy and techniques to attract the right candidates
- Take away some tips to build an image to attract the very best
- Understand interview techniques, tools and how to ask effective interview questions, including fact and reference checking
- Employ proven selection tools to choose the right candidate
HST/Income Tax
The tax world is a complex world where your questions often go unanswered. Are there any benefits to incorporating your small business? Should you register for HST? There is no easy answer. It is different for everyone.
This workshop will help you to find the answers to the questions that concern you and your business.
In a hands-on interactive online workshop you will learn to:
- Analyze your current situation and determine your needs.
- Understand income tax deductions and credits available to you business.
- Understand the ins and outs of HST.
- Understand the income tax consequences related to various forms of earnings.
Identifying and Monitoring Key Performance Metrics
This workshop takes the mystery and complexity out of key performance metrics. It will show you how to identify the key metrics for your organization, and it will give you a simple tool that can help you track and monitor your key metrics on a weekly basis, in order to improve performance.
Learn how to find the sweet spot between too much data and not enough, and how to avoid common mistakes organizations make when dealing with their KPIs. By the end of you the workshop you will have learned a simple strategy to keep your finger on the pulse of your business or organization by monitoring its meaningful metrics.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2hoursInclusive Leadership: 5 Keys to Success Through Diversity
This immersive learning experience is designed to equip leaders and employers with actionable strategies to harness the economic potential of a diverse workforce, specifically addressing the increasing influx of immigrants. This hands-on workshop focuses on cultivating inclusive leadership principles that drive organizational success and empower immigrants to participate fully in Canada’s evolving economy.
This highly interactive workshop is designed to inspire immediate action. Participants will leave not just informed but equipped with a personalized Inclusive Leadership Action Plan, ready to drive change in their organizations.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Identify the essential 5 keys to drive long-term success through diversity
- Create a blueprint to combat biases and address Psychological safety for diverse team members
- Design a plan for the Open Dialogue Accelerator in tackling real-time challenges
- Integrate emotional intelligence into their leadership approach, with a specific focus on empathy as a foundational element
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 3 hours (2 * 1.5 hours)
Increase Sales with Better Product Pages
If you sell products online and want to increase the conversion rate so you can sell more, this two-part series is for you.
- Understand conversion rates and how increasing them can impact your sales.
- Optimize your product pages for your ideal customers
- Write compelling product descriptions
- Create professional-looking images and videos to promote your products.
Introduction to E-Commerce
Does the idea of moving your business online sound overwhelming?
Join facilitator Dave Landry to learn about current trends, platform options and e‑commerce best practices.
This online workshop is suitable for all sectors and will help you better understand the world of e‑commerce and provide insights on how to transition or grow your sales online.
Online Workshop — 2 hoursIntroduction to Exporting: Is Your Company Ready?
Introduction to Exporting: Are You and your Company Ready to Take on New Markets? This workshop will explain the requirements of exporting into a new market and help you determine if your business is ready to go to the next level. You will come away from the workshop with the foundation for your custom export plan.
Launching a Business Idea using the Business Model Canvas
The Business Model Canvas is one of the most well-known and relied-upon models used by entrepreneurs to transform an idea into an organized strategy and actionable business plan.
Join us as we practice building a business idea, using the nine components of Business Canvas. You can then apply the Business Canvas to your own business ideas.
A combination of online and in-person workshop — 4hours
Lead with Understanding: Building Highly Engaged Teams
Looking for a unique way to actively engage your team and break down silos? The Leadership Discovery Experience is your solution! This fun, interactive, and strategic workshop is designed to close communication gaps, address difficult topics, and elevate your team’s leadership awareness, fostering transformative growth.
Through thought-provoking exercises and questions, this workshop will illuminate team dynamics, promote buy-in, and enhance leadership awareness.
Witness transformation in real time during this two-hour in-person or online learning experience, equipped with practical techniques to navigate leadership in the post-pandemic era.
This workshop benefits any group of people working together towards a common goal, making it ideal for diverse teams seeking to enhance their cohesion and effectiveness.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Develop and apply effective communication best practices to bridge gaps and improve team collaboration.
- Discover and implement creative methods to engage team members, increasing their sense of purpose and overall productivity.
- Acquire tools to facilitate open and constructive conversations on challenging subjects within the team.
- Experience live scenarios that highlight team dynamics and learn how to effectively navigate and resolve issues as they arise.
- Identify key reflection questions that facilitate reflection on past experiences and future goals, enabling leaders to assess performance, acknowledge gaps, and stay aligned with their desired trajectory.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2hours
Leading the People Side of Change
Managers, supervisors and leaders, are you faced with the challenge of leading a team during these uncertain times? This two-hour online workshop will give you techniques to help navigate!
You will learn how to:
- Inform and lead employees when you don’t have all the information
- Establish standards when priorities fluctuate
- Deal with emotions while trying to move forward
- Leverage employee skills to attain the best results.
Leading Your Team Online and Beyond
Virtual or not, effective teams are still relevant and important in the workplace today since they usually produce the best results. High performing teams usually exhibit accountability, purpose, cohesiveness and collaboration. Find out how you can lead your team at a distance during this workshop that will focus on the following:
- Identify different methods of managing team accountability
- Review solid tactics for communicating better within a team
- Identify strengths and opportunities for improvement
- Develop an action plan that can be applied immediately
Carolyn Watson, CPHR is an experienced HR professional with over 20 years of delivering tailored HR services to inspire employee performance. She has helped organizations in the private, public and the not for profit sectors.
Online Workshop — 2 hoursLeveraging Your Team's Potential
Learn how to achieve the desired results for your organization by leveraging the potential of your team.
In this workshop, Human Resources expert Rebecca McNeil from The Chapman Group, will provide valuable knowledge and insights to assist you and your team in creating an engaged workplace.
Learning objectives:
- Understand how to create a diverse and inclusive team
- Understand team dysfunctions and tools to support positive team development
- Discuss effective conflict management
- Learn tools that assist with understanding ourselves and each other
- Introduce Personal Development Planning
LGBTQIA2+ Inclusion in the Workplace
This workshop, facilitated by Maude Levesque, holder of a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Psychology and Gender Studies from St. Thomas University, aims to cover the basic concepts of the LGBTQIA2+ community from a professional perspective. The topics covered include learning terms related to sexual orientation and gender identity, homophobia and transphobia in the workplace, coming out at work, workplace inclusion, and how to be an ally for LGBTQIA2+ colleagues.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Identify and define terms related to sexual orientation and gender identity within the LGBTQIA2+ community.
- Recognize instances of homophobia and transphobia in the workplace.
- Gain access to tools and resources to further promote LGBTQIA2+ inclusion and awareness within their workplaces.
- Learn about concrete actions that employees and employers can take to create a more inclusive work environment.
- And much more!
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2.5 hours
Maintaining Good Client Relationships
Are you looking for ways to maintain good client relationships?
No matter what job you do, you have clients – whether you are on the front line of customer service or working in the background to keep the company running.
Given the current social, financial and safety pressures facing both you and your clients it is more important than ever to ensure our client relationships are positive and productive.
In this interactive online workshop, facilitated by Monique Gallie, you will:
- Explore typical client reactions you may encounter
- Learn practical strategies for providing outstanding customer service
Online Workshop — 2 hour
Making the Perfect Pitch: Effective Business Presentation Skills
In business, the ability to deliver effective presentations that captivate, motivate or persuade lenders, prospective clients or potential investors is a critical skill. And how you say it is often as important as what you say.
In part 1 of this workshop, you will learn:
- The four types of audience
- How to determine your key messages
- Secrets of effective organization and delivery
Part 2 will include:
- Techniques for persuasion
- How to handle a Q&A
- How to use – and not use – PowerPoint
Making the Shift to Social Enterprise
This course focuses on the organizational and governance changes that need to take place for a traditional non-profit to successfully move into the social enterprise arena. It is particularly relevant to the Boards and senior staff of non profits however also of interest to funders and others interested in the emerging field of social enterprise. Through presentations, interactive group exercises, and case studies participants will learn:
- How to determine if social enterprise is right for their organization
- How to assess their non-profit’s readiness and capacity
- How to assess the feasibility of their business ideas
- The keys to launching a successful social enterprise
- What resources are available to help in NB
Managing Conflict in the Workplace
This workplace conflict management workshop provides a comprehensive overview of the nature and importance of addressing conflicts early.
Participants will explore the impact of conflicts on team dynamics, employee well-being, and overall productivity, emphasizing the necessity for timely intervention. Through self-reflection exercises, attendees will identify their personal conflict triggers and prepare effectively to address disputes. The course highlights the critical role of active listening in conflict resolution, equipping participants with practical techniques to apply in real-world situations.
This workshop is ideal for managers, team leaders, and employees seeking to improve their conflict management skills.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2hours
Managing Your Anxiety
Are you feeling overwhelmed?
Anxiety is a common reaction to uncertainty. We can get overwhelmed with the “what-ifs,” resulting in feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Learn how to manage the mental storm in this online workshop. You will learn about anxiety and its symptoms, as well as four practical tips and strategies you can use to decrease your symptoms.
Maximum number of participants: 15
Online Workshop — 2 hoursMarket Analysis: Choosing the Right Market
Success in business hinges on a careful alignment of product and market. A great product in the wrong market can be a costly mistake that is sometimes difficult to recover from.
Yet, how do you know when a market is the right one?
Join experienced Market Strategist Janice Goguen from OLIVA Strategies to learn tips and tools to determine if a market is right for your product or service. Learn about entry requirements, trends, and consumer patterns you need to consider before entering or expanding in a new market.
Online Workshop — 2 hoursMastering the Art of Grant Success: A Guide to Winning Proposals
Introducing the Art of Grant Writing: A Comprehensive Workshop” is a 3.5 hour workshop that provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of grant writing. The workshop is structured into six sections, each designed to equip learners with the skills necessary to craft successful grant applications. We will also spend a few minutes at the end to answer any specific questions.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- effectively conduct grant research
- properly evaluate grant funding opportunities
- write a comprehensive application package
- effectively submit an application package
- strategically respond to feedback and revise applications for future submissions
Online Workshop — 3.5 hours
Measuring and Evaluating Impact
In today’s not-for-profit and social enterprise world, everyone from government to foundations, angel investors, consumers, and volunteers want to know what kind of a difference is being made by our organizations. It is important to be able to demonstrate the value and impact of the work we are doing, and this goes beyond anecdotal stories, to the measurement of impact and social return on investment.
Included in this interactive workshop are topics such as:
- What do You Want to Know and Show?
- Mapping Your Information Needs
- Measuring Impact and Demonstrating Value
- Social Return on Investment (SROI)
- How to use Performance Indicators
- Collecting and Analysing Data
- Using and Sharing Results
Module 1: Consumers & Customers – Satisfying Both
Understand Consumers
- Identify food trends
- Market segmentation
- Finding information about consumers
- Defining your target market
Understand customers
- Explore the eco-system (Direct, online, retail, drug, specialty stores, meal kits, food service, ingredient supplier)
- Research business priorities of customers
- Distinguish formats
- Explore departments
Module 1: Position Your Business to find Supply Chain Success
Learn how to find where you fit and determine when opportunities make good business sense.
- Develop awareness and understanding of market size and share and its influence on growth decisions.
- Review benchmark financial performance.
- Demonstrate how capacity and customer expectations drive pricing decisions and have a material impact on project and overall company profitability.
Module 2: Certification, Regulation & Best Practice
Learn how to prepare your business for success by implementing core skill and competency development programs and measurement systems. Sophisticated Supply Chain buyers look for organizations with continuous improvement and Lean operational cultures.
Find out how to implement easy to maintain Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and financial metrics that provide insights into your current and future financial performance.
Online workshop — 3 hoursModule 2: Setting up for Success
What you control
- Understand cost of goods
- Quantify production capacity and capabilities
- Costs for distribution & logistics
- Metrics to measure performance
The numbers in depth
- Detailed cost of goods sold analysis
- Defining margin vs. mark up
- Conduct a category review
- Explore category margins
- Calculating price-based costing vs. mark up
Module 3: Building Relationships with Customers
Getting on the Shelf: Building Relationships with Customers
Store visit virtually
- Making the most of the opportunity
- Building relationships at retail
- Figuring out what works
- Store tour (videos and photos)
Working with retailers
- Building a sales plan
- Explore trade spend (listing fees ads, loyalty, POS, demos)
- Getting your product listed • How to increase your price
- Communicating effectively
- Handling problems and issues
Module 3: Business Development Essentials
Learn how to identify, make, and sustain the critical business relationships needed to succeed in selling into these sectors.
In this workshop, you will gain proven approaches to building the right customer pipeline and managing successful customer relationships. The workshop will also offer expert advice on how to pitch your product/service to improve your chances of securing a deal.
Online workshop — 3 hoursModule 4: Winning in Retail
Channel partners
- Finding a broker
- Finding a distributor
- Working with a broker
- Working with a distributor
- Logistics
Considerations to grow your business
- Co-packing
- Discuss national brands vs. control label
- Illustrating great brands and why they are great
- Packaging
- Mastering trade shows (in person and virtual)
Module 5: Getting off the Shelf: Consumer Marketing
Branding and differentiation
- Telling your story
- Exploring power of claims
- Defining your Point of Differentiation
- Assess Buy local and buy Canadian Marketing and selling in a new environment
Mastering virtual customer meetings
- Sampling remotely
- Social media
- Develop your online community
- Explore marketing spend (social media, mass media, PR)
- Build a promotion plan
Module 5: Meet the Buyer
The learning experience culminates in a very popular “Meet-the-Buyer” event where you will have the opportunity to put your new skills to use with actual industry buyers.You will get the chance to put your new skills to work meeting with a Buyer from the sector. As well as learning from those that can offer support as you turn the program’s tools into action to achieve your business goals.
3 hoursNavigating Generational Diversity in Today's World
Leadership in a diverse workforce presents unique challenges stemming from generational differences. Tension, miscommunication, and resistance to change can hinder harmony and productivity. In this interactive workshop, leaders are equipped to take a proactive approach in addressing these challenges head-on. Our focus goes beyond stereotypes and division, guiding leaders to foster connection and respect for the intrinsic value each generation brings to the workforce. By embracing these differences, leaders pave the way for a more harmonious and productive work environment, leveraging the strengths of every generation for collective success.
Leaders ultimately understand the skills to turn the diverse generations within their team into a competitive advantage.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Understand the unique characteristics, values, and communication styles of each generation in the workforce.
- Identify and capitalize on the strengths that each generation brings to the team, turning diversity into a competitive advantage.
- Navigate conflicts arising from generational differences with practical strategies for resolution.
- Establish a path for an individual action plan to improve interactions with colleagues, supervisors, clients, and interns.
- Shift perspectives from stereotypes and division to a mindset of connection and respect for the value each generation contributes to the workforce.
- Create a personalized action plan to implement inclusive leadership practices and enhance generational diversity within their respective teams.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 4hours
Ocean Technology & Defence Sectors
Does your company operate in, or sell to the Ocean Tech & Defence sectors?
Would you like to increase the likelihood of winning a procurement contract and increase efficiency in your operations?
If you answered yes to the two previous question, register now for Supply Chain 1−2−3, a LearnSphere program to support growth orientated companies like yours learn what it takes to participate in supply chain opportunities.
What are the benefits of participation?
increase your likelihood of winning a procurement contract
decrease the effort required to bid on procurement opportunities
increase efficiency in your current operations
Who should participate?
Business owners, key executives/managers, project managers or succession planning designates, for Atlantic Canadian companies that are ready to grow and scale their operations.
What is the investment for participating SMEs?
Complete online individual learning needs assessment (approx. 1‑hour).
Participate in 9 interactive full-day group workshops with expert facilitators.
Moncton, NB: Workshops scheduled Wesdnesdays, starting Oct. 17th, 2018 — finishing December 12th, 2018.
Access to a minimum of 4 hours of individual coaching/consulting with experts.
Complete post-program individual online evaluation (approx. 1 hour) and provide more testimonial information (on a volunteer basis).
Thanks to investments from our governments, there is no cost for you to participate in this program. Your only investment will be the commitment of your time.
Workshops Topics:
1. Position-Your-Business for Supply Chain Success
2. Setting up for Success: Certification, Processes, and Regulations
3. Business Development – part 1
4. Business Development – part 2
5. Successfully Shaping and Responding to the RFP
6. Managing Supply Chains: Logistics, Financing and Export
7. Project Management Fundamentals – part 1
8. Project Management Fundamentals – part 2
9. Apply your new knowledge and skills through an experiential meet the buyer day
Optimizing Performance
Learn effective goal-setting strategies, understand how to measure and monitor performance, hold team members accountable, learn the components of effective feedback and how to deliver it constructively and how to navigate difficult conversations with confidence.
By the end of this course, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to optimize performance within your team, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
Online Workshop — 3 hoursOptimizing Time and Efficiency
Organize and manage tasks efficiently, utilize project oversight methods, and accomplish objectives proficiently; and explore and share tools and techniques designed to boost your personal productivity.
Online Workshop — 3 hoursPreparing you HR for Business Succession
This program is designed for business owners who are interested in planning for business transition. We will walk through talent planning, identifying high potentials, creating accelerated learning plans, and building a flexible succession plan that can be refreshed and updated based on the needs of the organization. You will receive practical tools and templates for use within your own organization.
The content is pragmatic, and focused on solving real-life business problems. Delivery includes actual examples, experiential learning and practice. It is a practical training program with immediate application to your business needs and growth plans.
Pricing (Part 1): Knowing Your Cost per Unit
Finding the right price for your product or service is an essential for making sure your business is competitive and profitable. Part one will cover:
- Knowing your budget, including fixed and variable costs
- Understanding the influence of fixed and variable costs on your pricing
- Understanding the difference between margin and markup
- How to find your position in the market
By the end of Part 1 you’ll develop a first draft of your cost per unit (CPU).
Pricing (Part 2): Finding Your Price Point
Finding the right price for your product or service is an essential for making sure your business is competitive and profitable. Part two will cover:
- Understanding what influences your pricing
- Understanding markups via distribution channels
- Pricing techniques for retail and online stores and/or
- Pricing techniques for small-and-medium manufacturers
- Pricing techniques for the service industry* (depending on requests of participants)
By the end of Part 2 you will be able to draft your market entry strategy, based on costs and distribution.
Online Workshop — 1 hourProfiting from Sustainability: Save Money, Grow your Business
Learn how to make your business more sustainable – and benefit from more than just energy and cost savings!
This engaging and interactive two-part online workshop series is for business owners and employees who want to save energy and money while growing their businesses. You’ll learn about simple actions you can take, and how you can market your positive actions to promote and grow your business.
In part 1 you will learn:
• How to create a simple sustainability plan
• Where to find the biggest savings and have the greatest impact
• Best practices from businesses large and small
Part 2 will include:
• More energy saving and waste reduction opportunities
• How businesses can use their sustainability credentials to promote and market themselves
Online Workshop — 3 hours (2 * 1.5 hours)Project Management Lite
Running a business involves juggling many projects, but many SMEs don’t have anyone on staff with formal Project Management (PM) training. Project Management Lite will help you learn to apply PM principles to increase your success.
This two-part course will cover everything from defining your scope, estimating work and costs, establishing a plan, initiating the project, using metrics to track your progress, and harvesting lessons-learned at closing.
By the end of this workshop you will be able to:
• Recognize key PM concepts
• Understand the different stages of a project, and the inputs/outputs needed at each stage
• Identify metrics for tracking progress
• Analyze project performance and determine required actions
• Evaluate what went well and should be repeated, and what went wrong and should be avoided
This workshop is for you if:
• You struggle to keep your projects on time and on budget
• You don’t have much formal PM experience
• You are looking for ways to increase your success
2 sessions, 3 hours each (online), 1 day in-person
Recruiting and Retaining Talent through Continuous Improvement
Looking for the secret to recruiting and retaining good talent? Do you want to motivate and engage the employees you already have? You might want to consider introducing a continuous improvement program.
In this interactive online workshop with Jennifer Deware you will learn the benefits of continuous improvement, and how to implement it in you business, regardless of your industry or sector.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 4 hour (2 * 2 hour)
Selling into Supply Chains
The world has never been more aware of the complex and integrated nature of global supply chains. Where there is challenge for some though, there is opportunity for others. Many companies, and public sector procurement arms are now taking a more serious look at local suppliers, as way of reducing risk while maintaining quality and price requirements.
Attend this interactive, and engaging online workshop to learn how your company can find success by selling into supply chains. Gain tips on how your approach must be adapted for this opportunity, and how it differs from regular sale efforts. Leave with practical tools you can put to use immediately, to turn learning into growth for your business.
Online workshop — 3 hours
Slay Your Monkeys
Think of all of the issues in your business as monkeys jumping around your workplace creating chaos. You can deal with the problem by shutting them all in a room where you don’t have to look at them — but you’ll still know they’re there.
Facilitator Andy Clark will teach you how to get rid of those monkeys permanently to move forward and achieve results in your business.
This two-hour online workshop will help you:
- Create a meeting structure that allocates ample time for resolving issues
- Apply a system for identifying and resolving the highest priority issues in your business
- Get to the root of an issue rather than dealing only with its symptoms
Slay Your Monkeys for Non-Profits
Think of all of the issues in your business as monkeys jumping around your workplace creating chaos. You can deal with the problem by shutting them all in a room where you don’t have to look at them — but you’ll still know they’re there.
Facilitator Andy Clark will teach you how to get rid of those monkeys permanently to move forward and achieve results in your business.
This two-hour online workshop will help you:
Create a meeting structure that allocates ample time for resolving issues
Apply a system for identifying and resolving the highest priority issues in your business
Get to the root of an issue rather than dealing only with its symptoms
2 hours — Online
Social Enterprise
A social enterprise is a business with social goals that sells products/services in the marketplace and reinvests its profits into social, environmental or cultural goals. This course is geared to anyone interested in learning more about how the social enterprise model can meet their goals. Participants will come away with a deeper understanding of what a social enterprise is and:
- Learn about the opportunities for social enterprise
- Better understand the risks and challenges
- Gain tools to help assess if social enterprise will work for your business idea
- Learn about the various structures of social enterprise
- Find out about resources to support social enterprise in New Brunswick and beyond
Social Finance and Social Innovation
Times are changing for nonprofits in Canada.
Funding through grants and donations is going the way of the dodo bird and being used less and less by government and foundations. Today, organizations are being expected to use social innovation and new tools under the social finance umbrella such as impact investing, outcomes-based funding, social procurement, and even investor tax credits to fund many of their programs and services.
Learn more about these new tools and about the federal government’s Investment Readiness and Social Finance Funds that are rolling out across the country. This workshop is geared to anyone who wants to learn more about the new way forward in financing co-ops, social enterprise, and community initiatives.
Speed Up and Improve Your Marketing with ChatGPT
AI (Artificial Intelligence) becoming much more commonplace today and ChatGPT, an advanced chat bot, and free informational resource, has become a popular way to support marketing efforts. Though it may seem scary or inauthentic to some to use tools like ChatGPT, it actually provides a way for you to improve your marketing, stay more consistent and still be true to who you are.
ChatGPT provides an opportunity for businesses to save a tremendous amount of time and create some pretty amazing content for their marketing.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Understand what ChatGTP is, how to get it, and how to use it
- Learn how to create commands that generate better output from ChatGPT
- Generate ideas for and write marketing content using ChatGPT
- Understand the capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT
This workshop is great for anyone who does marketing for any type or size of business.
Facilitated by Hayley Bohan, Marketing on Purpose
With its creative and analytical mind, its brand experience Hayley has the strongest desire to prove that brands that do good do better. Find in Hayley a raw, truth-telling and passionate coach.
Online Workshop (1.5h)
Stop Wasting Time and Money: Small Business Efficiency Workshop
This workshop is designed for small business owners who are frustrated by inefficiency in their business – and by all of the time, energy, and money that are wasted as a result. Attendees will learn the 4‑part operating structure that drives efficiency and business growth, and how to implement it into their business. This is an essential structure that, unfortunately, is missing in most small businesses. Without it, it is almost impossible to sustainably and efficiently grow a small business.
Online Workshop — 2hoursStrategic and operational planning
Are you looking to bring a new non-profit organization to life or revitalize an existing structure?
In this workshop, you will learn to shape your future with confidence and clarity.
It will allow you to fully understand the steps of setting up governance and other fundamental stages for creating a new organization. It will also help guide the transition and continuity of the organization through renewed plans.
Are you looking to bring a new non-profit organization to life or revitalize an existing structure?In this workshop, you will learn to shape your future with confidence and clarity.It will allow you to fully understand the steps of setting up governance and other fundamental stages for creating a new organization. It will also help guide the transition and continuity of the organization through renewed plans.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Explore and identify the core values of the organization
- Identify a clear mission and vision that reflect the organization, its mandate, and aspirations.
- Establish an action plan for setting up a new organization.
- Critically assess and evaluate the mission, vision, and values of an organization.
Peut être un atelier en ligne ou en personne — 6 heures (2x 3heures)
Strategic Planning
The workshop enables participants to gain knowledge about the strategic and operational planning process while focusing on the sequences and steps necessary to develop, update and measure the results and outcomes of the planning exercise.
Participants will be engaged by sharing and exchanging with others to better understand the challenges and issues faced by board members and managers in planning for the future.
Learning objectives:
- Understand the process, requirements and conditions for developing a strategic plan.
- Engage board members in a participatory process in developing a strategic and operational plan.
- Recognize the limits of strategic planning due to their dependence on resources (financial and human) and the choices to be made.
- Translate concepts into real-life situations that organizations face today and in the future.
- Develop an evaluation mechanism to assess the process and ultimate outcomes of the strategic planning exercise
Strategic Plans for Non-profits
This workshop will cover the following topics:
- This workshop will cover the following topics: What is a strategic plan?
- Core elements of a strategic plan
- Ideal timeframe for a strategic plan
- Roles and responsibilities of the board, ED, and staff in relation to the strategic plan
- Who should be involved in developing a strategic plan, and how they should be involved
- Steps for developing a strategic plan
- Typical timeframe and cost of developing a strategic plan
- Implementation of the strategic plan
Strategies for discussing work at home
Being an entrepreneur, leader or executive comes with its share of challenges, especially with regards to discussing your work with those closest to you. This workshop will help you develop essential entrepreneurial communication skills to help build strong and harmonious relationships, all the while maintaining a work-life balance.
During this interactive workshop, you will learn how to have important and difficult conversations about your business (or professional life). You will explore effective communication techniques that will help you share your goals, challenges and successes with your family and friends.
Whether you are are a small business owner, a CEO, a senior manager, an Executive Director, or are self-employed, this workshop will help you improve your relationships, improve your influence, and help you build a solid foundation for the success of your business or organization!
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2hours
Success in Sales
Being successful in sales requires much more than knowing your product/service. By developing and implementing a sales process, you can build internal capacity so that all employees can use be successful in sales. Increased sales will generate a better bottom line. This provides you with more future business options; including investing for growth.
A combination of online and in-person workshop — 2.5hoursSuccess Is Simple: Strategic Planning for Small Business Owners
Most entrepreneurs have big goals but no clear path to hitting them. They waste time, money, and resources on things that don’t move them forward. You’ll walk away from this 2 part workshop knowing exactly where to focus in the next 90 days to grow your business and make this your best year ever.
Part 1: Get crystal clear on your goals for 2023 & Identify your biggest opportunities for growth
- Define your most important business goals for 2023 (while learning how to avoid the mistakes most people make when goal setting)
- Learn the 4 biggest reasons most business strategies don’t deliver results & how to create one that does
- Audit your business across the 5 areas that most contribute to success so that you understand exactly what is and isn’t working right now
- Analyze the data you do have and identify what else you need to make informed strategic decisions
- Uncover your biggest opportunities for growth
Part 2: Build a 90 day action plan that’s going to deliver big results & Set up systems for success
- Clearly define your top priorities for your business this year
- Identify the specific strategy that will empower you to hit or exceed your goals
- Break down your strategy into specific and actionable projects you can begin executing on immediately
- Learn how to hold your team (or yourself!) accountable & aligned to the strategy despite distractions
- Identify the most important metrics to track in your business so you can make solid strategic decisions going forward
- Learn what successful entrepreneurs are doing differently to succeed in their strategic action plans
This workshop is for you if.….
You have ambitious goals for the next 12 months but don’t quite know how you’re going to hit them (or you don’t even have clearly defined goals)
You’re trying to do all the right things to move your business forward but aren’t seeing the results you want
You’re growing your revenue here and there, but it always feels like one step forward, two steps back instead of the exponential growth you’re after (or you’ve grown so fast you’re feeling scattered in a million directions)
You don’t have a crystal clear plan on where to focus when you sit down to work each day and you feel you could be more productive with your time
Strategic planning sounds too intimidating — you want a framework that is simple and will actually help you move forward.
Online Workshop — 3 hours (2 * 1.5 hours)
Successful Negotiation Essentials
Three-part series. Required participation in each part. 1 hour 30 minutes each.
As business owners and managers, you are expected to successfully negotiate with clients, suppliers, partners, and employees. The commonly held belief is that where there are winners, there must be losers. Given the stakes, you’d not be alone in wanting to learn how to win each negotiation you undertake. This 3‑part online workshop series challenges that notion and by participating you will learn effective approaches and techniques to help both parties be successful in negotiations.
Through these engaging and interactive online workshops, you will learn about:
- Win/Lose approach to negotiations. What is it and how to avoid it.
- Win/Win approach to negotiations. The keys to accomplish this.
- Interest based negotiations and generating options to get to “Yes”.
Supervisor Series
This series of online classes is ideal for the new supervisor or anyone who wishes to sharpen their supervisory skills.
Participants will be able to apply leadership concepts and use them as points of discussion through real life scenarios. Each month we will introduce new concepts and activities to keep discussions dynamic. These online classes which will last 2 hours and will be offered once a month, will include simulations and monthly coaching from an HR Specialist and a Productivity Expert.
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Leadership 101: The Basics of Leadership today.
Explore the concept of Authentic Leadership through activities that will help identify your own leadership style.
Setting Expectations and Managing Performance
Discuss best practices that ensure everyone across the organization is on the same page. Learn the differences between Coaching &Feedback while applying techniques for both approaches.
Motivating Teams
No individual creates as much value alone as they do as part of a team. What motivates individuals to show up, on time and do a great job every day? Understanding those motivators is critical to increasing a team’s productivity and the value they create for their customers.
Productivity for the Team
The word “productivity” is misunderstood. Many people work very hard every day yet are not as productive as they could be or should be. Most professionals are not trained in the field of operational excellence & improvement and therefore they are wasting precious hours each day and each week on non-value added work. This session will focus on what is value added for your teams and how to eliminate the waste.
Managing Conflict
How to overcome the challenges of avoiding conflict and learn the steps in finding common ground. Discuss various approaches to effectively navigate through difficult conversations with confidence.
Daily Management for Improvement
One of the most engaging tools for any team. This day will train the team on how to run efficient daily huddles (5−7 mins. It also includes the implementation of a visual management board which allows the team to always know the plan for the day and how they are doing (the score).
Team Engagement from a Distance
You will learn to use leadership techniques that engage employees to contribute more, adapt quickly to everyday changes and stress and maintain highly productive working relationships… all while working in from a distance!
Being part of a productive team requires the ability to lead during these times of change while keeping employees engaged. This workshop will help participants develop their leadership skills to adapt to our changing workplace landscape. Find out how you can improve engagement within your team during this workshop that will focus on the following:
- Evaluate your own organizations health and resilience, plus new ways to lead
- Use engagement strategies to effectively manage teams at a distance
- Review ways to create trust and accountability
- Identify opportunities to celebrate positive outcomes
- Develop an action plan that can be applied immediately
Carolyn Watson, CPHR is an experienced HR professional with over 20 years of delivering tailored HR services to inspire employee performance. She has helped organizations in the private, public and the not for profit sectors.
Online Workshop — 2 hoursThe 4 Dimensions of Unlocking Inclusive Communication
You’ve Built a Diverse Team, But Have You Built an Inclusive Culture and Work environment ?
It’s one thing to have a diverse team. It’s another to unleash that team’s potential by creating an inclusive environment through a solid understanding of each team member’s preferred communication style, motivators and the ideal environment where they can bring their best forward. Organizations reap the benefits of diversity — when employees bring their authentic selves to work!
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of the four dimensions of inclusive communication
- Assess emotional intelligence in 7 key areas of influence and how it impacts team productivity
- Identify specific communication styles that strengthen team engagement and foster inclusion
- Actively practice empathy by seeking to understand others’ perspectives, and considering diverse viewpoints in their communication interactions.
- Create an action plan that supports the application of inclusive communication practices and holding each other accountable for growth.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 3 hours (2 * 1.5 hours)
The Art of Proposal Writing and Tendering
Well-crafted proposals are particularly crucial for small businesses, especially those led by women and underrepresented groups, as they often face unique challenges in accessing opportunities and resources. A clear and convincing proposal not only effectively presents your ideas and skills but also enhances your visibility and competitiveness in a crowded market. For entrepreneurs, proposals are a powerful tool to assert your expertise, overcome biases, and secure funding or contracts.
Whether you are a photographer, plumber, consultant, or caterer, solid proposals are key to your success.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Understand the essential components of a business proposal
- Learn how to tailor proposals to specific audiences
- Develop skills to write clear, concise, and persuasive proposals
- Gain confidence in presenting and defending proposals
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 4 hours (2 * 2 hours)
The Business Check-Up: Diagnostics and Planning
Ever wonder how your business is really doing? As entrepreneurs, it’s challenging to see the reality of our own businesses when we’re deeply involved in them — like trying to read the label on a bottle from the inside. Are you on the right track to reach your goals?
This course will introduce you to a new way of evaluating your operations, managing risk, and crafting a strategic plan. You’ll learn to view your business from a fresh perspective, ask the right questions, and structure your ideas to identify key priorities. Drawing on proven best practices and foundational business principles, the course will guide you through the Evalu8 Framework and a self-assessment checklist to kickstart your journey.
You’ll be challenged to take a hard look at your entire business, identify what needs attention, and spot opportunities for growth. Once you have a clear big picture, you’ll know exactly what to focus on next. Then, take action, measure your success, and repeat the process in 6 – 12 months to ensure continuous improvement.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- evaluate the business and rate its health, template provided.
- identify and prioritize activities to action
- strategically plan and measure results.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 1.5hours
The Importance of Self-Esteem at Work
During this workshop, you will learn to recognize the difference between self-esteem and self-confidence. You will discover the importance of self-esteem and how to develop it within you. Self-Esteem has a significant impact on many essential employee outcomes, such as motivation, job satisfaction, work relationships, change management, organizational commitment, and overall job performance. Self-esteem affects our behaviour in both our professional and personal life. Therefore, by taking part in this workshop, we are helping our employees access tools that will help them to see their value and/or improve the way they perceive themselves. This will help them reach their full potential and improve their work performance.
During this workshop, many topics will be discussed:
- Recognizing the duality that exists within us (Ego versus Heart).
- Knowing your inner-self better.
- The importance of “I am”.
- The power of influence.
- Learning to better express yourself in a positive and authentic way.
- A visualization exercise to better connect with yourself.
SME’s and non-profit organizations can strongly benefit from participating in this workshop – employers and employees alike. By investing in the personal development and wellbeing of your employees (and yourself) you are directly investing in the success and performance of your business!
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 3hoursThe New "Triple Bottom Line" for Successful Small Businesses
Truly successful small businesses are profitable, they make a positive impact in their communities, and they are enjoyable for the owners and, ideally, for all team members of the business. Profit-Impact-Enjoyment is the new triple bottom line for small businesses. But how do you measure success in these areas? How do you set goals in each area, and how do you measure progress? How does each area affect the others?
This workshop will show you the benefits of this new triple bottom line approach, and it will give you practical tips and tools to create goals and implement strategies to increase the level of profit, impact, and enjoyment in your business.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2hoursThe Power of Beliefs at Work
This workshop will allow you to understand the importance of becoming aware of your beliefs. You will learn how to replace your limiting beliefs with positive and constructive beliefs.
This session will allow you to reflect on all aspects of your life.
During this workshop, we will discuss:
- The power of your beliefs.
- The power of “perception”.
- The duality that exists within us (Ego versus Heart).
- Recognizing our limiting beliefs in both our professional and personal life.
- The thought process that allows you to replace your limiting beliefs.
SME’s and non-profit organizations can strongly benefit from participating in this workshop – employers and employees alike. By investing in the personal development and wellbeing of your employees (and yourself) you are directly investing in the success and performance of your business!
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 3hours
Understanding and Appreciating Different Personalities at Work
Working efficiently with different personality types is beneficial to sustain a strong team and healthy work environment.
Personality Dimensions® is a human relations tool which is presented in an informative, interactive, fun and self-discovery format. It is based on leading-edge research, which helps to explain what motivates behaviour in people with different personalities or temperaments. Participants will:
- Learn about the 4 different personality types.
- Discover their own personality type and uncover their unique blend of strengths and weaknesses.
- Learn to appreciate others’ differences.
Where effective training and development is essential for meeting strategic objectives – an understanding of personality theory is a very effective tool in facilitating team creation and building; improving communication and interpersonal relationships; enhancing customer service and satisfaction; and in providing innovative solutions to problems by tapping into the creative energy of every temperament preference.
This workshop can also be presented in a half-day workshop
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 7.00 hours
Understanding Business Structures
Business ownership structures can be combined like puzzle pieces, to make sure you have the right legal, financial and personal protections in place. Have you set up your business correctly? Are you maximizing your tax efficiencies? Do you need to access capital? When is the right time to incorporate? What is a co-op and should I consider that?
This 90-minute course will help you understand the different options available to you in New Brunswick, and how to choose the right one for you.
90 minutes, online or in-person
Understanding Workplace Harassment (1/2)
WorksafeNB implemented regulations in 2019 that define harassment and require all employers to have an internal Harassment Code of Practice. Most employers have never dealt with harassment regulations and may feel lost about the terminology used in the definition, what these behaviours look like in real life, how to recognize employee complaints, what the reasonable thresholds are to take action and what to do when action is required.
There is also an optional second part to this workshop: Working With Your Harassment Code of Practice
Understanding Workplace Sexual Harassment - Employees
This workshop is for employees
This workshop aims to enhance understanding of workplace sexual harassment and who typically becomes its target, while also developing awareness of individual and collective rights and responsibilities. Participants will gain the skills necessary to make informed decisions in specific situations, thereby increasing their readiness to take action against workplace sexual harassment.
By exploring the usual and vulnerable targets of workplace sexual harassment as well as other forms of harassment in the workplace, participants will be better equipped to recognize, prevent, and respond informally or formally. They will grasp the significance of individual rights and responsibilities, as well as those of their colleagues, while having a thorough understanding of informal and formal responses to workplace sexual harassment. They will also learn how to access services and resources to effectively address instances of harassment.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2.5 hours
Understanding Workplace Sexual Harassment - Employer/Manager
This workshop is for employers and supervisors.
Empower your team with essential knowledge and skills to foster a safe and respectful workplace environment with our comprehensive Workplace Sexual Harassment Prevention workshop.
Designed to address the pressing need for awareness and action, this workshop equips participants with the understanding of what constitutes workplace sexual harassment and who may be vulnerable targets.
Participants will explore individual rights and responsibilities, honing their ability to navigate challenging situations and make informed decisions. Our expert-led workshop delves into various forms of harassment, identifies common barriers faced by targets, and provides practical strategies to overcome them within their specific workplace context.
Participants will learn how to promote a culture of respect and inclusivity, including appropriate leadership behavior and effective response mechanisms to address and prevent harassment incidents.
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 3 hours
Understanding Your Influence as a Leader
Target audience
The management team or leaders of an organization
Benefits
They say that leaders are born, not made. While it is true that some people are born leaders, some leaders are born amid adversity. Often, simple people who have never had a leadership role will stand up and take the lead when a situation they care about requires it. A simple example is parenting. When a child arrives, many parents discover leadership abilities they never knew existed in order to guide and protect their offspring.
Once you learn the techniques of true Leadership and Influence, you will be able to build the confidence it takes to take the lead. The more experience you have acting as a genuine leader, the easier it will be for you. It is never easy to take the lead, as you will need to make decisions and face challenges, but it can become more natural and rewarding.
Learning Objectives
1. Define “leadership”
2. Understand Transformational Leadership
3. Understand the people you lead and how to adapt your leadership style
4. Explain leading by Directing, Coaching, Participating and Delegating
5. Explore the Kouzes and Posner model
5. Conduct a personal inventory, create an action plan, and establish personal goals
Format
• There are going to be 3 virtual sessions of 2 hours each that is an equivalent of one day
• There is going to be case study’s during the sessions that I will elaborate on and review questions between each module
Length /Sessions
• 2 hours per virtual session
• 3 sessions in total
Recommend 4 sessions of individual coaching
Online Workshop — 6 hours (3 * 2 hours)Understanding Your Legal Obligations for a Respectful Workplace
Employers have a lot on their plate right now and seemingly more urgent issues such as layoffs, return to work protocols, managing remote employees, accommodation requests etc., can easily overshadow the obligation to ensure a respectful work environment. However, as the Canadian Human Rights Commission reminds us, the current stress that permeates our day-to-day lives might be why employers should place extra emphasis on ensuring their employees feel respected and safe while working.
Traditional workplace harassment training has been focused on behaviour at work. However, online bullying, poor video-conferencing etiquette, harassment and discrimination occurs with alarming frequency outside of the physical workplace. Since the pandemic has changed the ways in which we interact with each other at work, we need to look at and prepare for how we will do that respectfully. This online workshop will address topics such as:
- Respectful workplace obligations in the physical, remote and virtual workplace;
- Examples of harassment inside and outside the physical workplace;
- Addressing workplace harassment complaints during and post pandemic;
- Modelling and enforcing respectful conduct; and
- Recognizing and addressing employee conflict.
The facilitators are happy to take specific and anonymous questions during the online workshop to address any questions participants would like to ask.
Online Workshop — 2 hourWorking with Your Harassment Code of Practice (2/2)
In 2019, WorksafeNB mandated that all New Brunswick employers put in place a Workplace Harassment Code of Practice. Most New Brunswick employers now have written Codes of Practice but many still feel unsure about how to operationalize them to meet their regulatory responsibilities. In this session, participants will get comfortable with the terminology and language used in their own Codes of Practice and learn how to meet WorksafeNB’s expectation around implementation when an employee complaint is received. All from a practical, plain language perspective.
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Verify that all 8 regulatory requirements are included in your Code of Practice,
- Inform the different kinds of people in your workplace about your Code of Practice,
- Describe the regulatory requirement to act on a disclosure of harassment,
- Recognize and react appropriately to a disclosure of harassment,
- Address harassment complaints involving individuals who are not you employees or volunteers,
- Decide between an internal and external investigation of harassment, and
- Conduct an internal investigation, as described in your Code of Practice.
This workshop is the second part of the workshop ”Understanding Workplace Harassment”
Can be an online or in-person workshop — 2 hours
Workload, Time Management, and Boundary Setting
Are you a part of a small or medium-sized non-profit organization struggling with workload, time management, and boundary setting?
This interactive workshop is designed to provide you with practical strategies and empower you to make meaningful changes in how you manage your workload and time. Join us and take the first step towards a more balanced and productive work life!
This interactive workshop will cover the following topics:
- Hard truths about workload and boundaries on our time in non-profit organizations
- Key skills for avoiding burn-out
- Hard and soft boundaries on our time
- A simple method to help prioritize tasks
By the end of this workshop participants will have:
- Reflected on some hard truths about their workload and boundaries on how they spend their time
- Learned how to set boundaries on their time and hold themselves accountable to those boundaries
- Learned how to prioritize their work on a weekly basis using a simple method
- Been empowered to take charge of their time and their workload
Online Workshop — 1.5hours