Training - Professional Development Courses

Change is seldom easy. Unfortunately, though, the only thing that is constant is change. Change happens in every aspect of our lives and we often have little to no control over what happens. We do, however, have a choice as to how we deal with change. This course will give you strategies to help you deal with, accept, and ultimately, thrive during the change process. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to: discuss the drivers and types of organizational change, describe the stages of change, recognize how change affects individuals, and apply strategies to thrive personally during the change process.

Whether you are facilitating a class or just training a new employee, considering the needs of your learner is crucial to the success of both you, as the trainer, and the learner. This course explains the basic principles of adult learning and offers practical tips for meeting the needs of those you may be training. A downloadable job aid that summarizes the principles and offers application techniques is available under Resources in the course. For the final assessment, you will participate in a classroom simulation that offers you opportunities to apply different strategies.

This course is designed to help you discover new ways to stay at the top of the competitive high-performance chain by providing you with a basic understanding of benchmarking and the process involved in using benchmarking to increase performance.

This course provides users with information on how to form and deliver effective business writing communications. It is intended for all state employees.

This course discusses strategies for effectively communicating within the chain of command. Specifically designed for leaders and supervisors, this course teaches strategies for delivering top-down communication.

This course discusses strategies for effective communication within the chain of command. After you complete this course, you will be able to: Explain the advantages and disadvantages of Vertical Communication, Apply strategies for effectively communicating information to subordinates, Apply strategies for effectively receiving information from supervisors, Customize information for specific audiences by adapting your communication style.

This course provides you with a basic understanding of conflict management. While taking this course, you will learn about the areas of conflict, how conflict affects you and others, and what conflict management style you most often use. This course also provides you with a Conflict Resolution Model that can be used as a guide to help you manage and resolve conflicts as they arise.

This course will enhance your knowledge of court etiquette and help you develop your skills, so you can efficiently and effectively represent your agency and yourself.

This course addresses 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016 PPT versions. Create slides and add text. Choose a slide layout, insert a picture, and apply a theme. Change the size and position of slide elements. Format pictures, shapes, and other slide content.

This course covers the basic process of critical thinking that can be used for any area, issue, or question you may be addressing. It also discusses fallacies of thinking that you may encounter. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to define critical thinking, analyze information needed to work through issues, use the critical thinking process to solve problems, and recognize fallacies in your thinking.

Working in an open space can be challenging. Constant distractions, lack of privacy, and frequent interruptions can negatively impact your performance (and your sanity). While you cannot control your coworkers, this course can help you become a good neighbor and reduce stress in the environment for both you and your coworkers. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to rate your own behavior in terms of cubicle etiquette and avoid behaviors that are disruptive in your work environment.

This is the second course in this series which shows you how to use the 4 steps in the customer interactions cycle to manage customer relationships and provides the opportunity for realistic scenario practice.

This course teaches you simple techniques to get through even the worst customer service interaction with confidence. Many of these techniques are similar to those used by first responders, police officers, and therapists who are regularly exposed to potentially unfavorable situations.

Customer Service Overview: Creating a Solid Foundation is the first in this series, and is designed to give the learner a clearer understanding of what customer service is, why customer service is important, who customer service affects, and the customer’s most basic needs. This course is not only designed to benefit employees who directly work with customers but also to assist in providing learners with best practices for working with other employees in their and other agencies. A downloadable Customer Service Guide e-book that recaps all of the course’s main points is available in the resources attached to the course. This course uses adaptive testing – the test changes with each answer given – within a realistic scenario that requires the learner to take a customer call using skills learned in the course and provide the customer with a positive solution.

This 1-day course will help participants implement strategies to help themselves adapt to various changes in their work situations. Participants will learn how to identify areas of resistance and negative mental models, manage their personal reactions to change, apply techniques that will foster creativity and innovation during the change process, and identify ways to be proactive when changes are being implemented.

Learning Objectives:
- Responds constructively to change and setbacks
- Modifies behavior and work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles
- Adjusts as quickly as possible to new situations that need attention
- Helps to create a work climate that encourages and recognizes innovation
- Proactively manages conflict that results from change

Job Outcomes
- Apply change process steps to reduce resistance to change
- Manage reactions to change using an individual transition model
- Analyze mental models that influence change
- Apply techniques that will foster creativity and innovation during the change process
- Apply strategies and techniques to help create an empowering work climate

This course is open to all employees.

TRAINING HOURS: 6

This online course examines the facets of dealing with difficult people including motivators, behaviors, and tips.

The average adult makes over 30,000 decisions a day. Each of these decisions drains your time, energy, and willpower. Knowing how to make decisions effectively and efficiently can help you maintain your reserves and boost your confidence. This course presents a real-life problem and allows you to work through a 4-step decision-making process to solve it.

Designing visuals requires combining elements of communication and art. As instructional designers, your visuals should communicate material in a way that facilitates learning. While you don’t have to be a famous artist to create engaging visuals, it helps if you think like one. This course will help you use some of the elements and principles of design to create effective visuals that are easy to understand, visually relevant, and aesthetically appealing.

Communication is made up of a variety of different aspects and impacts your professional and personal lives daily. This course will help you to recognize each feature of communication and will provide you with tips to help you reach maximum communication potential. Having an understanding of and practicing these communication basics can improve your team’s cohesion and increase productivity.

This 1-day course discusses strategies and techniques for developing effective teams. Participants will learn about the stages of team development, skills essential to working in a team environment, relationship-building roles, strategies for handling team conflict, and problem-solving strategies. Class discussion will emphasize building and maintaining a sense of community in the workplace.

Learning Objectives:
- Apply the stages of team development to improve work group effectiveness
- Apply basic skills critical to working in a team environment
- Examine the task facilitating and relationship building roles of team members
- Apply strategies to deal with team conflict
- Develop strategies for overcoming problems in teams

Job Outcomes:
- Demonstrates cooperation and teamwork within the department, office, and work group
- Participates in group problem solving and decision making
- Demonstrates open communication with fellow team members
- Demonstrates ability to effectively handle team conflict

This class is open to all employees.

NOTE: Completion of Developing Effective Teams, Parts 1 & 2 is required before enrolling in Part 3.

TRAINING HOURS: 6

Each person brings a different talent and perspective to the workforce. When we are truly able to pass and knock down the barriers of diversity, we can leverage each person's talent and produce the best quality of work that will increase productivity, decrease conflict, and build relationships. This course will raise your self-awareness to barriers you may be facing and help you achieve your optimal potential by enriching your workplace with creativity, positivity, and harmony.

This course establishes the department’s policy on prohibition against harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination. Upon completion of this course, you should recognize engagement by any State Civil Service employee in any form of sexual harassment, intimidation or unlawful discrimination is strictly prohibited and will subject the employee to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

This 1-day course will examine the various aspects of effective performance evaluation. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

- Write performance expectations in order to identify responsibilities, priorities, and measurable goals;
- Clarify performance expectations so that there is no misinterpretation about what is expected from the employee;
- Conduct productive employee performance review sessions which clearly identify areas that need improvement, as well as reinforce strengths;
- Identify important factors to consider in performance ratings to help ensure that ratings are being rendered in an unbiased manner.

Enrollment is open to all levels of management and those with permission from their agency.

TRAINING HOURS: 6

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Each day is filled with decisions to be made and problems to be addressed. Developing the skills to address these actions can not only increase one’s effectiveness, but also reduce stress and reactive behaviors. This course will guide participants through the process of identifying root causes of problems, generating solutions to problems, establishing decision-making criteria, and using those criteria to select the best alternative solution to problems. Practice scenarios will be used to help participants learn how to apply the problem solving and decision making processes to their own work situations.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of the workshop, attendees will be able to:

• Apply a four-step process to identify, analyze, and address workplace challenges.
• Use a systematic approach to ensure the best possible decision is made.
• Use tools and techniques to generate potential solutions to challenges.
• Create action plans for implementation and follow up of decisions.
• This class is open to all employees.

TRAINING HOURS: 6

Emotional intelligence is the foundation for many traits needed in today’s workplace. Success depends, in part, on your personal qualities - such as initiative, creativity, empathy, and adaptability - and your ability to build relationships. This is especially true for people in leadership positions: leaders are judged by how well they handle themselves and their employees. This course will help you discover your personal and leadership strengths. It will also help you identify areas where you can develop as a leader and an individual. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to: explain emotional intelligence, evaluate your own level of emotional intelligence, apply strategies to improve self-awareness, use techniques to manage your own emotions, implement methods to increase your self-motivation.

To lead in today’s world, one must possess Emotional Intelligence. Leaders are judged by how well they handle themselves and their employees. Focusing on the social competencies, this course will help you increase your social awareness, effectively manage your relationships, and improve the emotional intelligence of your team. The CPTP course, Emotional Intelligence 1: Personal Competence, focused on self-awareness, self-management, and self-motivation. This course builds on those practices and applies them to interpersonal situations. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to explain social competence and its role in the workplace, apply practices to increase your social awareness, use techniques to improve your relationship management, and implement strategies to improve collaboration and teamwork.

Emotional Intelligence III: Putting Emotional Intelligence to Work (1/2 Day)

This half-day instructor-led course is designed to allow participants to practice strategies that improve self-awareness and relationship management. Hands-on activities stress the identification, the analysis, and the importance of managing one’s emotions and recognizing their effect on interactions and workplace culture. This class is open to anyone seeking to learn how their own and others’ emotions impact their productivity, as well as how to respond constructively and objectively to others’ emotions.

Training Objectives:

• Identify how emotions impact productivity.
• Recognize situations that trigger your own strong emotions.
• Recognize and respond to others’ strong emotions constructively and objectively.
• Practice techniques to manage strong emotions effectively.

This course is open to anyone.

PREREQUISITES: Completion of these two web courses is required before enrolling in Emotional Intelligence III:

• Emotional Intelligence I WBT
• Emotional Intelligence II WBT

Training Hours: 3

This 2-day facilitated course gives supervisors the knowledge they need to:
- Apply different communication styles to meet the needs of employees
- Analyze performance gaps using competency rubrics
- Collaboratively (with employees) determine ways to help employees perform
- Track employee development

In addition to the knowledge basis, supervisors will receive hands-on practice in working with these tools to
- Operationalize development expectations
- Have coaching conversations with employees

PREREQUISITES:

Prior to enrolling in this course, students must complete CPTP SCS Competency Basics WBT and CPTP SCS Employee Lifecycle WBT.

This course examines different areas of grammar including: capitalization, compounding, parts of speech, sentence structure, subject and verb agreement, which vs. that, and who vs. whom.

Whether you work in an office or in the field, you encounter potential safety hazards every day. Being mindful of your environment and understanding the safety protocols in place can help you avoid workplace accidents. This course will help you interpret safety data sheets and other hazard communication measures, such as Globally Harmonized System (GHS) labels, you may encounter. This course was designed specifically for DEQ, but the content is relevant for all employees. In addition to learning how to interpret a GHS label, you will be able to explain the pictograms used to identify chemical hazards and how to use a safety data sheet (SDS) properly. Downloadable resources for this course include a Guide to GHS Pictograms and a job aid on Safety Data Sheets.

This 1-day course will examine the ways we handle the individual differences among people in the workplace. Participants will learn how and why we have different perceptions about people and how those perceptions can affect teamwork and productivity in positive and negative ways. Participants will practice dealing with different dimensions of diversity in structured exercises and learn how to create a climate in which all employees’ contributions are recognized and appreciated.

Learning Objectives:
- Apply approaches to foster an environment in which people from diverse backgrounds work cooperatively and effectively in achieving organizational goals
- Create a workgroup that values and understands diversity
- Develop methods, behaviors, and attitudes helpful in managing a diverse workforce

Job Outcomes:
- Recognizes the value of individual differences at all levels of the organization
- Creates a climate in which everyone is respected and recognized for their contributions
- Provides employment and development opportunities to support a diverse group of employees

This class is open to all employees.

TRAINING HOURS: 6

This course defines the responsibilities and procedures of employees in regards to employee interaction with prison inmates. Upon completion of this course, you should understand the utilization of prison inmates, be aware of your responsibility as an employee, and be able to recognize prohibited inmate behavior.

This course provides an introductory overview to project management. It includes an overview of the project management process and the role of a project manager in the project management process. This course is the first in a series of five project management courses.

This course provides you with an overview of conducting investigations. This course includes printable resources that you may find useful. If you are investigating an official claim or incident, your agency policy should be followed carefully. This course is meant as a guide only. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to recognize pros and cons of workplace investigations, avoid common mistakes in workplace investigations, identify common types of workplace investigations, and implement key steps to successfully conduct workplace investigations.

This ½-day class examines the habits we have in managing our time, and how the concepts of importance and urgency affect our productivity. Participants will identify the activities that determine their use of time and will learn and practice an effective method for planning and prioritizing tasks.

Learning Outcomes:
- Apply proactive strategies to remove the barriers to effective and efficient time management.
- Plan and prioritize work activities while taking into account short and long-term objectives.

This class is open to all employees.

TRAINING HOURS: 3

This course is an opportunity to discover key points of difference between the generations in your workplace and to create tools and techniques that will help address these challenges.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the workshop, attendees will be able to:
- Address specific challenges of dealing with a multigenerational workplace
- Implement team expectations that create structure and a standard of operations
- Create communication methods that address multiple generations

This course is open to all employees.

Course Hours: 3

This course illustrates how organizational dynamics are influenced by individuals and their use (or misuse) of workplace power and politics, as well as the existing organizational culture. When you complete this course, you will be able to: identify the types of power that exist within the workplace, discuss the effects of workplace politics, recognize the symptoms of dysfunction in the workplace, apply solutions to improve organizational health, explain organizational culture and its effects, and apply strategies for cultivating a positive organizational culture.

This course will help you polish your phone etiquette skills so you can more easily manage the important responsibilities you have as a representative of your agency. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to explain how vocal characteristics and language affect communication; use active listening techniques when communicating with callers; and apply phone etiquette strategies to improve the quality and effectiveness of your interactions.

This 1-day interactive training allows participants to improve their presentations by guiding them through the steps to plan, write, and deliver high impact programs that fulfill their objectives while keeping attendees engaged. Participants will also assess various presentation tools and techniques to determine when to use these to improve audience understanding and retention of information.

The program is open to managers, trainers, and other employees who make formal presentations as part of their current job responsibilities.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
*Design presentations that inform, persuade, and engage an audience.
*Use presentation tools and techniques to improve audience understanding and retention of information.

The course is open to managers, trainers, & other employees who make formal presentations.

TRAINING HOURS: 6

Preparing to facilitate a class is like preparing to run in a race. You don’t wait until the night before to start learning the material. Trainers will tell you – the more prepared you are, the better the class is. This course is designed to help new trainers prepare mentally, emotionally, and physically to facilitate a class. In several brief videos, the trainers at CPTP offer their perspectives, advice, and practical tips to help learners create their own action plan and training routine. A downloadable trainer’s checklist is available under Resources in the course. For the course assessment, a series of reflective activities are used throughout the course.

The purpose of this course is to provide the supervisor state employee with basic guidelines on identifying, reporting and dealing with possible violent incidents within the workplace. The learning outcomes for this course are after completion of this course, you will be able to identify warning signs of workplace violence, apply counseling strategies to diffuse potentially violent situations, and determine the safest course of action during an incident of workplace violence.

The purpose of this course is to provide the non-supervisor state employee with basic guidelines on identifying, reporting and dealing with possible violent incidents within the workplace. The learning outcomes for this course are after completion of this course, you will be able to identify warning signs of workplace violence, explain how to properly report warning signs, determine the safest course of action during an incident of workplace violence.

Using established time management strategies, this course offers general guidelines and practical techniques for prioritizing tasks using the mission and vision of an agency. Apply time management strategies to determine and address important/urgent tasks. Determine and prioritize mission critical tasks. Discuss the role of Strategic Alignment. Prioritize your own schedule in accordance with agency mission and goals.

(Formerly WRITING FOR MANAGERS)

This 1-day class is designed to give participants practice in working with basic business writing concepts. Participants will learn to write in a clear, concise style. Through lecture, examples, and practice exercises, participants will gain confidence in their ability to plan and to structure various forms of professional writing. Participants will learn how to identify and to correct their own grammar and usage problems. Strategies to revise and to proofread work will also be presented. Significant class time is provided for writing practice.

Learning Outcomes:
- Write clear, concise, and action-oriented communication
- Adjust language, style, and level of written communication to fit the purpose and audience
- Maintain a professional and confident tone in your written communication
- Use resources to help you identify and correct grammar and usage problems

This course is open to all employees.

TRAINING HOURS: 6

This one-day course is designed to provide participants with information to enhance their professional behavior, demeanor, and decorum in the workplace. The majority of the course will cover topics that are universal to all levels of employees. Those topics include: professional dress, professional etiquette, professional communication, and professional behavior. The final portion of the day will cover topics that are specific to supervisors, such as: properly addressing employees, maintaining confidentiality, conducting proper counseling sessions, and setting a good example.

Learning Outcomes
- Participants will know the perceptions that are conveyed by attire
- Participants will know the impact of professional etiquette
- Participants will know the elements involved in communicating as a professional
- Participants will be able to develop strategies to improve professional behavior
- Participants will be able to develop protocols to properly address employees
- Participants will recognize the importance of maintaining confidentiality
- Participants will be aware of the proper protocols for employee counseling sessions
- Participants will recognize the value of setting a good example

This course is open to all employees.

TRAINING HOURS: 6

This course is the e-learning companion to the instructor-led “Professionalism in the Workplace” course. It covers the basics of becoming a better professional within the scope of your agency and position. The learning outcomes for this course are to: define professionalism, demonstrate the elements of professional appearance, maintain a level of professionalism in your communications, and apply strategies to improve professional behavior.

This course features the video, Prohibited Political Activities, which highlights the political activities that classified state employees are prohibited from doing as well as those in which they may partake.

This course is the last of the five courses in the Project Management series. Understand the basics of project control, Recognize the importance of status meetings and how to run them effectively, Identify the types of delays and ways to minimize their effects, Understand the closeout process.

This course provides the learner with specific information on the planning function of the project management process. It outlines the milestones required for proper planning in project management. This course is part three of a five course series on project management.

This course provides learners with information on scheduling tools used to track and predict project timelines. It is a part of the CPTP Project Management online course series and is intended for learners who manage projects as a part of their job roles.

This course provides the learner with specific information on the role of a project manager's role within the project management process. It outlines expectations and duties of the project manager. This course is part two of a five course series on project management.

This 1-day class provides a foundation that will help participants address the basic service needs of their customers, as well as providing a useful framework for customer relationship management. Participants will learn how to assess individual situations to identify potential opportunities for providing outstanding customer service. Additionally, participants will learn strategies for dealing with difficult and challenging customers.

While not required pre-requisites to Providing Quality Service, the web-based courses Customer Service Overview WBT and Customer Service 2: Customer Relationship Management WBT provide an excellent background to this course.

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
-Identify the various ways in which customer service can be used
-Apply strategies to satisfy and keep customers
-Analyze and respond to difficult customers

This course is open to all employees.

TRAINING HOURS: 6

This course covers most punctuation marks and the correct usage of each. Intended Audience: All state employees.

Strategic alignment uses an agency's mission, vision, and values statements as a guide in the decision-making process. This course is designed to help leaders align tasks with these agency standards to increase employee engagement and to achieve agency goals.

This course helps supervisors use delegation to accomplish tasks, develop employees, and improve their department's efficiency and workflow. This allows a supervisor to focus on the tasks that are priority to the mission of the department.

Course Objectives

By the conclusion of this session, learners will be able to:
- Apply the 6 Steps of Delegation to increase efficiency and develop employees.
- Use tools and techniques to monitor and coach employees on delegated tasks.

This class is open to all supervisors and managers.

Course Hours: 3

This course is intended to help supervisors and employees understand the strategic planning process. It is not designed for upper-level managers involved in strategic planning. Managers who are involved in the strategic planning process should take the CPTP instructor-led course: Planning and Accountability. After you complete this course, you will be able to define strategic planning; explain the purpose and scope of strategic planning; identify the components of a basic strategic plan; and discuss your role in strategic planning.

This course will give you techniques to help you to become a strategic thinker. It will also help you use strategic thinking on the job, especially in relation to teams or supervisory duties. Upon completion, you will be able to explain strategic thinking and its benefits, identify the traits of strategic thinkers, overcome barriers to strategic thinking, and apply strategic thinking techniques in the workplace.

This course examines signs, causes, and coping mechanisms for stress in the workplace.

SWOT Analysis is a simple tool to help you chart your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within an environment. It can be used at any level - unit, department, and agency – as part of strategic planning, goal setting, or process improvement. Although designed for supervisors, this course would be an excellent starting place for anyone wanting to develop a plan for personal or career development. This course includes a downloadable SWOT template and other resources to help individual apply this strategy in a variety of situations. For the final assessment of this course, learners will create a personal SWOT and develop the beginning of a personal development plan.

The key to high productivity lies in setting priorities and managing time. Time management skills provide individuals with the ability to identify important tasks, plan time strategically, and manage emergencies effectively. In this course, learners will understand the importance of effective time management, learn strategies to effectively manage time, and develop good time management habits.

This course discusses anger and how to effectively manage it when it occurs. This course will: explain anger and its effects, express anger appropriately, recognize the causes of anger in the workplace, demonstrate the ability to manage anger and use it effectively, and strategically deal with angry coworkers.

Want to improve your department but don’t know where to start? Trying to solve a problem that has many solutions? Overwhelmed by options? Try using a PICK chart to make the decision easier. A PICK Chart is a visual organization tool that will help you prioritize multiple tasks, action items, possible solutions, etc., based on impact and difficulty.

This 1-day course reviews the workforce planning process. Participants will learn what workforce planning is and will work through exercises in which they will create a workforce plan.

Participants will learn how to:
- Create a demand and supply profile
- Perform a gap analysis
- Create, implement, monitor, and revise a workforce plan

This class is open to employees involved in creating their agency's workforce plan.

TRAINING HOURS: 6

This course discusses work-life balance. Upon completion of this course you will be able to define work-life balance, analyze your current state of balance, apply strategies to balance your life, and utilize techniques to maintain your balance.

Establishing roles, navigating authority parameters, and negotiating personality differences are only a few of the challenges instructional designers face when working with Subject-Matter Experts. This course will help you cultivate a productive relationship with even the most challenging SME, which will ultimately make your job easier and help you create the best training possible.

This course will provide you with tools and techniques, which you can customize to meet your needs, to help you work through a specific challenge in your life.