“Helpful, insightful, engaging” —Sara Walkup, Executive Assistant, Center for Community Benefit Organizations

 

“Wonderful techniques for relaxing in the context of everyday work” —John Michael, Rural Development Specialist, Rural Community Assistance Corporation

Seminars and Keynotes
 

Drawing from her background in business, journalism, and the nonprofit sector, Janet helps audiences communicate clearly and persuasively and manage the demands of their busy lives. Her seminars earn top ratings from clients in a wide variety of fields, including manufacturing, social services, technology, government, and health care. Participants praise her ability to deliver solid content with warmth and humor, encouraging high participation and retention of material. Programs will be tailored to the needs of your organization and are available as keynotes, breakouts, and half-day or full-day seminars. Key topic areas include:

Communication Skills

Productivity and Life Balance

San Francisco Secrets

 Communication Skills

Business Writing that Gets Results
Good writing increases credibility and cooperation, while less-than-good writing can lead to confusion and delay. Get better results from your emails, letters, reports, and other business documents by saying what you mean clearly and concisely. You’ll learn how to take the pain out of drafting and revising, get rid of excess words without sounding brusque, clear up those pesky grammar questions (“Comma, dash, or semicolon?” “What’s so bad about passive voice?”), and inspire readers to take action. Improve your productivity by giving readers the information they need, the way they need it—so the message gets through the first time.

Precision Questioning and Answering
Precision Questioning and Answering (PQ+A) is a set of tools for clear, more effective workplace discussions and better decision making. Developed by Dr. Dennis Matthies from more than 15 years of research at Stanford University, PQ+A has been taught to thousands of people worldwide. In this one-day workshop, you will practice and apply specific techniques to scenarios from your own work. Using Precision Questioning, you will learn to uncover risky assumptions, attack complex problems from new angles, and raise the level of critical thinking within your team. Using Precision Answering, you will be able to communicate crisply and concisely when presenting ideas up the hierarchy. Together, PQ & PA get you straight to the heart of an issue, enhancing focus and making meetings more efficient.

Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution
When faced with conflict, do you get defensive, go on the attack, or clam up? Conflict is inevitable because differences between people are inevitable. By handling conflict skillfully, you can improve communication, understanding, team cohesion, and confidence. In this course, using case studies, assessment tools, and skill practice, you will learn to analyze a situation and choose the most effective response; recognize and address your habitual reactions to conflict; avoid common communication traps; make requests and say “no” assertively and graciously; and collaborate—even with resistant stakeholders—to arrive at resolutions that both parties can support.

 

Productivity and Life Balance

Mindful Time Management
Overload is a fact of professional life. Confronted with too many opportunities and demands, we react to the loudest stimulus...or keep doing what’s comfortable, even if it isn’t what matters most. The key issue is, how conscious are we about the decisions we’re making moment to moment? In this interactive workshop, you will learn to be more deliberate about priority setting, scheduling, and responding to interruptions and unexpected events. Gain tools for reducing overwhelm so that you make more powerful choices about how you use your time.

Productivity through Selective Procrastination
Chronic procrastinators get caught in a loop of postponing projects, berating themselves, and then sliding back into avoidance. Successful self-managers leave some tasks undone...but on purpose, not by default. When you learn to use procrastination instead of feeling bad about it, you can map out clear steps and accomplish more with less effort. Take a fresh look at what you’re putting off and why, and learn simple methods to stay on track with the commitments that matter most.

Help! I Don’t Have Time to Relax!
You know all about the negative effects of stress, but who has time to do anything about it? What you need are ways to unwind fast—in the middle of a crisis or the middle of a crowded room. In this fun, highly experiential session, you’ll learn techniques that work in minutes—even a few seconds—to get you calm, focused, and functioning at your best.

Your Vacation Starts Now: Easing Into Life Balance
Don’t wait for your official vacation to get the self-nourishment you crave. Instead, avoid burnout by working renewal into your daily life. From her experience as an award-winning travel writer, Janet shares inspiring ways to make relaxation, adventure, and shifts in perspective part of each day, so that you replenish your energy and motivation. Learn do-able techniques for getting that balance we all seek when we say, “I want my life back!”

 

San Francisco Secrets

Is your group meeting in the Bay Area? As author of the bestselling Great San Francisco Trivia & Fact Book, Janet is your “inside track” to San Francisco. She’ll share stories and tips tailored to the needs of your audience—whether they’re history buffs, architecture mavens, shoppers, food lovers, or just want to know about the blocks around their hotel. Topics include: Everything You Didn’t Know About San Francisco...SF Shopping Secrets...Food Lover’s San Francisco...Wall Street of the West...Instant SF (how to spend a free hour or afternoon in The City).