• Evaluating the words and images you use to represent your organization in brochures, websites and other documents;
• Clarifying your message;
• Developing consistent and compelling media portrayals, positions or brands;
• Enhancing the power of your promotional materials;
• Expanding your knowledge of your core audiences and competition;
• Deepening your understanding of your internal strengths and weaknesses;
• Assessing opportunities and threats;
• Identifying and articulating your organization's distinguishing characteristics; and
• Setting marketing goals and develop a marketing plan.

Useful handouts will be provided.

For many of us the words "strategic planning" elicit a groan and an eye roll. However, tapping best practice and creatively engaging employees and customers can help the planning process revitalize your agency. This session reviews the core components of effective planning while offering guidelines on efficiently and effectively involving employees and other key stakeholders in the process. Finally, we will identify ways in which to help the plan serve as a vital guide to the organization once in place. You will walk away with a fresh road map for planning for your organization.  

Strong writing in professional settings is essential for effective and efficient communication. Your writing also says a lot about you to your reader; make sure it says what you want it to. Business Writing will introduce a specific method for drafting and refining your message (no matter what the length or purpose), refresh your grammar and sentence structure skills, help you avoid common spelling mistakes, and make sure you send out great emails and correspondence. This course actually makes grammar fun and memorable! 

All of us experience conflict. It can cause lost productivity, working well as a team and stressful relationships if not handled with a timely and respectful resolution. At times we lose sight of the fact that all this conflict is normal. So long as people are individuals there will be the potential for conflict. Since you can’t prevent conflict, the most important thing is to learn how to handle or manage it in productive ways. That’s what this workshop is designed to help you do.  

Adult CPR: Train lay responders what to do in emergency situations and how to recognize and care for life-threatening respiratory or cardiac emergencies in adults.  

American Heart now has a 2 year re-certification for CPR. This class teaches Adult CPR, Child CPR, Infant CPR, and Heimleich for all. We will also cover quickly the AED’s that are out in the communities now. You must have had the 30 to 2 for compressions to take this recert class. The class will last about 45 min to 1 hour. No tape to watch or a written test.

This course will review methods, tools, and ideas for marketing state programs to the public using your own desktop resources. Specifically, it will address:

• Identifying your target audience and defining your message to them
• Ways to reach your target audience
• State brand and graphic standards, templates, tools, and support services
• Case studies and reviews of real projects. 

Speaking well in front of people – the ability to influence and persuade, to come across as competent, credible, and even inspirational – is a critical skill. The ability to clearly articulate your ideas can make the difference between having your ideas accepted or rejected. In addition, the way you express yourself influences not only acceptance or rejection, but how inspired people are to support those ideas.

This workshop is designed to help participants get the results they want when speaking to small or large groups of people. The focus is on delivery skills and strategies for getting stage fright under control – making nervous energy work for you. We practice ways to look at an audience and build rapport, ways to use your voice for inflection and emphasis, and ways to use your body to create visual interest and understanding. While the emphasis is on physical skills, we also discuss the importance of audience analysis and content development. We cover strategies for clarifying purpose, assessing audience needs, developing content, using visuals, and delivering your message.

Called "Boot Camp", this course encourages you to take risks and "try on" new skills in a respectful, fun and safe environment. Participants practice the skills, blend them with their unique styles, and receive feedback from the facilitator and fellow participants. They also receive video feedback so they “see and hear” their actual presentations. The workshop's only prerequisite is a willingness to try out new strategies.  

Effective proof reading is an essential skill for anyone involved in writing documents of any sort. The accuracy of written language affects the meaning of documents, the image of the organization and individual, the clarity of results generated by the writing, and the opportunities for professional growth of the writer. Participants will learn techniques for accurate proofreading and editing. These techniques will be studied and practiced, but with a constant awareness of the need for efficiency in order to address the time constraints in our work lives.

• Establishing essential job duties and performance expectations
• Creating an environment where employees understand their responsibilities and are accountable for their performance
• Giving and receiving constructive feedback
• Coaching techniques and strategies
• Conducting an annual performance review meeting
• Employee development practices for increased productivity and morale

Process improvement is the "final frontier" to streamlining and improving organizational efficiency. Employees get frustrated when the process they use causes delays, problems, waste and other non-value activity. Dr. Deming, the quality guru who gave Japan their momentum with quality management estimates that 85% of the problems have to do with a poor process, and not the skills, ability or motivation of the employees who use the process.

This course will give you the fundamentals of quality management, with a focus on the process improvement methods, tools and templates for completing a process improvement project. In addition, the skills and techniques for starting, leading and developing process improvement teams will be covered.  

Under Vermont law, all written and recorded information produced or acquired in the course of public agency business is a public record. Although we work with “public records” every day, not everyone is familiar with Vermont public records laws, the difference between an open record or exempt record, and basic records management practices and principles. The Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) was established by Act 96 of 2008 to establish and administer the State records management program. This an introductory workshop designed to explain Vermont’s recordkeeping laws, best practices, tools and resources currently available, and how VSARA records analysts can help.

Sturdy long and short range planning ensures that people in your department, program or unit are committed to common goals, know their responsibilities and can monitor progress. This workshop teaches you how to facilitate creating plans that are practical and flexible. You will be able to create plans for:

• Carrying out an agency or department directive, grant guidelines or program goals
• Improved client outcomes
• Workforce planning

Is working at your computer hazardous to your health? The more you use a computer, the more important it is that your physical and virtual computing environments are properly set up so that your computers work with you rather than against you. This workshop will cover a variety of ways you can minimize your risk of developing repetitive strain injuries (RSI), eye strain, tendonitis, and other health problems that may arise from heavy computer use at work, at home, or elsewhere.

Do you want to feel better? Are you living with chronic health conditions? In this workshop you learn to deal with frustration, fatigue and pain. Improve your strength, flexibility and endurance. Manage medications. Learn healthy eating habits. Improve communication with health professionals, family and friends about your needs….and much more. People who have completed this program report many benefits- increased energy, less stress, more self confidence and fewer doctor visits.

Whether your agency is going through a strategic planning process or significant structural changes, effectively engaging large numbers of employees is critical to helping the organization own change, encouraging cross-boundry thinking and tapping the best wisdom available. In this short session we review best practices, models and specific techniques for bringing large numbers of employees together for powerful results, whether in individual "town meetings" or large "working conferences" in a change process.

 Code: 040176

The focus of this training will be examining substantive and procedural issues that can arise while administering the disciplinary action and performance corrective action provisions of the collective bargaining agreements. Substantial time will be devoted to lesser disciplinary actions and dismissals. Due process considerations, such as right to union representation at a meeting that may lead to discipline and right to a pre-termination hearing will be discussed. Grievances will be discussed including the standards that apply to grievances, such as timeliness requirements. 

This course is designed to provide foundational skills and methods at an intermediate level of the role and responsibilities of the Business Analyst.  The course will cover such key topics as the multi-faceted role of the BA, developing the business case, process analysis, visual modeling, risk analysis, communication plans, and the gathering, documenting, managing and transmitting of requirements.  The course includes a final case study that will involve applying the skills and methods acquired.  The course will be a mix of presentation, exercises, discussions and learning of tools.

This 2 ½ day course is designed to provide foundational skills and methods at an intermediate level of the role and responsibilities of the Business Analyst.  It includes a final case study that will involve applying the skills and methods acquired.

Specific topics include:  the BA/BOK,  SDLC, Gap Analysis,  Data Modeling Diagrams, Process Mapping, Stakeholder Management and interfacing with the Project Manager

CLASS LIMIT: 12               

• Analyze the job to determine the skills needed
• Develop effective, "high-yield" questions
• Structure and control the interview
• Probe to get revealing answers
• Make a hiring decision based on more than your intuition

Process improvement is as good as the measures and control we put in place when the process is first designed or improved. When employees understand how their process is working through daily and monthly measures, and have the controls to keep the process performing within desired ranges, those employees now have a better chance at making adjustments and changes so that the process meets the requirements of internal and external customers.

This course will give you the fundamentals of measuring and controlling a process. This includes how to develop standards/procedures, work instructions, and the training of workers to perform key process steps, In addition, the skills and techniques for collecting, charting, analyzing and making changes using process related key measures and data will be covered.

Complete an on-line e-learning modules- 0.5 hrs
Book: TBD (reading parts of it; book based on final course focus. 

The transition time, says William Bridges, is the in-between time when you are the new leader, or the department has been re-organized, and organizational life suddenly seems in limbo. At such times, it helps to reflect upon what we all go through in the unsettling in-between time. It helps to know that change processes typically have a life cycle that you can prepare people for and lead people through. Bring a change you are leading or assisting with; reflect, learn and use the wisdom of the class group to help you with the specific challenge you face.

• Originating bills and finding sponsors
• Learning how legislative committees work
• Understanding deadlines and crossover dates
• Finding out how lobbying works in real life
• Giving effective committee testimony
• Reading and understanding journals and calendars
• Discussing the budget considerations of a bill
• Preparing fiscal calculations and budgets

• Increase your comfort level in leading meetings.
• Better understand your role & responsibilities as the meeting facilitator. - Know when to have a meeting and when not to.
• Know the difference between informational, problem-solving and project planning meetings. - Know what needs to be done before, during and after a meeting in order to get the kinds of participation and otucomes you need.
• Increase your strategies for keeping meetings on track and for dealing with the non- productive behaviors that can deail a meeting.
• Practice techniques for effectively facilitating group processes.

Are your meetings life giving or life draining? Do they get results or do they get burdensome? This workshop is designed to help you turn meetings into vital, well-planned, well-run forums for discussion, creativity, problem solving and goal achievement. During the workshop we will look at the three phases of meeting management, discuss ways to keep people focused and on track, encourage participation (e.g., brainstorming, nominal group technique, etc.), handle disruptions, and practice various facilitation techniques for problem solving and decision making (e.g., brainstorming, reaching consensus, etc.). You can have the meetings you and your colleagues dream about with just a little planning and the use of facilitation skills we'll discuss and practice in this workshop.

• Monday Agenda - Script Automation API. Introduction of Software Scripting Configuration of VP Scripts within Software Thick Client Traversing the Automation API When to use the Automation API
• Tuesday Agenda – Thick Client API. Introduction to the Thick Client API Installing the Thick Client API Thick Client API Object Model When to use the Thick Client API
• Wednesday Agenda - Workflow Scripting and Core Services Architecture Creating scripts for Client & Server Compatibility Introduction to the Core Services API Traversing the Core Services API Core Services APIs of the Past Desktop API (including Core Services ActiveX Controls) DMWebSvcMgr AppServices Moving Solutions to Hyland.Services
• Thursday Agenda – Hyland.Services API and SOA ActiveX Controls Introduction to the Hyland.Services Web Service Installing the Hyland.Services Web Service Creating & Sending Requests to Hyland.Services Parsing Responses from Hyland.Services When to use Hyland.Services Web Service Introduction to the SOA ActiveX Controls When to use the SOA ActiveX Controls
• Friday Agenda – API Certification Exam, including comprehensive exam, thirty (30) questions, and three (3) practical programming scenarios.

Duration of course is five (5) days on-site.

• Monday Agenda – General Introductions, OnBase® Overview, Configuring Disk Groups, Keywords, Document Type Groups, Document Types, and ADMIN 101: Running Configuration Reports.
• Tuesday Agenda – Document Imaging, AutoFill Keyword Sets and Management, Sys Admin 101: Scan Reports, Text and Image Documents both thick and thin client, EDM Services, Notes and Redactions, Security, and ADMIN 101: Transaction Logs.
• Wednesday Agenda – DIP, ADMIN 101: Document Maintenance, COLD, and Scheduler.
• Thursday Agenda – Custom Queries, ADMIN 101: Setting User/Workstation Options, Cross-Referencing, ADMIN 101: Locks, System Statistics, ADMIN 101: Platter Management, and Practice Quiz.
• Friday Agenda – Certified System Administration Exam, including comprehensive review, written exam, and exam review.

Feeling overwhelmed makes productivity tough and job enjoyment even tougher. In this popular workshop, Porter Knight shows you simple steps to get and stay organized so you can get more done with less stress. Porter will address time management myths and introduce you to real productivity solutions. You’ll learn effective techniques for organizing your physical and virtual work spaces as well as managing your projects and tasks. Following her simple guidelines, you can streamline the flow of paper, improve your ability to access files, stay on top of your email, and practice realistic scheduling. You’ll learn the types and causes of disorganization, the secrets to creating order, and even strategies to help organize your co-workers. Structured breakout sessions throughout the class give you the opportunity to discuss and apply what you are learning, and you’ll leave with specific strategies you can put in place immediately.

When painful events such as reorganization, reduction in force, or relocation occur, managers and supervisors are called upon to support their staff in a manner that will ensure the least upsetting experience possible. This workshop will present proactive strategies for supervisors and managers leading staff through trying times. One goal of the workshop is learning to shift the energy of the team from surviving to thriving.

The success of a presentation is a direct result of the effectiveness of the presenter. This empowering workshop combines an awareness of good vocal technique with training on how to give clear, effective, and compelling presentations. You will practice skills to develop a more powerful voice, enhance confidence and presence, and discover how to connect with an audience. You will also have the opportunity to deliver on videotape your own presentation, receive feedback, and fine-tune your skills. No experience or preparation necessary.

Give yourself an early holiday gift. Attend this workshop and learn how to stretch your resources and organize your personal finances for the holidays. Plan now to avoid the headaches of over-extending your family budget. We'll discuss low-cost, no-cost ways to celebrate the holidays. We'll also explore ways to creatively begin a savings plan and holiday budget. Be sure and bring your creative ideas to share.

Yes, public speaking still outranks death as people’s number one fear. Whether "public speaking" means talking to five co-workers about a new initiative or addressing a national convention, there are tried and true techniques that work even for people who would rather never be up in front of a group. Learn how to manage your anxiety and get on with the show. The day is designed to include laughter and humor as well as new ideas about approaching what for many people is a seriously scary subject.

This workshop is practical and hands on. By the end of the day, everyone will have created a brief presentation they can feel confident about. There will also be time to discuss strategies for approaching specific speaking situations class participants face, or expect to face.

Learning Objectives:

• Create a presentation you can have confidence in
• Identify the source of your fears
• Identify benefits of speaking up better
• Learn how to manage and conceal fear
• Try the lowest possible risk
• Gain information on where your strengths lie
• Identify a stretch challenge, even if it's a baby step
• Make a plan to do even better next time

Projects bring together resources, skills, technology and ideas to satisfy business objectives and deliver business benefits. Proper project management helps us identify and manage risks appropriately, and increases the likelihood we will meet project objectives.   Good project managers insure benefits are achieved within budget, on time and to the required quality.

Course Objectives:

• Discuss the phases of the Project Management Life Cycle and a project manager's role in each phase.
• List and discuss basic project success criteria and common reasons for project failure.
• Discuss techniques for setting up a strong project team.
• List and discuss elements of a Risk Management Plan.
• Discuss techniques for planning and sequencing project activities, including the Work Breakdown Structure and a Network Logic Diagram.
• Identify the Critical Path for completing a project on schedule.
• List and discuss the cost elements that should be included in a project budget.
• Discuss techniques for controlling deviations from budget and schedule.
• Discuss key elements for project management communications and reporting tools.
  Discuss key activities of Project Close-out.

If you care about precision and making documents error-free, this class is for you.  If you struggle to "see" misspellings and format inconsistencies, come learn new techniques.  No matter how relaxed communication becomes, you are still judged on typographical errors.  In this class, stop these incriminating bloopers by sharpening your typo-spotting ability.  Acquire tricks to maintain concentration and enjoy proofreading. We will also address the "But how do I edit without learning 1, 000 grammar rules?" issue.  Discuss how to work harmoniously with writers, editors, and other proofreaders.  When a document absolutely, positively must be perfect, skills learned in this class will help make it that way.

Designed specifically for those planning to retire within five to ten years, this one-day workshop addresses pre-retirement issues, concerns and options. Topics will include financial planning, tax considerations, legal affairs and estate planning, Social Security and state employee retirement benefits.

The Administrative Fee of $10.00 will be paid for by the Treasurer's Office for State employees.  

This workshop will provide an overview of the State’s rule-making procedures. These procedures are used to implement state laws. State employees, who draft and implement regulations; work with the legislature to develop or modify laws; or have an interest in how laws affect citizens’ daily lives, are encouraged to attend.

Topics to be covered include:

• The rule-making process and how it relates to legislating and decision-making.
•  Vermont rule-making law.
• The responsibilities of the executive and legislative branches concerning filing rules and the Interagency Committee on Administrative Rules, and the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules.
• The process of promulgating regulations. 

This sometimes whimsical, but always practical course addresses a variety of challenging events in the day-to-day life of a supervisor. Working with real life scenarios participants will gain insight into avoiding some of the pitfalls associated with being a supervisor. Some potential topics include: praising and reprimanding; abuse of leaves; the disciplinary process; evaluations that really work; harassment complaints; and difficult employees. This course is most appropriate for employees who are current supervisors in the state system, but is also of value to those considering becoming supervisors.

 An overview of the Americans with Disability Act and its application to State employees.

The rapid growth of the use of e-mail in the business worlds has been a double-edged sword. It is certainly a rapid mode of communication, allowing for ease of communication both to individuals and groups. However, it is these same qualities that have caused growing problems. This course will examine the proper uses of e-mail, difficult issues of etiquette, and help participants to make the very best use of this medium. Participants will learn processes for writing effective e-mails, and practice these processes with instructor and peer feedback.

Your team has been given a project: where do you start and how do you lead them through to the end? This interactive workshop teaches you frameworks and skills for planning the project soup to nuts.

This workshop is designed with the trainer in mind. Trainers have unique skill needs – while they “present” a class they also create a learning environment; anticipate participant needs, assess situations, facilitate discussions, lead activities and manage logistics. Quite a bit to do!

• Adult learning theories
• Learning styles and needs, including working with disabilities
• Program design steps
• Content development
• Visual supports
• Training activities
• Facilitation skills
• Ways to engage and energize participants
• Ways to handle difficult situations

This workshop focuses on practical tools and frameworks for holding in difficult conversations. The workshop is aimed primarily at supervisors and managers who must hold difficult conversations and assist staff in doing so. You will learn about sources of conflict and keys to dialogue. We will practice simple coaching questions that help people to problem-solve about their own situations.

This workshop introduces you to the State’s classification process: why it exists, how it operates, and the consequences of classification actions. This workshop should be of interest to supervisors and managers, especially for those considering reorganization or a major review of their staff duties. Also covered will be problems to avoid and the relationship of classification to compensation. Classification subjects covered will be an explanation of the Willis point factor system used for job evaluation, how pay grades are determined, and job specifications and their relationship to recruitment and selection.

Being able to work effectively with others is a fundamental skill for all professionals. The key to effective relationships begins with being able to understand what motivates the behavior of others. This workshop will help you: ? Enlarge your ability to influence the quality of interactions and outcomes that you have with clients, customers and colleagues (including your own manager, peers and direct reports). ? Be more adept at recognizing different behavior styles as well as better understanding the particular needs of each style. ? Better understand your preferred behavior style and how it impacts others. ? Better understand what it takes to achieve win-win results (in and outside of the workplace) by modifying behavior. ? Better understand how being well-informed about behavior styles impacts both one-on-one interactions and overall team effectiveness.

Organizations that develop strategic plans consistently out perform those that do not. Strategy is the cornerstone of organizational design and critical for the success of any organization. Additionally, in rapidly changing environments, strategic plans need to be developed more frequently. This training will help organizational leaders develop effective and efficient strategic plans that do not just sit on a shelf, but can be implemented. Through hands-on excercises this training will help leaders understand their organizations and their environments and how these two can most effectively fit together to create synergistic results.

Supervising in state government is not an easy job. The consequences of ineffective supervision are great. This course attempts to make a supervisor’s job a little easier by summarizing those State-VSEA Contract articles and Personnel Policies and Procedures that all supervisors should know. This course focuses on providing information rather than on building skills. The course is based on the most common questions asked by supervisors and personnel related legal issues faced by departments.

This interactive workshop tunes your awareness of key diversity frameworks and builds skills that help you find workable solutions for diversity challenges in our work places and in interactions with the public.

Are you aware of your responsibilities as a supervisor if an employee receives an injury on the job? Do you have concerns regarding possible system abuse? This session will provide supervisors and managers with necessary information regarding the Workers' Compensation program for State employees. The focus will be on coordination and communication for effective claim management, safe and timely return to work and prevention of future injuries. What you don't know can hurt you.

Topics to be covered include:

• Workers' Compensation benefit overview
• Roles of the Workers’ Compensation Claims Team
• Role of the Supervisor or Manager
• Definitions and FAQ’s
• Communication—How and Why
• Suspected System Abuse—Identifying “Red Flags”
• Costs of Workers’ Compensation—What You Can Do
• Returning the Injured Employee to Work
• Injury Prevention Services Through Workplace Safety

You must be currently supervising other staff or work as member of your Agency/Department’s Human Resource Staff to attend this training.

BGS will pay the Administrative Fee for this course.  

At the end of this one day writing for the web training course we aim for you to be able to apply our practical guidelines for creating clear, compelling online copy, including:

• Identify salient content and
• Identify the target audience and how to write to them
• How to write for information purposes in the briefest possible manner
• Appreciating the key issues surrounding usability and accessibility
• Learning how keywords work and how to include them, helping to improve your search engine rankings

Do you receive countless calls asking for clarification? Do significant others not understand you when you talk about work? Does your writing suffer from listless prose, passive verbs and word weeds? Make life easier and save time by transforming confusing communications into clear, powerful documents. You will learn to:

• Know your audience.
• Anticipate their questions.
• Answer them clearly in a question-answer format.
• Use the active voice.
• Use examples and illustrations.
• Organize to serve your reader.
• Appeal to the reader visually.
• Use headings that inform.
• Avoid confusing terms.

Useful handouts will be provided.