Executive Education

This workshop is designed to acquaint the non-financial individual or manager with the fields of accounting and finance. It introduces and explains the basic concepts in these two critical areas that all business people need to understand to be effective on the job. Anyone with fiscal responsibilities will benefit from this information-packed seminar. This common sense, application-oriented approach will allow participants to immediately understand and apply the concepts and techniques discussed.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Improve your ability to communicate effectively in financial terms and with financial professionals

• Use these concepts on the job and in your personal financial affairs

• Understand the techniques used to evaluate company and individual project performance

• Compare company results with benchmarks

• Prepare budgets based on historical financial data

• Distinguish among competing long-term projects

• Use Excel to perform basic budgeting calculations

June 11 - 12, 2012
October 23 - 24, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $875

CEUs: 1.3

In this intensive three-day workshop, you will step beyond the essentials of project management and deal with real problems that result from changes during a project's life cycle. You will work through the process of bringing an actual project to completion with minimal impact on overall performance, budget and schedule objectives. This is a true, hands-on experience. No lectures. No theory. You will work with other attendees to address and resolve actual project management obstacles.

*This course is required for the Project Management Series Certificate.

Project Management Core Courses:
Strategic Project Management
Project Risk Management
Advanced Project Management

Prerequisites
Strategic Project Management
Project Risk Management

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Tackle an actual project and see the impact of real-world constraints and challenges

• Deal with a variety of challenges, financial and technical constraints, internal politics, and team dynamics

• Analyze and work through case studies that hit at the heart of project success and failure

July 23 - 25, 2012
December 3 - 5, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $1425

CEUs: 2.0

Have you ever found yourself uncomfortable when trying to state your opinion or position on an important issue? Are you sometimes reluctant to speak up, and when you do, you blurt out the wrong thing? Many people struggle with the challenge of asserting themselves without being too pushy or wishy-washy. Now, more than ever, it is vital that you communicate with confidence and poise in the workplace by finding that essential, middle ground. This workshop will give you the opportunity to learn, practice, and refine this key skill.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Recognize your strengths and weaknesses

• Stand up for yourself, your staff, and your goals - with new strength and confidence

• Communicate with more authority and impact

• Gain the ability to determine a successful model for asserting in any situation

October 9, 2012
8:30a.m. - 4:00p.m.

Tuition: $545

CEUs: .65

Beyond Train-the-Trainer teaches you how to use unique and new facilitation skills guaranteed to produce quality learning results. This two-day workshop is comprehensive and action packed. It will provide you with practical, useful, and inexpensive tools to make learning easy and fun. Its content will help you practice the use of proven facilitation skills, case studies and games. It promises to excite, challenge, and guide you to discover innovative learning activities that produce immediate and reliable results.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Know how to determine when to train and when to facilitate learning

• Discover 18 characteristics unique to a successful facilitator

• Have the ability to design a results-oriented case study for general classroom and technical trainers

September 20-21, 2012
8:30a.m. - 4:00p.m.

Tuition: $995

CEUs: 1.3

Many firms are facing the reality that revenue/profit growth is difficult to sustain.  Therefore, changes in the strategic direction of the firm are necessary.  This two-day program focuses on the creation and management of innovation as both a source of competitive advantage and as a vehicle for growth.  Instruction will focus on the importance and process of innovation through the study of firms including Campbell Soup, Whirlpool, Procter & Gamble and Apple.  Program attendees should include mid to senior level executives who are charged with leading innovation in firms; prime focus will be on product and service innovation.

Upon completion of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Empower innovation in a firm through a top down approach

• Create innovation teams

• Develop and execute the innovation process

• Monitor innovation results

May 17-18, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $995

CEUs: 1.3

What does a leader look like? In this dynamic one-day workshop you will have the opportunity to explore all facets of situational leadership and then define, practice, and critique your own leadership skills. You will develop the confidence needed to direct the efforts of others and lead in your organization with strength and vision. Whatever management training you may have had previously, situational leadership will complement it.

Upon completion of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Know the key differences between managing and leading

• Analyze the profiles of today's leaders and learn what makes them successful

• Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of your personal leadership style

• Positively influence the behavior of those with whom you work

October 25, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $545

CEUs: 0.65

Are you tired of struggling to write effectively?  Are you relying on the writing skills that you learned in elementary school?  Many people struggle to write succinct, compelling, and correct messages.  It is vital that your written communication is as compelling as your verbal.  This workshop series will give you the opportunity to learn, practice and refine this key skill.

Upon completion  of this workshop you will be able to:

• Identify your audience and adjust your tone and content to suit
• Create succinct, clear messages
• Choose correct words for clarity
• Use modernized writing standards and new rules

Fall, 2012
Thursdays 5:30 – 7:00 pm

Tuition:  $675

CEUs:  1.1

The ability to deliver an effective presentation is a skill.  It can be mastered by applying proven techniques and through practice.  This workshop will focus on providing participants an opportunity to practice speaking in front of a group multiple times.  Presentations will be videotaped during the workshop period. These presentations will be reviewed with participants and specific feedback will be provided to them on their strengths as well as any improvements needed.

• Practice ways to manage your nervousness and feel more confident when speaking in front of a group
• Incorporate appropriate gestures to enhance your presentation
• Be able to use a general format for delivering your presentations for quick impromptu presentations as well as for assigned presentation
• Understand your audience and its expectations of you
• Know when and how to solicit feedback from your audience
• Add auditory impact to your presentation
• Understand the importance of putting excitement into your presentations
• Reinforce key points effectively through visual aids

October 11, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $545

CEUs: .65

Prepare for the GMAT in this comprehensive, ten-week program at the Robins School of Business. Your GMAT score is a vital aspect of the MBA admissions process and thorough preparation is critical for success. Come gain the knowledge you need, in a Business School environment, to pass the exam and take your next step on the way to your MBA.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Gain verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills necessary to pass the exam

• Learn test-taking tricks to help you stay on-task and confident throughout the exam

• Understand the exam format through extensive practice questions and samples

September 24 - November 26, 2012
Mondays: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Tuition: $1399

CEUs: 2.7

Most adult training programs are modeled after teaching to children. You will learn how to design and develop training programs specifically for adult learners in this one-day program, the first of three in the Train-the-Trainer Certificate Series.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Create successful, stimulating training programs for adult learners

• Increase the return on investment for your company's training programs

• Retain employees who have been successfully trained

• Entice even the most reluctant participants to be eager to learn

July 30, 2012
September 24, 2012
November 5, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $545

CEUs: .65

Successful face-to-face communication still makes all the difference, despite the ease of technology. The Harvard Business Review states, "The one most desirable quality in a job candidate is the ability to communicate effectively." It is estimated that in the workplace alone, our poor communication and listening habits cost businesses nearly one billion dollars a day! You spend hours each day engaged in some form of communication. Ineffective communication at work and home leads to problems and potentials for disaster.

In this award-winning one-day program, you will have an opportunity to truly expand and develop your communication skills by using a self-inventory and engaging in group exercises.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Assess your personal communication style

• Confidently choose the best communication approach

• Fine tune your listening skills

• Communicate in tense situations

• Read body language and non-verbal cues to determine true meanings

September 27, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $545

CEUs: .65

What do we need to do as leaders to convey more positive energy, to create opportunities to challenge and spire others?  How do we lead and encourage others toward excellence, greater creativity, and more job satisfaction?  This program will present current research on what "drives" all of us toward greater commitment and achievement, regardless of monetary ad nonmonetary rewards.  In addition, specific guidelines will be offered for developing an "inspiring plan" that gets employees fired up and energized about their work, their team, and their organization - that makes them want to come to work every day.

• Recognize the three elements of "drive" and how to use them effectively
• Use a tool kit of the seven reasons employees stay and how to ensure those seven reasons are in place at your organization
• Establish trust and "connection" and apply the four guidelines for self-motivation and individual greatness
• Ask ten questions to get people "thinking and talking" - creating an environment of creativity and inspiration
• Execute an "appreciative inquiry" approach to promote positive individual, team, and organization change

October 29, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $545

CEUs: .65

Are there difficult conversations you need to have as a leader?  Have you avoided them for too long for one reason or another?  This half-day session will address the dynamics that delay our having those much needed conversations and will offer positive and specific steps to ensure we apply the right approach at the right time with the right people.

• Five dialogue tips to help reduce tension and resistance
• A seven-step "critical conversation" model to ensure focus and accuracy
• Five guidelines for communicating value and energy
• An applicable "conversation" plan for leading specific difficult conversations and evaluating individual effectiveness

September 24, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Tuition: $325

CEUs: .33

Leaders are faced with the on-going challenge of ensuring work output and employee performance are meeting individual and organizational expectations.  This one-day program will offer specific guidelines for building trust, mastering accountability, building team energy and effectiveness, and having critical conversations that influence and empower others.  Participants will leave with tools for building an organization of advocacy and commitment.

• Recognize individual conversational strengths - how to persuade and influence
• Deliver "tough" feedback timely, accurately, and appropriately - getting desired results
• Coach others to ensure a productive and cooperative working atmosphere - establishing accountability
• Evaluate individual leadership approaches - effective and ineffective - choosing the right approach

October 11, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $545

CEUs: 0.65

Effective management must be learned either through experience or from a technical professional who has made the transition into management. In either case, there is a learning process. This tools and techniques-oriented session examines how to develop an effective management style that will guide your transition from a technical position into the management ranks. Learn how to leverage your technical expertise into a powerful management style.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Understand the difference managing people and managing projects

• Make effective decisions when there is no "black and white"

• Reduce the cycle time and overhead associated with your organization

• Assess the true value your function adds to the organization

• Utilize the tools to apply in assessing and resolving functional and organizational problems

June 13 - 14, 2012
November 14 - 15, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $995

CEUs: 1.3

Conflict wears many faces. Whether you face difficult people or tough situations, you need cooperation to resolve a problem. This one-day workshop will give you the tools to take responsibility for making relationships work and will show you how to manage conflict using simple, effective steps in a non-threatening manner. Your organization will benefit from increased efficiency, more creative thinking, and stronger teamwork.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Understand your personal approach to conflict

• Recognize the power of collaboration and the requisite skills for success

• Learn six critical steps to resolving conflict

• Effectively use clear and simple problem solving strategies

November 29, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $545

CEUs: .65

The selection and management of your project team is as important as the project plan itself. Without a cohesive project team and the interpersonal chemistry to function as a unit, your project may fall short of everyone’s expectations. Successful project managers utilize proven team management techniques in the selection, direction and motivation of their project.

Your success as a project manager hinges on realizing the power of your team and being proactive in accepting responsibility for team output and results. This unique program offers a comprehensive look at the tools, techniques and methodologies that successful project managers use in a broad array of industries and projects.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Identify the common pitfalls that can sink projects and the manager

• Use a mechanism to monitor team and individual progress toward project goals

• Allocate milestones and workload among your team members

• Turn constraints and problems into opportunities to promote team creativity, rather than frustration and stagnation

October 4 - 5, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $995

CEUs: 1.3

Today's most successful executives know the importance and power of good negotiation skills.  Each of us negotiates daily with suppliers, peers, team members, and customers.  Some negotiations take just a few minutes while others take hours, days, or even weeks.  This two-day workshop full of practice opportunities will help you develop the skills to analyze and practice the negotiation process from planning through completion.

• Establishing your negotiating goals
• Importance of planning and strategizing
• Negotiations as collaborative problem-solving endeavors
• Integrative bargaining
• Closing the deal

November 29 - 30, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $875

CEUs: 1.3

Planning is the key to a successful training program. In this two-day workshop, you will design a real-world training program using your organization’s materials, and also learn techniques that will help you save time and money on future programs. This is the second course of three within the Train-the-Trainer Certificate Series.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Learn how to use the C.A.P. model for identifying instructional goals

• Practice three necessary steps for instructional outcomes

• Discover the top 10 creative training points for designing training

July 31 - August 1, 2012
September 25-26, 2012
November 6-7, 2012

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $995

CEUs: 1.3

Achieve professional recognition by passing the Project Management Professional^® exam and receiving the PMP^® designation, an international professional credential from the Project Management Institute. In this three-day program, you will develop tools for organizing and remembering the information covered in the PMBOK^® guide and the recommended references needed to pass the PMP Certification Exam^®. You will master the PMI^® framework and have opportunities to test the application of your knowledge through sample questions and a practice exam. During the course you will learn how to efficiently complete the application, schedule the exam, and gather test-taking hints for both online and paperbased testing.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Gain tools and techniques for remembering critical information necessary to pass the PMP Certification Exam^®

• Practice testing the application of your PMP knowledge through practice exams and sample questions

• Gain the knowledge necessary for all aspects of the PMP exam process, including the application, scheduling, and test-taking hints

May 23 - 25, 2012
October 24 - 26, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $1425

CEUs: 2.0

Today more than ever, it is crucial that we have the ability to influence others in a way that maximizes the effectiveness of the organization.  But for many of us, that skill does not come naturally.  In this seminar, you will focus on the key elements of the influencing process and discover the techniques of getting things done without formal authority.

• Strengthening Your Credibility: The First Step
• Building Relationships using Reciprocity
• The Power of Persuasion
• Key Communication Skills

October 30, 2012
8:30a.m. - 4:00p.m.

Tuition: $545

CEUs: .65

An organization’s bottom-line is the primary indicator of successful cost control. Too many project managers think of cost simply in terms of sound control systems. Cost management is more than control. Cost is a factor in all phases of a project, and well-grounded project management skills directly relate to cost management success. You will learn sound techniques in managing, as well as controlling, cost. The end result is a cadre of useful tools for making cost one of the success factors for the total project.

NOTE: This course is a pre-requisite for the PMP Certification Test Preparation Course (to be offered in the spring).

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Manage costs and resources for the entire project

• Examine cost risks in all phases of the project

• Develop a cost and risk management plan

• Establish price and estimate processes that will work for you

• Use earned-value to track project progress

June 11 - 12, 2012
November 12 - 13, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $995

CEUs: 1.3

In these newly developed project management case study workshops, participants are introduced to three real-world situations taken from one of three areas:  capital goods, service sector, and an internal process improvement project.  Each case study workshop is three days in length, providing adequate time for in-class analysis and team interaction.  In each workshop, the participants will be given a brief introduction to the project along with the expected deliverables, target schedules and budgets, and a set of operating constraints.  Each case study is general enough that specific industry sector knowledge is not required.  However, to gain the most value, participants must have received the Robins School of Business Project Management certificate.  Participants will take part in 19.5 classroom hours that may be applied toward certification or recertification for the PMP or CAPM. 

Requirements:

Participants will be required to provide their own computing equipment, utilizing the project management software of their choice, PowerPoint, and Excel.  Preliminary Failure Analysis, Assumptions Matrix, and any unique requirement templates will be provided by the instructor.

Some outside of class interaction and coordination with other team members may be necessary to ensure completion of all assigned tasks.  Team presentations will be made on day three and will receive instructor’s feedback, including criticism and recommendations.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Perform a situational assessment of the project environment
• Perform failure analysis highlighting critical project risks
• Create a project schedule that incorporates a comprehensive list of activities that must be completed in order to deliver the project in the shortest time possible
• Develop a project budget that includes all expenses and capital costs expected for a project
• Develop cash flow baselines to aid the accounting department in managing the financial requirements of a project
• Develop a compliance management plan
• Create a procurement management plan that defines which aspects of the project will be completed internally versus external to the organization
• Develop a communications management plan that incorporates the reporting requirements defined by the project stakeholders

Fall, 2012 - process improvement/cost reduction case
June 19 – 21, 2012 - service sector case
July 17 – 19, 2012 - manufacturing/product development case
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $1,425

CEUs: 2.0

Every project you manage contains risk. Risk comes in many forms and each requires a unique solution. Explore the many faces of risk and learn techniques to analyze each one. Work through real case studies to see how to apply risk management tools to your projects. This two-day workshop will introduce you to inductive and deductive risk management tools and failure analyses. Also, introduced will be the legal aspects of risk and the decisions that you must make to minimize legal problems.

*This course is required for the Project Management Series Certificate.

Project Management Core Courses:
Strategic Project Management
Project Risk Management
Advanced Project Management

Prerequisite
Strategic Project Management

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Identify risk early in the planning cycle

• Categorize and compare different risks

• Establish risk criteria for your projects

• Conduct professional inductive and deductive risk assessments

• Apply proactive alternate risk assessment methodologies to your project

• Analyze the decisions you make relative to the risk they introduce into your project

May 21 - 22, 2012
October 22 - 23, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $995

CEUs: 1.3

No matter how much time and effort you have spent developing your training programs, an effective presenter can make or break your training program. Sharpen your skills as a trainer in this two-day workshop. Learn creative, inexpensive and easy ways to conduct high-impact training from icebreaker to wrap up. This is the third of three courses within the Train-the-Trainer Certificate Series.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Gain increased confidence in your presentation skills

• Develop effective training action plans

• Ask 'focusing' questions to stimulate your audience

• Take home a personalized DVD, with Ed Jones' coaching voiceover, as a reference and refresher

• Practice, review, and critique your videotaped training presentation

August 2 - 3, 2012
September 27 - 28, 2012
November 8 - 9, 2012
Thursday: 8:30a.m. - 4:00p.m.
Friday: 8:00a.m. - 1:30p.m.

Tuition: $995

CEUs: 1.3

The SHRM Learning System® will strengthen your knowledge base with a comprehensive review of the entire body of HR knowledge, preparing you to take either the PHR or SPHR exam. Using the SHRM Learning System®, this program will give you a broad overview and understanding of the many responsibilities of HR professionals.

The SHRM program is a study-intensive, fast-paced course. Periodic progress checks and homework exercises draw upon a large variety of sample questions from different sources to reinforce classroom review sessions. You will assess your competency level, as well as enrich your test-taking skills.

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• HR professionals who want a comprehensive review before taking the PHR or SPHR certification exams

• HR specialists who want to broaden their competency and knowledge of current HR practices

• PHR level professionals seeking to upgrade their certification to SPHR

September 25 - December 11, 2012
Tuesdays: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Tuition: $1250
Includes SHRM Learning System® workbooks

CEUs: 3.6

Whether it’s launching a new product or a global communication system, developing software or constructing a building, it’s your job as a project manager to make it all happen. Project management takes a special set of tactical and practical management skills to carry out this kind of responsibility. This workshop will give you the skills and training you need in all of the critical phases of managing people and projects successfully. The emphasis is on real-world, practical applications developed through years of hands-on experience in world-class, multinational organizations.

*This course is required for the Project Management Series Certificate.

Project Management Core Courses:
Strategic Project Management
Project Risk Management
Advanced Project Management

Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Uncover project expectations and gauge management's commitment to the project

• Craft an effective project definition and to evaluate feasibility

• Select the best members for your team and motivate their diverse talents

• Proactively minimize risk through quantitative measures

• Process control techniques that will help you stay on schedule and under budget

• Understand the importance of WBS, PERT, and Gantt charts to track your project

• Know the secrets of trade-off analysis

October 1 - 3, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuition: $1425

CEUs: 2.0

Are you responsible for training employees? As a training professional, you need to continually update your presentation and planning techniques. There are many Train-the-Trainer programs in the U.S., but this program is the only trainer training program that is required for all trainers in several Fortune 500 companies. Dr. Ed Jones is the most highly rated Train-the-Trainer specialist in the country. His expertise in trainer training can bring your skills and effectiveness to a new level.

The Train-the-Trainer program is available to you as a complete week-long program or as individual courses. By registering for the courses as a week-long session, you will save $340.

Individual courses include: How Adults Learn; Planning, Designing, & Evaluating Effective Training; and Proven Classroom Techniques.

July 30 - August 3, 2012
September 24 - 28, 2012
November 5 - 9, 2012

Monday - Thursday: 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Week-long course tuition: $2195
Individual course tuitions are listed separately.
Tuition includes a Trainer Training Tool Box, certificate, lunch and refreshments.

CEUs: 3.25