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Would you like to provide a useful and lasting learning experience for your organization or team? Begin with these programs designed to meet a range of workplace challenges. The titles and objectives will give you an idea of what to expect based on the subject. Then Judy will meet with you to create a program that's specific to you and your group.

In addition, Judy works with a team of trainers who have expertise is stress management, leadership development, strategic planning, customer service, and adventure-based programming.

Contact Judy to arrange a training event for your organization.

Managing Difficult Conversations

What makes certain kinds of conversations so challenging? This skill-based training introduces strategies for dealing with tough topics, sharing difficult information, and managing interpersonal communication through listening, talking, and acknowledging what is actually going on.

Participants will practice mental, behavioral and verbal skills to feel more confident expressing themselves, understanding others, and transforming stressful conversations into learning conversations.

Purpose: To identify and practice key dialogue and behavior skills necessary for effective and purposeful communication.

Objectives:

• Recognize the symptoms of a difficult conversation
• Stop reacting and focus on what you really want 
• Utilize emotional energy constructively
• Listen with skill and composure
• Advocate for your point of view
• Move from conversation to action
• Apply understanding and skills to real life scenarios

• Difficult Conversations, Stone, Patton and Heen
• Crucial Conversations, Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler
• Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott
• Unlikely Teachers: Finding the Hidden Gifts in Daily Conflict, Judy Ringer

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Unlikely Teachers: Finding the Hidden Gifts in Daily Conflict

Most of us go about thinking that life happens to us, that conflict is a negative event, and that our reactions are caused and not under our conscious control. "Unlikely Teachers" suggests that life events, troublesome people, and difficult problems can be gifts that, while unexpected and often undesired, can help us strengthen relationships, open communication, and invent life in more purposeful ways.

Participants will discover how the most challenging situations and people can become the best teachers. By changing ourselves, we change our environment and move from feeling "acted upon" to becoming more conscious actors in our life and work.

This is an active and energizing workshop. Come prepared to learn, explore, participate, and have fun.

Objectives:

• See conflict as normal, inevitable, and potentially beneficial
• Increase options in difficult work and life situations
• Develop the skills of awareness, fluidity and presence
• Learn the six stages of transforming an attack into a gift of energy
• Unfold your potential to face daily challenges

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The Magic of Conflict

The perception that conflict equals contest, struggle, and stress has a profound impact on how we manage it as individuals and organizations. The Magic of Conflict workshop involves both body and mind, using simple and powerful kinesthetic exercises from the gentle martial art aikido ("The Way of Harmony"). Based on the book by Thomas Crum, The Magic of Conflict will help you find new ways to deal with conflict effectively and utilize its energy. Emphasis is on appreciation, understanding and working with your "opponents" instead of against them. You'll examine beliefs about conflict that hold you back, practice skills such as centering, listening, and managing emotions, and strengthen your ability to make new choices. This workshop is about managing conflict by changing yourself.

Purpose: To provide perspective and skills to change habitual reactions to conflict, enhance relationships, and improve the quality of life.

Objectives:

• Define and reframe the Myths of Conflict
• Learn to be centered and calm in any situation
• Understand the nature of power and how to maximize it for individual and team effectiveness
• Let go of the need to be right and be willing to learn
• Take effective action through listening and communication
• Take action in ways that support sustainable resolutions to problems

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Conflict in the Workplace

Whether the goal is excellent service, facilitating change, or creating a cooperative work environment, conflict often gets in the way. In this interactive and energizing program, you'll discover how to use daily challenges to discover what you're really going for and how to achieve it. You'll see conflict as a way to strengthen relationships, and you'll practice techniques to move from reactivity to response, certainty to curiosity, and from problems to solutions. You'll see how to make life more effortless and powerful and have fun doing it.

Purpose: To provide perspective, tools, and training in self-management and conflict resolution in the workplace.

Objectives:

• Define and understand conflict and your typical reactions to it
• Choose to be centered and increase your options in difficult situations
• Appreciate the value of listening and curiosity in conflict
• Utilize specific verbal applications to communicate more effectively
• Appreciate emotional energy and direct it in positive ways
• Perform more effectively at work, in meetings and difficult conversations

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Managerial Courage: Addressing Disrespectful Behavior

This multi-session workshop is designed to help managers communicate directly, truthfully, and respectfully when goals are not met. You will gain the courage to hold yourself and your employees accountable to high standards of performance to support a positive workplace. You'll learn about the obstacles to direct confrontation, practice assertiveness, and acquire mind/body skills that bring forth your leadership and vision. Participants will be asked to draw on specific problem situations in practicing the skills.

Purpose: To provide tools, skills and practice to become more comfortable delivering difficult feedback.

Objectives:

• Hold staff accountable
• Confront serious, ongoing behavior issues
• Deal with problems firmly and in a timely manner
• Make negative decisions when all other efforts fail
• Improve the working environment

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Team Building: Working Together Effectively

This is a multiple-session program that combines experiential methods of team problem solving, group dynamics, and skill building with mind/body techniques from the Japanese martial art aikido. Participants engage in games and puzzles which they need to solve as a team in order to be successful and in aikido activities that teach valuable awareness about how to work together. Other optional components: ropes course; personality style indicator; facilitated dialogue.

Purpose: To examine how teams of individuals can learn to appreciate their differences in work style and communication style and use these differences to increase team effectiveness and productivity.

Objectives:

• Develop processes for successfully solving problems and accomplishing tasks
• Appreciate differences in team members' styles and qualities
• Practice individual responsibility while working with others
• Explore conflict as an opportunity to increase team effectiveness
• Learn and practice communication skills that look for solutions instead of focusing on problems

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Mutual Gains Negotiation

The skills of negotiation can be learned, as can the ability to remain calm, centered and curious in the process. The two-day training presented here is designed to give participants an introduction to the principles and techniques of mutual gains negotiation, originated at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard, MIT, and Tufts and presented in the books Getting to Yes and Getting Past No, by Roger Fisher and William Ury. In addition, the program includes kinesthetic training in centering and blending from the martial art aikido and The Magic of Conflict by Thomas Crum.

During the course, theory will be followed by practice in the form of kinesthetic exercises, role plays and simulated negotiations. Students will have the opportunity to practice scenarios based on real life negotiations they face in the workplace.

Purpose: To increase our understanding and skill in dealing with conflict and to practice the art of negotiation.

Objectives:

• Increase connection and well being on all sides
• Move from defensive behavior to learning behavior
• Understand and practice the mutual gains approach to negotiation
• Negotiate better outcomes by understanding how to create and distribute value
• Deal with obstacles to the negotiation process

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Aikido and Conflict: Getting on the Mat

This program is for kinesthetic learners who like to immerse themselves in the educational experience. You will go to an aikido "dojo" (place of practice), put on gis (practice uniforms) and learn how to blend with an attack – both physical and verbal – and practice applying aikido principles to everyday workplace conflicts.

Purpose: To provide an "out-of-the-box" training experience combining aikido, communication and conflict management.

Objectives:

• Appreciate the relationship between how we deal with a physical attack and the way we deal with pressure and conflict at work
• Change resistance into flow and reaction into conscious response
• Increase presence and options under pressure
• Apply "on-the-mat" experiences to communication and conflict resolution

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Assertive Communication and Conflict Resolution

Do you find it difficult to ask for what you want, say no, or express a difference of opinion? If you view conflict as a contest, it may be difficult to express your own position or let others express theirs. Assertive communication can help create a sense of self and foster an environment that is meaningful and fulfilling. This workshop will help you express yourself calmly and with clarity while honoring other perspectives.

Purpose: To provide a model, training and practice in assertive communication.

Objectives:

• Understand the difference between aggressive, passive and assertive behavior and communication
• Practice language and gain the necessary perspective to help you express yourself assertively while acknowledging others

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Powerful Presentations

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 and videotape your own presentation, receive feedback, and fine-tune your skills. This program is available as a workshop or through individual instruction.

Purpose: To help participants acquire the tools for increased confidence and presence in speaking before large or small groups of people.

Objectives:

• Enhanced awareness of the vocal mechanism, including breathing and projection
• Ability to put into practice the Four Defining Characteristics of a Powerful Presentation
• Group learning through kinesthetic exercises, simulation and discussion
• Fun!

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The Powerful Voice

Do you wish you had a more powerful speaking voice? Do you have skilled, capable employees whose confidence is hampered by a soft-spoken, harsh or shaky voice? How we use our voice is closely connected with who we are. With proper coaching on breathing, projection, and relaxation, you can have a stronger, clearer and more effortless voice and feel better about yourself. This program is available as a workshop or through individual instruction.

Purpose: To help participants acquire a more powerful and confident speaking voice through physical, kinesthetic, and vocal exercises.

Objectives:

• Awareness of the vocal mechanism, including breathing and voice projection
• Methods of dealing with self-criticism and stage fright
• Confidence and presence before an audience

Whether in the classroom or the conference room, conflict is a significant part of school life. Judy Ringer helps students learn to interrupt their usual patterns and respond to conflict in new ways, using skills that are easily retained and practiced — and fun! Staff workshops focus on turning adversarial relationships into partnering ones and on modeling the approach for their own students. The following are examples of programs designed for schools and adaptable to your needs. Contact us to arrange a free informational meeting.

Children and Adolescents

True Power: The Calm at the Center of the Storm

How do I learn to make good decisions about my life? In what ways can I communicate better? Is it possible to use the energy of my emotions to become calm and centered? What is true power? Exercises from the gentle martial art aikido help students to physically experience concepts such as "resistance," "flow," and "center" — and to have fun. This is a great program for parent/child interaction.

Students will learn to:

• breathe and center before taking action
• differentiate between rigidity, aggression, and true power
• use the energy of conflict to make wise decisions
• listen and communicate

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Violence: Dealing with Anger

Violence results when children do not know that they have other options. With the help of a 25-minute video, which shows students reacting to problem situations, participants experience how to be powerful without resorting to violence. Best suited to 4^th, 5^th and 6^th grade students.

Students will learn:

• the B, L, T (Breathe, Learn, Talk) approach for handling anger and conflict
• to recognize different kinds of power
• to improve the way they think about themselves and others

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Staff Development Workshops

Managing Conflict in the Classroom

This interactive workshop will offer ways to manage anger and handle classroom conflicts using aikido principles. It will present a context to help the classroom teacher reframe conflict for self and students and value his or her own emotions while helping students deal with theirs. Activities focus on how to maintain presence when conflict occurs and change your "opponent" by changing yourself. The program offers skills that can be used as well as modeled and taught.

Participants will practice:

• increasing awareness and choice when conflict occurs
• dealing with student anger and disrespectful behavior
• listening and talking skills

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Team Building: Working Together Effectively

Can we learn to appreciate our differences as well as our similarities? Blending aikido principles and adventure-based activities, this workshop introduces problem-solving skills to help groups work toward common goals.

Team members learn:

• to be curious instead of right
• how to look for common values and goals before charting solutions
• to listen and appreciate others' opinions and beliefs
• skills for creating partnering relationships instead of adversarial ones