Thursday, August 5 - Sarah Hurst
Learn*Grow*Prosper*Change My World

Essential skills are those that enable us to get through the good times and bad times, the fat times and lean times.  As a 25-year employee of the oil & gas manufacturing company, Stewart & Stevenson LLC, Sarah E. Hurst explains how the Company Training Department battled through each of these times.  From growth to layoff, from profit to loss, and soft skills to IT, Sarah has learned that flexibility and communication are vital to survival and prosperity.  Training both internal and external customers, getting management buy in, creating state of the art WebEx classes, learning JDE software, engaging new employees, motivating the tenured, working with international employees and different time zones – sound like your day?  Join us as we look at how this training manager was able to learn, grow, prosper and change her world in this Company.

Sarah E. Hurst is the Training Manager at Stewart & Stevenson LLC.  She has been with the Company since November 1985 and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas, Austin.  She completed the Training & Development Certification program at the University of Houston, Division of Distance and Continuing Education. 

At Stewart & Stevenson Sarah researches, develops, consults and presents programs like management/supervisory skills, customer service, communication, business writing, time management and others.  She is certified in many different programs.

Social Media is a term that covers a wide range of individual technologies (tools), each of which has a specific role when used in a coordinated sequence of processes related to training and development. The presentation will define the roles the tools fill and will outline steps to learn, then implement, a training and development program using social media tools.

Lee Thurburn graduated from UT Arlington in 1981 with a BBA in Accounting and worked with Arthur Anderson before starting his own CPA firm. In 1990 he returned to UT Arlington and received an MBA in 1992. In 1995 he started FlashNet, and ISP in Fort Worth. As the Chairman and CEO Mr. Thurburn took FlashNet through a successful IPO in March 1999 and subsequently sold FlashNet to AT&T/Prodigy.

Thursday, May 6th - Russ Riddle

Galvanizing Presentation Skills

 Note:  This is our joint meeting with the American Society for Quality (ASQ).

 Have you ever nearly rusted during a meeting because the presenter was monotone, read from his / her slides or had irritating body language / gestures? Worse yet, is the culprit one of your teammates? This session will sensitize your team to common mistakes and elevate its impact on the platform.

Value Points:

• Communicate fully what you intend

• Structure impacting presentations
• Polish your verbal skills

• Sharpen your nonverbal skills

• Use props / PowerPoint more effectively
• Employ humor, story, and other memorable techniques

“When folks have fun, things get done. Joy is energizing. When we’re energized, we’re more productive.” – Russ Riddle

Russ’s love of levity stems, in part, from a law practice that has served such clients as HIT Entertainment, The Trevor Romain Company, Funimation, Propeller Consulting, Gold Buckle Network and such children’s brands as Barney®, Bob the Builder®, Wishbone®, Thomas & Friends® and the voice of Jimmy Neutron®. His love of language (both verbal and nonverbal) is rooted not only in his training as an attorney, but also as a journalist and having witnessed countless examples of errant communication in business settings.

“We must be communication scholars. Effective communication is not innate, it’s an ever-evolving craft that must be persistently honed.” – Russ Riddle

Thursday, April 1st - Pete Sorenson

Thinking and Acting Strategically

Thinking Strategically is one of ASTD Foundational Competencies under the area of Business Management.  This program will address the following questions:

• What does it really mean to think and act strategically? 
• Why is it important?
• How do I go about acquiring and developing that competency?

Pete is an independent consultant, coach, and social entrepreneur operating under the name “GINKGO Enterprises.” He also partners with other consulting firms on projects. 

He is known for his ability to see the big picture, make sense of messes, and lead teams through the resolution of complex issues.  He relates well to people from all stations of life, speaks frankly, and has a practical eye for getting things done.

Pete’s consulting and coaching practice focuses on driving the creation of tangible value by building and leveraging interlocking webs of intangible assets.  These intangible assets include the discovery, innovation, and new product development processes, organizational structure and processes, human resource practices, information technology systems and practices, branding and marketing strategy, leadership brand, and organizational culture.   These intangible assets can be designed as foundations for and infrastructure to the development of high performing organizations and value chains. 

Thursday, March 4th - Sandra Shelton 

What is a StrengthBank® Communication WorkOut®?

When used consistently, StrengthBank® COMMUNICATION WorkOuts™ allow professionals to work out circumstances with others so that negative “people issues” dim in the light of higher productivity, creativity, and "on task" engagement.  Not only do we soar to our full capacity but also are engaged to lead others in their pursuit of excellence, in their path of greatest potential–the power of HR leadership.

Sandra Shelton, BA, MEd., CTACC delights audiences and tells it like it is with humor and her personable attraction factor that draws in even the most resistant participant. Sandra has given over 2,500 presentations in 15 countries in more than two decades. Sandra is dedicated to making a lasting difference in how a multi-generational workforce relates to each other, gives service, and maintains productive lives.

Thursday, February 4th - Rich Pendergast

Counterintuitive Leadership:  Strategies for Uncertain Times

• Do you want to avoid the 5 most common leadership mistakes made in times of uncertainty?
• Are you interested in becoming a true agent of change for your organization?

Uncertainty impacts effective leadership actions—frequently in ways that are counterintuitive to the leader and wholly different from widely accepted leadership practices. 

Drawing from both cutting edge research and his real life experiences consulting on some of the largest recent mergers and acquisitions, Rich Pendergast will teach us how to diagnose the impact uncertainty has on leadership ability and how to apply current research for more effective outcomes in an uncertain workplace.

The educational, entertaining, and enlightening February program will provide practical applications for anyone working through the challenges of today’s business climate.

January 7, 2010 - Mike Lisi

Tough Times Don't Last...Tough Trainers Do!

2009 proved to be one of the toughest Training + Development years in recent history… Budgets were slashed… Personnel were “right-sized”… T+D departments went into “survival” mode.  Learn the lessons implemented by a “tough” trainer who tamed the economy!

Whether you run an organization, head up T+D, or participate in organization development… the lessons Mike Lisi will share with you will help you get back on track, or push your personnel further/faster in 2010!  You’ll be able to assist your organization effectively deal with the inevitable topic of change, measure and evaluate your T+D programs for success, and identify what may very well be the best kept secret in organization development…Coaching.