Virtual & In-Person Training ~ ReFresh Communication

Leadership Dials ©: A calibration system for leaders under pressure

In high-stakes moments, leadership doesn’t break down because of lack of skill. It breaks down because pressure shifts how we show up. When tension rises or decisions need to move quickly, most leaders instinctively move in one of two directions: they soften to preserve relationships or tighten control to keep things moving. Both responses are understandable and appropriate in certain situations. And both can run the risk of quietly undermining trust, slowing alignment, and leaving teams unclear or disengaged. If you have ever walked out of a conversation thinking, “That didn’t go the way I hoped,” you have experienced this dynamic.

This 90-minute workshop introduces the second dial in the Leadership Dials© calibration system, a practical framework for adjusting your leadership in real time when pressure is high. You will learn how to navigate the tension between the need for connection and the necessity of authority so you can hold both at once rather than overcorrecting in one direction. Instead of scripts or personality models, this session focuses on what actually happens in the moment and how to recalibrate while you are in it.

Neuroscience of Inclusion

Good intentions are not enough when it comes to adopting new inclusive behaviors. The old familiar habits of the brain are far too powerful- habits that rely on unconscious bias, a distain for discomfort and fear of difference. But we now know from hundreds of neuroscience studies that when it comes to inclusion, there are ways the brain works for us and against us. This training provides practical, brain-based tools to significantly increase skills in the competency areas of diversity and inclusion, transformational leadership, and resiliency. In this program, participants learn how to recognize and shift BrainStates so they can manage the power of the unconscious brain, which can significantly improve their ability to intentionally engage in and sustain inclusive behaviors. The BrainStates Management™ (BSM) approach is based on the neuroscience of perception, self-awareness and conscious choice. It is a practical new framework for increasing adult learning effectiveness and the behavior change process.

As a part of this program, each participant will have the opportunity to complete the BrainStates Management™ Profile. This profile gives individualized feedback on brain tendencies and assesses the 7 dimensions of neuroscience that inform BrainStates. The profile report provides personalized tools and strategies for working with the brain to increase inclusion skills and manage unconscious biases more effectively.

Navigating Intercultural Conflict in the Workplace

Typically when we come up against conflict and stress, we get hyper-focused on individual personality differences and get trapped in downward spirals of blame, frustration and anger. Productive collaboration shuts down, stress amps-up and issues are brought to managers and HR. The Navigating Intercultural Conflict in the Workplace training empowers participants with tools and awareness that are critical to working effectively across cultural differences.

As part of this interactive and dynamic training, participants learn to apply a cultural lens to conflict, which opens up new possibilities for finding common ground when there are differences. Each participant will take the Intercultural Conflict Styles™ Inventory so they can have individualized insight into the strengths and shortcomings of their cultural approach to conflict. They learn several ways to recognize cultural related issues and practice tools for navigating barriers to trust.

Unconscious Bias Training for Analytic Minds

We know from neuroscience that the unconscious brain has a powerful influence on our decisions, yet the impact goes largely unnoticed by most of us. This 2-hour training emphasizes data and brain science to bolster motivation to address unconscious bias in the workplace.

It is a great fit for analytic minds like mechanical or software engineers. Training activities and content are designed to help leaders promote equity and bring out the best in their teams by creating an inclusive company culture where all voices are heard.

Culture Lab: Doing the “Work” of DEI

An inherent tension in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is the desire to change the status quo while maintaining psychological safety for all involved. The “work” of DEI is to navigate tension while staying focused on equitable outcomes. The Culture Lab series is program that will guide your Diversity Committee or ERGS through “doing the work.” Our team of facilitators will coach participants through a process of creating safety, tackling tough issues, challenging viewpoints and working through tension as a group.

Through the process of working through this and partaking in debriefs, the participants will develop the skills to become facilitators of “the work” throughout the organization. They will exit the program with a toolbox of DEI facilitation skills and confidence in guiding others on the journey to create inclusive cultures. This model of culture change holds the potential of the broadest impact as internal people are trained to “do this work” throughout the company on an ongoing basis.

Culturally Competent Outreach: Examining Cultural Bias

Undoubtedly, you serve diverse demographics. As we build relationships across differences like national culture, socio-economics, city very rural living, race, religion, gender, ability and sexual orientation we often stumble upon bias. That is because our cultural differences create biases. To best serve a wide range of people, we must learn strategies to manage our biases while working with diverse communities so that you can better serve traditionally underserved populations. In this training, you will learn a systematic way to engage underserved communities and build awareness of the impact of cultural biases on your work. The training will expose you to insightful frameworks that will help you think like an interculturalist — always adapting your assumptions and worldview when considering each aspect of your work, from communication to program design and evaluation.