Getting the Most out of your Technology Investment

Overview: The effectiveness of productivity platforms worldwide hinges on the strength of their end-users. Even with groundbreaking promises from AI, successful implementation still requires robust change management and thorough training. Organizations that realize a return on investment don’t merely invest in the technology; they also prioritize its implementation and adoption. This journey begins before the go-live phase and continues indefinitely. Drawing upon over 20 years of experience in education, change management, training, and adoption, Kristen B. Hubler will guide you toward the path of productivity with the three essential building blocks of ROI.

Audience: Project team, L&D representative and Corporate Comms representative (if applicable)

Skills Learned: Participants will learn how to use an intranet site to establish a source of truth for communication and learning, how to use messaging platforms like Teams or Slack to supplement communication, and how to establish a place for collaboration that fosters community.

The Who and the How of a Copilot Pilot

Overview: In any technology deployment, stakeholders want to know their investment will pay off. Enter the pilot: a small group of users testing out technology and reporting back on the experience. The problem with the pilot is that most organizations fail to select the right users, leading to a misguided conclusion that the product isn't worth it. In this session I will walk through best practices for pilot programs and lessons learned from helping 20+ organizations through their Copilot for Microsoft 365 deployments.

Audience: IT team and/or internal stakeholders

Skills learned: This workshop is less about learning specific skills (although participants will leave understand the best practices for pilot programs) and more about engaging in discussion to be able to make a plan for an AI roll out.

Prompt Workshop Series

Overview: In this new world of AI, those that understand Prompting best practices will always have a leg up. In this interactive training session participants will learn the best practices for prompting in Copilot for Microsoft 365.

Audience: end-users and first-time Copilot users

Skills Learned: Participants will learn the ACEs method for prompting with Copilot for Microsoft 365, how to navigate and bookmark prompts in Copilot Lab, and (when applicable) how to find and add prompts to Prompt Buddy.

Prompt Workshop Series

Once users have been working with Copilot for a while, it is essential for them to discuss which prompts have been working best, which ones they struggle with, and work with their peers to enhance their prompting skills. This workshop is “open office hours” meets “focus group” meets “advanced training.”

Audience: experienced copilot end-users; best with smaller groups

Skills Learned: Participants will troubleshoot prompts and learn more advanced prompts

Prompt Workshop Series

Overview: Once users have been working with Copilot for a while, it is essential for them to discuss which prompts have been working best, which ones they struggle with, and work with their peers to enhance their prompting skills. This becomes even more effective when done in a homogeneous group of employees with similar roles (i.e. Essential Prompts every Project Manager Should be Using).

Audience: homogenous group of copilot end-users

Skills Learned: Participants will troubleshoot prompts and learn more advanced prompts that are specific to their department or job-function.

Change Management for Leaders

Overview: Every leader, whether they realize it or not, is constantly managing change. Understanding a few basic change management principles will equip your leaders with the communication skills necessary for reducing resistance and aligning your org. This interactive 90-minute workshop is best delivered in person during a company onsite event; topics include introduction to change management and 5 habits of good change management.

Audience: Senior leaders and/or first-time managers

Skills Learned: Participants will learn some communication best practices that help manage change, Hoshin Kanri's Catchball Process and Chris Voss's Labeling Emotions strategy. This workshop can also be delivered as a series with more skills added in additional sessions.

Essential Skills for Every People-Leader

Overview: According to the Harvard Business Review, "The most effective managers of the future will be those who build fundamentally different relationships with their employees." This is a dramatic shift from managers of the past who did not have the productivity tools of today and were forced to take on the role of "assigning work and nudging productivity." The research and consulting firm Gartner predicts that by 2024, 69% of the tasks done by managers will be replaced with technology and only 47% of managers will be ready for the change. This workshop is designed to transform managers into effective leaders.

Audience: First time managers

Skills Learned: Participants will learn how to manage a one-on-one meeting, different types of team meetings like the daily standup, Liz Wiseman's Rockstar vs Superstar methodology, and soft skills to manage difficult conversations. This workshop can also be delivered as a series with more skills added in additional sessions or a "301" version can be created for veteran leaders.

Essential Skills for People-Facing Roles

Overview: Studies show that while IQ is important for landing your technical dream job, it is actually EQ (emotional Intelligence) that will set you apart from your colleagues. In this session, Mastering the Soft-Side of your Technical Role, we will learn what emotional intelligence is, why you should dedicate time to it, and the essential skills you should be working on to develop it.

Audience: end-users with technical roles that are either customer-facing or have high interaction with internal teams.

Skills Learned: This workshop may focus on effective meetings (scheduling, hosting, facilitating, and follow up), speaking to make an impact (overcoming stage fright and content delivery), and/or navigating difficult conversations (labeling, mirroring, affirming, etc.). Content can be adjusted based on event organizer recommendations of audience interest and workshop length.

Why Just Hiring the Right Person is More Complicated Than We Think

Overview: Have you ever heard someone say something like - it shouldn’t matter what gender someone is, let’s just hire the best person for the job. This is something that I used to say too because it seems perfect. All that should matter is getting the most qualified person. Period. This idea is called meritocracy: “the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability.” Over the years, as I learned more, I started to realize that line of thinking was reductive because unconscious bias makes true meritocracy a lot harder to achieve than we realize. In this workshop you will learn the systemic issues at play that make it more difficult for women in the workplace and how to combat them.

Audience: This topic can be delivered as a workshop to an HR/People team audience or as an informative session/keynote for a Women in Business group.

Skills Learned: Participants will learn how bias plays out in our world and ways they can help lead their team/org to a true meritocracy.

Custom Engagements & Project Work

Not sure where to start? Looking for consulting hours rather than full engagements? Check this option on the form to customize your workshop, keynote, or to inquire about hourly consulting. Part-time project work for specific technology deployments is also available at an hourly or fixed fee rate.