Christine Hemp poety, writer, facilitator-consultant Christine Hemp: technical writing and communications seminars
Hemp Course Offerings

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Course Offerings Include:

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Each course is tailored specifically to the needs its participants. Each is recommended as a two-day seminar. Writing courses benefit by three days. 
 

PREVENTING WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AND PERSONAL SECURITY TRAINING

Learn updated information concerning how to prevent workplace violence. Become more aware of the signs leading to potential trouble. Acquire skills and knowledge concerning personal security and what to do when faced with a dangerous situation. This is important continued education for managers, supervisors and others needing to have knowledge of this topic. In this course, we will

1) IDENTIFY: What actually constitutes “workplace violence”
2) CREATE: Your own prevention strategy
3) ADDRESS: Potential or actual violence with concrete skills

WRITING WITH MUSCLE

This seminar will introduce you to tools for writing and editing with authority. Whether you are composing a monthly report, editing a colleague's proposal, or dashing off an email, discover how your language can ring with clarity and confidence. Learn how to make the writing process easier and more rewarding - for you and your colleagues. Find voice and power in the writing you do every day. Leave behind fear, procrastination, and weak language: Move toward writing with muscle.

CHALLENGING PEOPLE: HOW TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS 

This course will focus on styles, tools, and techniques for communicating effectively and successfully with customers, co-workers, and others with whom communication is a challenge.  Topics 

include how to identify positive and negative verbal and non-verbal behaviors; how to model behaviors that improve interactions; and how to turn seemingly impossible interchange into something productive and fruitful -- whether it be in person, on the telephone, or in correspondence.

GRAMMAR BRUSH-UP

Don't lose credibility in emails, letters, and documents because of simple grammatical or mechanical errors. Tighten your technical understanding of writing and gain confidence, from the use of the semi-colon to the run-on sentence. Learn why "lie" and "lay" are so confusing; discover (finally!) how to use the comma correctly; and see how using parallel constructions will give your writing punch and clarity. Contrary to popular belief, grammar can be fun!

EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION IN TIMES OF CHANGE

Communication can prove challenging when working with a large group. It is said that too many cooks spoil the broth, but often - with team support and  attentive leaders - problem-solving within a cohesive group can transform policy as well as the climate in your office. Discover fresh dialogue between superiors and colleagues. After all, everyone in the  workplace is really a "customer." And we all need support.

Whether you're dealing with a RIF, reorganization, a staffing difficulty, or just a cranky office-mate, learn to identify, dissect, analyze, and ultimately transform your current situation.  Through writing techniques, group discussion, role-playing, and new approaches to language, watch group dynamics move from discord to harmony. Discover communication solutions you didn't know existed. And have some fun while you're at it!

TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP

Designed for team leaders, supervisors, and facilitators, this course helps you become a more dynamic and effective leader. We will focus on problem-solving, confidence-building, conflict resolution, and group dynamics.  Using writing, role-playing, and interpersonal skill-building, participants will learn to spot problem behaviors and cultivate power in its positive form. Come and discover how to be a strong facilitator, one who creates trust, maintains authority, communicates well, and shapes a group into a cohesive team. 

COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE 

Discover fresh ways to connect with your superiors and colleagues-in writing and in person. Whether you're dealing with a staffing problem, cranky emails, or consensus on a written report, learn to identify, analyze, and ultimately transform the situation.  Through writing techniques, group discussion, and role-playing, you will discover how to communicate in new ways, change your attitude toward others, and find harmony in the workplace.

CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING

Discover fresh ways to negotiate problems in and outside the workplace. Whether you're struggling with power-point strategy, a staffing crisis, or just a cranky colleague, you will learn to identify, dissect, analyze, and ultimately change the situation.  Creative experience urges you to abandon old ways of approaching the word "problem." Through writing techniques, visual experiment, and  new approaches to language, you will find problem-solving abilities you didn't know you possessed.

FACILITATING GROUPS

This two-day workshop is designed to help team leaders, supervisors, and meeting facilitators become more dynamic and effective leaders. The course will examine problem-solving, confidence-building, conflict resolution, and group dynamics.  Using writing, role-playing, and interpersonal skill-building, participants will learn to deal with problem behaviors, cultivate power in its positive form, and discover how to be a facilitator who knows how to create trust, maintain authority, communicate well, and shape a group into a cohesive team.

WRITING THE WINNING CONTRACT,  PROPOSAL OR REPORT

From grant writing to monthly documentation, these pieces of writing need to be clear and detailed, especially for an organization that depends on different sources for funding. A winning proposal or report is an investment in the future. Christine Hemp will help you frame the mission of your program and express that throughout reports and proposals. Hemp will lead you through the importance of clear, lively writing, no matter what the document is for.  She will stress the importance of detail and how to include crucial information with verve and clarity. In these days of tight budgets, your proposal needs to be convincing and strong!

ELIMINATING THE EFFECTS OF STRESS

Before we can balance the stress level in our lives and work, we must first identify and determine whether it is productive or corrosive. This one-day course focuses on the four main types of stress: survival, psychological, environmental, and physical. Addressing participants' individual needs, this workshop will offer you concrete tools to manage burnout in your lifestyle and your job. From relaxation techniques and problem-solving tools to simple exercises, you will come away with a new outlook on surviving and transforming a common complaint.

PROBLEM-SOLVING IN A TEAM ENVIRONMENT

Problem-solving is a different animal when you're dealing with a group. Too many cooks can spoil the broth, but often - with team support and an attentive leader- a decision reached by a cohesive group can transform policy as well as the climate in your office. Discover fresh ways to negotiate problems with your colleagues. Whether you're dealing with a personnel difficulty or trying to come to a consensus with a written report, learn to identify, dissect, analyze, and ultimately transform the situation.  Through writing techniques, visual experiment, and  new approaches to language, watch group dynamics move from discord to harmony.

CONDUCTING HIGH PERFORMANCE MEETINGS

We all know that meetings can range from boring to inspirational. Whether you're conducting a ten-minute performance review or a day-long presentation, learn how to transform your meeting into something people remember. Make a difference to your colleagues and to your audience. Using writing, speaking, and other creative techniques, participants will learn to organize material, connect with people, and offer his or her own unique voice. Discover how leading a meeting can actually be fun and rewarding.

GETTING UNSTUCK:  WRITING WITH CONFIDENCE

Let go of the fear of composing, whether it be a short inter-office memo or a long report.  In the first seminar, Christine Hemp will give you tips on getting started, transferring what's in your head to the screen or page.  Using your own writing, she will offer you practical help in making clear sentences, snappy paragraphs, and strong arguments.    Christine will show you how to cut unnecessary words to make your writing sing.  She will show you the "quick edit" and how to use your co-workers for writing support.  Writing for work doesn't have to be boring, and the process doesn't have to be painful.  Learn to write it right -- and have some fun while you're at it!

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Christine Hemp
P.O. Box 674 Port Townsend, WA 98368
tel: 360-385-9005