On Sunday morning, November 12, four business experts will present hot-button topics to members attending STAFDA's November 12-14 Convention and Trade Show in Austin, Texas. All convention events, except for the opening party, will be held at the Austin Convention Center.

The concurrent sessions run from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. and repeat to a different audience from 10:30 a.m. - noon. Attendees may attend the two workshops of most interest to them however, Jill Geisler's program runs the entire morning and does not repeat following the break.

Educational Workshops:
 
Blink They're Gone! - Why Today's Customers are Leaving Your Company for the Competition & How to Win them Back! Presented by David Avrin.

More than ever, today's customers are inundated with good choices. Outdated notions of loyalty and service are being ignored creating a profound market shift that's driving many customers to the competition. So, how do you win back their business when patience is short and alternatives are only a short drive or click away? In this hard-hitting and entertaining presentation, former CEO group leader and business marketplace expert David Avrin will shine a light on this monumental shift in buyer behavior and expectation, while showing how your company's team can help eliminate barriers, better engage prospects, and create customer experiences worth sharing. Attendees will learn how to: 1). See all the choices available from the customers' perspective, 2). How stories of lost opportunities at every level reach the masses and why it matters, 3). How missed moments and maddening policies can contribute to lost sales and negative reviews; and 4). Why differentiation trumps competency and its connection to sales. 
 
Reviving Work Ethic: How to End Entitlement Mentality & Create an Environment of Achievement, presented by Eric Chester. 

As the leading authority on developing work ethic in young adults and leading Gen Y employees to achieve their remarkable potential, Eric Chester's workshop will illustrate why the work ethic in America has declined, and provide solid, actionable ideas and tools for developing the young worker. Learn how to instill in them the pride of a job well done and the work ethic they should have received at home and in school - but didn't. His presentation will reveal what it takes to break through the mindset of the emerging workforce. In this high-energy, dynamic, content-rich program, Chester will reveal today's best practices for recruiting, training, managing, and motivating the under-30 demographic and how to get them to perform up to their potential. Just a few of the takeaways from this program include: 1). Implementing the seven Indisputable Core Values (Positivity, Reliability, Professionalism, Initiative, Respect, Integrity, and Gratitude) every employer demands from every worker, 2). How to promote a workplace culture rooted in reliability, professionalism, integrity, and respect, 3).  How to consistently attract top talent with minimal recruiting to become the "employer-of-choice" in your locale; and 4). Onboard new employees to make a lasting impression and cement their commitment from Day One. 
 
Feedback with Impact: Part 1, "Great Bosses Wear Feedback Glasses;" Part 2, "Tough Conversations, Top Outcomes" presented by Jill Geisler. 

Want to get the best out of your team? Increase motivation, quality and productivity? This two-part session will offer practical tools to do just that. Surveys say employees are hungry for more and better feedback, but too many of their bosses haven't figured out how to make it happen. Look at how to upgrade the quality and quantity of feedback - both positive and negative.
For the first 90-minute session, "Great Bosses Wear Feedback Glasses," Jill Geisler will take attendees on a deep dive into the many tools that can be added to their tool kit of positive connections with staff. Discover why managers often don't get credit for the positive feedback they give, why it doesn't seem to stick, and how bosses sometimes erase praise as they give it. Great bosses custom-tailor their response for the person and the situation. Never look at feedback the same way again!

Following the break at 10:00 a.m., the second half of Geisler's program will focus on "Tough Conversations, Top Outcomes." She'll build on the goodwill earned from giving first-class positive feedback.  Attendees will need it because she'll hone-in on those not-so-fun moments where managers have to deliver corrections, critiques, bad news, and discipline to employees. Participants will receive a specific, 10-step process for handling tough conversations of all types. See real life cases handled in-the-moment and leave with tips and techniques to put to work immediately! 

Geisler led this workshop at the University of Innovative Distribution (UID) in March 2017. She's a former TV newscaster and currently holds the Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity at Loyola University, Chicago.

Smart Teams - Creating Teams that Succeed Together, Jason Young: Team work. Team building. Team player. Successful organizations know business is not really a game to be won or lost. To achieve success, everyone must use many of the same principles found on the playing fields today. In his presentation, the former Southwest Airlines senior-level manager, Jason Young, goes beyond buzzwords to expose the keys that help people work together as a team to achieve real success. By developing goals, create a team which will use shared initiatives out of trust and mutual respect for one another.  That active collaboration will lead to employee empowerment and organization momentum. Management will discover how company All Stars can raise the bar within the business without alienating other players to create an environment that rewards risk taking. From base hits to home runs, everyone plays their part to attain victory. 

For more information, visit www.stafda.org.