The Great Canadian Leadership Podcast

Get ready for "The Performance Review" - that time of year when emotions run high and the impact on your organization and employees is significant. In this episode, we delve into how you can make this meeting engaging, clear, and respectful, ensuring it has a positive ripple effect. With the evolving work environment and the rise of hybrid setups, the performance review holds even greater weight. How the review is conducted determines the effectiveness. This is the opportunity for a manager to put on their coaching hat and see this review as an opportunity to build for the future of the employee, the team, and the organization. Join our host, Joel Silverstone, as he equips you with the necessary tools to conduct a motivating and actionable review that benefits both sides. Learn the strategies, dos, and don'ts, and have the confidence to deliver a performance review that leaves a lasting, positive impression in this episode: "Performance Reviews Can Be Great…Seriously".   Do you have a question or comment about the podcast? We’d love to hear from you and appreciate your thoughts - email us at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. Thank you for supporting the podcast. Please leave a rating or review and subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes. Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars and tools. Also, check out our list of over 25 instructor-led Professional Skills Courses at The Great Canadian Training and Consulting Company.

Have you been trying to get your teams from good to great?  Improve how they collaborate, communicate, and achieve goals, plus balance productivity and morale? Wondering what’s the best way they can use Microsoft Teams? What team building activities and skills can help?   You’re not alone. That’s why we created this episode, the combination of technical and soft skills to guide you in bringing out the best in your organization’s teams. We’re thrilled to have as our Guest Host Jon Neuhold, Co-Owner of Great Canadian Training, interviewing Senior Software Instructor Christine Irons and Senior Professional Skills Facilitator Joel Silverstone. There is a gap in using technical capabilities of Microsoft Teams – but technical skills on their own aren’t enough. You need team building skills to match them.   This episode is part of our podcast series on Teams, helping you to be engaged and respectful in collaborating and working together towards a common purpose and goals. We discuss: The elements to successful teams.The tools and activities teams need to be using.The qualities that make teams great.The best ways to use Microsoft Teams. Our Guest Christine Irons is Great Canadian Training’s lead software instructor and courseware designer. Christine worked in Human Resources at York University in Toronto for over 20 years as an instructional designer, trainer, and learning specialist. As a certified master Microsoft instructor, Christine brings an extensive knowledge of Adult Learning Theory to her work, whether it’s designing and delivering live classes or creating e-learning that truly teaches. ​ Our Guest Joel Silverstone is the regular host of the Great Canadian Leadership Podcast. When not hosting, Joel is the Senior Professional Skills Trainer & Coach at Great Canadian Training. For over 20 years, he has helped leaders and their teams feel more confident and impactful with their communication and leadership skills in live and virtual sessions, from small businesses and government agencies to Fortune 500 companies in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. Joel is also a speaker at HR, Learning, Leadership and Professional Services Conferences across North America.  Great teams are not easy, but they can get better. It’s a combination of mindset, intention, and the tools to get from good to great. Speaking of Teams… At Great Canadian Training we are offering our unique GREAT Series: “Become a Great Team with MS Teams and Team Building Skills”. In one day, you will learn powerful skills and tools to connect and engage your teams by developing and mastering MS Teams and Team Building skills. Email info@greatcanadiantraining.ca and mention ‘GREAT’ to get more information about our GREAT Series and how you can become a Great Team with Microsoft Teams and Team Building Skills.

Picture this: The team is getting together and… stuff is getting done! The team members (including you) feel heard, respected and want to contribute. This team is not only being productive, but they are also collaborating with ease. This episode is “Three Ways to Improve Team Communication”. Our host, Joel Silverstone, shares with you the strategies and activities to better understand yours and others’ communication styles and needs.   How does improved communication impact teams?   86% of employees and executives cite the lack of effective collaboration and communication as the main causes for workplace failures.When employees are offered better communication skills, productivity can increase by up to 30% Listen in, take notes, share the activities with your team (such as designing your own user manual), build your ability to connect quickly with others, and start implementing the three ways to improve team communication. This is episode 1 of our series on the skills teams need for 2023. The next episode is: What Makes Great Teams? Best Ways to Use Microsoft Teams AND Team Building Skills. Do you have a question or comment about the podcast? We’d love to hear from you and appreciate your thoughts - email us at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. Thank you for supporting the podcast. Please leave a rating or review and subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes. Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars and tools. Also, check out our list of over 25 instructor-led Professional Skills Courses at The Great Canadian Training and Consulting Company.

The focus of business leaders has been shifting from task- or objective-driven to people-driven. That means soft skills such as effective communication, understanding, and collaboration have become increasingly important to leaders’ abilities. In this episode, we have a great discussion with our guest Jennifer Lennox, a highly experienced HR leader on why soft skills are crucial in organizations and what leaders can do about it. Jennifer also shares how she found her voice to communicate and influence others and how her leadership career took off from there. One of the major challenges for leaders is that they often find themselves multitasking and handling different priorities, but what's essential now more than ever is for them to put people first and adopt a whole new leadership style that is people-driven. Finally, as a leader, your presence lingers, and your behaviour is often a topic of discussion at the dinner table. Therefore, it's crucial to be fully present and aware of how your people feel when they are in your presence. Our guest: Jennifer Lennox is an experienced HR professional and the Vice President of People, Culture and Learning at AutoCanada a senior leadership position where she collaborates with the Senior Executive team, HR Team, and AutoCanada General Managers to create a world-class company culture. With over 20 years of experience in people development, talent acquisition, training, executive leadership and HR strategy, Jenn is a certified HR Executive (CHRE) and has worked for organizations of different sizes, including small business tech startups, large corporations, and the private sector such as CIBC, Home Depot, Alcumus and four years as the Head of People and Culture with the Humberview Group. As with every episode, our guest Jennifer Lennox shares her ‘Failure... Ta-Da’ moment, and at the end we share the three stars and the next step you can put into practice from this episode. Do you have a question or comment about the podcast? We’d love to hear from you and appreciate your thoughts - email us at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. Thank you for supporting the podcast. Please leave a rating or review and subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: Our series on Teams - Collaboration and TechnologyPerformance Reviews    Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars and tools. Also, check out our list of over 25 instructor-led Professional Skills Courses at The Great Canadian Training and Consulting Company.

As a leader, what can you do to find and grow the talent that’s right there in your organization? As an individual, how do you raise your hand to be seen? Discovered? To grow? This episode could have also been called, “We need to be able to take a chance on people”, as we explore the topic of finding and nurturing talent both as a leader and as an individual. Our guest, Nupur Khandelwal, draws on her extensive experience as a leader and as someone who has had advocates for her growth within an organization. We discuss topics such as complacency, mentorship, progress, and perfection. Additionally, we delve into the importance of candor and commitment and explore the mechanisms one can use to be an advocate for others. And find out Nupur’s ‘Ta-da’ moment on the significance of a CN Tower climb in reframing your thoughts. Our Guest: Nupur Khandelwal is helping people and organizations deliver human-centric programs and was nominated for Canada’s Top 40 under 40 Awards. At the LCBO, Nupur is the Director of Talent Management, where she leads enterprise-wide initiatives. Nupur is the co-founder of SheRocks! and contributes as a Board of Director member with the HR Professional Association’s Toronto Chapter. Nupur presents to diverse groups at conferences, seminars and workshops and is seen as a recognized learning leader in organizational development, people management, training, and development, as well as diversity and inclusion initiatives to enhance the employee experience.   As with every episode, our guest shares their ‘Failure Ta-Da’ moment, and at the end we share the three stars and the next step you can put into practice from this episode. Do you have a question or comment about the podcast? We’d love to hear from you and appreciate your thoughts - email us at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. Thank you for supporting the podcast. Please leave a rating or review and subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes. Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars and tools. Also, check out our list of over 25 instructor-led Professional Skills Courses at The Great Canadian Training and Consulting Company.

In today’s business world, you need to differentiate yourself, to bring to life your experiences and your growth - but how do you do that without listing tasks? This episode, we’re talking with Dr. Adrienne Shnier on how to showcase your value. Whether it’s a performance review, or you’re seeking a promotion, job or school interview, how can you share your story and be the advocate - for you? You are so busy in your role that if someone asks you what makes you valuable, an asset, you might just ramble off tasks but not your value. Your experiences, how you deal with challenges, your growth - nobody knows this better than you. Listen in as we share how you can communicate this and why that matters. Our guest, Dr. Adrienne Shnier, is the CEO and founder at Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot Inc., teaching students and professionals to level up their game by showcasing themselves and developing compelling, authentic, academic and professional applications based on her years of experience as a Member on Admissions Committees, Job Search Committees, and Tenure & Promotion Committees. She is a lawyer and founder of Shnier Mackenzie Law & Policy Consulting, PC. She is also a Toronto-based Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Faculty of Health at York University, and Health Law Faculty at Osgoode Hall Law School.  As with every episode, our guest Dr. Adrienne Shnier bravely shares her ‘Failure Ta-Da’ moment, and at the end we share the three stars and the next step you can put into practice from this episode. Do you have a question or comment about the podcast? We’d love to hear from you and appreciate your thoughts - email us at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. Thank you for supporting the podcast. Please leave a rating or review and subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: Our series on Teams - Collaboration and TechnologyOur series on Coaching and Mentoring Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars and tools. Also, check out our list of over 25 instructor-led Professional Skills Courses at The Great Canadian Training and Consulting Company.

Do you remember why you keep going back to that restaurant… or not? It probably was your first impression, how you were welcomed, warm bread or stale bread, the interactions, the aesthetics, that first bite…. Those first impressions that we unconsciously hold onto are called imprinting beliefs, meaning that first impressions stick. In this episode, we discuss with Amy Davies on why first impressions matter and the impact people, leaders and organizations can have on improving employee retention by 82%. We also discuss why 1 in 3 employees will leave their employer within 12 months, typically for reasons that are preventable. Our guest Amy Davies is the founder and CEO of First30, offering employee onboarding and outplacement services to businesses. She is the author of A Spark in the Dark: Illuminating Your Path to a Brilliant Career in a Reorg World. Her next book, What Employees Want: 5 Proven Strategies to Attract, Retain and Engage Talent, is set for release in September 2023. As with every episode, our guest Amy Davies bravely shares her ‘Failure Ta-Da’ moment, and at the end we share the three stars and the next step you can put into practice from this episode. Do you have a question or comment about the podcast? We’d love to hear from you and appreciate your thoughts - email us at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. Thank you for supporting the podcast. Please leave a rating or review and subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: Showcasing Your ValueOur series on Teams - Collaboration and TechnologyOur series on Coaching and Mentoring Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars and tools. Also, check out our list of over 25 instructor-led Professional Skills Courses at The Great Canadian Training and Consulting Company.

Can you persuade another without feeling pushy or manipulative? Short answer… YES! In this episode, you’ll uncover easy ways to persuade, whether you’re writing or speaking. Your emails, communications and interactions motivate others to action. This episode is “How to Be Persuasive from Writing to Speaking”. Our host, Joel Silverstone, shares with you the strategies and insights to make persuasion simple and respectful. You will find the ideas and tips to balance emotions and logic that connect with the other to be persuasive. Because persuasion is making it easy for the other person. Join us on how you can do this with your writing and communication skills. This is part of our 4-part series on the soft skills you need for 2023: Empathy in Business, Leading Complex Projects with Clarity, Change - Turning Resistance into Resilience, and How to Be Persuasive in Your Writing and Communication. Do you have a question or comment about the episode? We’d love to hear from you and appreciate your thoughts - email us at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: Great First Impressions - Why They Matter to Employee RetentionShowcasing Your ValueAnd our series on Teams - Collaboration and Technology Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars and tools and our list of over 25 instructor-led Professional Skills Courses at The Great Canadian Training and Consulting Company.

Empathy is one of the most important leadership skills you should be using more often. The research says that 76% of people who experienced empathy from their leaders reported they were engaged, compared with only 32% who experienced less empathy. Empathy is a crucial business skill because it enables collaboration, motivation, and feeling respected. You create a ripple effect where people’s perspectives and emotions are acknowledged - it doesn’t mean you have to agree with them, but they feel heard and understood. In fact, 67% of people with highly empathic managers report often or always being engaged, compared to only 24% of people with less empathic managers. In this episode, you’ll find some ideas that can help with building your awareness of empathy and how to make this soft skill a business behaviour. This episode is called “Empathy in Business”. Our host, Joel Silverstone, shares with you the strategies and insights to make empathy your opportunity to engage and collaborate in your professional (and personal) settings. This is part of our 4-part series on the soft skills you need for 2023 – Change - Turning Resistance into Resilience, Persuasion in Your Writing and Communication Skills, and Leading Complex Projects with Clarity. Do you have a question or comment about the episode? We’d love to hear from you and appreciate your thoughts - email us at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars, blogs, and tools And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: Our series on soft skills - Change, Empathy and PersuasionShowcasing Your ValueGreat First Impressions - Why They Matter to Employee RetentionOur series on Teams - Collaboration and Technology

When leading a complex project, how do you get to the desired outcome? How do you lead and communicate to motivate and engage towards the outcome? In this episode, Leading Complex Projects with Clarity, we discuss the importance of the human factor, the people that are going to make this successful. According to our guest, Nada Darwiche, projects are not linear lines and where we get stuck is the ‘on time, on budget’ result. A successful project focuses on the people – making sure they understand the message being delivered and why it matters to them, their team and the organization. This is part of our 4-part series on the soft skills you need for 2023. Our other three parts are: Change - Turning Resistance into Resilience, Empathy in Business, and Persuasion in Your Writing and Communication Skills. Our guest, Nada Darwiche, is a Principal at NDC Group and a Sr. Lead Consultant with Optimus SBR. She has more than 20 years of business experience consulting for Fortune 1000 companies in the areas of change management, strategy, project management/implementation, process improvement and pitch development. She has led many client engagements focusing on key strategic initiatives, delivering sustained, bottom-line benefits as well as enhanced key partner relationships. Listen in as Nada shares her experience as Project Leader #3, how she had to switch hats from project management to change management, and how she dealt with the resistance of teams to get the project back to ‘on time and on budget’! Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars, blogs, and tools from The Great Canadian Training and Consulting Company. Do you have a question or comment about the episode? Send us an email at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: Our series on soft skills - Change, Empathy and PersuasionGreat First Impressions - Why They Matter to Employee RetentionShowcasing Your ValueOur series on Teams - Collaboration and Technology

Have you committed to making a change, or are currently dealing with a change? Maybe it’s your resolution to get fit. Or maybe at work you’re navigating a hybrid environment; your team is having to do more with less and navigate new technology and new roles. Change can be exciting, stressful or a combination of these heightened emotions. Logically, you understand all this – so why is change difficult to implement?    In this episode, you’ll find some ideas that can help with change and relate to the examples of not just dealing with change, but how to build resilience from it.   This episode is called “Change - Turning Resistance into Resilience”. Our host, Joel Silverstone, shares with you the strategies and insights to make change an opportunity to move forward and not backtrack or get stuck.   This is part of our 4-part series on the soft skills you need for 2023 - empathy in business, persuasion in your writing and communication skills, and leading complex projects with clarity.   Do you have a question or comment about the episode? We’d love to hear from you and appreciate your thoughts - email us at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars, blogs, and tools And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: Leading Complex Projects with ClarityOur series on soft skills - Change, Empathy and PersuasionDefining Your BrandOur series on Teams - Collaboration and Technology

For 2023, it’s not just a ping-pong table that’s going to keep employees (and you) motivated and feeling appreciated. HR trends for 2023 say that organizations will need to focus more on the well-being of employees. A Forbes article shares that 20-50% of all employee attrition is attributed to burnout. This episode we’re discussing how to win the retention game through the idea of renewal. How do we make people more resilient against burnout? The importance of quality short breaks moves us to a better flow and quality to our work. We have been moving between hybrid, remote, and the office…we start to run out of mental energy, stop making rational decisions and feel stressed. For 2023, it’s important to prioritize renewal. How do you lead that? What does that look and sound like? We discuss with Kerry O’Brien, Sr. Talent Development PM at Axonify, about how to put renewal into our work and why it impacts the retention and productivity of the people in your organization. Our guest, Kerry O’Brien, is a 14-year veteran of Talent Development, primarily growing and scaling teams in the tech sector. This experience, combined with his master’s degree in leadership, has led to a leadership practice that centers on self-care, curiosity, and goal achievement. You can hear him on podcasts and keynotes talking about everything from learning frameworks to story crafting to energy management and being a better listener, usually with parenting stories thrown in for good measure. Burnout is real for an increasing number of people in the workplace. A 2022 study by the McKinsey Health Institute highlighted how the impact of the pandemic has seen burnout levels reach an all-time high, with one in four employees experiencing symptoms of burnout. Microsoft’s Chief People Officer, Kathleen Hogan, encapsulates the challenge as a Human Energy Crisis.   Do you have a question or comment about the episode?  Send us an email at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. Check out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars, blogs, and tools And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: Leading Complex Projects with ClarityOur series on soft skills - Change, Empathy and PersuasionOur series on Teams - Collaboration and Technology

Have you missed an episode? Do you want to strengthen your leadership and communication styles and are looking for the star highlights from the past 6 months? Get ready to take notes, as we bring you the Shared Experience Extravaganza #3 "Connecting the Dots in Leadership." In this episode, we reflect on the 'Greatest Hits' from our guests and our own experts on leadership and professional skills. These are the themes you can take away from this episode: How we think and deal with changeHow we can lead; the skills to developHow the future of training may look How we can connect to inspire, persuade, and motivateHow we can be better presenters and have better presentationsHow we can adapt when we may not have all the answers Thank you to our guests, amazing leaders and experts who brought their insights, shared their ‘failure ta-da’ moments and inspired passion for leadership and communication styles.  Diane Crawford: “How to Use Neuroscience to Feel More Confident”Rance Greene: “Getting Started with Business Storytelling”David Kelly: “The 9 Behaviours of Leadership Part 1 & Part 2”Betty Dannewitz: “Soft Skills and Virtual Reality”Rhonda Scharf: “What Makes a Great Presenter?”Christine Irons & Jon Neuhold: “What Makes a Great Presentation?”Caroline Cohen: “You Don’t Have to Know it All”You can’t have an extravaganza without a special guest: Joy Neuhold, Co-Owner of The Great Canadian Training & Consulting Company. Joy Neuhold knew she wanted to be a consultant and start her own business from a young age. After working for a small IT business and then moving up the career path for an insurance company within a year and a half, Joy took a travel break. She came back in 2002 to start what is now The Great Canadian Training & Consulting Company, offering a range of software and soft skills training across North America. Do you have a question or comment?  Send us an email at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.caCheck out more free resources on software and soft skills with webinars, blogs, and tools And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: Winning the Retention Game through RenewalLeading Complex Teams with ClarityAnd our series on Teams - Collaboration and Technology

Are you in a new role? New team, responsibilities, skills? Many are changing roles and having to do more with less but still be a leader - so how does one adapt? It starts with ‘You don’t have to know it all’. In this episode we discuss with our guest Caroline Cohen how to adapt, build trust and delegate - without having all the answers! Caroline went from a learning and development leader to the NEW Head of People & Culture at a new company, industry, and role. Not to mention, this is happening during Covid lockdowns, work from home to hybrid. Getting the most from your teams and networksDelegating effectivelyBuilding the right setting for trustCommunicating a vision Our Guest Caroline Cohen is the Director of People and Culture at Medisca, a distribution company specializing in pharmaceutical compounding products and services. Caroline began her career in the area of training development and performance improvement for the airline industry before moving on to a transportation, logistics and supply chain company for which she headed a training department. Caroline has extensive experience at leading teams, managing multiple concurrent projects, implementing processes and, most importantly, approaches her work with the attitude of "anything is possible".   Speaking of Leadership skills… At Great Canadian Training we are offering our unique Leadership Packages. You can choose from: LEAD with TrustLEAD Strong TeamsLEAD with Executive PresenceLEAD Effective PresentationsLEAD Your Own PathEmail info@greatcanadiantraining.ca and mention ‘Leadership Packages’ to get more information about these packages and how you can build, develop and stretch your leadership skills.

Are you getting ready to do a presentation soon? You got this - but you would like some more tips and techniques just to feel more confident. In this episode, we’re sharing 12 minutes of our top ten tips to feel ready and confident to not just show up, but to show up as an insightful, engaging and more assured presenter. This is the final episode of our significant 4 podcasts series on Presentation Skills. Our host Joel Silverstone will be sharing his experiences as a speaker and presenter to varied audiences globally, from boardrooms to conferences, to the virtual world, as well as coaching hundreds of leaders on their presentation skills. Joel is the Sr. Professional Skills Facilitator & Coach at The Great Canadian Training and Consulting Company. For over 20 years, Joel has helped leaders and their teams globally feel more confident and impactful with their communication and leadership skills. A former professional actor and improviser, Joel applies those acting skills to being a better presenter. This episode can help with tips and strategies to make you feel great delivering your next presentation. Take a few minutes to listen in as our host Joel Silverstone shares ten simple techniques you can use immediately.   Speaking of presentation skills… At Great Canadian Training we are offering our unique GREAT Series: “Become a Great Presenter with MS PowerPoint and Presentation Skills”. In one day, you will learn powerful skills and tools to connect and engage your audiences by developing and mastering your MS PowerPoint and presentation skills.Email info@greatcanadiantraining.ca and mention ‘great’ to get more information about our GREAT Series and how you can become a Great Presenter with MS PowerPoint and Presentation Skills.

Do you have a fear, or feel anxious when it comes to public speaking? You’re not alone - we’re all nervous to speak publicly. In this episode we discuss the tips, techniques and mindset you can use to get past those nerves. This is episode 3, as part of our significant 4 podcasts series on Presentation Skills. Where do the nerves come from? Or, as our guest Melina Nacos asks, “What makes you tick?”. What behaviours or beliefs have kept you stuck with your doubts about speaking in public? We certainly didn’t learn presentation skills at school. We were graded but did we get the tips on being better at it? Not really…   We discuss: Nerves are deep rooted; how do you break that habit?Making the uncomfortable feel more naturalWhat are the beliefs holding you back?How to change your scriptHow to be more confident networking in personHow are you preparing and why does it matter? Our Guest Melina Nacos is the founder of Melina Nacos Coaching Inc. working with dedicated, thoughtful people, providing support, inspiration, and the direction you need to become the person you've always wanted to be and develop a legacy of positive change.  For 20 years, Melina has worked with her clients to hone their skills and confidence and empower them to be in service of others for their own success. With a degree from York University and Adult Certification from George Brown College, Melina takes the time to learn each of her clients’ personal traits and build off of them, customizing her service to affect positive changes in defined areas of need. Speaking of presentation skills… At Great Canadian Training we are offering our unique GREAT Series: “Become a Great Presenter with MS PowerPoint and Presentation Skills”.In one day, you will learn powerful skills and tools to connect and engage your audiences by developing and mastering your MS PowerPoint and Presentation skills.Email info@greatcanadiantraining.ca and mention ‘great’ to get more information about our GREAT Series and how you can become a Great Presenter with MS PowerPoint and Presentation Skills.

Have you been trying to get your presentation from good to great? Wondering (ok, struggling) with the best way to use MS PowerPoint? And present it with a confident and engaging delivery style? You’re not alone. That’s why we created this episode, the combination of technical and soft skills to guide you in bringing out the best in your presentations. We’re thrilled to have as our Guest Host Jon Neuhold, Co-Owner of Great Canadian Training, interviewing Senior Software Instructor Christine Irons and Senior Professional Skills Facilitator Joel Silverstone. There is a gap in people’s technical skills – but technical skills on their own aren’t enough. Each of us also needs the professional skills to match them. In the case of presenting in front of an audience, that means designing a slide presentation that effectively captures and holds the attention of others and knowing how to talk about the slides to match the content. This is episode 2, as part of our significant 4 podcasts series on feeling more confident, engaging, and prepared with your presentation skills. We discuss: The How and Why in designing your presentationKey principles in delivering your presentationDebunking fear of public speakingThe best ways to use PowerPoint to be impactfulHow to start strong and why that matters to your audience (and you) Our Guest Christine Irons is Great Canadian Training’s lead software instructor and courseware designer. Christine worked in Human Resources at York University in Toronto for over 20 years as an instructional designer, trainer, and learning specialist. As a certified master Microsoft instructor, Christine brings an extensive knowledge of Adult Learning Theory to her work, whether it’s designing and delivering live classes or creating e-leaning that truly teaches. ​ Our Guest Joel Silverstone is the regular host of the Great Canadian Leadership Podcast. When not hosting, Joel is the Senior Professional Skills Trainer & Coach at Great Canadian Training. For over 20 years, he has helped leaders and their teams feel more confident and impactful with their communication and leadership skills in live and virtual sessions, from small businesses and government agencies to Fortune 500 companies in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. Joel is also a speaker at HR, Learning, Leadership and Professional Services Conferences across North America.  Presentation skills are not easy, but you can get better. It’s a combination of mindset, intention, and the tools to get from good to great, whether you are presenting at a meeting or to hundreds. Speaking of presentation skills… At Great Canadian Training we are offering our unique GREAT Series: “Become a Great Presenter with MS PowerPoint and Presentation Skills”.In one day, you will learn powerful skills and tools to connect and engage your audiences by developing and mastering your MS PowerPoint and presentation skills. Email info@greatcanadiantraining.ca and mention ‘GREAT’ to get more information about our GREAT Series and how you can become a Great Presenter with MS PowerPoint and Presentation Skills.

Presentation skills are not easy, but you can get better. It’s a combination of mindset, intention, and the tools to get from good to great, whether you are presenting at a meeting or to hundreds. This is episode #1, as part of our significant 4 podcasts series on feeling more confident, engaging, and prepared with your Presentation Skills. This episode, we’re thrilled to have Rhonda Scharf share how someone from a small town - outside a small town - became an in-demand speaker. We discuss: How do you prepare to present?Where do you start?What to do when you forgetBeing you…but not too much youIt’s not about memorization, the secret is…What is your intention? And why that matters to your audienceHow do you engage them to action? Our Guest Rhonda Scharf is an author, speaker, trainer, training partner with The Great Canadian Training & Consulting Company and earned her Certified Speaking Professional. Rhonda is a member of the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame and is one of only 35 speakers worldwide who have earned their Global Speaking Fellow (meaning she truly has an international business) and been awarded the Spirit of CAPS award. She was the first speaker in the entire world to earn all four awards. Her peers consider Rhonda a leader in the speaking industry! Rhonda’s professional speaking career began at age two… when her mother would offer her 25 cents to be quiet for five minutes!   Speaking of presentation skills… At Great Canadian Training we are offering our unique GREAT Series: “Become a Great Presenter with MS PowerPoint and Presentation Skills.”In one day, you will learn powerful skills and tools to connect and engage your audiences by developing and mastering your MS PowerPoint and Presentation skills.Email info@greatcanadiantraining.ca and mention ‘podcast’ to get more information about our GREAT Series and how you can become a Great Presenter with MS PowerPoint and Presentation Skills.

What does the future look like? Will we be using Virtual Reality…And how is this used to reinforce soft skills? In this episode, we are curious how virtual reality (VR) can connect to our soft skills and be used in training. We discuss the thoughts and skills that we can take from these VR scenarios and put them into real world practice in how we interact with each other in business, and maybe in life. We talk communication, empathy, giving feedback and …Presentation Skills! Virtual reality has an interesting perspective here, especially with your number of ‘um’s’. Our Guest Betty Dannewitz is an Immersive Experience Designer with 18+ years in corporate learning and development. She is also a Speaker, Podcaster, and High-Performance Coach. Betty’s passion is to help people become better humans and she advocates that innovative technology, like augmented reality, has a huge role in making that happen.  Listen in as we explore a possible future and how you can start using some of these communication and leadership abilities in your present world. Do you have a question or comment for The Great Canadian Leadership Podcast? Send us an email at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episode series: Our Special 4-part series on Presentation Skills to build your confidence, clarity and engagement in person or virtually.

Are leaders born that way? Probably not! Your business card may say ‘leader’ but that doesn’t mean you are one…yet. What if we took those leadership buzzwords like integrity, visionary, etc. and made them into tangible skills? What if we looked at other behaviours of leadership and made them into skills you could develop and practice? This is part 2 of the 9 behaviours of leadership – these are traits, sometimes clichés – that we can make into clear skills you can develop. In this episode, we explore the soft skills of leadership, specifically how listening and empathy are core traits to continue developing. Developing leaders can change. Existing leaders can get better. David Kelly is the CEO of The Learning Guild. David has been a learning and performance consultant and training director for over 20 years. He is a leading voice exploring how technology can be used to enhance training, education, learning, and organizational performance. David is an active member of the learning community and can frequently be found speaking at industry events. He has previously contributed to organizations including ATD, eLearn Magazine, LINGOs, and more. For more on David, follow him on Twitter. Listen in as we share how to make leadership behaviours into tangible and intentional skills and why it matters for your communication and leadership abilities. Do you have a question or comment for The Great Canadian Leadership Podcast? Send us an email at podcast@greatcanadiantraining.ca. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming episodes: Virtual Reality meets Soft SkillsAnd our upcoming 4-part series on Presentation Skills