Training

Elisa Levy and her team offer a vast menu of options, from one time training sessions to on-going programs that help organizations maximize potential. The STEP UP Program will give your business the edge over competitors and create a genuine culture of service. One-time sessions will give your employees the boost they need to stay on track.

For businesses that already have a culture of excellence in place, and just need a tune up, Levy and her team offer a wide variety of topics. Sessions can range from 1 hour to 1 day. Topics include:

Managing Discord: Ensuring that Staff and Customers Get Along and Stick to the Rules

There is a three-pronged sociological phenomenon exploding in American society right now. These contentious issues lead to intense division in communities, businesses and even in homes. They include differing and sometimes oppositional beliefs about “right action” in response to: 1) The Covid 19 pandemic; 2) actions towards racial injustice, and 3) the upcoming 2020 election.

The conflicts extend well beyond whether or not people should wear masks, march in the streets for racial justice, or elect a certain candidate for office. For some, these issues reach down to the very core of their deeply personal and cherished values. They create rifts that may feel irreconcilable.

This training guides participants through discussion and agreements (using suggestions from the trainer) to ensure that they can continue work and live together peacefully, even when they do not agree. It will also give attendees specific verbiage and tools to use with combative customers, who refuse to comply or argue with the rules.

Through this session, participants will gain:

• A deeper understanding of other perspectives and values
• Tools for addressing behaviors and comments that are offensive (with co-workers and customers)
• New ways practicing the art of compassionate listening and reconciliation
• Skills for diffusing volatile situations and arguments based on political points of view with fellow employees, vendors, managers and customers

Anti-Racism and Tolerance

With the most recent events around the U.S and globally, there is a new call to action to address racism, and to promote tolerance in communities and in the workplace. More than ever it is necessary to understand the history of racial inequality, the stereotypes and discriminatory practices that fuel it, and the action each of us can take to end it in big and small ways.

This training is highly interactive, and engaging. It allows participants to have real and meaningful dialogue about race in a safe environment. The session covers:

• Racial identity
• Understanding the differences between stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
• Measures we can take to address racism in our personal and professional relationships
• Tools for having meaningful discourse to promote racial tolerance

Diversity, Inclusion and Sensitivity

A comprehensive training that promotes understanding, respect and inclusion is essential to all businesses and communities. In an increasingly diverse world, individuals must have the tools to understand differences based in gender, religion, race, age, socio-economic background, sexual identity and orientation, and other defining factors of the human experience.

A training on diversity, inclusion and sensitivity ensures that employees’ rights are respected, and it leads to better, happier and more productive organizations. A 2016 study by The Economist found that the majority of its survey respondents believe diversity and inclusion promote better talent management (71 percent), employee satisfaction (64 percent), collaboration (57 percent) and corporate reputation (57 percent).

In this training, participants will learn how to:

• Avoid unconscious bias
• Eliminate micro-aggressions
• Strengthen communication and understanding of different identity groups
• Address unwanted, hurtful and insensitive behaviors
• Utilize language that is inclusive and free from bias

Managing Change in a New Reality

The events that began in the Spring of 2020 have sent the world into a new reality. Never have the Thomas Wolfe’s words “You Can’t Go Home Again” resonated so profoundly. Personally and professionally many people are seeking new tools and a new paradigm in which to operate. They must adjust to new rules and policies, expectations, conflicts, and behaviors. This session is designed just for that. In the training, participants will receive:

• An understanding of the stages of change and how we move through them with any change in our lives
• Skills for addressing issues with others who see and behave differently
• Tools for managing the anxiety and uncertainty that accompanies change
• Steps for communicating clearly and ensuring that everyone is on the same page

Conflict Resolution

Studies show that Managers spend approximately 80 percent of their time managing the conflicts of their staff and customers. The problem, however, is that most managers don’t have the tools to manage conflicts effectively. The result is that often conflicts are overlooked, or swept under the carpet without actually getting resolution.

Elisa Levy and her team can mediate ongoing conflicts to improve relationships and productivity, and they can also teach staff from the top to the front lines how to better manage and resolve conflicts with each other, customers and vendors.

In this process, participants learn how to:

• Diffuse Angry People
• Listen Effectively
• Use Assertive Communication
• Arrive at a Resolution
• Stick to Agreements to Ensure They Last
• Control Emotions

Leadership

The biggest problem leaders have is that they are doing a job most of them have never been trained for. They may have technical expertise, but how many manager and leaders have actually engaged in the study of leadership and worked at it? Most of them have learned how to lead “on the job.” Years of leading doesn’t mean they are doing it effectively. Even if they have been in management for decades, they may never have acquired the tools and skills to motivate employees, engage them, manage conflicts, mediate problems, and communicate effectively.

Without great leadership employees lose faith and leave their companies. Turnover is an estimated $5 trillion annual drain on the U.S. economy. Studies show that 80 percent of workers lack real commitment to their jobs. Successful leaders know not only how to recruit and retain great staff, they know also how to motivate and inspire them to do their best.

Some of the topics leaders and managers will learn through Elisa Levy Consulting include:

• The Secrets to Recruiting and Interviewing Potential Employees
• Inspiring Loyalty in Your Staff
• Assertive Communication
• Conflict Resolution
• Mediating Employee Conflicts
• Effectively Coaching Employees
• Stress and Time Management
• Creating Systems of Accountability
• Training Staff To Do Their Jobs Well and Consistently

Exceptional Customer Service

Studies show that 79 percent of customers will discontinue their relationship with a business if they aren’t happy with the service. In today’s competitive business world, organizations simply can’t afford even one bad interaction. Businesses need to be imbued with a culture of service that front lines actually want to provide. It can’t be fake or put on. Staff must be inspired by their leaders to want to be exceptional.

Here are some the skills and tools your employees will learn and practice:

• How to make a great first impression
• The “WOW” Factor
• Building Rapport
• Active Listening
• Managing Conflicts and Problems
• Communicating When You Are Stressed, Irritable or Tired
• How to Say “No” Effectively
• Delighting and Surprising Your Customers

Stress and Time Management

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, stress costs businesses more than $300 billion annually. It’s no wonder that the same studies show that over 100 million Americans report having stress related illnesses every year. Stress is nothing less than an epidemic in America today. Giving staff tools and skills to ward of stress and to manage it well leads to a happier, more productive workforce, and a better bottom line.

In this training, participants learn specific mind and body tools for managing stress. They also learn how to be more organized so that they can increase productivity. Some of the tools they will learn include:

• Getting Organized
• Prioritizing for the Month, Week and Day
• Sure-Fire Ways to Stay Focused at Work
• Handling Interruptions and Last Minute Requests
• Simple Ways to Relax the Body in 60 Seconds or Less
• The Secrets to Feeling Good Mentally and Emotionally
• Steps to Take Daily to Ward Off Stress
• How to Say “No” Effectively

Team Building

While teamwork is an essential part of almost every business today, it can also be the most time consuming and challenging aspect of a job. Contending with different personalities, work ethics, and values can be difficult for team member and the people who lead them. Levy utilizes a personality profile to help team members understand each other better and communicate more effectively. The profile is a launching point for the team to create a plan for working together more productively.

In this process, team members will engage in the following exercises:

• Complete a personality assessment to help individuals gain more insight into themselves and one another
• Go through a team analysis in which they identify their individual and collective strengths and weaknesses
• Identify concrete agreements they can implement to improve their effectiveness and happiness on the team
• Create and action plan to ensure agreements are met and upheld continuously

The Step Up Program will propel your business forward. It’s a simple, cost effective program that creates a culture of service from the top of the organization right down to the front lines. Step Up has a proven track record with phenomenal results. From restaurants to banks to hotels, every business engaged in this program has seen their all-time high on social media sites and increased staff retention rates – both of which lead to an improved bottom line. The secret is consistent and persistent work with leadership and front lines to create a meaningful, fulfilling and inspired work environment.

Step Up has two key components:  The Leadership Series and Exceptional Customer Service. Businesses can choose one or the other of these, but the combination of the two through the Step Up Program is what truly leads to remarkable results.

The Leadership Series

Managers are constantly in need of tools to manage their people. From accountability to mediating conflicts, they are putting out fires almost daily with customers and staff. The Leadership Series part of the Step Up Program takes very little time, and provides managers with user-friendly tools to excel as leaders. The series includes:

• Monthly (or every other month) 1.5 hour training sessions on a variety of topics including: Communication Skills, Conflict Resolution, Accountability, Giving Feedback, Reinforcing Customer Service, Assertiveness, Motivating Staff, Stress and Time Management, and more.

• Weekly personalized communication from Levy and her team to help managers reinforce what they learn. Participants receive at least one or two targeted pieces of information per week, including inspiring articles, videos, simulations, and fun exercises/competitions.

• One-on-one Coaching: During the series, each manager will have personal coaching sessions packed with information and tools that meet their needs.

• The Manager Hotline: Throughout out the series managers have phone call, skype or email access to Levy and her team any time they have a question, challenge or issue they want to discuss. This helps them with particularly tough situations as they arise in real time.

Exceptional Customer Service (ECS)

Forcing people to “be nice” simply doesn’t work. The motivation has to come from within. Once they have that intrinsic desire, they need the right tools to do it well.  The Exceptional Customer Service (ECS) component of the Step Up Program inspires front lines to engage in real and meaningful service with each other and with every customer they meet. The program is different than other customer service trainings, as it aims not only to teach, but to inspire. ECS includes:

• An Introductory Course for All New Hires on Exceptional Customer Service: This is a 2.5 hour course that all staff receive at the beginning of the program. All new hires receive the training within 2 months of their start date with the organization.

• Monthly (or every other month) department ECS meeting: These 1 hour meetings are used to review skills and tools and to learn one new skill to continue their education. These meetings are also used to review social media, survey scores, and specific reviews.

• Secret Shopping: These experiences can range from a full shop to a customer phone call to monitor progress and to measure how staff are using the tools.

• Live Observation: Levy and her team conduct observations on a monthly basis of staff to help coach them on their skills and to reward them when they do a great job.

• Coaching: Employees can receive coaching as requested by leaders.