ELearning | Continuing Professional Development -

Hot Topics to Benefit Your Business in 2012

CHECK OUT our WEBINARS listed below!

To register for one or more of these exciting offerings from

Continuum Education + Training, please contact us at:

You can register as an individual for a webinar or as an organization/group. Please contact us for rates.

* Each webinar is 60-minutes, followed by a 30-minute Q&A. The webinars will be conducted from 10:00 am - 11:30 am Central Time unless otherwise noted.

FIRST QUARTER

Feb 14 - Maintaining Your Organization When Faced With Employee Turn Over

What would happen to your business if you suddenly lost your top performer(s)? While we hope to retain our top talent and high performers, the reality is the business could change on a dime as the result of unexpected employee turnover. The ability to sustain a successful organization requires many key components of thoughtful strategic planning and adaptability. This interactive workshop will explore the three critical requirements needed to continue your business in an uncertain future.

Objectives:

How to create a successful talent strategic plan that underpins your business strategy
How to build a succession plan for the critical subject matter expertise in your company
How to leverage your current team’s abilities and create an internal training engine

Feb 21 - LEADERSHIP SERIES - Leader Versus Manager: Which Are You?

Which came first: the chicken or the egg? The answer to that question won’t impact your business. But distinguishing the skills that define leaders and managers is the secret in creating an organization that far exceeds its competitors. In this interactive webinar, participants will be introduced to the 4 critical skills leaders possess and the collaborative relationship between leading and managing. Being successful today requires both, but how and when to be each role makes all the difference.

Objectives:

Learn what Webster has to say about it
Understand the difference between leading and managing
Discover the time and place each style is successful

Feb 28 - Talent Development

Businesses today have recognized a new “normal” exists. The recession has forced organizations to closely evaluate every asset that costs money and make tough choices to simply remain in business. Jobs that once existed will not likely reappear going forward. New skill sets will be required across the organization in order to remain competitive going forward. This session will explore how to bridge the gap of your organization’s current skill needs and those required in the future. From talent assessment to applicant selection strategies, participants will learn how to create a team with the right skills for your company’s future success.

Objectives:

Clearly define your new “normal” workplace
Identify the critical steps to bridge the skill gaps in your organization
Define the four critical leadership skills in tomorrow’s organization
Create a communication strategy that engages the organization and builds retention

Feb 23 - Legal Issues Involving Social Media and the Workplace

Description Coming Soon!

March 13 – CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES I - Listening To Customers Is The Key
(1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

Whether a customer is making a normal, everyday inquiry or is upset about a service issue, really hearing the customer is the key to the making a good impression and bringing the issue to a successful conclusion. People who feel as though they are being paid attention to (through active listening) are much more likely to be satisfied – even when the utility cannot completely fulfill their request. However, active listening is not easy. Most people have had training in speaking, reading and writing. Very few people have had formal training in listening well. Combine that with time constraints and the repetitive nature of customer requests and the results are not always positive.
This webinar leads employees to a better understanding of the importance of listening in the service experience and gives them a simple, yet effective, system for actively listening to customers.

Objectives:

Understanding the importance of actively listening to customers,
Using techniques for active listening,
Using listening skills to determine customer needs and lead to more successful conclusions for the customer and the utility.

March 20 - LEADERSHIP SERIES - Would I Follow Me? The Character Components Of Leadership

Being a leader implies you have followers. But does it? Following you is a choice your team makes every day despite your job title. In addition, there are levels of followership. The real question is: how far would my team follow me and if given the choice, would I follow myself? In this interactive webinar, participants will explore the character components of what it means to lead in today’s world. This session will challenge each participant to become the kind of leader anyone would want to follow.

Objectives:

Learn what it means to really follow someone
Discover your personal leadership quotient
Learn the secret of wearing two hats in your organization

March 27 - Stop Passing The Buck Using Accountability That Creates Results

In order for organizations to be successful, the teams within it must be effective. And this only occurs when everyone is doing his or her part. Therein lies the leadership challenge. This 60 minute webinar will provide you with an overview to help you identify and avoid the most common causes of poor accountability and identifies proven strategies to take greater responsibility for achieving organizational results.

Objectives:

Discover how to help your team and organization take greater personal accountability for achieving difficult organizational results
What are the signals that a needed shift in culture is essential for your organization to succeed?
Define the shifts in the way people need to think and act to produce key organizational results

March 29 - The Art Of Reaching Agreement – Even When It Seems Impossible

Have you ever found yourself faced with you seeing the situation one way and a fellow employee sees it another? And you’re both convinced that you’re right and the other person is dead wrong. Pretty common right? Reaching a decision with someone you disagree with can be an unobtainable goal. Yet, being able to handle such situations and move beyond them is essential. This webinar, will help you see through the reasons you disagree so strongly in the first place and work beyond them. Participants in this session will learn why you often don’t understand what is being said and why they’re saying it and how a rocky working relationship can cloud your perspective.

Objectives:

Learn the importance of building and developing strong work relationships
Understand how to make others feel heard
Describe how to find ‘common ground’ in disagreements
Discover when to agree and disagree
Distinguish the steps for moving beyond disagreements to agreement

SECOND QUARTER:

April 3 – CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES I - Phrasing For Successful Conclusions
(1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

Communicating with customers in a positive way can be difficult – especially in situations where the customer service representative can’t tell the customer exactly what it is that they want to hear. Every service experience leaves the customer with an opinion of the service provider, the service received and the utility. Attendees need to be prepared to phrase answers to tough questions in a way that reflects concern and a positive service attitude. This course makes participants aware of the power behind their words and the way they use them.

Objectives:

Understand the communication cycle and their role in clear communication
Identify causes of defensiveness
Be able to rephrase to promote clear understanding and lessen defensiveness
Facilitate open communications with internal and external customers

April 5 - LEADERSHIP SERIES - How To Create Real Influence As A Leader

Let’s face it. There are just some people who seem to have the “it” factor. When they speak, others listen. Sometimes it is because of a job title, but in most scenarios it has nothing to do with the words that appear on their business card. They have real influence that goes beyond personality. In this interactive webinar, we will explore the traits and focused skills that create influence in an organization.

Objectives:

Understand the relationship between office politics and influence
Identify the skill set that creates influence
Discover the power of raving fans

April 10 - How To Reduce Bad Debt Expenses From Commercial Customers: Before, During and After They File For Bankruptcy

With many commercial customers filing for Chapter 11, utilities constantly confront losses for charges provided prior to and during bankruptcy. Under Section 366(c ) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, utilities are entitled to adequate assurance for post-petition charges, and overall, Section 959(b) of the Federal Judiciary Code requires the same laws to be applied (where the debtor’s property is located) in bankruptcy cases as outside of bankruptcy cases. Focusing upon improving applicable state law credit/collection practices applicable to commercial customers, this lecture will set forth recommendations for what utilities should do before, during, and after their commercial customers file for bankruptcy – all aimed at minimizing bad debt expenses.

Objectives:

How to prevent losses generally
What to do prior to when a commercial customer files for bankruptcy
What to do when a commercial customer files for bankruptcy
What to do after a commercial customer files for bankruptcy

April 10 - CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES II - Positive Attitudes = A Positive Workplace And Great Service
(1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

In a recent national survey, companies were asked: What counts more: employee aptitude - hard skills and technical competencies - or employee attitude - soft skills including motivation, commitment and communication? Nearly 60 percent of organizations responding ranked attitude as the No. 1 concern. As attitudes deteriorate, so do commitment, loyalty and, most importantly, performance.

Objectives:

Increase understanding of the importance of attitudes to personal and organizational success.
Improve ability to develop and keep a more positive attitude.
Improve understanding of themselves and the people with whom they work and who they serve and how to better relate to them and, consequently, how to be a more positive influence in the workplace.

May 1 - LEADERSHIP SERIES - Performance Feedback: Developing The Workforce You Need

In today’s busy workplace, performance appraisals are often viewed as the annual mandatory paperwork pile from Human Resources. As a leader with so little free time, are you sometimes tempted to just produce more paper and complete forms as quickly as possible so you can get back to the important parts of your job?

In this interactive webinar, participants will learn a feedback approach that can really make your day to day easier while at the same time helps your employees improve and aligns them with your needs and your organization’s goals.

Objectives:

Identify the three biggest problems with today’s performance appraisals
Understand the real danger of poorly delivered performance feedback
Learn a practical way to provide informal feedback that ultimately writes the appraisal

May 3 - Cyber Security

This webinar is designed to provide useful and pertinent information related to information security in the utilities industry. It will cover basic practices and cost-effective tools that efficiently thwart information security breaches. It will also review high-level actions that need to occur in the event of an information security breach.

Objectives:

Understand the risks involved with electronically stored data
Have a more structured and definitive understanding of information security
Have a high level knowledge of cost effective tools and practices to protect electronic information
Have a better understanding of how to react to information security breaches in a company environment

May 8 - Useful Excel 2007 Tips

This session is designed to help participants work more efficiently in Microsoft Excel 2007.

Objectives:

Awareness of Microsoft Excel features participants may not be utilizing
Provide quick tips that are available for use in Microsoft Excel
Improve their abilities while utilizing features within Microsoft Excel 2007.

May 8 - CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES II Helping Consumers Understand Usage And Conservation Measures
(1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

Although electricity is one necessity that Americans cannot do without, many consumers are remarkably uninformed and misinformed on how to understand and control their energy usage and bills, how the utility designs its rates and what to do to make their homes more energy efficient. Since most Americans take what utilities provide for granted, they do not realize the true value of the reliable service and relatively low cost of electricity. Couple the consumers’ emotions with a basic lack of knowledge and scams perpetrated by companies who falsely advertise the benefits of their products/services and serving these consumers can be challenging.

Objectives:

Improve ability to assist customers in understanding their bills and the utility’s rates
Gain knowledge and expertise to communicate in a more professional and credible manner
Enable to explain myths and scams in relation to energy efficiency

May 15 – CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES I - A Professional Telephone Image
(1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

More and more service is being done by telephone with fewer and fewer people actually visiting the utility office. This means that to the customer or other callers (including legislators, vendors, board members, other VIPs), the entire impression of the utility comes from that voice on the other end of the telephone line. This puts pressure on the utility employee to develop excellent telephone skills and use those skills in each and every encounter. These skills include proper use of tone of voice and attention to speech patterns.

Objectives:

•   Understand the importance of image presentation by telephone use
•   Learn the meaning of professionalism in handling incoming and outgoing telephone calls
•   Know the difference between voice and speech and how to use both in a positive way
•   Develop definitive methods for refining telephone service in answering, placing people on hold, transferring callers, taking messages and leaving messages so that the perception is of professionalism in every way.

May 17 – Reading Financial Statements

Do you know what your financial statement says? Do you how to read one to help you in your job? You don’t have to become an accountant or a financial wizard to understand what is in a financial statement. With just a little know-how you can become more confident in what is being said and in your financial questions and answers. This webinar is designed to provide you with a better understanding of the most important aspects of key financial statements. You will learn about:

Objectives:

The difference between cash versus accrual and why it matters for financial statements
How do you understand what does the balance sheet reflects for assets, liabilities, and equity and what it can and can't tell you
Learn about the purpose of the income statement, the statement of operations, the P&L statement, the statement of activities and tips for reading between the lines

May 22 - Leveraging Smart Meter Systems To Improve The Utility Bottom Line

This webinar is designed to provide participants with information to improve the use of their Smart Meter System to enhance their company’s financial health. An overview of several specific Smart Meter functions will provide tips to take advantage of common risk, revenue, and cost improvement opportunities. The major emphasis of the webinar will be directed toward Smart Meter operational areas; however, it will also include discussions regarding the use the Smart Meter System deployment and the post installation maintenance processes to improve the bottom line.

Objectives:

Establish a Knowledge Base of Smart Meter financial improvement opportunities
Insight Into Smart meter Issues and Industry Best Practices
Identify Areas of Common Issues
Introduce Areas for Improvement
Leveraging the Smart Meter Installation and Post Deployment processes for Financial Improvement
Maintaining Customer Satisfaction

May 23 - UTILITY ACCOUNTING SERIES - Utility Accounting Basics

This session covers fundamentals of utility accounting for new utility accountants and those involved in related jobs that have need to understand how accounting affects other aspects of the business. This course will cover the basics of utility operations and terminology, and will cover the following accounting topics: Using a prescribed uniform system of accounts (e.g., FERC or RUS), the general ledger and subsidiary ledgers, the four accounting cycles (revenue, collections, disbursements, and payroll).

Participants will learn about such items as:

The unique nature of utility accounting
Accounting hierarchy
Four sets of books
Uniform system of accounts

May 24 - How To Become A Better Interviewer

If your interviewing skills aren’t strong, you could be in jeopardy of making costly painful hiring mistakes. Having the ability to make smart hiring decisions is the #1 skill every manager needs to master. This webinar gives you the practical how-to’s and proven strategies you need to fully command every interview you conduct from now on. You’ll discover how to assess the candidate’s experience, work ethic, abilities, and commitment level. You’ll learn how to ask probing questions that will reveal potential weaknesses. When it comes to interviewing, you simply cannot rely on “winging it”.

Objectives:

Learn how to develop questions that elicit the information you need
Discover ways to assess the candidate’s skills, attitude, and commitment
Assess behavioral red flags
Acquire the ability to get candidates to demonstrate their skills rather than just describe them
Recognize techniques for staying in control of the interview so you don’t lose focus
Learn what to ask — questions that help you assess the most common traits employers want from employees, including flexibility, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work well with others

June 5 - Microsoft Office 2010: New Features

With each Microsoft Office release new and/or improved features are available to its users. While there are no new programs in Office 2010, some of the changes affect all of the Office programs and others are specific to one program within Microsoft Office. This webinar session is about discovering those changes and/or additions.

Objectives:

To uncover the new features in Microsoft Office 2010 in Word
To uncover the new features in Microsoft Office 2010 in PowerPoint
To uncover the new features in Microsoft Office 2010 in Excel
To uncover the new features in Microsoft Office 2010 in Outlook

June 12 – CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES II - Responding to High Bill Complaints
(1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

High Bills are the number one concern or complaint of all utility customers. As a result, when consumers come calling with these concerns, it is the biggest opportunity that the utility has to serve, to assist and to educate these customers. It is also one of the biggest challenges. Because they deal with so many of these types of complaints, utility reps can become almost robotic in their responses and serve with a lackadaisical or jaded approach. For all the information available to the general public, most people are still highly biased against the utility, feeling that it is the utility’s “fault” that their bill is so high and not taking any responsibility for their usage. This can lead to a certain amount of defensiveness on the past of the utility’s employees as well.

Objectives

To help representatives look at these types of complaints in a different light by understanding the “human dimension” to the complaint.
To explore the reactions that customers have, the level of customer knowledge and the results that customers want
To revive and enable to respond to high bill concerns in a more confident, knowledge-able and personable manner.

June 14 – Encouraging Employee Input

Organizations grow and prosper when they encourage—and act upon—employee input.
Your employees—the people who make the product, serve the customer, and perform all those other essential functions—often have valuable insights into ways to save money, improve our operations, and enhance our competitive advantage. Today, we’ll focus on ways to tap into this rich source of ideas for improvement.

Objectives:

Appreciate the benefits of employee input
Stimulate employees to develop ideas and suggestions for improvement
Use suggestion systems and other strategies for soliciting employee input
Respond positively to employee input and provide appropriate feedback and recognition

June 19 – CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES I - Taking Angry Customers From Unreasonable To Reasonable
(1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

When customers are angry, they sometimes act in unreasonable ways. Anger amplifies feelings while inhibiting clear thought processes. When customer service representatives attempt to resolve service issues by trying to reason with unreasonable customers, the results are not good. In this course, employees are provided with a better understanding of the psychological effects of anger on a person’s behavior and learn a four-step process that helps the customer move from an unreasonable state of mind to a more reasonable one in which problem solving can take place successfully.

Objectives:

Understand the effects of anger on a person’s state of mind
Be more aware of the futility of reasoning with an unreasonable person
Develop more confidence and learn to maintain better control of negative situations
Use a four-step process for helping a customer move from unreasonable to reasonable.

June 20 - UTILITY ACCOUNTING SERIES - Advanced Topics In Utility Accounting

This session covers fundamentals of utility accounting for new utility accountants and those involved in related jobs that have need to understand how accounting affects other aspects of the business. This course will cover the basics of utility operations and terminology, and will cover the following accounting topics: Using a prescribed uniform system of accounts (e.g., FERC or RUS), the general ledger and subsidiary ledgers, the four accounting cycles (revenue, collections, disbursements, and payroll).

Participants will learn about such items as:

The unique nature of utility accounting
Accounting hierarchy
Four sets of books
Uniform system of accounts

June 26 – Applying Critical Thinking And Problem Solving

Every day, workers are faced with new challenges to overcome, problems to solve, and decisions that need to be made. All of this can lead to stress, frustration, and ineffectiveness which can translate to financial loss or customer dissatisfaction. To make successful business decisions the first time, every time, everyone needs to master the skills to over come obstacles and make effective decisions. This Webinar is designed to show participants how to come up with fresh and innovative ideas quickly and effectively and how to weigh risks against rewards and validate ones solutions.

Objectives:

Apply critical thinking?
Identify the best critical thinking style for yourself
Learn the barriers to critical thinking and how to overcome them
Understand the 3 basic rules for making stronger decisions
Learn tips for evaluating risks

THIRD QUARTER:

July 10 - CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES II - Dealing More Positively With Stress And Stressors
(1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

Everyone talks about being “stressed out” but how many people really know exactly what stress is and how it really affects them? In this course, stress will be explored from all angles – what it really is, what effects it has, where it comes from for the individual and how we sometimes make ourselves more vulnerable to stress with poor coping skills.

Objectives:

To lead attendees to see past behavior patterns which may not have served them very well through interaction and self-evaluation.
To explore the responses to the stress of change along with other individual sources of stress.
To assist each attendee in developing a strategy to deal more positively with stress through a discussion of time tested tips and techniques.

July 11 - UTILITY ACCOUNTING SERIES - Budget, Forecasting And Financial Analysis

This session covers the general steps necessary to prepare annual capital and expense budgets for utilities. The concepts of zero based budgeting, activity based budgeting, and extrapolation budgeting will be discussed. Forecasting and ratio analysis, such as the quick ratio, plant-revenue ratio, equity, TIER and DSC will also be discussed

Objectives:

Learn to better evaluate overall financial performance of its utility
Develop better capital and operating budgets
Become skilled at ratio analysis and forecasting techniques.

July 17 – CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES I - Serving Internal Customers – Working Together For Service Success
(1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

To serve a business’ external customers (the end users of their products and services), employees must work together in an atmosphere of mutual trust and support. Of the three dimensions of quality service – human, business and hidden – the latter might just might be the most important. The hidden dimension includes all those things that go on behind the scenes that the customers don’t see. These include the policies, procedures, rules, regulations, work flow and most importantly, the relationships of the business’ employees. Without the hidden dimension being in good working order, service to the external customers always suffers. This course will give the attendees an overview of their part in this important dimension and focus on how to build and maintain good working relationships

Objectives:

Identify their role in the hidden dimension of service.
Make a guarantee to do their part to their company, its management, their co-workers and themselves.
Use a variety of skills and actions to build and maintain good working relationships

July 19 - Setting Performance Goals The Workplace

Goal-setting for employees is an important management responsibility. After all, if your team doesn't know where it's going, how will it know how to get there? This course will help you develop a systematic approach to setting performance goals and expectations for employees. You'll see how to establish initial goals that relate to performance objectives and accommodate employee interests. You'll learn to review and refine your goals continuously, and how to communicate the objectives and behaviors that will help your employees succeed. And, to ensure success, you'll learn techniques that will help you analyze performance, provide appropriate feedback, coach, and review your employees' work so that their productivity and also job satisfaction can continually improve. Good employees appreciate clear goals that enable them to achieve and excel; if you can instill this kind of goal-oriented atmosphere in your team, your management skills will be valuable in any kind of organization.

Objectives:

During the session, participants will discover:

The purpose of performance goals and the benefits you will derive from setting them;
Criteria for setting effective goals
Steps in the goal-setting process
How to individualize performance goals and develop action plans
Goal-setting review and evaluation
Setting new goals.

July 31 - Winning with the 3 R’s of Employee Retention

With the demands of an aging workforce and changing business climate, the ability to compete for top talent, develop existing talent, and retain high performers is atop of most businesses . While the recession has created an immediate shortfall of jobs, economic recovery in the next 24 months will reveal a backlash to many companies as employees choose to walk away from their current jobs. This session will explore the new definition of employee retention and the steps companies must take now to ensure they are positioned well for the future.

Objectives:

Understand the current employment landscape and predicted changes in the next 5 years
Discover the three critical elements every employee needs from their employer
Learn how to create a culture and experience that encourages employee engagement and creates fans of your organization

Aug 7 – Ethics In The Work Place

An overwhelming number of American’s believe it is important to work for an ethical company. This simple fact reinforces that business ethics matter in today’s world. When a company fails to make ethical decisions, it affects public distrust, employee loss, and even potential legal issues. However, when an organization is known for its integrity, it attracts the highest caliber of employees and builds strong customer relations and trust.

Whether you lead a company, a department or a work crew, making ethically correct decisions requires you to operate in a framework that is consistent with a personal code of values that form a framework for making ethical decisions. This 60 minute webinar will provide you with an overview to help you identify and avoid the most common unethical behaviors as well as receive tips and techniques for dealing with unethical behavior from others.

Objectives:

Identify the two basic decision making styles
Tips to recognize potential unethical behaviors in my team or my peers
Three strategies that will help you maintain personal integrity in the workplace

Aug 7 - CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES II - The Importance Of Body Language In Service
(1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

People who can listen with their “eyes” as well as their ears are better able to relate to others and to better respond to their needs. All human beings have the innate sixth sense which enables them to form impressions of others very quickly. In this session, that sixth sense will be “re-awakened” and given substance by learning signals passed from human being to human being by way of shared body language. This will enable the service providers to really “tune in” to their internal and external customers and to respond not only to what it is they are asking for but in a way that lets the customer feel a connection to the employee. This will result in the customer having a much better experience with the provider and the organization.

Objectives:

Foster a better appreciation of how body language can help the service provider be viewed as more sincere, more caring, more credible and more professional.
Be adept at reading signals sent by others through facial expressions, eye movement, hand gestures, body position and outward “symbols” such as dress and surroundings.

Aug 13 - BASICS OF ELECTRICITY SERIES - Generation And Transmission Of Electricity

This webinar is designed to give non-technical utility employees a working knowledge and better understanding of the basics of electricity and the process of generating electricity and the path it travels over the transmission grid to the distribution system.

Objectives:

Increase understanding of the process of generation and transmission of electricity.
Improve ability to communicate with engineering and operations personnel
Improve ability to communicate technical matters to external customers
Build confidence through increased knowledge of the process of providing electricity

Aug 14 - FRAUD SERIES - The First 48 Hours - What To Do If Fraud Happens To You

Even before the current tough economic times, fraud and white-collar crime was estimated to be a $480 million problem in the United States. Every year companies face this frustrating and at times gut-wrenching problem. This one hour session covers what you can do in the first 48 hours after fraud has been uncovered or suspected.

The following questions will be answered:

Who should be on the investigation team?
How should evidence be handled?
What do I do about computer and physical security?
How do I not tip off the perpetrator?

Aug 15 - UTILITY ACCOUNTING SERIES - Understanding And Applying Work Order Accounting

This webinar will cover the initiation of the work orders, accumulating work-in-process, contributions-in-aid of construction, as well as retirements. Participants will learn about expenditures such as materials, labor, transportation, and overhead. In addition, the course will provide valuable information on work order close out, unitization, and continuing property records.

Objectoives:

Describe the purpose behind work order accounting
Explain how to account for work-in-process
Implement effective work order closeouts

Aug 22 - TELECOMMUNICATION ACCOUNTING SERIES - Introduction To Telecom Accounting

This webinar is designed to assist accountants and auditors who work with independent commercial or cooperative telecom carriers. The course will cover such topics as: a brief history of telecommunications, basics of telephone networking, Part 32 accounting.

Aug 23 - Legal Hiring

During this webinar you will discuss the legal hiring practices that will help you attract top talent and remain legally compliant. Numerous state and federal laws prohibit hiring discrimination. These laws also allow job candidates who win lawsuits to collect substantial damages from organizations. Equal employment opportunity policies are only the first step in preventing hiring discrimination. It also takes an organization-wide awareness of and commitment to nondiscriminatory hiring practices. You are in the best position to promote nondiscriminatory hiring. That’s why you need to understand the legal requirement and our hiring policies and procedures. With this knowledge you can handle all aspects of the hiring process fairly and appropriately.

Objectives:

Identify requirements of fair employment laws
Follow the organization’s EEO policy
Evaluate job applicants based on job-related criteria
Conduct all phases of the hiring process to avoid discrimination

Sept 10 – BASICS OF ELECTRICITY SERIES - From Transmission To End Consumer

In this follow-up to Generation and Transmission of Electricity, the emphasis is on understanding various words, terms, and phrases unique to the electric power distribution utility. Participants will gain a clear insight into how electricity travels from the end of the transmission lines through the distribution systems substations and along its lines to the end-use customer.

Objectives:

Increase understanding of the process of distributing electricity to end users.
Improve ability to communicate clearly with engineering and operations personnel
Improve ability to explain the flow of electricity to end-use customers
Improve ability to explain service issues (including outages) to angry customers
Build confidence through increased knowledge of the process of distributing electricity

Sept 12 - UTILITY ACCOUNTING SERIES - Account Receivables And Payroll

This session is designed to provide participants with a clear and concise understanding of accounts receivables for both residential and business customers. The session will follow the accounts receivable transaction from beginning to end, including tips on analyzing and reconciling this account. Participants will review example bills, learn the basics of how they are created and what drives the amounts billed to the member. Internal control issues will be discussed as well as potential fraud hot spots.

Participants will gain an understanding of:

Service Order & Connection
Bill Components
Account categories
Basic rate design
G/L accounts
Billing entries
Internal Controls
Revenue analysis

Sept 18 – Employer Document Retention

This webinar will provide helpful and legal tips on document retention for employers. The webinar will focus on the legal requirements for document retention under federal labor and employment laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and Title VII. The Department of Labor and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have received an increase in funds and are putting the funds to use. The program will cover the recent trends in how these agencies are beginning to strictly enforce these documentation requirements. In addition to the legal requirements, the discussion will touch on practical tips and solutions for document retention to enable your office to run efficiently and smoothly while reducing your exposure to litigation.

Objectives:

Explore what should and should not be on an application.
Discuss the contents of a personnel file.
Discuss the importance of handbooks and what they should contain.
Examine the importance of discipline documentation and termination records
Explain Federal Requirements under the ADA, FMLA, FLSA, Title VII, and more…

Sept 19 - TELECOMMUNICATION ACCOUNTING SERIES - Advanced Telecom Issu

This webinar is directed toward participants that perform mid to upper lever accounting functions at telecoms and builds on Telecom 101. The course covers issues relating to revenues non-regulated entities, and USAC audits.

Sept 20 - How to Conduct a Pay Analysis

Are you paying your employees what you should? Determining employee pay is a tough issue. You want to stay competitive and pay employees what they’re worth without breaking the bank. But when so much depends on what you pay, from employee motivation to retention, you just can’t afford to wing it on your own. You could hire an expensive agency or spend hours sorting through books and survey data; however, through this webinar you can learn some of the secrets of conducting your own pay analysis. This one-hour webinar will make it easy to get the information you need to make sound pay decisions for your employees. You’ll learn what you need to conduct a pay analysis … survey data you should never rely on … exceptions you should know about … how to apply the results to pay decisions and more!

Objectives:

Know what you need to conduct a pay analysis
Discover quality issues for pay data — data integrity, reliability, and validity
Learn the different types of data found in surveys and how to select the data you need
Realize survey data that you should never use
Handle positions that are not matched in the market
Understand exceptions and special situations in data you should know about
Learn keys for communicating your analysis results
See how to apply the market results to pay decisions for individual employees

Sept 25 - Managing Conflict and Confrontation

Do you dread conflict of any kind? Do you go out of your way to avoid confronting someone over a work-related issue? If you face these problems you’re not alone; however, not handling them can cost you a lot in your professional and personal life. It can lead to unresolved anger, stress and frustration, damaged workplace relationships, and lost time and productivity. This webinar is designed to help you master conflict-resolution skills that will help you succeed on the job. You’ll learn “what to say when” scripts for specific conflict situations that arise at work, so you will NEVER be at a loss for the right words again. As a participant you will:

Objectives:

Learn how to get to the real cause of the problem
Discover successful approaches to disarm disagreeable people
Develop effective methods to defuse tense situations
Identify how to handle anger (your own and others’)

Sept 27 - Terminating Employees

Do you dread conflict of any kind? Do you go out of your way to avoid confronting someone over a work-related issue? If you face these problems you’re not alone; however, not handling them can cost you a lot in your professional and personal life. It can lead to unresolved anger, stress and frustration, damaged workplace relationships, and lost time and productivity. This webinar is designed to help you master conflict-resolution skills that will help you succeed on the job. You’ll learn “what to say when” scripts for specific conflict situations that arise at work, so you will NEVER be at a loss for the right words again.

Objectives:

Learn how to get to the real cause of the problem
Discover successful approaches to disarm disagreeable people
Develop effective methods to defuse tense situations
Identify how to handle anger (your own and others’)

FOURTH QUARTER:

Oct 10 -- TELECOMMUNICATION ACCOUNTING SERIES - Telephone Plant Accounting

This training provides an overview of the plant accounting cycle. Individuals will gain an overview of the telephone network and how it works as well as various network structures. The impact of Plant 32 accounting requirements will be reviewed as they impact ratemaking and network structures. In addition, the following topics will be discussed: accounting for various plant construction items, plant depreciation and amortization and CPR's.

Oct 18 - Progressive Discipline

During this webinar you will learn about progressive discipline. Progressive discipline is a method of applying discipline in steps, with the first offense meriting light correction and subsequent offenses receiving progressively harsher penalties. Typically, the discipline begins with a verbal warning and can progress to termination.

Objectives:

Understand what consistency and fairness actually mean
Apply progressive discipline fairly and consistently
Identify laws and policy requirements affecting discipline
Conduct effective disciplinary meetings
Document disciplinary action properly

Nov 5 - TELECOMMUNICATION ACCOUNTING SERIES - Budgeting And Financial Analysis For Telecoms

This webinar examines the budgeting process with the goal of providing participants with sufficient information to establish a company budget. Participants will learn how t, o begin the budgeting process, what to include in a budget, and the proper methods for presenting a budget. The course will also detail how to monitor results and analyze variances. Participants will discuss how to prepare, analyze, and understand financial ratios with an emphasis on customizing reports for management use.

Dec 5 - TELECOMMUNICATION ACCOUNTING SERIES - Understanding Telecom Cost Allocations, Separations, And Access

This webinar is devoted to providing answers to key business questions confronting telecom providers. Participants will learn about issues regarding allocating costs properly as well as how to maximize cost recovery. The session will provide valuable insight into how business plans must be managed and maintained in order to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and costs. The class will delve into such important issues as an assessment of cost settlements, regulated and non-regulated allocations, access procedures, and inter-carrier compensation.

Continuum 2012 Webinar Series Offerings

CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES I -
60-Minute Webinars - Followed by a 30 Minute Q&A (1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

March 13 – Listening To Customers Is The Key

April 3 – Phrasing For Successful Conclusions

May 15 – A Professional Telephone Image

June 19 – Taking Angry Customers From Unreasonable To Reasonable

July 17 – Serving Internal Customers – Working Together For Service Success

NEW!!! CUSTOMER SERVICE SERIES II
60-Minute Webinars - Followed by a 30 Minute Q&A (1:00 – 2:30 pm Central Time)

April 10 - Positive Attitudes = A Positive Workplace And Great Service

May 8 - Helping Consumers Understand Usage And Conservation Measures

June 12 – Responding to High Bill Complaints

July 10 - Dealing More Positively With Stress And Stressors

August 7 - The Importance Of Body Language In Service

LEADERSHIP SERIES
60-Minute Webinars - Followed by a 30 Minute Q&A (10:00 am - 11:30 am Central Time)

Feb 21 - Leader Versus Manager: Which Are You?

March 20 - Would I Follow Me? The Character Components Of Leadership

April 5 - How To Create Real Influence As A Leader

May 1 - Performance Feedback: Developing The Workforce You Need

FRAUD SERIES
60-Minute Webinars - Followed by a 30 Minute Q&A (10:00 am - 11:30 am Central Time)

August 14 - The First 48 Hours - What To Do If Fraud Happens To You

Sept 11 - Fraudsters & Bears: How To Deter Both

BASICS OF ELECTRICITY SERIES
60-Minute Webinars - Followed by a 30 Minute Q&A (10:00 am - 11:30 am Central Time)

August 16 - Generation And Transmission Of Electricity

Sept 13 –From Transmission To End Consumer

NEW!!! UTILITY ACCOUNTING SERIES
60-Minute Webinars - Followed by a 30 Minute Q&A (10:00 am - 11:30 am Central Time)

May 23 - Utility Accounting Basics

June 20 - Advanced Topics In Utility Accounting

July 11 - Budget, Forecasting And Financial Analysis

Aug 15 - Understanding And Applying Work Order Accounting

Sept 12 - Account Receivables And Payroll

TELECOMMUNICATION ACCOUNTING SERIES
60-Minute Webinars - Followed by a 30 Minute Q&A (10:00 am - 11:30 am Central Time)

Aug 22 - Introduction To Telecom Accounting

Sept 19 - Advanced Telecom Issues

Oct 10 - Telephone Plant Accounting

Nov 5 - Budgeting And Financial Analysis For Telecoms

Dec 5 - Understanding Telecom Cost Allocations, Separations, And Access

STAY TUNED FOR MORE SELECTIONS COMING FOR 2012