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Pre-Employment Workshop Outline written by Denise Bissonnette |
| Estimated timeframes are calculated for a pre-employment workshop group of 8 to15 participants. Please accommodate for more or less time depending on the number of participants in your group. All thirty skills presented in 30 Ways to Shine as a New Employee are vital, and if time allows, cover them all! Unfortunately, most programs experience time constraints of various types. In order to help you in your planning, I have assigned a priority rating on a three-point scale: Essential, Important or Helpful. If you have time restrictions, I suggest you focus on those rated as "Essential", following with those rated as "Important." If you have time for the skills rated "Helpful", that would be great too! I have written suggestions for making the 30 skills relevant to participant’s current lives before employment. I am assuming, however, that upon completion of each skill you will reinforce the importance and relevance of each skill once they are working, as this is intended as a job retention program! Skills 11-15 Habits for Success Skills 16-20 Gifts of Perspective and Choice Skills 21-25 Take the Bitter with the Sweet Skills 26-30 Making the Job Work for Your
1. CALMING NEW EMPLOYEE JITTERS Think Progress, Not Perfection Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Present the Six Things to Remember to Deal with New Employee Jitters and then have each participant identify examples of "little bits of progress" in the job they will be entering. If the kind of position they are going into is unknown, assign participants a hypothetical position. If participants are involved in work experience or mentorship, have them ask someone at the work site what progress looks like for a new employee in the first week and have them report their findings to the whole group at the next meeting. Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: 10 minutes Follow-up time in class: 30 minutes 2. DEALING WITH CHANGE Prepare for the Winding Road of Transition Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Introduce the subject of transition using ideas from the text on page 13. Ask each participant to identify transitions they are experiencing at this time in their life. Present the Map of Transition to a New Job on pages 14 and 15. Ask participants if these stages look familiar to them given past work experiences. Go over the Seven Tips on pages 16 and 17. Ask participants to consider which of the seven tips would be most helpful to keep in mind with regard to other transitions they are going through right now. Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 3. UNDERSTANDING WORKPLACE CULTURE When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Introduce the subject of workplace culture using ideas from the text on page 19. Go over the Categories of Workplace Culture on pages 20 through 24, citing examples from your own work experiences and eliciting other examples from the group. If participants are involved in work experience or mentorship, have them interview someone at the work site about the culture of the company using pages 20-24 as a springboard for questions. Have them report their findings to the whole group at the next meeting. Alternately, invite employers to the class and use the assessment to interview them about their workplace cultures. Have the group identify questions from the assessment that they would like to include in informational interviews. Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: 30 minutes Follow-up time in class: 30-60 minutes 4. MEETING NEW PEOPLE Take Advantage of a Clean Slate Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Take the group through page 25 following the directions in the text. Depending on the comfort level of the group, have them also share the three words they would have their co-workers use to describe them. Following the directions on page 26, have the group go through the Fourteen Tips. Invite the group to share which suggestions they plan to put into practice in the workplace. Have them experiment with items 1-3 in the Challenge of the Day and have them report on their experience at a future meeting. Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: 15-20 minutes 5. SATISFYING EMPLOYER EXPECTATIONS Fifteen Key Behaviors Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Take participants through the activity, following the directions on page 30. In order to reinforce the importance of all 15 items, go through the list asking the group to identify those items that they would expect if they were employers. Have participants identify the behaviors they need to improve upon before going into the workplace. Estimated timeframe in class: 20 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A
6. LEARNING TO RELATE IN THE COMPANY STYLE: Dance with Wolves Priority Rating: Helpful Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Introduce the subject of "company style", using the ideas in the text on page 32. If participants are involved in work experience or mentorship, have them interview someone at the work site about the "company style of relating", using the questions on page 33. Have them report their findings to the whole group at the next meeting. Estimated timeframe in class: 15 minutes Outside of class: 30 minutes Follow-up time in class: 1 or 2 hours 7. CLARIFYING PERFORMANCE GOALS: Target Your Goals and Make Them SMART Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Present the Smart Model of work goals on page 34. Reinforce the importance of being able to answer these questions in relation to any job they are in. Estimated timeframe in class: 15 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 8. PAYING
ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Take participants through the list on page 36, following the directions. Ask them to identify 2 or 3 things they have learned by being in the program which they had not expected to learn and have them share their responses with the while group. Also have them identify at least one thing they are most looking forward to learning in the new job. Estimated timeframe in class: 20-30 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 9. LEARNING FROM MISTAKES: Make Fresh Ones, Not The Same Ones Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Go through the Six Hot Tips for Making Fresh Mistakes on pages 38 and 39. Give them an example of three parts of an apology from #2. Have participants practice making apologies in dyads. Have participants share their responses to items 1 and 2 in the Challenge of the Day on page 40. Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 10. NOT LETTING WORRY CRAMP YOUR STYLE: Adopt the Gretzky Approach to Making "Goals" Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: With their books closed, take the group through the true-false questions on page 41. Following the directions provided, have them respond to the questions under item 1 in the Challenge of the Day on page 42. Adapt item 2 by asking participants to take one small risk in one area of their life within a specified time frame and report on their experience at a future meeting. Estimated timeframe in class: 30 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: 30 minutes
(Skills 11-15) Developing Habits for Success 11. REFLECTING THE COMPANY IMAGE Play to Your Audience Priority Rating: Helpful Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Introduce the topic of reflecting the company image, using the ideas in the text on page 44. If participants are involved in work experience or mentorship, have them interview someone at the work site about "reflecting the company image," using the questions on page 45. Have them report their findings to the whole group at the next meeting. Alternately, invite employers to the class and use the questions on page 45 to interview them about their workplace cultures. Have the group identify questions from page 45 that they would like to include in informational interviews. Estimated timeframe in class: 20 minutes Outside of class: 15 minutes Follow-up time in class: 1 hour 12. EXCEEDING EMPLOYER EXPECTATIONS Going the Extra Mile Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Take the group through the Ten Suggestions for Going the Extra Mile on pages 46-48, adding examples from your own work experience for each of the ten suggestions. Have participants brainstorm three ways that they can go the extra mile in the kind of job they are going to enter. If the kind of position they are going into is unknown, assign participants a hypothetical position. Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 13. SHINING IN THE EYES OF THE CUSTOMER Roll Out the Carpet in Service Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Introduce the topic of customer service by asking the group to share examples of excellent customer service and horrible customer service. Ask the group to identify what their examples have in common. Take the group through the exercise of identifying customer needs, following the directions on page 50 and 51. Ask for two volunteers to roleplay the scripts on page 52, responding to your requests as a customer. This will further reinforce the differences beyond reading them. Have the group respond to the first two items in the Challenge of the Day and share their responses with one another. Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 14. BEING A TEAM PLAYER Develop Your Human Relations Skills Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Following the directions on page 55, take the group through the 17 suggestions and have them share the tips they like the most and plan to put into practice when they go to work. (Don’t forget to have them spot the lemons!) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 15. SURVIVING OFFICE POLITICS Develop Workplace Savvy Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Following the directions on page 59, take the group through the 21 Tips for Surviving Workplace Savvy and have them identify the ones they like the most and plan to put into practice when they go to work. (Once again, don’t forget to have them spot the lemons!) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A
(Skills 16-20) Gifts of Perspective and Choice 16. CHOOSING TO THINK POSITIVE Overlook the Mud and See the Stars Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Ask for two volunteers to read the scripts on page 63, reflecting the differences in positive and negative thinking. Have everyone else keep their books closed during the roleplay. Facilitate a discussion of the differences between the two kinds of statements, using the ideas in the text on page 64. Have participants respond to the first two items in the Challenge of the Day in relation to their lives outside the classroom or the workplace. Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 17. FACING YOUR FEAR AND FINDING COURAGE Looking the World Straight in the Eye Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Go through the Nine Tips for Facing Your Fears on pages 66-68. (Consider assigning specific tips to particular individuals who will then present them to the rest of the group.) Elicit a discussion among participants about the tip that they think is the most important. Have participants respond to item #1 in the Challenge of the Day, adapting it to their "future work situation" rather than their "present" one. Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 18. BREAKING BAD HABITS OF THE MIND An Experiment in Attitude Priority Rating: Helpful Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Take participants through page 70 exactly as it is written and then have them try the Experiment in Attitude presented in the Challenge of the Day the following day (it has to begin first thing in the morning!) Estimated timeframe in class: 15-20 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 19. COPING WITH EVERYDAY LIFE The Art of Flexibility Priority Rating: Helpful Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Introduce the topic of "flexibility," using the ideas laid out in the text on page 72, and then have participants respond to item #5 in the Challenge of the Day. Let participants discuss their responses and give each other advice on how they can better cope with everyday life situations. Estimated timeframe in class: 20-30 minutesOutside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 20. TAKING SMALL STEPS TO CHANGE Use Time Wisely Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Introduce the topic of "time management" using the ideas presented on page 74. Have participants respond to the Life Style Changes section of the Challenge of the Day. Suggest that participants commit to practicing some of the ideas they write down and report to the group their experiences in a subsequent class. Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: Depends on the actions committed to Follow-up time in class: 15 minutes
(Skills 21-25) Take the Bitter with the Sweet 21. CONTROLLING YOUR ANGER Keep Your Head So You Don’t Lose Your Job Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Present the 5 Step Approach for Controlling Anger as it is presented on pages 76-78. Facilitate a discussion by having participants respond to each item in the Challenge of the Day, sharing their responses with the rest of the group. Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 22. MAKING YOURSELF UNDERSTOOD Choose the Right Words to Express Your Feelings Priority Rating: Helpful Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Take the group through the activity on page 80 and have them "choose the right words" to describe how they felt in the following situations: Three words to describe how they felt the first day in this program. Three words to describe how they feel about going to work. Estimated timeframe in class: 30 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 23. BENEFITING FROM PRAISE AND CRITICISM Respond Well to Feedback Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Present the Nine Tips for Responding to Feedback using the text on pages 82-84. Have participants practice receiving positive feedback by asking them to divide into subgroups of four to six. Focusing on one person at a time, have every other person in the group give that person positive feedback. Facilitate a discussion using the questions in item 2 of the Challenge of the Day. Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 24. DEVELOPING THE ABILITY TO REALLY LISTEN Be all Ears and Don’t Tune Out Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Have participants close their books and take them through the True-False items presented on pages 86 and 87. Present the Six Tune-out Modes by having participants in the class act them out in front of the group. For those who are interested, challenge participants with item 3 of the Challenge of the Day and have them report on their experience. Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: 20-30 minutes Follow-up time in class: 20-30 minutes 25. DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE Kill ‘Em With Kindness Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Introduce the activity, using the ideas in the text on page 91, and then lead participants through the Seven Hot Tips for Dealing with Difficult People. Have them share the tips that they plan to put into practice. Discuss the "Power of Kindness," using the ideas presented in the text on pages 93 and 94. Ask participants to respond to item 1 in the Challenge of the Day. Adapt item 5 in the Challenge of the Day by asking the group to brainstorm aloud the ways in which they can be kind to people in other areas of their life, including work. Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A
(Skills 26-30) Making the Job Work for You 26. MAKING A DIFFERENCE Focus on Your Purpose Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Have participants keep their books closed as you tell the story of the three stonemasons on page 98. Follow the story with examples of finding purpose in work, using the examples on page 98 or examples of your own. Have each participant identify and share with the group the purpose they believe they will find in the work they are entering. If the kind of position they are going into is unknown, assign participants a hypothetical position. Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 27. MAKING WORK MEANINGFUL Put Your Values to Work Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Have participants take the Work Values Assessment, following the directions on page 100. After they have identified their top three values, have them brainstorm responses to the three questions listed on the top of page 101. Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 28. LIVING EACH DAY GRATEFULLY Redefine Wealth Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Read "The Sculptor" on page 102 aloud to the group or have the group read it silently to themselves. Have participants respond to the mini-assessment on page 103 following the directions. Present the ideas in Tips 2 and 3 on pages 104 and 105, using ideas from the text. Have participants respond to items 1 and 3 from the Challenge of the Day and share their responses with the group. Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 29. LEARNING FROM A MENTOR A Smart Step In Moving Forward Priority Rating: Important Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Introduce the topic of mentoring by telling the story on page 107. Discuss the common questions about mentoring on pages 108-110 or assign specific questions to particular individuals to present to the rest of the group. Have participants respond to the two tasks in the Challenge of the Day on pages 110 and 111. Have the group report their findings and results to the group in a subsequent meeting. Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: 30-40 minutes Follow-up time in class: 30-40 minutes 30. BALANCING LIFE AND WORK Food for the Soul Priority Rating: Essential Adaptation for Pre-Employment: Present the ideas expressed on pages 114 and 115 regarding the importance of "balancing life and work". Have the group follow the directions on page 116 and commit to three of the ideas on the list to practice and report on to the group in a subsequent meeting. Estimated timeframe in class: 20-30 minutes Outside of class: Depends on what they commit to. Follow-up time in class: 15 minutes
Summary of 30 Ways to Shine as a New Employee: Pre-Employment Workshop Outline
INTRODUCTION (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A (Skills 1-5) New Beginnings 1. CALMING NEW EMPLOYEE JITTERS (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: 10 minutes Follow-up time in class: 30 minutes 2. DEALING WITH CHANGE (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 3. UNDERSTANDING WORKPLACE CULTURE (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: 30 minutes Follow-up time in class: 30-60 minutes 4. MEETING NEW PEOPLE (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: 15-20 minutes 5. SATISFYING EMPLOYER EXPECTATIONS (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 20 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A (Skills 6-10) Stepping Out 6. DANCE WITH WOLVES (Helpful) Estimated timeframe in class: 15 minutes Outside of class: 30 minutes Follow-up time in class: 1 or 2 hours 7. TARGET YOUR GOALS AND MAKE EM’ SMART (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 15 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 8. TREAT YOUR JOB AS A CLASSROOM (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 20-30 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 9. MAKE FRESH MISTAKES (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 10. DON’T LET WORRY CLIP YOUR WINGS (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 30 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: 30 minutes
(Skills 11-15) Developing Habits for Success 11. REFLECTING THE COMPANY IMAGE (Helpful) Estimated timeframe in class: 20 minutes Outside of class: 15 minutes Follow-up time in class: 1 hour 12. EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS: GOING THE EXTRA MILE (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 13. SHINING IN THE EYES OF THE CUSTOMER (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 14. BEING A TEAM PLAYER (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 15. SURVIVING OFFICE POLITICS (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A
(Skills 16-20) Gifts of Perspective and Choice 16. CHOOSING TO THINK POSITIVE (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 17. FACING YOUR FEAR AND FINDING COURAGE (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 18. BREAK BAD HABITS OF THE MIND (Helpful) Estimated timeframe in class: 15-20 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 19. COPING WITH EVERYDAY LIFE (Helpful) E stimated timeframe in class: 20-30 minutesOutside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 20. TAKING SMALL STEPS TO CHANGE (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: Depends on the actions committed to Follow-up time in class: 15 minutes
(Skills 21-25) Take the Bitter with the Sweet 21. CONTROLLING YOUR ANGER (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 22. MAKING YOURSELF UNDERSTOOD (Helpful) Estimated timeframe in class: 30 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 23. BENEFITING FROM PRAISE AND CRITICISM (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 24. DEVELOPING THE ABILITY TO REALLY LISTEN (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: 20-30 minutes Follow-up time in class: 20-30 minutes 25. DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A
(Skills 26-30) Making the Job Work for You 26. FINDING PURPOSE (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 27. MAKING WORK MEANINGFUL (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 30-45 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 28. LIVING EACH DAY GRATEFULLY (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: N/A Follow-up time in class: N/A 29. LEARNING FROM A MENTOR (Important) Estimated timeframe in class: 45-60 minutes Outside of class: 30-40 minutes Follow-up time in class: 30-40 minutes 30. BALANCING LIFE AND WORK (Essential) Estimated timeframe in class: 20-30 minutesOutside of class: Depends on what they commit to. Follow-up time in class: 15 minutes
For more information regarding training and resource materials, contact: Milt Wright & Associates, Inc. 9548 Topanga Canyon Blvd. Chatsworth, CA 91311 (800) 626-3939 www.miltwright.com |
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