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Training for External Partners

Welcome to training opportunities available through Larimer County for some of our external partners. On this page you'll find a number of training classes available to you as an external partner. We have reserved 5 spots in each class listed below for external participants, and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. 

  • If you are unsure of whether your organization is approved as an external partner and would like to participate in one of these classes, please contact Nicole Berg, Inclusion Administrator, at bergnd@co.larimer.co.us.
  • Once you find a training class that you want to enroll in, please reach out to Valerie Douglas at douglavh@co.larimer.co.us to register. Valerie will direct how to make your payment and complete your registration process. 
  • Any external participant who cancels their enrollment for a class within 2 weeks of the class date will need to send another person from their organization in their place. If no one fills the spot, the organization will not be refunded the registration cost, regardless of the reason for cancelling.   

 We're excited to have you join us!

Crucial ConversationsCRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS: MASTERING DIALOGUE    
External Cost: $500    
Whenever you're not getting the results you want, it's likely an important conversation either hasn't happened or hasn't been handled well. In fact, both individual and organizational success are largely determined by how quickly, directly, and effectively we speak up when it matters most. At the heart of healthy and high-performance organizations are people willing and able to hold Crucial Conversations. This is a 2-day course, 9:00am - 4:30pm. Please choose from the following sessions listed below.

  • Thursdays, 2/13 and 2/20 - Virtual Training
  • Fridays, 3/26 and 4/2 - 200 W Oak Street, Fort Collins
  • Thursdays, 4/15 and 4/22 - 200 W Oak Street, Fort Collins
  • Thursdays, 5/13 and 5/20 - 200 W Oak Street, Fort Collins
  • Tuesdays, 9/18 and 9/25 - 200 Peridot, Loveland
  • Tuesdays, 10/15 and 10/22 - Virtual Training
Image RESILIENCE & STRESS MANAGEMENT

RESILIENCE & STRESS MANAGEMENT

Tuesday, 4/8    
8:30am-12:30pm              
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

The average worker encounters many stressors during the day – due dates, meetings, disagreements, difficult clients, and a never-ending flow of assignments. As employees balance all these situations while working for 40 hours or more a week, emotional resolve starts to weaken. When this happens, workers lose patience with each other, find their jobs less meaningful, and even develop health issues.

A NIOSH report showed that 80% of workers feel job stress, and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress. In addition, the same study reported that workplace stress caused health difficulties for 65% of respondents, with 10 percent having major effects.

The fact is, workplace stress is unavoidable. The key to handling stress is not to avoid it, but to find methods to work with it without losing resolve. This course is designed to give participants the tools they need to identify workplace stressors, end self-deprecating talk, build communicative workplace structures, and calmly deal with change. As a result, participants will be able to calmly handle daily upsets, have better relationships with coworkers and clients, and find greater happiness and satisfaction in day-to-day work life.

Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:

  • Recognize their workplace stressors
  • Balance their workplace priorities
  • Apply best practices during stressful conversations, including the Interest-Based Relational (IBR) approach, two-sided appeals, and “If…Then…” narratives
  • Implement stress management and relaxation strategies to maintain resilience
Image POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE

POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE

Thursday, 4/10 
8:30am-12:30pm 
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

Positive Intelligence is a path towards living your best self based on breakthrough research across neuroscience, positive psychology, and performance science. This 4 hour live workshop will help you build mental resilience to lead with courage and confidence by introducing you to:

  • 10 Saboteurs
  • Powers of the Sage mind
  • Research-based tools to foster Mental Resilience

Learn to identify the saboteurs that get in your way, and the Powers of the Sage that will allow you to experience peak performance, peace of mind/wellness, and healthy relationships. You will have the opportunity to work on your specific top saboteurs and practice research-based tools that will allow you to handle life's challenges with a more positive mindset and less stress.

Image CRITICAL THINKING & DECISION MAKING

CRITICAL THINKING & DECISION MAKING

Wednesday, 4/23 
8:30am-12:30pm  
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

Although most leaders recognize the importance of critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving, few have been formally trained in these skills. To that end, this highly interactive course teaches leaders effective decision-making and problem-solving techniques from a systems perspective – as well as providing the skills, tools, and strategies for thinking critically in the workplace.

Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the subtle, but important, differences between critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving
  • Distinguish between the three types of problems and then apply the three different approaches to solving each type
  • Leverage their decision-making style’s strengths, while compensating for its associated weakness, as identified by the Measuring Decision Style Survey
  • Apply effective numerical decision-making techniques
  • Engage in creative, systems-based approaches to decision making, problem solving, and strategic planning
Image SIMPLIFY LANGUAGE

SIMPLIFY LANGUAGE

Thursday, 5/15    
9:00am-12:00pm    
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

Clear and efficient communication is fundamental to collaboration, access, inclusion, and trust.

This engaging workshop teaches you actionable ways to make communication as simple and concise as possible when your goal is to inform an audience. Audiences may include community members, policymakers, partners, or colleagues.

You will learn and practice 10 actionable skills to improve spoken and written communication, without “dumbing it down”.

You can make immediate changes to your website, emails, applications, presentations, job postings, and more.

Simplifying communication will make Larimer County a more efficient and language inclusive place.

Image GETTING THINGS DONE

GETTING THINGS DONE

Wednesday, 5/21    
8:30am-4:30pm    
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

The Getting Things Done ® (GTD®) methodology was developed 30 years ago by New York Times bestselling author David Allen. The course content is developed by Crucial Learning, the same organization that provides the content of Crucial Conversations. This course teaches skills to manage the constant flow of requests, tasks, and interruptions people face at all levels of the organization.

By learning how to capture, clarify, and organize incoming requests, people are more likely to make strategic decisions about where to invest their time and energy, focus on the right priorities, and prevent critical projects from slipping. When used consistently and collectively, GTD® skills also give teams a “way of working” for improved results.

The in-person experience of Getting Things Done® is an engaging classroom course rich with peer discussion, real-time practice, and group support and coaching. Delivered in one day, this in-person course offers the best in traditional learning and development.

Image COMPASSION FATIGUE, BURNOUT, & STRESS MANAGEMENT

COMPASSION FATIGUE, BURNOUT, & STRESS MANAGEMENT

Thursday, 5/22   
12:30-4:30pm  
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

Individuals in almost any work environment can face demanding interactions as a regular part of their day. When the demands of the job outweigh the emotional reserves a person has available to them, they can suffer from “compassion fatigue” as well as burnout and stress. This can lead to negative consequences within a professional and personal context.

Most people are familiar with stress and live with a certain level of stress in their everyday lives, but what about when the stress becomes toxic and leads to burnout and finally compassion fatigue? All are part of a continuum of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that can impact how effective and satisfied an employee is in their professional and personal lives.

This practical, not depressing (promise!) program offers tips and techniques to recognize the symptoms of compassion fatigue, burnout, and stress and what can be done to help resolve them.

The presentation will introduce participants to what realistic, tangible self-care looks like and offers different ways to think about being more resilient, even in demanding situations.

Image CONFLICT RESOLUTION WITH CUSTOMERS

CONFLICT RESOLUTION WITH CUSTOMERS

Thursday, 5/29   
8:30am-12:30pm 
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

Every company that is client/customer facing wants to deliver exceptional customer service and ensure each customer is happy when working with your organization. However, conflict with customers can derail goals, productivity, and team morale, and impact your reputation. Understanding the dynamics of customer conflict, how to communicate with upset customers, and find practical resolution can get projects back on track can improve both the customer and team experience.

In this training, we will dive into conflict resolution strategies by giving your team practical tools that will help them:

  • Identify customer issues;
  • Address the issues in a positive, productive, and professional way;
  • And shift from a Problem-Oriented perspective to a Solution-Oriented one!
Image LEADING CHANGE IN THE WORKPLACE

LEADING CHANGE IN THE WORKPLACE

Tuesday, 9/9      
8:30am-12:30pm  
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

Most change-management experts agree that traditional, executive-led change initiatives are not as effective as those led and implemented by the individuals most affected by the proposed changes. To that end, this training program is designed to help supervisors, managers, and directors implement workplace change more effectively. Created in a highly interactive format, the session gives participants the opportunity to learn, practice, and apply effective communication and employee-engagement techniques and strategies to generate support for – and improve implementation of – change initiatives.

Upon completion of this training program, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the five dimensions of change, the stages of dealing with change, and how and why people struggle with change
  • Leverage their individual change-leadership strengths, while compensating for their individual change-leadership weaknesses, as identified by the Leading Change at Every Level assessment
  • Identify and engage the four key stakeholders in change initiatives
  • Anticipate and overcome the challenges of leading change in living systems
  • Apply effective communication and employee-engagement strategies and techniques to generate support for – and improve implementation of – change initiatives
Image AVOIDING THE DRAMA TRIANGLE & CONFLICT RESOLUTION

AVOIDING THE DRAMA TRIANGLE & CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Tuesday, 9/16
8:00am-12:00pm         
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$225

Learn how to cultivate collaboration within your team, rather than drama. Skills covered include:

  • Familiarize yourself with the three rolls that surface under stress
  • Recognize signs of reactivity in yourself and others
  • Practice specific shift tool that cultivate creativity and collaboration
Image INCREASING CULTURAL AWARENESS

INCREASING CULTURAL AWARENESS

Tuesday, 9/16   
12:30-4:30pm    
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

Join Kari Knutson of Denver Training Group for an engaging journey into cultural awareness, where you'll uncover how our backgrounds and personal identities shape our connections with others. This interactive workshop provides practical tools to recognize and move beyond biases, helping you strengthen team bonds, build a positive workplace culture, and create more meaningful relationships in every area of life.

Image EMAIL: WRITE FOR RESULTS

EMAIL: WRITE FOR RESULTS

Tuesday, 9/23   
9:00am-12:30pm    
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$225

Learn when to use email, how to use it effectively, and what steps to take in planning, drafting, and revising messages.

Learning Objectives:

  • Learn how to use email effectively
  • How to draft and revise an email
  • How to write an email for results 
Image GIVING & RECEIVING FEEDBACK

GIVING & RECEIVING FEEDBACK

Tuesday, 9/30   
8:00am-12:00pm    
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$225

In this interactive training, you'll learn and practice how to deliver effective feedback and receive feedback without defenses, using language that is both functional and preserving of relationships. You’ll have opportunity to practice the skills with guided coaching and will receive takeaway tools to take back to your team.

Image ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP

ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP

Tuesday, 9/30   
12:30-4:30pm    
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$225

Leadership has changed over the past many years from a technical process to something much more adaptive involving figuring out how to help people deal with uncertainty. In this course you'll learn the basics of adaptive leadership, a distinctive leadership framework developed by Ron Heifetz, PhD at the Harvard Kennedy School, and used widely across the world. 

Adaptive leadership is about how to take people outside their comfort zone and assess and address the toughest challenges. In this course, we'll learn the difference between adaptive and technical challenges, explore a method for diagnosing challenges, and learn strategies such as monitoring disequilibrium in a group. 

Image COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR PROFESSIONALS

COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR PROFESSIONALS

Tuesday, 10/7  
12:30-4:30pm     
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

According to research, engaging in effective communication and building strong workplace relationships are both critical for career success. That is especially true for professionals in today’s work environment, where more and more work is completed by matrixed, cross-functional teams that must communicate effectively to succeed.

To that end, this highly interactive and entertaining course will help participants improve their workplace communication skills. Through self-analysis, case studies, and group exercises, participants will learn immediately applicable communication skills that will help them build stronger, more productive workplace relationships.

Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:

  • Leverage their individual workplace communication strengths, while compensating for their individual workplace communication weaknesses as identified by the What’s My Communication Style? assessment
  • Identify and overcome triggers that can lead to workplace conflict
  • Demonstrate high levels of emotional self-awareness and self-expression
  • Apply a number of communication tips and techniques designed to improve interpersonal workplace relationships
  • Engage in active-listening skills
  • Implement the “One Issue” approach to building stronger workplace relationships
Image FOUNDATIONS IN COACHING SKILLS FOR LEADERS

FOUNDATIONS IN COACHING SKILLS FOR LEADERS

Thursday, 10/9   
9:00am-1:00pm      
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$300

This program is designed for leaders who want to improve their coaching skills.  A strong leader-as-coach asks questions instead of providing answers, supports development instead of dictating what has to be done, and teaches rather than puts out fires.  This program will give leaders the practical tools to empower and develop their teams to reach their full potential. NOTE: There will be two hours of Pre-Program reading and activities.

Objectives:

  • Gain a framework for facilitating meaningful coaching conversations
  • Distinguish roles that leaders play, including visionary, manager, provider of performance feedback, mentor, coach
  • Develop an action plan for incorporating coaching skills into workflow and operations practices
  • Generate coaching confidence and capability
Image PRACTICAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

PRACTICAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Tuesday, 10/28  
8:30am-12:30pm          
200 W Oak St, Ft Collins

$250

Projects represent much of the work done in today’s organizations. Unfortunately, many organizations devote valuable resources, including employees’ time, to poorly conceived and implemented projects that do not achieve meaningful goals or are never completed. In fact, a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that fewer than 3% of companies successfully completed all of their projects. The effects of poorly conceived and implemented projects can be devastating to company success. The Harvard Business Review reported that the failure of IT projects in the United States costs $50 to $150 billion each year. Effective project management is essential if organizations are to succeed in today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive environment.

Learning to manage projects effectively not only benefits your organization, it benefits you. Today’s organizations rely on employees who can carry a project through from inception to completion, on time and on budget, making a more efficient use of resources and achieving a quality outcome. Thus, being able to manage projects successfully makes you more valuable to your organization and improves your career prospects by providing you with a critical skill.

Upon completion of this training program, participants will be able to:

  • Carry out the four stages of a project
  • Understand what makes a project succeed
  • Initiate and define a project
  • Plan steps to move a project forward
  • Keep a project on track
  • Bring a project to a close and evaluate its success

Human Resources Department

HOURS: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm

200 West Oak, Suite 3200, Fort Collins, CO 80521
PO Box 1190, Fort Collins, CO 80522
PHONE: (970) 498-5970 | FAX: (970) 498-5980
Email Human Resources
Email Benefits Team