Organizational Development Workshops

While organizational work may seem quite different than marital therapy, the basic principles of creating safety in communication remain the same. I have worked with, and presented to, many different organizations, on the subjects below, and have consistently been rated as one of their most well-received presenters. The clinical examples, pragmatic approaches and humor in these workshops function to fully engage the participants.

The titles below are the most commonly requested programs. These are easily tailored to fit specific organizational requirements and target audiences. They can also be offered in a variety of time spans to best fit scheduling demands.
Please contact us if you have any questions about hiring Dr. Ferguson to present for your organization.

Successfully Managing Transitions

Any change implemented in a group will be viewed by some or all of the group members with a degree of suspicion and fear. The specific degree of that fear will depend on numerous factors but mostly on the level of safety, members feel within the group. This program can be presented to any level of staff and describes predictable group responses to change. The focus is on relieving tension and fearfulness by predicting and depersonalizing those reactions. Leaders are encouraged to prepare and take care of themselves, in order to be most creative and adaptable during the transition. Frontline staff are encouraged to recognize signs of stress and fear in themselves and deal with these in a productive and efficient fashion.

Stress Management

Stress theory is briefly described with an emphasis on recognizing stress symptoms early in their development. These workshops provide each participant with an array of options for managing stressful situations. Each individual must select those practices that are most effective for him or herself, because no one tool works for everyone.

Stress Management for Leaders

This program addresses stress management techniques to the special demands on various levels of leadership responsibility. Leaders are encouraged to take care of their own stress levels and cut themselves some slack, before approaching complicated staff issues. Many skilled and experienced administrators have stated that they wished they had had this seminar earlier in their career.

Managing Difficult Behavior in Teams and Managing Difficult Behavior for Frontline Staff

These seminars provide participants with an understanding of how to de-intensify difficult interactions with staff members and with customers. Participants are encouraged to recognize their own reactions and behaviors which might actually make an anxiety provoking interaction worse. Centering techniques are described which allow one to step back away from a highly charged interaction and view it more objectively.

Balancing Work and Family

This seminar may be offered through one of the other presenters in this program. The focus is on the delicate balance of pursuing professional goals and obligations while maintaining relationships with loved ones. We provide realistic methods for separating these two critical elements of life from one another.

The Emerging Leader

This seminar addresses some of the special circumstances which arise for new leaders. Participants are often persons experiencing their first administrative/leadership role, whether formal or informal. The specific problems of being promoted out from the ranks of friends and colleagues are addressed, as applicable.