Leadership & Professional Development Training
Agriculture education + Ridgewater College = Excellence. Ridgewater College Customized Training and Continuing Education (CTCE) agricultural team know agriculture, their experience ensures our students’ success.
Solutions to meet your needs
- Agriculture safety
- Commercial applicator certification
- Commercial applicator re-certification
Professional Development Training Programs
- DISC Personal Profile (Classic)*
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The DISC Personal Profile will help you understand yourself and others. The goal of this profile is to organize what you know about yourself, help you understand yourself, and become more successful with others. It will also help you to appreciate people who may be different from you. You will leave with an understanding of why people do the things they do. It will also show you how to appreciate the differences in the workplace and in all of your interpersonal relationships.
We also offer Everything DiSC – the next generation of application-specific profiles and training:
- Workplace Profile – Everything DiSC Workplace can be used with everyone in an organization—regardless of title or role—to help participants understand and appreciate the styles of the people they work with. The result is more effective and productive working relationships. Everything DiSC Workplace focuses on discovering your DiSC style, understanding other styles, and building more effective relationships.
- Management Profile – Everything DiSC Management teaches managers how to bring out the best in each employee. Participants learn how to read the styles of the people they manage. The result is managers who adapt their styles to manage more effectively. Everything DiSC Management focuses on directing & delegating, motivating, developing others, and working with your manager.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities
LENGTH: Generally, 3-4 hours, but can be as long as two full days
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: (See description above)
- Building a Culture of Trust
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Building a Culture of Trust has been designed to assist organizations in creating, maintaining or improving trust among their employees and/or between the organization and its clients and customers. This training is broken into 3 main topics: 1) Why Discuss Trust?, 2) What key factors make or break trust? and 3) How does a trust culture affect organizational retention? This training can be used to identify / address trust issues within a specific team in a safe environment or to simply discuss how trust affects an organization from an awareness standpoint.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities
LENGTH: Generally, 3-4 hours, but can be as a full day
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: (See description above)
OPTIONS: 1) Class as a general discussion on trust within a team / company or 2) In-depth discussion to work on specific trust issues within a team (generally longer than 4 hours and requires a team that is willing to discuss and work on issues)
- Effective Communications
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When people in your organization are communicating effectively, they are informed and able to participate, contribute, and add value to their jobs and the organization. Communicating and Listening is designed to equip employees with the skills they
need to communicate clearly and listen carefully. This class is effective for individual learners and can also be used in a team building environment to improve team level communication.FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities & Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: 4 hours
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Participants’ natural communication styles
- How to express what’s really true with four kinds of expression
- Components of communication and what message is being received vs delivered
- How to listen and identify roadblocks to listening
- How to determine the best method of communication based on the situation
- Change Management (Leading Through Successful Change)
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Change is inevitable. This course will guide participants through change management principles with a primary focus on the “people” side of change – specifically the psychological rollercoaster people take when facing change. Participants will learn how to successfully lead themselves and others through change by understanding how organizations can get in their own way, actions and tools for the three phases of change as well as working through the stages of change transition. Activities are incorporated to allow participants to apply their knowledge from this course directly to changes they are or will be facing. Whether you are a leader or team member, this class will help you learn how to lead and work with others through the change process.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities
LENGTH: Generally, 3-4 hours
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Identify leader actions for the three phases of change
- Describe how organizations can get in their own way
- Discuss principles of the seven stages of change transition
- List how peoples’ performance can suffer when facing change
- Explain reasons why people resist change
- Performance Management
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This course is designed to help learners become knowledge about the role of performance management in supporting the strategic objectives of the organization.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities & Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: 2- and 4-hour options
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Understand what Performance Management (PM) is
- Identify barriers of a lacking PM organization
- Discuss how performance is measured
- Identify performance models and personal motivation
- Review HARD Goals acronym
- Customer Service (and Professional Etiquette)
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This course is designed to provide participants with information to enhance their professional behavior, demeanor, and decorum in the workplace. Topics include: Professional Dress, Professional Etiquette, Professional Communication, and Professional Behavior as well as Fundamental Customer Service skills.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities & Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: 4 & 6 hour options
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Understand the impact of professional etiquette in the workplace
- Promote effective and professional communication within the workplace
- Define Customer Service Expectations and Fundamental Skills.
- Understand how to manage difficult Customers or Situations
- Conflict Management
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This course is designed to provide participants with information to enhance their professionalism and cooperative harmony in the workplace. Participants will learn how to take a positive approach to conflict by understand how to analyze conflict situation and develop the skills necessary to manage conflict productively
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities & Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: 4 hour
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Learn to approach conflict as a process
- Identify 3 Types of conflict
- Minimize the negative consequences of unresolved conflict
- Contribute to an open, collaborative work environment.
- Introduce Thomas Killmann Conflict Mode Instrument
- Conducting Effective Meetings
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This course trains professionals to understand the correct approach to planning, conducting, and participating in business meetings. This course will show how to send proper meeting notices, design powerful agendas, and how to make use of technology to become more efficient.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities & Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: 2- and 4-hour options
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Demonstrate how to prepare for meetings
- Manage an effective meeting using learned techniques
- Manage meeting productivity
- Design of an agenda
- Understanding common meeting problems
- Demonstrate meeting leadership
- Emotional Intelligence
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Did you know that 85% of a person’s success in life is due not to cognitive intelligence (IQ) but rather to emotional intelligence (EQ)? Emotional intelligence rests in self-awareness & self-management and social awareness & relationship-management. So how are you “showing up” in the world? A self- assessment checklist and / or assessment will help you gain an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses in the area of emotional intelligence. Strategies to improve your EQ will also be discussed. Finally, you will leave with a “Positive Script.” Come with your thinking cap!
This program is designed to help participants:
- Learn their level of emotional intelligence
- Practice and implement strategies to Increase emotional intelligence
- Utilize emotional intelligence in leading, decision-making and communicating in the workplace and at home
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities
LENGTH: All Employees – 3-4 hours
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Use Emotional Intelligence Strategies to improve personal EQ skills
- Strengthen work relationships with EQ
- Lower personal stress
- Control your actions by understanding your emotions
- Strengthen the communication between your “Emotional” brain and your “Rational” brain.
- Strategies for Personal Effectiveness
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This Personal Effectiveness training course is designed for those who seek to further develop the key skills and techniques needed to build personal impact, influence and effectiveness in dealings with others
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities & Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: 2- and 4-hour options
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Need to manage their time and priorities more effectively
- Find it sometimes difficult to refuse requests and say ‘No’
- Need to learn how to manage their emotions more effectively
- Want to build their confidence in dealing with ‘difficult’ people
- Need to persuade and influence others in order to achieve results
- Wish to raise their own personal profile and impact
- Harassment and Violence in the Workplace: Awareness and Prevention
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It is important that today’s workplace be free from all forms of offensive conduct, harassment and violence. Preventing harassment creates a respectful workplace that provides ethical as well as economic benefits. It’s not just about having a policy in place; it’s about recognizing harassment while following and enforcing polices to create a safe environment. Heighten your awareness of what constitutes harassment, workplace bullying and workplace violence. Learn to recognize the warning signs and how to address issues in a timely and appropriate manner. Your company policy will be covered / reviewed with your employees as part of this training.
Supervisor training is a separate presentation that focuses on Supervisor Responsibilities and Responses. This training provides more in-depth information needed by supervisors in awareness, recognition, response, and preventing Harassment and Violence in the Workplace. NOTE: Recommended that supervisors attend the Harassment / Violence Awareness training for all employees prior to attending the Supervisor training since the base of the supervisor course is built upon the All Employee training.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities
LENGTH: All Employees – 1 hour / Supervisor Session 2-hours
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Define Harassment
- Explain difference between harassment & bullying
- List federal and state protected classes
- Describe reporting procedures and prevention techniques
- Project Management
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The course covers key components of project management including project charters, project scope management, project time and cost management, quality management, human resource considerations, communications, risk management, and procurement management.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities &Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: Classroom – 8 hours, Virtual: 4 and 6 hours
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Understand project management design, development, and deployment
- Use project management tools, techniques, and skills
- Employ work breakdown structures (WBS) in a project application
- Demonstrate the use of appropriate scheduling techniques.
- Understand how to manage project cost, quality, and delivery
- Engage and lead effective project management teams in your organization
- Identify and use key performance metrics for project success
- Increasing Employee Engagement
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This course focuses why employee engagement is important and valuable, but also on how to foster and measure employee engagement and link it to key organizational metrics and outcomes. In this course, we will examine what is meant by employee engagement, why organizations are interested in it, how employers can build an engaged workforce and how it can be measured.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities & Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: 4 hours
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Define what is meant by employee engagement
- Define the relationship between employee engagement and motivation
- Understand conditions that foster engagement
- Understand how leadership fosters engagement
- Understand the role of measuring employee engagement
- Examine the expanding scope of employee engagement
- Role of the Supervisor
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This course is designed to teach new and existing supervisors the key skills necessary to become an effective supervisor.
The course begins by introducing the student to the basics of supervision and describing the responsibilities of a supervisor. The course then works through eight key areas of supervision vital to strengthening the relationship between a supervisor and their employees going through the dynamics of teams, trust, communication, conflict, performance and motivation.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities & Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: 16- & 24-hour options
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Introduction to supervision
- Defining attributes and styles of leadership
- Minimize the negative consequences of unresolved conflict
- Understanding of effective communications principles
- Characteristics of coaching and mentoring
- Understanding the principles and applications of performance management
- Develop skills to make better individual and team decisions
- Basic Training for Sales Skills
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This course is designed to provide entry level sales training. The program covers a basic understanding of sales, the sales process, techniques to assist in a sales activity, and creation of sales plans.
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities & Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: 4 hours
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Describe the fundamentals of organizational sales and business development.
- Create understanding of the Sales Process (approach, discovery, presentation, follow up, close, gratitude and lead generation)
- Develop effective sales techniques and ability to overcome objections
- Provide ability to create a sales plan to match the prospect
- Professionalism in the Workplace
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From preparing for an interview to resigning from your job, this course covers the basics of proper business etiquette and professionalism in the workplace. By mastering modern standards of professionalism and etiquette, a career can be started or saved and made successful. Course has some connections to the Stephen Covey 7 habits of highly successful people
FORMAT: Classroom – Seminar & small / large group activities & Live Virtual (ZOOM)
LENGTH: 2 – 3 hours
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Understanding of etiquette and professionalism with organizational cultural contexts
- Interpersonal office relationships and appropriate communications
- Determine methods to handling conflict and harassment
Contact us today to discuss customized training options
[email protected]
320-234-8537
[email protected]
320-222-6063
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Training delivery
- Willmar Campus
- On-site
Choose Ridgewater
Ridgewater College partners with the University of Minnesota Extension Service, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and our own nationally-recognized agriculture program to provide quality safety skills, agronomy, equipment function, and maintenance. Learn from the best to be among the best.
What clients say
“I was very impressed!” Commercial pesticide applicator prep participant
“This renewal class is 100% better with the different classroom courses and keeps it interesting.” Commercial applicator re-certification participant
Look to Ridgewater College’s CTCE agriculture team to meet your training needs on-site or on-campus.