CONTEMPORARY WRITING SKILLS

April 1, 2008_ Time: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
April 2, 2008 _ Time: 8:30 a.m. to Noon
Location: Great Falls, Montana
Investment is $115 (discounts for multiple attendees from one organization)
This ever-popular seminar is intended to improve professional skills in composing and revising prose, with an emphasis in punctuation, grammar, and style in contemporary use.

INTRODUCTION TO MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR

April 7, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Time: 8:30 a.m. to Noon
Investment is $105 (discounts for multiple attendees from one organization)
Anyone who seeks a better understanding of themselves and others should attend this half-day workshop. Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, participants will develop a thorough psychological self-portrait and a deeper understanding of themselves and others.

MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR: TYPE DYNAMICS AND DEVELOPMENT

April 8, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Time: 8:30 a.m. to Noon
Investment is $97 (discounts for multiple attendees from one organization)
So, you've taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, found out how the differing preferences impact your personality and your interactions with others, and now want to know more. This session focuses on the interaction among the preferences and suggests a path for development and growth of each type. It looks at which of the preferences is dominant and whether that preference is introverted or extraverted. It introduces Jung's model of lifelong development and provides practical applications of the model. "Introduction to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator" is a prerequisite for this class.

MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR AND COMMUNICATION (New!)

April 8, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Time: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Investment is $97 (discounts for multiple attendees from one organization)
Clear communication is key to successful professional and personal interactions. However, you may not always take time to analyze how your natural ways of interacting affect others. Knowing your natural preferences and the preferences of others can enhance your ability to communicate. This workshop discusses the MBTI preferences and how they affect communications and how we can better understand, appreciate and accommodate individual communication styles. Introduction to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a prerequisite for this class.


BASIC PURCHASING METHODS AND ISSUES

April 9, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Investment is $35
Procuring equipment and services for your agency can be a harrowing experience, if you don't have the right tools. This session covers procurement ethics, resources, levels of authority, and delegation. It also covers the procurement tools used for small purchases, limited solicitation, sole source, and sole brand.


PRINCIPLES OF UPPER MANAGEMENT (6-day series for managers)

Classes begin on: April 17, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Times: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day
Investment is $425 (discounts for multiple attendees from one organization)
This six-part series is designed to strengthen and expand knowledge in crucial management areas for both the new and the seasoned middle manager. It addresses crucial areas for all program managers.

Class titles and schedules are as shown below:
- April 17 - Managing Projects
- April 22 - Managing Budgets
- April 23 - Managing Teams
- April 29 - Managing Information
- May 7- Ethics
- May 8 - Synthesis


RIGHTING YOUR WRITING

April 22, 30, and May 6, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Times: 10 a.m. to Noon each day
Investment is $125 (discounts for multiple attendees from one organization)
This workshop begins and ends with these three rules of writing: be clear, be concise, be brief. And all the stuff in between will help you follow them with increased ease and confidence. Between sessions, the instructor will review and comment on writing samples from each participant.

ADVANCED PURCHASING METHODS AND ISSUES

April 23, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Times: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Investment is $35
This session covers building, writing, opening, and awarding: 1) Request for Proposals, 2) Invitation for Bids and 3) Requests for Information. It also focuses on advanced procurement issues such as leasing versus buying, public access, protests, grants, and ethics.


ALL KIDDING ASIDE: PREVENTING HARASSMENT

April 24, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Times: 8:30 a.m. to Noon
Investment is $87 (discounts for multiple attendees from one organization)
Available for 3.0 CLE Credits
Harassment takes many forms, both blatant and subtle. A person's sex, race, national origin, age, religion, or political views may be the target of harassment. It is important that all employees understand what harassment is and how to prevent it.


NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION

April 24, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Times: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Investment is $55
This is an opportunity for new state employees to hear about and ask questions about their benefits package, retirement, classification and pay, safety, policies, training, and their rights and responsibilities.


CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

April 29, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Times: 8:30 a.m. to Noon
Investment is $87 (discounts for multiple attendees from one organization)
Customer service is vital to your business success, whether it is a private company or government agency. This seminar will provide all public-contact people (front-line receptionists to department heads) with the skills they need to analyze their customer base and provide excellent service.


PRE-RETIREMENT PLANNING

April 29 and 30, 2008
Location: Kalispell, Montana
Times: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days
Investment is $115 for those with a PERS system, $182 for others. Spouses may attend free.
Under the joint sponsorship of the Public Employee's Retirement Board and the Professional Development Center, this two-day seminar is intended for anyone within ten years of retirement. The seminar looks at the physical, mental, and financial aspects of retirement including Social Security and state retirement benefits, estate planning, diet, exercise, and the mental adjustment to retirement.

THE RFP PROCESS

April 30, 2008
Location: Helena, Montana
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Investment is $35
Available for 5.5 CLE credits
This seminar is intended for anyone with actual or potential responsibility for developing, soliciting, and evaluating Request for Proposals (RFP). It will identify when to use the RFP process, how to establish proposal requirements, criteria, evaluation committees, proposal conferences, negotiations, and proposal awards and monitoring.