Stress Doc "Hot" Program Titles

1.  Practice  Safe Stress and Build Team Morale through Humor

In a 24/7 “do more with less” and rapidly changing world learning to channel stress and frustration into safe sharing, cooperative and collaborative problem-solving and team building is vital.  Quickly recognize stress warning signs and the stages of burnout.  Get a better handle on time pressure and organizational focus by achieving “Emancipation Procrastination.”  Learn tools and techniques for strengthening resiliency and “psychological hardiness.”  Gain fresh perspective on using empathy and humor and group collaboration to sustain morale, productivity, and effective team relationships.

Core target audience is all levels of employees/management.  Workshop has been successfully facilitated recently at Fairfax County Govt, U.S. Military local and national bases and, years back, a shorter version with Alexandria Govt.

Knowledge Objectives:

 Skill Objectives:

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2.  Transforming Anger and Conflict into Collaborative Problem Solving

Today’s always on and uncertain work world can breed feeling “lean and MEAN.  Learn to assertively and empathically express both fear and frustration.  Discover the Stress Doc’s “Four Faces of Anger” Model.  Learn and practice skills and strategies for disarming power struggles and for providing and receiving constructive feedback, even how to deal constructively with a critical aggressor.  Use the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Inventory to discover your style of conflict; and learn how to engage in collaborative conflict resolution.  Discover the difference between healing and hostile humor and how to carefully and constructively use humor to defuse tension and contention.  Engage in group problem exercises to purposefully and playfully identify sources of fear and frustration and to generate group chemistry, camaraderie and creativity to transform tension into purposeful play.

Core target audience is all levels of employees/management.  Workshop has been successfully facilitated recently at Fairfax County Govt, U.S. Military local and national bases a variety of government agencies (including US Postal Service).

Knowledge Objectives

§  Discover the Four “Angry “I”s and discover constructive and destructive anger and conflict
§  Discover your defensive “hot buttons” when receiving critical feedback
§  Discover the Five “C”s of why we get baited into “power struggles”
§  Discover the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Styles Inventory
§  Practice effective and empathic listening and questioning skills
§  Learn the functions of humor and distinguish between hostile and healing humor

Skill Objectives

§  Learn to drop the rope and the Stress Doc’s version of “Count to Ten.”
§  Practice using Assertive “I” vs. Blaming “You” Messages to defuse control issues
§  Collaboratively problem solve real communication breakdown issues
§  Role-play listening and questioning skills
§  Learn to use healing (especially, self-effacing) humor to defuse tension and harmonize conflict
§  Harness conflict and frustration into stress-reducing, creative collaboration and camaraderie- and morale- building interaction…and have FUN!

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3.  Transforming the Generational-Digital Divide into a Mutual Knowledge and Skill-Building Partnership (across the Age-Experience Spectrum)

Many workforces today face generational challenges, heightened by differing knowledge and skill levels across the generations, especially when it comes to technology and communication. For example, are you now required to Tweet, blog, or use a mobile device with apps to do your job?  It’s easy for Generational Diversity Stress (GDS) to foster organizational tension.  Both sides of the generational-digital divide must better understand and appreciate their colleagues’ strengths and vulnerabilities.  What’s needed is a two-way communication and relationship bridge:  Learn to start a Mentoring-Gentoring ™ System.

(When a younger, techno-savvy employee helps a computer or social media-averse member of an earlier generation improve their techno-literacy and comfort-level, the former is playing the role of “Gentor.”  Naturally, a play on “mentor.”)  And while "Gentoring" may invert authority-status roles and sound original, challenging and hip, it's in the footsteps of a time-honored tradition of role-status socialization, knowledge sharing, identity formation and facilitating a vital rite of passage. ) And finally, let’s have seniors mentor their juniors in their area of expertise – career advancement, institutional politics and wisdom, etc.

Core target audience is all levels of employees/management, especially a generationally diverse audience.  Generational workshops have been successfully led recently with DC Water and Sewerage Authority and the U.S. Military/Ft. Hood, 1^st Cavalry Command Team offsite.

Knowledge Objectives

§  Identify differences between generations – Culture, Attitude, Values and Education (CAVE)
§  Discover emotional and interpersonal skills facilitating two-way “Mentoring-Gentoring”
§  Why the need for Gentoring?  Danger and opportunity on both sides of the digital divide
§  Fear of change, loss of control and “Confronting the Intimate FOE:  Fear of Exposure”
§  Appreciating and valuing generational differences for creating partnership synergy
§  Being Mentored, Traditionals and Boomers will better accept being Gentored

Skill Objectives

§  Learn to loosen role-status barriers while building two-way communicational bridges
§  Discover emotional and interpersonal skills facilitating “Mentoring-Gentoring”
§  Reduce generational-cultural power struggles as seniors vent playfully their frustration
§  Role-play/practice effective and empathic listening, patience and questioning skills
§  Provide opportunity for younger employees to learn coaching-consulting skills
§  Increase Gen X and Y sense of commitment to colleagues and company
§  Harness conflict and mutual frustration into stress-reducing, creative collaboration and camaraderie- and morale- building interaction…and have FUN!

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4.  Becoming a Three “R” – Responsible, Resilient & Risk-Taking – Leader

 In these economically and psychologically challenging times, today’s leader must know how to step up – to genuinely connect and inspire.  Discover your “Passion Power” and “TLC Leadership – Inspiring Trust, Laughter and Creative Collaboration” even during challenging times.  Learn and apply energizing tools and techniques for building individual resiliency, team camaraderie and achieving high performance motivation and morale in the face of uncertainty.  Effectively give and receive feedback, ask courageous questions and disarm power struggles while building trust.  Transform group frustration and conflict into Leadership TLC and self-effacing humor.  Discover the Three “R” model and method for reducing stress, engaging in responsible and resilient risk-taking, while expanding your “passion power” energy, motivating others and creating team synergy.

Core target audience is all levels of supervisors and management.   Leadership workshops have been successfully led with a variety of government and corporate entities, including the US Military and Engineering Systems and Products (ESP).  The Three “R” Leadership model was successfully introduced recently at a day-long program for Chesterfield County 2011 Supervisory Leadership Conference.

Knowledge Objectives

§  Discover Four Stages of Burnout and keys to breaking the “erosive spiral”
§  Learn the Five “C”s of Power Struggles and the Six “F”s for Managing Loss and Change
§  Discover “Four Steps of Creative Risk-Taking” and traits of risk-takers
§  Gain leadership benefits of “embracing embarrassment”
§  Learn the Passion Power Leadership Model:  Interaction of Mind and Mood
§  Use exercises to gain tools and techniques for diverse group creative problem solving

Skill Objectives

§  Learn psychological-interpersonal skills for dealing with loss and change
§  Defuse power struggles while building trust by asking empathic-courageous questions
§  Use survey and group consultation to identify risk-taking strengths and vulnerabilities
§  Confront the Intimate FOE:  Transform “Fear of Exposure” into “Fun of Embarrassment”
§  Use “Passion Power Model” to strengthen collaboratively leadership opportunities
§  Learn to use healing (especially, self-effacing) humor to defuse tension and harmonize conflict

Mark Gorkin, MSW, LICSW, "The Stress Doc" ™, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is an acclaimed keynote and kickoff speaker as well as "Motivational Humorist & Team Communication Catalyst" known for his interactive, inspiring and FUN programs for both government agencies and major corporations.  In addition, the "Doc" is a team building and organizational development consultant.  He is providing "Stress and Communication, as well as Managing Change, Leadership and Team Building" programs for the 1st Cavalry Division and 13th Expeditionary Support Command, Ft. Hood, Texas and for Army Community Services and Family Advocacy Programs at Ft. Meade, MD and Ft. Belvoir, VA as well as Andrews Air Force Base/Behavioral Medicine Services.  Mark has also had a rotation as Military & Family Life Consultant (MFLC) at Ft. Campbell, KY.  A former Stress and Violence Prevention Consultant for the US Postal Service, The Stress Doc is the author of Practice Safe Stress and of The Four Faces of Anger.  See his award-winning, USA Today Online "HotSite" -- www.stressdoc.com -- called a "workplace resource" by National Public Radio (NPR).  For more info on the Doc's "Practice Safe Stress" programs or to receive his free e-newsletter, email stressdoc@aol.com or call 301-875-2567.