Great Canadian Training & Consulting

13/01/2023

WARNING: Here are five reasons you DO NOT want to book training

1. In this competitive market, you don't want to be known as an organization that prioritizes training. That will attract the best and brightest...you know, those go-getters that make a real impact.

2. You don't want to keep your employees...training is a surefire way to retain them!

3. You want to keep your profits low. Higher revenue is linked to employee training & development...who wants that?

4. You want your people uninspired - all that learning is bound to create new ideas and shake up the status quo.

5. You hate efficiency - if your employees learn quicker ways to do things, is it really work?

Listen, you don't want to have an efficient, productive workplace full of engaged and collaborative teams.

So whatever you do, DO NOT prioritize training and DEFINITELY do not reach out to us to create an engaging and meaningful training plan.

06/01/2023

We are all busy, so our time needs to be used wisely.

One tool that you may not be making the most of is Microsoft Teams. Sure, you may be keeping in touch with your colleagues on Teams, but do you use Planner and To Do?

Find some practical tips on making the most of Teams, Planner and To Do here:

Register for future webinars at: https://bit.ly/3f4VTk5What is covered: https://youtu.be/otwRkH_O_MU?t=508 (08:39) The psychology of a to-do list: https://yo...

05/01/2023

John Donne said no man is an island, and he may have been talking about the workplace. Simply put, you can not do it all, nor should you!

Many leaders we talk to WANT to delegate more but aren't sure how to truly get something off their plate.

Consider our "The Art of Delegating Effectively" course. We take you through why you should delegate, who to delegate to and an 8-step process to make sure you've covered all your bases.

Our next class is on January 24 and you can register here: https://courses.greatcanadiantraining.ca/delegation-the-art-of-delegating-effectively/https://courses.greatcanadiantraining.ca/delegation-the-art-of-delegating-effectively/

04/01/2023

Do you want to learn more in 2023?

Check out our FREE webinar lineup:

January 18: Stop Micromanaging, Start Delegating
February 14: Essential Soft Skills You Need to Master
March 10: How to Be a Leader, Not a Boss!
April 20: Be a Great Presenter with Microsoft PowerPoint and Presentation Skills
May 16: 10 Cool Features You Should Be Using in Microsoft 365
June 21: Change Management – Turn Resistance into Resilience

Or go to https://www.greatcanadiantraining.ca/previous-webinars to see our previous topics.

Have a topic you think we should cover? Let us know in the comments!



Register at https://www.greatcanadiantraining.ca/webinars

03/01/2023

If 2023 is the year that you focus on achieving Inbox Zero, then let's talk about how Outlook can help!

Many productivity experts talk about the 4 D's - Do it now, delegate, defer or delete. Why not combine Outlook's Quick Steps and the 4D's to clean out your inbox:

Use Quick Steps and the 4 Ds – Do It Now, Delegate, Defer, or Delete.

On the Home tab, create new Quick Steps for the following:
✅Do It Now – Create a Reply message.
⏩Delegate – Forward the message to someone else.
⏰Defer – Move the message to your Defer folder for later, categorize it as desired, and create a calendar task or appointment as a reminder.
❌Delete – Move the message to the Deleted Items folder.

For more Outlook tips, click here: https://www.greatcanadiantraining.ca/top-10-outlook-tips-and-productivity-hacks

When was the last time you received an email? Sounds like a silly question, doesn’t it? We get them all the time. Many of us may receive dozens or even hundreds of emails a day. This trend is continuing to grow. You might think that with the advent of social media, team communication like Microsof...

02/01/2023

Many of us have been thinking about what we want to accomplish this year...have you set any goals yet? Leaders, are you helping your team set goals?

If so, are you setting SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) or FAST (frequently discussed, ambitious, specific and transparent) goals? What's the difference?

SMART goals, by nature, tend to be individual goals, whereas FAST goals promote teamwork and collaboration. So go ahead and set both for you and your team! (And feel free to drop one of your goals in the comments below - you're more likely to achieve them if they're written down!)

23/12/2022

We end off our week for the people who are arguably the backbone of any organization - the administrative team! Here are some of our favourite resources that will help make your days a little bit easier and help you juggle all of the things on your plate. (Feel free to tag your favourite admin on this one!)

1. Effective Time Management Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFAuJJwybtQ
2. Help Your Team Stay Organized With Microsoft To Do, Tasks and Planner: https://youtu.be/otwRkH_O_MU
3. Episode 12: Managing Up With Melanie Ziltener: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-great-canadian-leadership-podcast/id1559554255?i=1000539751013
4. Microsoft Word Features Every User Should Know: https://www.greatcanadiantraining.ca/microsoft-word-features-every-user-should-know
5. Best Excel Shortcuts (Handout):https://www.greatcanadiantraining.ca/free-downloads/Best_Excel_Short_Cuts_Final.pdf

Register for our future webinars at www.greatcanadiantraining.ca/webinars. Register for our time management training at https://courses.greatcanadiantraining...

22/12/2022

A quick review of our LinkedIn shows us that a lot of you got promoted in the last year - if that's you - congratulations! Here are our favourite resources to help you in your new role!

1. Training for Transitions: https://www.greatcanadiantraining.ca/training-for-transitions
2. Episodes 30 and 31: The 9 Behaviours of Leadership (parts 1 and 2): https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-great-canadian-leadership-podcast/id1559554255?i=1000577783100 and https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-great-canadian-leadership-podcast/id1559554255?i=1000576233377
3. Episode 25: How Do You Inspire a Shared Vision: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-great-canadian-leadership-podcast/id1559554255?i=1000563509208
4. Emotional Intelligence - The Secret to Your Success Webinar: https://youtu.be/o_vM5ld8BzE
5. Tough Conversations Don’t Get Easier. But YOU Can Get Better! A Webinar on Navigating Challenging Conversations: https://youtu.be/yromWh51330

It’s a good idea to include professional development in your career planning. Take a look at courses we recommend!

21/12/2022

On day 3 of our resource round-up, we will focus on many people's great fears...public speaking! If your next presentation at work has you shaking in your boots, make sure to save this post.

1. Virtual Facilitation Download: http://ow.ly/yVJW50M6Bmi
2. Our 4-part podcast series all on presentations:

- Episode 33 - What makes a great presenter (with Rhonda Scharf): https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-great-canadian-leadership-podcast/id1559554255?i=1000581525186
- Episode 34 -What makes a great presentation (with Christine Irons, Jon Neuhold & Joel Silverstone): https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-great-canadian-leadership-podcast/id1559554255?i=1000583805826
- Episode 35: How Great Speakers Overcome Their Fears (with Melina Nacos): https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-great-canadian-leadership-podcast/id1559554255?i=1000585475841
- Episode 36: Top 10 Great Presentation Tips: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-great-canadian-leadership-podcast/id1559554255?i=1000587108767
- Storytelling with Style Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK3ztk13a9A

(If you're looking for more, don't forget to sign up for our upcoming webinar on Great Presentations here: https://www.greatcanadiantraining.ca/webinars)

19/12/2022

To kick off the week, here are our favourite resources to help you make the most of your Microsoft tools:

1. Our top 10 Outlook productivity hacks: http://ow.ly/RyhP50M6AXz
2. "OneNote Can Do That?" Webinar: https://youtu.be/vc_AkxsTYco
3. The shortcuts you need for Microsoft Teams in one handy download:https://www.greatcanadiantraining.ca/free-downloads/Best_Team_Short_Cuts.pdf
4. Make Your Charts a Work of Art Webinar: https://youtu.be/KEpHK4u3kKk
5. Customizable Accessibility Ribbons you can add to your Microsoft programs: https://www.greatcanadiantraining.ca/creating-accessible-documents-free-accessibility-ribbons

When was the last time you received an email? Sounds like a silly question, doesn’t it? We get them all the time. Many of us may receive dozens or even hundreds of emails a day. This trend is continuing to grow. You might think that with the advent of social media, team communication like Microsof...

18/12/2022

Stay tuned - all this week, we are rounding up and sharing our favourite resources!

28/11/2022

Fill in the blanks: If ____________________ was an Olympic event, I'd take home the gold!

(For example, if making Excel fun was an Olympic event, Christine Irons would take home the gold!)