Learning and Development Roundtable: The surprising skill you didn’t know you needed when giving feedback
2023-04-27 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Moscow)
What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘feedback?’
Whether we’re on the giving or receiving end of feedback, most of us get a pit of dread in our stomachs, with a million butterflies threatening to fly up our throats and suffocate us.
Or maybe you’re saying to yourself that you don’t give feedback very often. I beg to differ.
If you’re human, if you’re part of a team, you give feedback. If you’re a colleague, partner, parent, and/or friend, you guessed it; you give feedback.
Feedback includes sharing your opinions, thoughts, comments, constructive (or not!) criticism, and/or input.
Knowing we’re about to receive feedback:

Activates our flight, flee or freeze response
Tends to trip our anxiety
Ignites top-of-the-mind reactions instead of thoughtful responses

And when it’s our turn to give feedback, research shows, we have a nasty habit of believing that we’re good at giving feedback and that our feedback makes a difference (insert self-congratulatory pat on the back here).
I’m about to pop that bubble.
Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, in their excellent book “Thanks for the Feedback” say we have it all wrong. We’re so used to focusing on giving feedback that we don’t understand the real key is learning how to receive feedback.
In my thirty-plus year career in Learning and Development I put their book among my top five learnings in my life. Seriously. That’s how great this book and its valuable insights are.
Thankfully, given how incredibly important both giving and receiving feedback is, there are some simple tips and techniques we can use to open up whole new worlds of being able to do both of those things (giving and receiving feedback) effectively. I’ve designed a brand-new workshop to share them with you.
In this free workshop on April 27th, with me, Lee-Anne Ragan, you’ll:

Uncover just how critical being able to receive feedback is and what a massive difference it can make to your life, your career, and more.
Learn a simple technique for giving more effective feedback.
Understand the surprising fallacies we tell ourselves about giving and receiving feedback and how to overcome them.
Practice some simple tips to help your nerves when they’re trying to get the best of you (aka, you’re about to give or receive some feedback).
Put the I in T.R.Y. by exploring the unique, unconscious filters you’re putting all the feedback you receive through, unbeknownst to you (til now!).
Explore some simple tips for amping up how you both give and receive feedback.
Count the workshop towards your annual UN-Mandated training (If you’re a UN staff).

RSVP using this link by April 25th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month so as to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

7 – 8:30 am, Vancouver
9 – 10:30 am Mexico
10 – 11:30 am Montreal, New York
11 am – 12:30 pm Rio
3 – 4:30 pm London
4 – 5:30 pm Paris, Geneva
5 – 6:30 pm Nairobi, Beirut, Amman, Mogadishu
6 – 7:30 pm Abu Dhabi

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times, as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times. Use 5 – 6:30 pm EAT (Nairobi) to compare your timezone to.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry; as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free), you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by April 25th.
Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.
Add the rest of the Learning and Development Roundtable 2023 dates to your calendar:

May 25
June 15
September 21
October 26
November 16

How to effectively teach and present online while being cool, calm and engaging (offered through UNON STDU) - Part 1
2023-05-24 15:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Moscow)
Wondering what a roller coaster, raccoon, vacuum cleaner, and elephant have to do with effectively teaching/presenting online? Keep reading.

Lectures that drone on and on. Overwhelming unread notifications of online events. Workshops that are drier than the Sahara desert and more boring than watching paint dry. We’ve all been there.

Online meetings, courses, workshops, check-ins are never-ending. Some research shows we are spending up to 16 hours a day on digital media! Globally, we doubled our online content consumption in 2020.

We are bored, exhausted and we’re struggling. Mental health challenges are up in most countries and yet mental health service provision is down.

There is hope, however.

Notwithstanding the tremendous costs of the global pandemic, there are hidden benefits to Covid and all that time online. Help is in sight. Teaching and presenting online CAN (and should) be engaging, interesting, and impactful. We can make a difference. We can use tools to help us engage with dignity, inclusion, and impact. And we can do all that without inducing suffering in ourselves or those we’re working with.

Here’s how.

Join me for a series of fun, interactive workshops where I’ll introduce you to a helpful framework and success signposts to aim for on your online journey. The workshops will be very practical. I’ll demonstrate a number of interesting yet simple tools and techniques that you can use right away.

Contact UNON-HR to register (for UN staff only but contact me if you’d like to chat about having a similar workshop for your organization).

Delivery: The course is divided into five sections →

Self-facilitated: Learning activities you’ll complete online, on your own time, before we gather in real-time (approximate time investment: 90 minutes)
Facilitated by the instructor: A two-hour in-real-time workshop
Self-facilitated: Learning activities you’ll complete online, on your own time, before we meet again (approximate time investment: 90 minutes)
Facilitated by the instructor: A two-hour in-real-time workshop
Self-facilitated: Learning activities you’ll complete online, on your own time, (approximate time investment: 90 minutes)

Total learning time: 8 ½ hours

In this workshop with the instructor, Lee-Anne Ragan, you’ll:

Discover eight success signposts for your online teaching/presenting
Uncover two opportunities hiding in plain sight for increasing engagement
Learn the abysmal retention rates for the dreaded lecture and three easy things to replace them with that scale engagement and retention
Understand your preference in teaching/presenting and how to be more engaging by using the S.A.K.E.© tool
Uncover the seven deadly sins of online presenting/teaching so you know what NOT to do
Discover your tech personality, what a raccoon, vacuum cleaner roller coaster, elephant have to do with it and why it’s important to know all this
Get a chance to practice teaching/presenting online and receive supportive feedback
Have fun experimenting with 16 tools for online presenting/teaching that include tools for managing information, collaborating/sharing online, managing learning, and teaching/presenting
Come away feeling inspired, hopeful and with an online resource portal full of tips, tools, worksheets, surveys, and more

Learning and Development Roundtable: Easy, peasy tech tools to save your sanity in work and at home
2023-05-25 10:00 - 11:30 (Europe/Moscow)
Daily life can often be a massive challenge. From overloaded to-do lists to crunched time, and from feeling like we’re being pulled in every direction to the dizzyingly fast pace of life – it’s enough to make even the most patient person have a meltdown (or multiple meltdowns).
Added to this is the pressure of using technology, which seems to change faster than you can say ‘Make it stop!’ So-called helpful tech tools can be a huge time suck. Who hasn’t disappeared down the rabbit hole of YouTube videos, Pinterest boards, and/or TikTok videos only to emerge sleepy-eyed and aghast at the hours that have mysteriously evaporated?
Add the pressures of daily life to the pressure that tech causes and the incredibly, extraordinarily, hair-raisingly frustrating situations that ensue is enough to cause a colourful array of curse words to fly out of your mouth all the while you’re restraining yourself from throwing your computer out the window.
You’re not alone. Eighty percent of people experience at least one technology-related frustration every day, with 30% of folks experiencing five or more tech frustrations daily. That’s a whole lot of frustration and a whole lot of wasted time.
From incessant, distracting notifications and not being able to collaborate or find your digital resources, there’s a well-documented, litany of very justifiable complaints.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Imagine for a moment, if you could easily and effortlessly find your digital resources, and keep track of your to-do’s without requiring a Ph.D., in Tech. Imagine you could use some Simple and Easy (yes, with a capital S and E) tools to reduce your overwhelm, and amp up your ease and efficiency.
Sound like a pipe dream? I assure you it’s not.
Join me for a fun, interactive workshop where I’ll introduce you to a simple, effective process for identifying your specific pain points, and easy-peasy tech tools that ease those very pains.
In this free workshop on May 25th with me, Lee-Anne Ragan you’ll:

Learn how to identify and prioritize your pain points in life and in work by rewriting Einstein’s theory of relativity
Create your very own tech map – both your current map and where you’d like to journey to, using an editable worksheet template
Discover my four-point plan for minimizing pain and ensuring your tech success
Have fun exploring a bunch of simple, easy tools to show you that tech tools really can bring you ease and efficiency whether your pain points are related to managing information, collaborating, saving time/being more productive, researching, managing your email, and/or professional development.
Push the opportunities even more with tech tools just for fun, for being of service, and for mental health/work-life balance.
Come away feeling inspired, hopeful and with a workbook full of strategies and tools for you to implement
Count the workshop towards your annual UN-Mandated training (If you’re a UN staff)

RSVP using this link by May 23rd. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month so as to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

8:00 am to 9:30 am London
9:00 am to 10:30 am Paris and Geneva
10:00 am to 11:30 am Nairobi, Beirut, Amman, and Mogadishu
12:45 pm to 2:15 pm Kathmandu
11:00 am to 12:30 pm Abu Dhabi
3:00 pm to 4:30 pm Manila
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Fukuoka

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times. Use 10 am to 11:30 am EAT(Nairobi) to compare your timezone.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by May 23rd.
Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.
Add the rest of the Learning and Development Roundtable 2023 dates to your calendar:

June 15
September 21
October 26
November 16

How to effectively teach and present online while being cool, calm and engaging (offered through UNON STDU) - Part 2
2023-05-25 15:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Moscow)

Rewards, recognition and celebration- it’s the 100th Learning and Development Roundtable
2023-06-15 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Moscow)
Employee rewards and recognition can easily miss the mark and do the opposite of what was intended.
Reward and recognition are often:

Badly timed
Not relevant or applicable
One size fits all and therefore fit no one
Culturally insensitive
Disappointing to the intended individual, team etc.
Generic and meaningless
Damaging to the individual’s motivation and
Negatively affect the organization’s culture.

Case in point: I have a distinct and super cringy memory of an employer giving an employee a bottle of wine in recognition of their efforts …. the same employee who was a recovering alcoholic. As the so-called reward was being presented, everyone else in the room shuffled awkwardly while the employee had a ghastly expression on their face.
We can do so much better.
And it doesn’t have to be hit or miss.
“Failing to embrace continuous recognition, where you recognize in the moment, means you miss the opportunity to motivate your employees and provide visibility of and reinforce good behavior” (source: Reward Gateway).
When done well, employee rewards and recognition can have the following benefits for individuals:

Increase engagement
Greater employee satisfaction
More enjoyment of work
Decrease stress
Decrease absenteeism

Likewise, when done well, employee rewards and recognition can have the following benefits for the organization:

Decrease employee turnover and the resulting high costs for rehiring, onboarding, and retraining
Improve team culture
Generate higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers
Increase retention overall but especially high-quality employees
Increase employee productivity (source: Quantum Workplace)

On this anniversary of the 100th Learning and Development Roundtable, we’re going to do something a little different.
We’re going to learn about rewards and recognition as we celebrate and while we’re at it, teach you how to do the same!
Don’t miss the last Learning and Development Roundtable before we take a break until September.
In this free workshop on June 15th, with me, Lee-Anne Ragan, you’ll:

Learn about employee rewards and recognition
Discover two powerful tools for customizing rewards and recognition
Practice simple, targeted celebration tools
Have fun and learn ways to celebrate while we celebrate: 1) the Learning and Development Roundtable, 2) you, and 3) teams in general
Come away with some small, unique gifts!
Count the workshop towards your annual UN-Mandated training (If you’re a UN staff).

RSVP using this link by June 13th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month so as to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

7-8:30 am Vancouver
8-9:30 am Mexico
10-11:30 am Montreal/New York
11 am-12:30 pm Rio
3-4:30 pm London
4-5:30 pm Paris
5-6:30 pm Nairobi/Beirut/Somalia/Amman
6-7:30 pm Abu Dhabi

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times. Use 5 – 6:30 pm EAT(Nairobi) to compare your timezone to.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by June 13th.
Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.
Add the rest of the Learning and Development Roundtable 2023 dates to your calendar:

September 21
October 26
November 16

How to effectively teach and present online while being cool, calm and engaging (offered through UNON STDU)
2023-09-20 15:00 - 17:00, 2023-09-21 15:00 - 17:00, 2023-10-25 09:00 - 11:00, 2023-10-26 09:00 - 11:00, 2023-11-15 15:00 - 17:00, 2023-11-16 15:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Moscow)

Learning and Development Roundtable: Your career satisfaction, self-awareness and self-care tailored tune up
2023-09-21 10:00 - 11:30 (Africa/Nairobi)
From quietly quitting to loudly labouring (people who focus on visibility and self-promotion) and from perpetual overwhelm to constant change, it can feel like we’re on a never ending roller coaster. A roller coaster that has more downs than ups.
We’re stretched to the max, and striving for …… something elusive we may not even be able to name.
With frayed nerves, and to-do lists longer than the Great Wall of China, we’re beleaguered and may be showing signs of burnout.
Take heart.
This Learning and Development Roundtable is in response to member’s requests for tips and techniques to amp up career satisfaction, increase self-awareness and get some insight into simple, sustainable self-care techniques.
Join me for a fun, interactive workshop where I’ll introduce you to simple, effective tools that ease your very pains. Suffering is optional. I promise.
In this free workshop on September 21st with me, Lee-Anne Ragan you’ll:

Figure out where you’re at on the quiet quitting – loudly labouring continuum
Dive into some key indicators for a healthy team and a healthy you
Discover one of the number one elements that contribute to career satisfaction and how to get it (hint: it’s not that hard and it’s fun)
Explore why managing your reputation is key to your career satisfaction and one surprising key way to do it
Uncover my top tools from thirty-plus years of research into this field that will raise your self-awareness and make a difference for you immediately, include some easy peasy, research based self-care tools
Come away feeling inspired, hopeful and with a workbook full of strategies and tools for you to implement
Count the workshop towards your annual professional development requirement (if you’re a UN staff)

RSVP using this link by September 19th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month so as to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

8:00 am to 9:30 am London
9:00 am to 10:30 am Paris and Geneva
10:00 am to 11:30 am Nairobi, Beirut, Amman, and Mogadishu
12:45 pm to 2:15 pm Kathmandu
11:00 am to 12:30 pm Abu Dhabi
3:00 pm to 4:30 pm Manila
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Fukuoka

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times. Use 10 am to 11:30 am EAT(Nairobi) to compare your timezone.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by September 19th.
Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.
Add the rest of the Learning and Development Roundtable 2023 dates to your calendar:

October 26
November 16

Learning and Development Roundtable: Navigating the ChatGPT Roller Coaster- how to harness these powerful AI tools
2023-10-26 17:00 - 18:30 (Africa/Nairobi)
Work can be enough of a roller coaster ride without the new stressors of ChatGPT and other AI tools.
Are they going to take over the human race? Are we going to be replaced by nameless, faceless tech? Are we getting further adrift in a sea of bias and misinformation?
What even is ChatGPT and what does it have to do with you and me?
Are we going to be left behind if we don’t step onto this roller coaster ride that is ChatGPT and other AI tools?
Take heart. Whether or not you like roller coasters, ChatGPT and other AI tools have something for everyone. Step into the world of AI transformation. Immerse yourself in the dynamic intersection of AI tools and innovation as we uncover challenges, provide solutions, and open doors to new possibilities. Whether you’re a curious mind, a technology enthusiast, or simply seeking to explore AI’s impact, this workshop promises eye-opening insights.
In this free workshop on October 26th with me, Lee-Anne Ragan you’ll:

Learn the basics of using tools like ChatGPT with some simple, easy pointers
Navigate the ethical considerations of AI use
Ride the AI roller coaster and witness a number of examples for how to specifically use these tools
Uncover how to tailor ChatGPT for your own use (your eyebrows are going to get a workout!)
Be future-forward focused and examine some of the trends in AI
Count the workshop towards your annual professional development requirement (if you’re a UN staff)

RSVP using this link by October 24th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month so as to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

7-8:30 am Vancouver
8-9:30 am Mexico
10-11:30 am Montreal/New York
11 am to 12:30 pm Rio
3-4:30 pm London
4-5:30 pm Paris
5-6:30 pm Nairobi/Beirut/Mogadishu/Amman
6-7:30 pm Abu Dhabi

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times. Use 5 pm to 6:30 pm EAT(Nairobi) to compare your timezone.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by October 24th.
Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.
Add the rest of the Learning and Development Roundtable 2023 dates to your calendar:

November 16

Learning and Development Roundtable: Networking tips and tools to nip nerves in the bud
2023-11-16 10:00 - 11:30 (Africa/Nairobi)
You, the Learning and Development Roundtable members asked for a workshop on networking and here’s the result…..
When I say networking, do you scrunch up your face in frustration, nerves or dismay? Do you think of networking like bad tasting cough medicine, something you know you need to take/do but really, you’d rather not?
Does the mere mention of networking make your stomach roll with images of pushy sales people in bad, polyester suits?
Do you think networking is about getting super personal? Or not personal enough? As merely handing out business cards during awkward cocktail conversations?
Do I have news for you my friend.
“Networking is not only about trading information, but also serves as an avenue to create long-term relationships with mutual benefits.“
“The importance of the saying “no man is an Island” … is the reason why many of us need to make a collective effort in the bid to achieve professional success. For many individuals that have succeeded in their career, the causes have largely been contributed to the strong networking channels they have created over time.” (Source: Forbes).
Sounds convincing.
But networking doesn’t have to be and shouldn’t be painful.
It can and should be interesting, intriguing and something you actually look forward to.
The key is networking in a way that works for you with tools that fit you.
This is the last Learning and Development Roundtable of 2023 before we take a break and start afresh in 2024 so don’t miss out.
Note: November is our 11th anniversary and the 11th month so you’ll notice a theme here!
In this free workshop on November 16th with me, Lee-Anne Ragan you’ll:

Uncover eleven reasons why networking is so important
Create a customized networking map for yourself
Dive into eleven simple yet powerful do’s and don’ts for effective networking
Learn eleven creative tools for mastering the art and science of networking
Come away refreshed, confident, and ready to tackle networking head-on with your head held high
Gain access to a workbook that includes all the tips, tools and techniques to take the pain out of networking
Count the workshop towards your annual professional development requirement (if you’re a UN staff)

RSVP using this link by November 14th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month so as to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

7-8:30 am London
8-9:30 am Paris/Rome
9-10:30 am Beirut
10-11:30 am Nairobi, Mogadishu, Amman
11-12:30 pm Abu Dhabi
12:45-2:15 pm Kathmandu
3-4:30 pm Manila
4-5:30 pm Fukuoka

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times. Use 10 am to 11:30 am EAT(Nairobi) to compare your timezone.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by November 14th.
Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.

Learning and Development Roundtable- Design a customized learning plan for 2024 that fits you and your team to a T and increases your ROI
2024-01-25 10:00 - 11:30 (Europe/Moscow)
Information is flowing faster than ever. We are walking and talking faster than a decade ago. We’re inundated with platforms, blogs, websites, tweets, LinkedIn posts, Youtube videos, online courses etc., etc. But who has time for learning?

The better question is ‘who doesn’t have time for that all-important, strategic, let’s-get-to-the-bottom-of-pressing-social-problems learning’?

Learning is key to your professional and personal success and carving out time for a brief workshop (that’d be this one) to help you craft a customized learning plan for you and/or your team will not only save you tons of time but make your time more meaningful and make you more likely to reach your goals.

Learning plans help you bridge between where you are now and where you want to get to.
Learning plans help you be deliberate about learning; “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. ―Abigail Adams
Learning plans help you to be proactive about learning; “In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges, and the foolish build dams. ~ Nigerian proverb
Learning plans help you put learning in context: “Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand.” ~ Guinean proverb
Suffering is optional. In this fun, interactive workshop you’ll learn a Simple (with a capital S) system for identifying your learning needs, how to meet those needs, and all in a way that fits you, your goals, your capacity, and how you learn.

In this free workshop with me, Lee-Anne Ragan you’ll learn:

What a learning plan is and why it’s so important that you and/or your team have one
How to use my simple, interactive worksheet to create a customized learning plan for yourself and/or your team
Why the letter I plays a huge role in your learning plan
How to use my S.A.K.E.s© tool to streamline the process
How to make the learning fit you instead of bending yourself into a pretzel for learning methods that don’t work for you
How to do all of the above in a fun, interactive way (Hint: the Pink Panther just may make an appearance and there might be a friendly small group competition with a prize)
Count the workshop towards your annual professional development requirement (if you’re a UN staff)

RSVP by January 25th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month so as to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

7-8:30 am London
8-9:30 am Paris, Rome and Geneva
9-10:30 am Beirut
10-11:30 am Nairobi, Amman and Mogadishu
11-12:30 pm Abu Dhabi
12:45–2:15 pm Kathmandu
3-4:30 pm Manila
4-5:30 pm Fukuoka

Click here to convert to and confirm your timezone if it’s not listed above.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by January 25th
Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.

Learning and Development Roundtable- Getting motivated and building healthy habits (especially if you’re lagging and sagging)
2024-02-15 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Moscow)
Is your motivation lagging and sagging? Do you feel perpetually behind, juggling a million plates in the air? So much so that you feel defeated before you even start?
Does the idea of building good habits sound appealing, in part to address your motivation, but you haven’t a hot clue where to start? Do you know you could be more of who you want to be and do more of what you want to do if only you could master some healthy habits?
Motivation is the willingness to get the job done by starting rather than procrastinating, persisting in the face of distractions, and investing enough mental effort to succeed.
It accounts for 40% of the success of team projects, says Richard E. Clark and Bror Saxberg in their HBR article 4 Reasons Good Employees Lose Their Motivation.
Habits are the small decisions you make and actions you perform every day. According to researchers at Duke University, habits account for about 40 percent of our behaviors on any given day. Source.
Having good, healthy habits and being motivated are game-changers. But you’ve got to get them first.
Let’s put the two together.
Motivation + good habits = serious fun and serious changes
Here’s how to get motivated AND build some healthy habits.
In this free workshop on February 15th with me, Lee-Anne Ragan you’ll:

Discover what motivates you so tasks don’t feel like you’re trying to climb Mount Everest backward, without oxygen. Seriously. This tool is a total game changer.
Uncover clues about what motivates others, including your colleagues in order to bring some ease and reduce conflict.
Learn the one change you can make to ensure your motivation sticks and actually makes a difference.
Disrupt your waning motivation with this peculiar but highly effective tool that involves a General and a grid.
Learn from the work of the best habit brains when it comes to creating healthy habits, including Charles Duhigg and James Clear.
Pick from a smorgasbord of tools to help you track your newfound healthy habits (paper-based and/or tech-based as you wish and want).
Count the workshop towards your annual professional development requirement (if you’re a UN staff)

RSVP using this link by February 13th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month so as to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

7-8:30 am Vancouver
8-9:30 am Mexico
9-10:30 am Montreal/New York
11 am to 12:30 pm Rio
2-3:30 pm London
3-4:30 pm Paris
4-5:30 pm Beirut
5-6:30 pm Nairobi/Mogadishu/Amman
6-7:30 pm Abu Dhabi
7:45-9:15 pm Kathmandu

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times.
Use 5 pm to 6:30 pm EAT(Nairobi) to compare your timezone.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by February 13th.
Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.

Learning and Development Roundtable - The critical benefits of critical thinking and how to do it
2024-03-21 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Moscow)
Fake news.
Ridiculous claims that over time and with enough repetition can start to seem reasonable.
Decision fatigue.
Pressures to do more by yesterday and at an ever increasing pace.
Sound familiar?
We make 266 decisions a day ….. Just on food! (Cheryl Strauss Einhorn quoting a Cornell University study).
All of these are a recipe for not thinking critically.
So what’s the big deal if we don’t think critically?
It can easily lead to WTF – wishful thinking forever (HBR Guide to Critical Thinking).
We do ourselves, our teams, our communities and the world a disservice by not thinking critically.
Critical thinking is good for us.
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2020, reported international business leaders see “critical thinking and analysis as a skill in growing demand.”
And a SHRM report finds critical thinking is one of the most in-demand skills for job candidates annnnnd one of the ones most commonly missing (HBR Guide to Critical Thinking).
So let’s get going brushing up our critical thinking skills.
In this free workshop on March 21st with me, Lee-Anne Ragan you’ll:

Discover what critical thinking is …. And what it’s not
Realize the critical benefits of critical thinking, for you and for everyone
Learn why it’s so hard to think critically and how to overcome the trap that your brain sets for you
Dive into eight memorable critical thinking skills that will have you acting like:

A mindset monk
A scientist who’s in a pickle
A prism
A diagnosing doctor
A primed psychologist
A curious kid
Your own MVP
A nun with a habit

Count the workshop towards your annual professional development requirement (if you’re a UN staff)

RSVP using this link by March 19th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month so as to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

7-8:30 am Vancouver
8-9:30 am Mexico
10-11:30 pm Montreal/New York
11-12:30 pm Rio
2-3:30 pm London
3-4:30 pm Paris
4-5:30 pm Beirut
5-6:30 pm Nairobi/Somalia/Amman
6-7:30 pm Abu Dhabi

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times.
Use 5-6:30 pm EAT(Nairobi) to compare your timezone.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by March 19th for the March 21st Roundtable.
Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.

Tips and tools to increase your work-life balance(offered through UNON STDU) - Part 1
2024-04-17 09:00 - 11:00 (Europe/Moscow)
The learning curve has never been so steep.

Our stress levels, anxiety, and fear have risen to all-time highs while our certainty and access to regular routines have plummeted. Our boundaries have changed and become fuzzy. And talk about the ‘new normal’ is rife – yet who can even remember the old ‘normal’?

Meanwhile, throughout these challenges, we’re told to look for “balance” in our home and work life. It’s enough to make us dizzy with confusion, trepidation, hopelessness, and more stress.

Fear not. There is hope.

We’ve come a long way in learning how to navigate the challenges of returning to the office and/or hybrid. Let’s build on all the things you’ve learned in the past year and add to your toolkit so you’re healthier, more relaxed, less stressed, and more resilient.

Here’s how.

Join me for a two-part interactive workshop where I’ll introduce you to a myriad of simple tools to add to your toolkit. The workshops will be very practical, so you can get going on your continued way to wellness ASAP.

Contact UNON-HR to register (for UN staff only but contact me if you’d like to chat about having a similar workshop for your organization).

Delivery: The course is divided into five sections →

Self-facilitated: There will be a couple of short tasks to complete before we meet together online (estimated time: 15 minutes)
Facilitated by the instructor: A two-hour in-real-time workshop
Self-facilitated: To help you apply what you’re learning there will be a few more tasks for you to complete on your own time before we meet again (approximate time investment: 30 minutes)
Facilitated by the instructor: A two-hour in-real-time workshop
Self-facilitated: Again, to help you use what you’ve learned, you’ll have a couple more tasks to complete on your own time, (approximate time investment: 15 minutes)

Total learning time with the instructor: 4 hours

In this workshop with me, Lee-Anne Ragan, you’ll:

Put the elusive myth of work-life balance to bed for good and replace it with a healthier, more realistic, and practical outlook.
Know thyself with four tools designed to uncover how you’re currently dealing with work-life balance and how you can create more relaxation and balance, and less fear and anxiety.
Take action with four skills designed to decrease your stress and increase your wellness – practical examples, from bookends, keeping up, and speaking up to simple, easy (and slightly weird but backed by research) tips to combat stress instantly.
Learn how to diagnose your specific situation by using my more than, less than, and equal to tool.
Map three types of stressors and where you’re at with your ‘buckets’, in order to create a customized work-life balance plan that fits you.
Come away feeling inspired, hopeful, and with an online resource portal full of tips, tools, and more.

How to effectively teach and present online while being cool, calm and engaging (offered through UNON STDU) - Part 1
2024-04-17 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-05-14 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-06-19 09:00 - 11:00 (Europe/Moscow)
Wondering what a roller coaster, raccoon, vacuum cleaner, and elephant have to do with effectively teaching/presenting online? Keep reading.

Lectures that drone on and on. Overwhelming unread notifications of online events. Workshops that are drier than the Sahara desert and more boring than watching paint dry. We’ve all been there.

Online meetings, courses, workshops, check-ins are never-ending. Some research shows we are spending up to 16 hours a day on digital media! Globally, we doubled our online content consumption in 2020.

We are bored, exhausted and we’re struggling. Mental health challenges are up in most countries and yet mental health service provision is down.

There is hope, however.

Notwithstanding the tremendous costs of the global pandemic, there are hidden benefits to Covid and all that time online. Help is in sight. Teaching and presenting online CAN (and should) be engaging, interesting, and impactful. We can make a difference. We can use tools to help us engage with dignity, inclusion, and impact. And we can do all that without inducing suffering in ourselves or those we’re working with.

Here’s how.

Join me for a series of fun, interactive workshops where I’ll introduce you to a helpful framework and success signposts to aim for on your online journey. The workshops will be very practical. I’ll demonstrate a number of interesting yet simple tools and techniques that you can use right away.

Contact UNON-HR to register (for UN staff only but contact me if you’d like to chat about having a similar workshop for your organization).

Delivery: The course is divided into two sections →

Facilitated by the instructor: A two-hour in-real-time workshop
Facilitated by the instructor: A two-hour in-real-time workshop

In this workshop with the instructor, Lee-Anne Ragan, you’ll:

Discover eight success signposts for your online teaching/presenting
Uncover two opportunities hiding in plain sight for increasing engagement
Learn the abysmal retention rates for the dreaded lecture and three easy things to replace them with that scale engagement and retention
Understand your preference in teaching/presenting and how to be more engaging by using the S.A.K.E.© tool
Uncover the seven deadly sins of online presenting/teaching so you know what NOT to do
Discover your tech personality, what a raccoon, vacuum cleaner roller coaster, elephant have to do with it and why it’s important to know all this
Get a chance to practice teaching/presenting online and receive supportive feedback
Have fun experimenting with 16 tools for online presenting/teaching that include tools for managing information, collaborating/sharing online, managing learning, and teaching/presenting
Come away feeling inspired, hopeful and with an online resource portal full of tips, tools, worksheets, surveys, and more

Tips and tools to increase your work-life balance(offered through UNON STDU) - Part 2
2024-04-18 09:00 - 11:00 (Europe/Moscow)

How to effectively teach and present online while being cool, calm and engaging (offered through UNON STDU) - Part 2
2024-04-18 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-05-15 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-06-20 09:00 - 11:00 (Europe/Moscow)

Learning and Development Roundtable - Critical character skills (or how to be a good human)
2024-04-18 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Moscow)
I have two simple tasks for you.

Imagine a time you were working with a team where the work seemed effortless, the conflict minimal and you.got.so.much.done and enjoyed it to boot.
Imagine a time you were working with a team where the work seemed painful, the conflict gargantuan and insurmountable and you got very little done because you were so busy protecting your back.

Can you tell what made the difference?
I can 99.99% guarantee that it was a lack of critical character skills or things that make us good humans.
Take conflict for example.
Have you ever paused to think about the cost of conflict in the workplace, both to you and your organization? What if I told you it was £28.5 billion in the UK alone (Pollack Peacebuilding Systems, 2021)?
“Employees in United States companies spend approximately 2.8 hours each week involved in conflict. This amounts to around $359 billion in hours paid that are filled with – and focused on – conflict instead of on positive productivity” (Pollack Peacebuilding Systems, 2021).
For individuals, unresolved conflict in the workplace can lead to an increase in stress, anxiety, depression, sick days, and decreased productivity, disengagement, and motivation.
We can do so much better. This means smooth functioning teams, more and better work done (enter progress on pressing social problems), and a healthier you.
In this free workshop on April 18th with me, Lee-Anne Ragan you’ll:

Delve into why it’s critical we pay much more attention to character skills
Learn ten top critical human skills with the tools to back them up
Dive deeper into two of the top skills
Learn about two bonus character skills
Come away with a learning plan for all ten skills + the bonus skills
Count the workshop towards your annual professional development requirement (if you’re a UN staff)

RSVP using this link by April 16th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

7-8:30 am Vancouver
8-9:30 am Mexico
10-11:30 am Montreal/New York
11 am to 12:30 pm Rio
3-4:30 pm London
4-5:30 pm Paris
5-6:30 pm Nairobi/Beirut/Somalia/Amman
6-7:30 pm Abu Dhabi

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times.
Use 5-6:30 pm EAT(Nairobi) to compare your timezone.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by April 16th for the April 18th Roundtable.
Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.

Tips and tools to increase your work-life balance(offered through UNON STDU) - Part 1
2024-05-15 14:00 - 16:00 (Europe/Moscow)
klifes

The learning curve has never been so steep.

Our stress levels, anxiety, and fear have risen to all-time highs while our certainty and access to regular routines have plummeted. Our boundaries have changed and become fuzzy. And talk about the ‘new normal’ is rife – yet who can even remember the old ‘normal’?

Meanwhile, throughout these challenges, we’re told to look for “balance” in our home and work life. It’s enough to make us dizzy with confusion, trepidation, hopelessness, and more stress.

Fear not. There is hope.

We’ve come a long way in learning how to navigate the challenges of returning to the office and/or hybrid. Let’s build on all the things you’ve learned in the past year and add to your toolkit so you’re healthier, more relaxed, less stressed, and more resilient.

Here’s how.

Join me for a two-part interactive workshop where I’ll introduce you to a myriad of simple tools to add to your toolkit. The workshops will be very practical, so you can get going on your continued way to wellness ASAP.

Contact UNON-HR to register (for UN staff only but contact me if you’d like to chat about having a similar workshop for your organization).

Delivery: The course is divided into five sections →

Self-facilitated: There will be a couple of short tasks to complete before we meet together online (estimated time: 15 minutes)
Facilitated by the instructor: A two-hour in-real-time workshop
Self-facilitated: To help you apply what you’re learning there will be a few more tasks for you to complete on your own time before we meet again (approximate time investment: 30 minutes)
Facilitated by the instructor: A two-hour in-real-time workshop
Self-facilitated: Again, to help you use what you’ve learned, you’ll have a couple more tasks to complete on your own time, (approximate time investment: 15 minutes)

Total learning time with the instructor: 4 hours

In this workshop with me, Lee-Anne Ragan, you’ll:

Put the elusive myth of work-life balance to bed for good and replace it with a healthier, more realistic, and practical outlook.
Know thyself with four tools designed to uncover how you’re currently dealing with work-life balance and how you can create more relaxation and balance, and less fear and anxiety.
Take action with four skills designed to decrease your stress and increase your wellness – practical examples, from bookends, keeping up, and speaking up to simple, easy (and slightly weird but backed by research) tips to combat stress instantly.
Learn how to diagnose your specific situation by using my more than, less than, and equal to tool.
Map three types of stressors and where you’re at with your ‘buckets’, in order to create a customized work-life balance plan that fits you.
Come away feeling inspired, hopeful, and with an online resource portal full of tips, tools, and more.

Learning and Development Roundtable - Unlock Your Emotional Intelligence with these Epic EI Fundamentals
2024-05-16 10:00 - 11:30 (Europe/Moscow)
Snappy, surly comebacks. Aggressive comments. Defensive droning on and on.
You’ve heard them all (and, ahem, maybe have dished out a few too).
Ever felt like your emotions are calling the shots more than you’d like?
Not being emotionally savvy can throw some serious curveballs in both work and life.
Picture this: you’re stressed out, your co-workers are driving you up the wall, and suddenly you’re knee-deep in a mess of misunderstandings and office drama.
Sound familiar?
That’s the thing about emotional intelligence—without it, it’s like trying to navigate a minefield blindfolded.
And with big consequences.
A lack of emotional intelligence can lead to poor decision-making, anxiety, stress, breakdown in teams, and more.
A huge percentage of people’s careers go off the rails because of “emotional incompetence” – not being able to handle interpersonal issues, conflict or inspire trust (Source: Emotional Intelligence 2.0).
How big of a percentage? Take a guess. Then look at the bottom for the answer. Were you surprised?
But fear not, it’s possible to handle these emotional landmines and unlock the secret to smoother sailing at work and beyond.
In this free workshop on May 16th with me, Lee-Anne Ragan you’ll:

Figure out what emotional intelligence (EI) is and why it’s so critically important
Use my star tool to diagnose your assets and gaps when it comes to the five elements of EI
Learn the four skills of EI, the four R’s
Create a plan for your emotionally intelligent wellness using a number of tools including three buckets, R.I.S.E., S.O.F.T., and 6.5 really weird but really effective instant stress busters
Count the workshop towards your annual professional development requirement (if you’re a UN staff)

RSVP using this link by May 14th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

8-9:30 am London
9-10:30 am Paris/Rome
10-11:30 Beirut
10-11:30 am Nairobi, Mogadishu, Amman
11-12:30 pm Abu Dhabi
12:45-2:15 pm Kathmandu
3-4:30 pm Manila
4-5:30 pm Fukuoka

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times.
Use 10-11:30 am EAT(Nairobi) to compare your timezone.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by May 14th for the May 16th Roundtable.

Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.

Answer to the question above: 78% of people’s careers, that’s almost 8 in 10, go off the rails because of issues with emotional intelligence!

Tips and tools to increase your work-life balance(offered through UNON STDU) - Part 2
2024-05-16 14:00 - 16:00 (Europe/Moscow)
a

The learning curve has never been so steep.

Our stress levels, anxiety, and fear have risen to all-time highs while our certainty and access to regular routines have plummeted. Our boundaries have changed and become fuzzy. And talk about the ‘new normal’ is rife – yet who can even remember the old ‘normal’?

Meanwhile, throughout these challenges, we’re told to look for “balance” in our home and work life. It’s enough to make us dizzy with confusion, trepidation, hopelessness, and more stress.

Fear not. There is hope.

We’ve come a long way in learning how to navigate the challenges of returning to the office and/or hybrid. Let’s build on all the things you’ve learned in the past year and add to your toolkit so you’re healthier, more relaxed, less stressed, and more resilient.

Here’s how.

Join me for a two-part interactive workshop where I’ll introduce you to a myriad of simple tools to add to your toolkit. The workshops will be very practical, so you can get going on your continued way to wellness ASAP.

Contact UNON-HR to register (for UN staff only but contact me if you’d like to chat about having a similar workshop for your organization).

Delivery: The course is divided into five sections →

Self-facilitated: There will be a couple of short tasks to complete before we meet together online (estimated time: 15 minutes)
Facilitated by the instructor: A two-hour in-real-time workshop
Self-facilitated: To help you apply what you’re learning there will be a few more tasks for you to complete on your own time before we meet again (approximate time investment: 30 minutes)
Facilitated by the instructor: A two-hour in-real-time workshop
Self-facilitated: Again, to help you use what you’ve learned, you’ll have a couple more tasks to complete on your own time, (approximate time investment: 15 minutes)

Total learning time with the instructor: 4 hours

In this workshop with me, Lee-Anne Ragan, you’ll:

Put the elusive myth of work-life balance to bed for good and replace it with a healthier, more realistic, and practical outlook.
Know thyself with four tools designed to uncover how you’re currently dealing with work-life balance and how you can create more relaxation and balance, and less fear and anxiety.
Take action with four skills designed to decrease your stress and increase your wellness – practical examples, from bookends, keeping up, and speaking up to simple, easy (and slightly weird but backed by research) tips to combat stress instantly.
Learn how to diagnose your specific situation by using my more than, less than, and equal to tool.
Map three types of stressors and where you’re at with your ‘buckets’, in order to create a customized work-life balance plan that fits you.
Come away feeling inspired, hopeful, and with an online resource portal full of tips, tools, and more.

Learning and Development Roundtable - Unlock Your Voice: Strategies for Powerful Public Speaking
2024-06-20 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Moscow)
Sweaty palms. A million butterflies tossing around in your stomach, threatening to escape out of your mouth. Your tongue feels like it’s wearing a sweater made of sandpaper. Your voice is wavery and quavery.
And most of all a looming sense of dread, with a side of fear and a complete and utter desire to get this over with is consuming you.
Public speaking can be a nightmare at worst or nirvana at best.
Public speaking can be both exhilarating and nerve-wracking.
Whether you’re new to public speaking or practiced, addressing a small team or presenting to a large audience, whether in person or online, the challenges of communicating well are universal.
In this month’s Learning and Development Roundtable, we’ll explore common pain points and challenges associated with public speaking, and discover easy-peasy (I promise) strategies to overcome them.
In this free workshop on June 20th with me, Lee-Anne Ragan you’ll:

Uncover why public speaking is an essential skill to master
Learn a number of very simple techniques you can master before your next public speaking event to help you relax, prepare, and shine
Discover some truly remarkable, very easy tech tools to support you in your public speaking preparations
Practice a number of equally simple techniques you can use while you’re public speaking to help you dazzle like the subject matter expert you are
Build your confidence (so you don’t come across like the screengrab above, which is from my terrible, awful, horrible public speaking example)
Come away with a number of tools so you can continue building your skills
Count the workshop towards your annual professional development requirement (if you’re a UN staff)

RSVP using this link by June 18th. Then watch your inbox for our agenda and how to participate online.
Please note the dates and times alternate each month to reach more people in various time zones at their request.

7-8:30 am Vancouver
8-9:30 am Mexico
10-11:30 am Montreal/New York
11 am to 12:30 pm Rio
3-4:30 pm London
4-5:30 pm Paris
5-6:30 pm Nairobi/Beirut/Mogadishu/Amman
6-7:30 pm Abu Dhabi

Click here to convert to your timezone if it’s not listed above and to double-check the times as they can sometimes change due to daylight savings times.
Use 05-06:30 pm EAT (Nairobi) to compare your timezone.
If you’ve just realized with dread that the time is untenable for you this month, don’t worry, as long as you’re a Learning and Development Roundtable member (membership is free) you’ll get access to the audio and (timestamped) video recordings, workbook and more.
Take action now –>

Join the mailing list to receive invitations to the monthly meetings, and get access to all the meeting resources.
RSVP by June 18th for the June 20th Roundtable.

Share this workshop information with a friend and/or colleague and participate together. The more the merrier.
