DAVID KATZ III

Appreciative Inquiry Facilitation

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a fun, uplifting, and meaningful process for emotionally engaging people in building the organization and world that they want to work and live in.The process which I will facilitate is grounded in research from positive psychology that focuses on an organization’s and individual’s strengths in order to help them evolve into a more vibrant, affirming and engaged community of colleagues.

AI encourages a broad range of stakeholders to respond to positive questions about their peak experiences and successes in order to create shared meaning and real heartening connections to each other and their work. That shared meaning is then acted upon in a collaborative and collective manner. The Appreciative Inquiry experience can serve as the wellspring for real positive trans formative change in your organizational culture.

Building a Vibrant Organizational Development Culture

This program shares the experience of a small organizational development office as it plans, creates, and implements a unique employee enrichment program for an entire college community. Embracing the philosophy that “if it ain’t fun, it ain’t worth it,” the program highlights the importance of creating a compelling and enjoyable enrichment experiences to achieve desired institutional outcomes; a culture centered on excellence in all we do, service leadership, and empowerment for our students, our community, and each and every employee. The goal is happier, healthier employees that co-create a dynamic engaged working environment committed to positive growth and empowerment for our students, our colleagues, and the larger community that we serve. This presentation will be a fun, highly interactive, and multidimensional learning experience that will model the elements that make for this vibrant cultural transformation.

Compelling Communication

Whether in a classroom, team room, meeting room or boardroom, we all have a desire to maximize the effectiveness of our communication. We all want the information we present to be memorable, meaningful and inspiring to our audience. I will share principles which align with the current findings from brain research as it relates to learning, best practices in pedagogy, and performance art! This presentation will be a fun, highly interactive, and multidimensional learning experience that will model the elements that make for compelling communication that moves the listener, and motivates them to action, reflection and positive development. These tools are available to us all and will help give you the confidence to become your truly engaging and unique self when you are speaking to groups small and large!

Developing Civility within Organizational Culture

“Civility is the place of encounter between self & other where altruism and self-interest find a harmonious way to coexist.” The “civility/peace paradigm” is that sweet spot of empathetic understanding that exclusion and “othering” are the psychological roots of exclusion, harassment, bullying, violence and injustice; both interpersonally and globally. In this multi-dimensional, interactive, participatory presentation we will explore ways we can increase the chances of positive, engaged collaboration toward more kind, harmonious and inclusive relations between people, within organizations and communities, and among nations.

Difficult Conversations: Caring, Constructive & Connecting

Within any human organization conflict is inevitable…but combat is optional! Be it the classroom or meeting room, the need and opportunity to engage in emotionally charged, potentially uncomfortable conversations around behavior and expectations is ever present. The goal of this workshop is to understand and apply a concrete template for approaching these conversations with empathy and emotional intelligence. The end result will be to build your ability to have these conversations in a manner that engenders trust, and empowers others to grow in a positive manner that is good for them, for your relationship, and for your class or organization.

Dynamic, Motivating, & Inclusive Learning Environments

Do you ever feel like you are herding cats when you are in the classroom or workplace meeting room trying to maintain an inclusive, respectful and motivating learning environment? This presentation will share time tested principles supported by current neuroscience which can help you create a classroom or workplace culture more conducive to equity, efficacy, persistence, and learning. This ultimately leads to both student completion and high levels of employee engagement. The presentation will “walk the talk” as we interactively explore ways we can foster and sustain a lively, engaged, and compelling learning environment at school or work. My goal is for us to have fun while we help each other become even more effective and trans formative educators, mentors, and leaders.

Emotional Intelligence, Self-Efficacy & Growth Mindset

Have you ever wished you could change your student’s or colleague’s attitudes toward more positive engagement in their work? YOU CAN! The secret is appreciating that all of us, within our classrooms and professional areas have a profound impact upon the emotional state of the people we engage with each day. Whether interacting with individuals or groups, the neuroscience is clear, the affective domain powerfully impacts cognition, persistence, motivation and performance. In this multi-dimensional, highly interactive, experiential, and fun presentation we will explore ways we can increase the chances of positive, motivated, engaged collaboration in all our relationships in a manner that maximizes inclusion and equity in the class room, board room, locker room, or at home!

Leading by Building Strong Relationships

One of the secrets to great leadership and a person’s ability to positively influence, inspire, and motivate others is their capacity to understand and act in accordance with the core principle that people are fundamentally driven by emotions. Built into our very DNA is the prominence of the affective domain in both our thought and action. In this presentation there will be lots of opportunity to test and practice the skills and actions that can help align us with this primary influence on human behavior. The goal will be a meaningful, enjoyable, and interactive learning experience developing our emotional intelligence while also having a few laughs and becoming more transformational leaders.

Leading by Building Collaborative Empowered Groups

The ability to create and lead high functioning harmonious work groups and teams that operate at their full potential is critical to the success of any human organization. The key to unlocking the powerful potential and synergy that lies embedded in the deep human need to belong is the essence of this workshop. The goal is a meaningful interactive experience that gives you real tools for both your personal and professional life. We will have lots of fun while we use experiential learning activities to bring to life the principles of motivational leadership which helps to develop highly engaged self-directed teams in the class room, board room or locker room!

Leading & Teaching Through Intentional Positive Influence

Understanding and practicing the principles emerging from advances in the behavioral science on how change occurs in a person’s individual behavior is an essential skill for leaders, teachers, coaches and mentors in encouraging positive growth in others. The goal is to understand and be able to practice the six source model of influence in a manner that creates real sustainable positive change while building rapport and connection with those we have the privilege to mentor. This will be accomplished through the actual implementation of the model into real world scenarios in order to develop confidence and proficiency in applying these concepts.

Thriving in Change

Understanding and practicing the principles emerging from advances in the behavioral sciences on how change affects an individual is an essential skill for leaders, teachers, coaches and mentors in encouraging positive growth in people and organizations. The goal is to understand how to lead change in a manner that creates real sustainable positive transformation while maintaining rapport and connection with those we have the privilege to lead.