Learn Local!

LIST OF CLASSES

ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE WORKPLACE: THE QUESTION BEHIND THE QUESTION
Dates/Time:12/16, 1:30-3 PM
Instructor:Kevin Hoschar
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 241

This workshop will discuss the book QBQ! (The Question Behind the Question), which focuses on what to ask yourself to eliminate blame, complaining and procrastination. Class participants will receive a copy of this short, engaging book to read before class. Personal accountability is so important because it's a crucial part of achieving goals, developing teams and fulfilling your vision.

AVOIDING COMMON GRAMMAR AND SPELLING MISTAKES
Dates/Time:10/19 and 10/21, 1-3 PM
Instructor:Louise Wyatt
Room:County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246 

Did you sleept threw grammar class in skool? Do you feel badly about it? (Or is it "Do you feel bad about it?") Have no fear because a quick grammar refresher is here. This two-part class will cover the most common grammatical mistakes made by adults, especially the ones that spell check won't catch!   

BEGINNING SPANISH
Dates/Time: Tuesdays, 8/25-10/13 (8-part class), 2:30-4:30 PM
Instructor: Sandy Snow
Room: County Office Building, 1600 5th Street, Room C 

Yo perdí mi tigre de 900 libras, me puedes ayudar a encontrarlo? (I lost my 900 lb. tiger, can you help me find it?)

If you want to learn to speak Spanish better than this, the County has a unique learning opportunity for you. This popular course, only open to employees who regularly interact with Albemarle County 's quickly growing Spanish-speaking population, will help you communicate effectively and improve your customer service skills.

BETTER DECISIONS AND THINKING: THE "SIX THINKING HATS"
Date/Time: 9/24, 10-11:30 AM
Instructor: Kevin Hoschar
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246

"Six Thinking Hats" is a thinking tool for group discussion and individual thinking. It is based on the idea that your brain can think about something from six different perspectives--facts & information, feelings & emotions, critical judgment, positive judgment, alternatives & learning, and the big picture. Class participants will learn how to use this tool to make better decisions.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Date/Time: 11/9, 2-4 PM
Instructor: Louise Wyatt
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246

Is your theme song Kung Fu Fighting? Or maybe it's Hit Me with Your Best Shot? You won't learn any dance moves in this activities-based workshop, but you will walk away with a brief overview of how and when to use four different methods of managing a conflict.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY TRAINING: ALBEMARLE'S LATINO RESIDENTS
Date/Time:10/20, 3-4:30 PM
Instructor: Linda Hemby
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 241

This introductory training will help County employees to understand and better serve our growing Latino population. Myth-busting facts, a discussion of cultural barriers immigrant Latinos confront, and local resources to help County employees and agencies bridge cultural and language gaps will also be discussed.

DISAGREEMENTS IN THE WORKPLACE: HOW TO HAVE THOSE CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS
Date/Time: 10/15, 3-4:30 PM
Instructor: Kevin Hoschar
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246 

Disagreement between two or more persons can be based on different opinions. If they don't know how to work through their differences, such disagreement can lead to poor decisions, strained relationships, and potential disasters. Using proven principles, participants will find a template to effectively deal with disagreements at work. Class participants will receive a copy of the book Crucial Conversations to be read before class.

EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT AND MOTIVATION
Date/Time: 9/16, 2-4 PM
Instructor: Frank Squillace
Room: County Office Building, 1600 5th Street, Room C

This seminar looks at various ways of using motivation and empowerment to better our organizations and ourselves. Attendees will participate in a dialogue on ideas and opportunities to empower themselves and others and look at the following components:
  • What is empowerment and why do we want to empower people?
  • How do we empower people through our systems and surroundings?
  • What can we do to motivate ourselves?
FUNDAMENTALS OF EXCEL 2003
Dates/Time: 9/29 and 10/1, 1-3 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

This four-hour class provides a general introduction to Microsoft Excel 2003. Topics covered include screen layout and navigation, workbook basics, modifying worksheets, using functions to perform calculations, and formatting and printing worksheets.

FUNDAMENTALS OF OUTLOOK CALENDAR
Date/Time: 9/17, 10 AM–12 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

This class builds the tools necessary to maximize your use of Microsoft Outlook's calendar. Topics covered include setting up and customizing your calendar; creating and updating meetings, appointments, and events; printing calendars.

FUNDAMENTALS OF OUTLOOK CONTACTS, TASKS, AND NOTES
Date/Time: 12/9, 10 AM–12 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

Participants in this class will learn to get and stay organized by using Outlook Contacts, Tasks, and Notes.Topics covered will include creating and editing contacts, linking and organizing, creating and using Distribution Lists, setting up task lists for yourself and others, and creating and using notes.

FUNDAMENTALS OF PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
Date/Time: 10/27, 9-11 AM
Instructor: Jennifer Behrens
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246

Do you know how and why to measure the work of an individual, team, and/or a department?Do you understand the relationship between dog food and a green lawn? This course will provide a basic overview of performance management, including explanations of key terms (input, output, output, outcome...) and guidance on selecting and crafting usable performance goals. This class is especially for folks who are new to performance measurement!

FUNDAMENTALS OF POWERPOINT 2003
Dates/Time: 10/6 and 10/8, 2-4 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

This two-part class provides a general introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint 2003. Topics covered include how to create and organize a presentation, formatting slides, working with graphics and multimedia to improve the presentation's quality, running the presentation, and printing presentation notes and handouts.

FUNDAMENTALS OF SHAREPOINT
Date/Time: 9/22, 9 AM-12 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

This class is designed for new users of Sharepoint. Topics covered will include an overview of Sharepoint and how it can be used, working with lists and libraries, contributing new items, and setting alerts.

FUNDAMENTALS OF WINDOWS XP
Date/Time: 9/15, 9-11 AM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

The Windows operating system has been around long enough now that most people take it for granted; this class is designed to help you take advantage of it to better organize yourself and your work. Topics covered include understanding and customizing the desktop and start menu, organizing files, finding your stuff, creating an efficient work environment, and accessing network resources.

FUNDAMENTALS OF WORD 2003
Date/Time: 12/10, 9 AM-12 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

Nearly everyone uses Microsoft Word, but few people use it to its full potential. This class fills in the gaps in your understanding of document creation, editing, and formatting. Topics covered include creating and saving documents, using templates and wizards, printing, inserting and deleting text, formatting text, and modifying page setup through use of tabs, margins, and page breaks.

GETTING THINGS DONE
Date/Time: 11/3, 9 AM-12 PM
Instructor: John McQuilkin
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 241  

It's possible for you to have an overwhelming number of things to do and still function productively with a clear head and a positive sense of relaxed control. This three-hour training is based on veteran coach and management consultant David Allen's groundbreaking methods for stress-free performance and organization. The premise is simple: your productivity is directly related to your ability to relax. Only when your mind is clear and your thoughts are organized can you achieve effective results and unleash your creative potential. You'll learn core principles and proven tricks to help you pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.

GIS-WEB INTERNET MAPPING APPLICATION
Date/Time: 11/17, 9-10:30 AM
Instructor: Tex Weaver
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 241

Have you heard of the GIS-Web, but don't quite know what it is and what it can do for you? Would you like to know how to quickly access county mapping, real estate data, school districts, Fire Rescue boundaries, parks, or other geographic information? Do you receive requests from the public for mapping related products, but wish you could help them without sending them to another department? Then this class is for you!  You will learn how to access a wide variety of County information via the Internet, such as Real Estate property information, geographic data and mapping.

GIVE 'EM THE LEADERSHIP PICKLES
Date/Time: 11/16, 2-4 PM
Instructor: Louise Wyatt
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246

Bob Farrell made us laugh while teaching us about customer service in Give ‘Em the Pickle. Now he's back with leadership lessons in The Leadership Pickles. After watching this brief, engaging DVD, class participants will discuss three keys of outstanding leadership--spreading enthusiasm, inspiring confidence, and demonstrating integrity.

HOW TO HANDLE DIFFICULT WORK SITUATIONS
Date/Time: 11/3, 10 AM-12 PM
Instructor: Frank Squillace
Room: Monticello High School

This 2-hour seminar looks at how to handle the difficult person in our work environment. Attendees will participate in small group discussion and personal "self-tests" to gain a better understanding of how to work with the following:
  • the difficult supervisor
  • the difficult co-worker
  • the difficult customer
IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS
Date/Time: 9/3, 2-5 PM
Instructor: Kevin Hoschar
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246

Find out why ethics are so crucial at work, particularly in today's world. The role of honesty and integrity in workplace relations and within customer service is explored. Specific examples of governmental needs will be examined.

INTERMEDIATE EXCEL TOPICS: CHARTS AND GRAPHS
Date/Time: 10/13, 10 AM-12 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

Participants in this class will create charts from their worksheet data, modify and annotate charts, and learn to insert Excel charts in other types of files, including Word documents and PowerPoint presentations.

INTERMEDIATE EXCEL TOPICS: FORMULAS AND FUNCTIONS
Date/Time: 9/10, 2-4 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

In this class participants will review the basics of formulas and functions and examine scenarios using formulas and functions to automate or speed up common tasks. Participants are encouraged to bring their own examples for analysis.

INTERMEDIATE EXCEL TOPICS: USING EXCEL AS A DATABASE
Date/Time: 11/18, 2-4 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

Participants in this class will learn to use Excel's database tools. Participants will create forms for data entry and use Excel's data analysis tools to perform tasks such as sorting information, filtering lists, subtotaling, and using Excel's built-in database functions.

INTERMEDIATE OUTLOOK TOPICS: EMAIL MANAGEMENT AND EFFICIENCY
Date/Time: 9/2, 2-4 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

This class shows participants practical tips and tricks for staying on top of all those email messages. Topics covered include organizing through use of flags, directing mail flow by use of rules and alerts, finding lost mail through search folders, and message archiving.

INTERMEDIATE POWERPOINT
Date/Time: 10/28, 1-4 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

This class covers a variety of topics, including inserting tables, charts and graphs, organizational charts, sound and video clips; creating and using action buttons and hyperlinks within and between presentations; linking and embedding objects; annotating slide shows; creating automatic, timed shows; modifying images; using hidden slides and creating photo albums and custom shows.

INTERMEDIATE SHAREPOINT: DEVELOPING YOUR SITE
Date/Time: 10/22, 9 AM-12 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

In this class Sharepoint site developers will take an in-depth look at the site development process. Topics covered will include customizing a site's appearance and navigation; creating and editing pages; building lists, surveys, calendars, and file sharing systems; and using SharePoint's built-in templates.

INTERMEDIATE WORD TOPICS: CREATING AND USING WORD FORMS
Date/Time:
11/10, 2-5 PM
Instructor:
Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

Class participants will use the Tables tool and Forms toolbar to build professional-looking interactive forms. We will also explore how to save forms as templates for repeated use and how to share forms with colleagues.

Interviewer Training: Asking the Right Questions
Date/Time: Available by request
Instructor: Naomi Gilliam

Planning on participating on an interview panel? This short course is required for any employee who will be actively participating on an interview panel for Albemarle County .
Please contact Naomi Gilliam to schedule this training.

Leadership Roundtable Discussion:  Managing Your Time
Date/Time: 10/14, 10:30 AM-12 PM
Instructor: Louise Wyatt
Room: HR Interview Room

This 90-minute roundtable discussion will allow managers and directors to learn how others manage (or don't!) their own time. There will be some brief reading sent to participants ahead of time to be read before class.

Mail Merge Using Word and Excel
Date/Time: 12/2, 1-4 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

Mail Merge is a feature of Microsoft Word that allows you to create personalized mass mailings quickly and easily. Participants in this class will use Mail Merge to make personalized form letters, email messages, envelopes, and mailing labels.

meet the media and survive: face to Face with local reporters
Date/Time: 10/13, 1-4 PM
Instructor: Lee Catlin
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 235

For those who have mastered the basics of working with the media, this is a more hands-on session to practice techniques and strategies on-camera and to interact with local media reps – find out straight from our reporters and news editors about how they see their roles in our media partnership and what they want and need from the County when they are creating a news story.You will have a chance to work through scenarios, role play interviews, and ask questions of a local media panel, all aimed at getting you "media-ready" next time you find yourself in the spotlight.

Prerequisite: "Putting the Media to Work for You" or permission of the instructor.

overcoming barriers to organization
Date/Time: 12/1, 9-11 AM
Instructor: Maryfrances Porter
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 241

So, you basically know what you need to do to get organized, but you just can't seem to get started - or you get started and then can't seem to keep it up... This course seeks to answer three questions: Why do you want to be organized? What makes it so hard to be organized? What can you do? The course provides tips and guidance regarding how to make a lasting change toward a more organized life.

Performance Management (and Evaluation)
Date/Time: Available by request
Instructor: Louise Wyatt

Do you sometimes feel uncomfortable giving feedback to your employees? Do you ever find it challenging to complete employee performance evaluations? This required course is designed to help supervisors with these issues and more. We'll cover the full performance management cycle, including the importance of feedback and helpful guidelines for completing employee performance evaluations.

Please contact Louise Wyatt to schedule this training.  

Planning for Meaningful Public Participation
Date/Time: 11/5, 9-11:30 AM
Instructor: Britton Miller
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246

Our citizens increasingly expect to actively participate in decisions that affect them.If your job involves meeting with, talking to, or negotiating elements of a project or proposal with the public, guess what – you are in the middle of public participation!!  Public participation that is meaningful helps build stronger relationships with community members, sets realistic expectations for their involvement, and contributes to more effective outcomes.Bring a project you're working on and learn about a simple 10-step process that can help you plan for meaningful public participation in your work with our citizens.

Practicing Your Spanish (Intermediate to Advanced)
Dates/Time: Tuesdays, 10/27-12/15 (8-part class), 2:30-4:30 PM
Instructor: Sandy Snow
Room: County Office Building, 1600 5th Street, Room B

"Practicing Your Spanish" can be taken over and over or on an as-needed basis by employees who interact with the County's Spanish-speaking population; the class helps students who have completed the Beginner Spanish class to keep their language skills current and sharp.

Prevention of Sexual Harassment And Discrimination
Date/Time: 11/19, 9-11 AM
Instructor: Kevin Hoschar
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246

Preventing Sexual Harassment & Discrimination training is common throughout government and private industry; it is important that Albemarle County employees spend time learning about and discussing the topic. This course, which is required for all new employees, focuses on maintaining a productive and safe workplace for all employees.

Putting the Media to Work for You
Date/Time: 9/15, 1-4 PM
Instructor: Lee Catlin
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 241

Does your job involve contact with the local media, do you have programs and services you want to market to the media, or do you work on projects that generate media interest and interview requests? Whatever your association with the media, this class will help you feel more confident and prepared to get positive results. We will discuss different communication strategies, building effective media relationships, conducting interviews, and dealing with negative news or crisis situations, with lots of exercises along the way to help you practice your new skills. Join us and learn how you can take the anxiety out of media relations and instead put the media to work for you!

Strategic Thinking
Date/Time: 12/16, 10-11:30 AM
Instructor: Kevin Hoschar
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246

Tired of being in a "firefighting" or reactive mode with those you influence or supervise?  This session gives leaders tools for looking beyond the obstacles of next week and into a better future.

Superior Customer Service: Beyond the Basics
Date/Time: 10/7, 4-5 PM
Instructor: Frank Squillace
Room: Albemarle High School

In just one hour, this course reviews the four basic myths of customer service and includes how to deal with difficult customers, the use of non-verbals, the cost of losing "just one customer," and the whole art and skill of communication.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Date/Time: 10/29, 9 AM-12 PM
Instructor: Kevin Hoschar
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246

This training introduces team leaders, supervisors and managers to what team building really means and demands. Utilizing and expanding the concepts identified in "The 5 Dysfunctions of Teams," this class is a dynamic, interactive learning experience, during which participants will experience the level of commitment needed when building a team.

True Leadership: Discussion of the Servant
Date/Time: 11/5, 2-3:30 PM
Instructor: Bryan Elliott
Room: County Office Building, 1600 5th Street, Room B

AMazon.com says that "If you are searching for ways to improve your leadership skills, if you want to understand the timeless virtues that lead to lasting and meaningful success, then you cannot afford to miss [The Servant]."Come discuss this book, which illustrates the true foundation of leadership, with the County's own Bryan Elliott, Assistant County Executive for Community Services.Class participants will receive a copy of the book to be read before class.

Understanding and Improving Our Emotional Intelligence
Date/Time: 10/8, 2:30-4:30 PM
Instructor: Rebecca Mason
Room: County Office Building, 1600 5th Street, Room B

In this session we will explore the four aspects of Emotional Intelligence (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management), determine what our strengths are and learn how we can build our skills in each of the four areas.

Understanding Workers' Compensation
Date/Time: 9/22, 2-3 PM
Instructor: Pam Carter
Room: County Office Building, 1600 5th Street, Room B

Understanding workers' compensation can be difficult.This session will help bring clarity to the process by explaining how compensability is determined, your responsibility if you have a work-related injury and how lost time wages are calculated.It will also help you understand that "just because something happens at work, doesn't mean it will be covered by workers compensation." We encourage managers in particular to attend this class, but all are welcome!

"What Did You Say?": Developing Great Listening Skills
Date/Time: 12/10, 1–4 PM
Instructor: Louise Wyatt
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 246

Have you ever had someone say to you "You never listen to me" or "That's not what I just said"?  Do you sometimes find yourself not paying attention in certain situations? In this class, you'll develop your listening skills (it's harder than it sounds!) as well as learn techniques to get your point across in a more clear and concise way.

Why Are We Encouraging Growth There and Not Here?  Land Use in Albemarle County
Date/Time: 9/30, 1-2 PM
Instructor: Elaine Echols
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 241

Ever wonder why the Board of Supervisors approves requests to develop more land?Ever wonder what the Board is thinking when they turn down requests for businesses in the rural parts of the County? This one-hour overview course will provide information on Albemarle County's Comprehensive Plan and how it provides the basis on which the Board makes decisions.It will also give you some highlights of the Plan that may give you better insight into how the job you do for the County helps achieve the County's vision for the future. This class is open to anyone with a professional or personal interest in this topic.

Working Collaboratively Using Microsoft Word
Date/Time: 11/4, 2:30-4 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

In this class participants will explore the Track Changes tool, along with other Word features that encourage users to collaborate on document creation and produce files quickly and more efficiently.

Working with Graphics in Microsoft Office
Date/Time: 12/7, 10 AM-12 PM
Instructor: Elizabeth-Latta Brother
Room: County Office Building, 401 McIntire, Room 136

The Office Suite includes a variety of tools for working with graphics, including Picture Manager and the Clip Organizer. This class explores using Picture Manager to edit pictures downloaded from the Internet or a digital camera, organizing clip art and other types of media, and inserting graphics into Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Return to Main Page


More information on...
Class Descriptions Faculty Biographies FAQs Contact Us