Dr. Debra Dupree

Debra Dupree, conflict coach and mediator, lectured on good and bad bosses and how best to resolve work place conflict to the public and members of Imperial Valley Human Resources Association on December 14, 2016 at the Richochet Rec Center in Imperial. The IVHRA, a member of Society for Human Resources Management with 575 chapters in the U.S. that provides education, certification and advocacy to enhance human resource management, invited San Diego based Debra Dupree, conflict coach and… Show more

Debra Dupree, conflict coach and mediator, lectured on good and bad bosses and how best to resolve work place conflict to the public and members of Imperial Valley Human Resources Association on December 14, 2016 at the Richochet Rec Center in Imperial. The IVHRA, a member of Society for Human Resources Management with 575 chapters in the U.S. that provides education, certification and advocacy to enhance human resource management, invited San Diego based Debra Dupree, conflict coach and mediator to speak. She provided insight on how personnel managers can more effectively guide staff to greater harmony and productivity. Acknowledging bad bossing is alive and well Dupree noted there are five key points to break through to excellent leadership. These include: clear communication without threats, respect for individual differences, dealing with conflict, knowing why the emotional quotient (EQ) needs to be higher than IQ and learn to lead without demeaning, for powerful employee development. Also voicing strong support for EQ was Esmeralda Yoder, treasurer for IVHRA. She noted that inviting consultants like Dupree is an invaluable resource for their HR management members to become more effective. “It was an outstanding presentation,” said Yoder. “I think EQ is undervalued by too many and those mindful of EQ, they make better leaders.”

Rick Johnson, an HR manager for Sonia Caronia that provides in-home respite care for disabled youth, too lauded the focus on EQ, especially how the mind reacts to visual prompts versus what a manager actually says.

“You need to be careful about facial expression and tonal inflection,” said Johnson. “I’ve learned from my own bad bosses. The best thing to do, is listen carefully. If you stay calm your employees stay calm. It opens up everything and you actually have a two-way conversation.”

Staff Writer William Roller from the Imperial Valley Press provided this write-up and can be reached at wroller@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3452.
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We at AWIS (Association of Women in Science – San Diego Chapter, Strategy Sessions Committee) sponsored a session on "Projecting your Inner Diplomat" on Monday 5th, 2016 from 6 pm to 8 pm. The workshop focused on the science and business communication skills needed to deal with workplace conflict. We invited Expert Dr. Debra Dupree, Communications and Conflict Management Specialist, to come speak to our membership. The audience included members who work in academia and the science industry… Show more

We at AWIS (Association of Women in Science – San Diego Chapter, Strategy Sessions Committee) sponsored a session on "Projecting your Inner Diplomat" on Monday 5th, 2016 from 6 pm to 8 pm. The workshop focused on the science and business communication skills needed to deal with workplace conflict. We invited Expert Dr. Debra Dupree, Communications and Conflict Management Specialist, to come speak to our membership. The audience included members who work in academia and the science industry (biotech and others) throughout the greater San Diego area.

What we learned through her highly interactive and fun presentation was how to chart the course to "Influential Persuasion" by covering the following topics:
1) The Six Factors of Influence in the power of persuasion
2) Gender differences in communication and how to strategically use them.
3) Strategic communication skills to use in science and business settings
4) Dealing with conflicts at the workplace

The response to the program was an undeniable success!
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“Five Breakthroughs for Unbelievable Leadership” delivers a pathway for change for leaders, both informal and formal, to develop into persons of influential authority and respected credibility. Athens selected the following program, out of the five available, for delivery to its claims staff in multiple locations on November 8, 2016.

1) How to Powerfully Persuade and Influence through Presentation
a. Discover the Six Factors of Influence in the Power of Persuasion
b… Show more

“Five Breakthroughs for Unbelievable Leadership” delivers a pathway for change for leaders, both informal and formal, to develop into persons of influential authority and respected credibility. Athens selected the following program, out of the five available, for delivery to its claims staff in multiple locations on November 8, 2016.

1) How to Powerfully Persuade and Influence through Presentation
a. Discover the Six Factors of Influence in the Power of Persuasion
b. Uncover how to quickly and effectively establish trust and credibility in any situation
c. Develop FIVE ways to build presence through writing and speaking

Athens customized program by specifying 11 topics for direct application to the “claims review” process. This 2.5 hour program, POWERFULLY PERSUADE AND IINFLUENCE, included the following:
1) The importance of preparation
2) Relaxation techniques to prepare for delivery
3) Delivering key points as nuggets of gold
4) The power of connecting with your audience
5) Developing situational awareness
6) Anticipating questions
7) Using active listening techniques
8) The impact of non-verbal communication (body language, facial expressions, eye contact and appearance)
9) What to consider when delivering group presentations
10) Telephonic vs. In-person presentations
11) Strategies for building confidence

We delivered the program to a live audience and four additional remote sessions throughout the United States, engaging all participants through power point display, interactive activities, hand-outs and action plans. Pre-training development included consultation with designated ATHENS leadership to ensure their desired training objectives were met. Show less

Dr. Debra Dupree delivered her 5:1:10 program to 20 managers and division heads at the Seal Beach Naval Command to help them overcome the bad bossing elements that emerged in their annual employee survey. Participants met as a group for learning and team-building every other week for half-day sessions over 10 weeks. In between the on-site training, they engaged in 1:1 individualized telephonic coaching to reinforce learning and apply to practical, everyday leadership challenges.

Leaders at every level learn to craft create solutions that strengthen performance and increase profitability by reducing conflict. People have the opportunity to turn around leadership challenges into prosperous outcomes by focusing on three key areas of leadership development that avoid a bad bossing reputation.

1) Build conflict competence
2) Expand emotional intelligence awareness
3) Master strategies for powerful and persuasive influence

Through VISTAGE, this program… Show more

Leaders at every level learn to craft create solutions that strengthen performance and increase profitability by reducing conflict. People have the opportunity to turn around leadership challenges into prosperous outcomes by focusing on three key areas of leadership development that avoid a bad bossing reputation.

1) Build conflict competence
2) Expand emotional intelligence awareness
3) Master strategies for powerful and persuasive influence

Through VISTAGE, this program was brought to CEOs by Vistage Chair Mark Fingerlin in February 2016. Thereafter, I had the good fortune of partnering with CEO Patrick Clark and his assistant, Melina Monroy of REIG Companies. Together, we brought the training to REIG's exective team which proved to be a great team-building experience as well as skills building. Thanks, REIG and VISTAGE! Show less

General Electric Digital partnered with Dr. Debra Dupree and Skillpath Corporate Strategies to deliver two programs in a year of compliance for its top Managers and Supervisors. This is what they learned: Harassment in the workplace is a critical issue for employees and employers alike. All employees in all organizations need to know about harassment so they can avoid mistakes that could affect their careers and protect themselves from becoming victims. The key is understanding the line… Show more

General Electric Digital partnered with Dr. Debra Dupree and Skillpath Corporate Strategies to deliver two programs in a year of compliance for its top Managers and Supervisors. This is what they learned: Harassment in the workplace is a critical issue for employees and employers alike. All employees in all organizations need to know about harassment so they can avoid mistakes that could affect their careers and protect themselves from becoming victims. The key is understanding the line between innocent remarks and what others might interpret as hurtful and harassing. This course provides you with insights into what harassment, abusive conduct and bullying are; the context of harassment in the workplace so employers/employees can monitor their behavior to prevent potential problems; and what to do if one becomes a victim of workplace harassment. Show less

A good leader is the lifeblood of any organization. Under his or her direction, your team knows where it’s headed, understands what’s expected and gets the job done, goals are met and success is achieved. In other words, everyone wins. You and your fellow leaders play crucial role in your
organization. We know what it means to employees, stockholders and customers to have firm faith in those who lead the way.The 10 Steps to Leadership Excellence gives you the tools to be the leader you want… Show more

A good leader is the lifeblood of any organization. Under his or her direction, your team knows where it’s headed, understands what’s expected and gets the job done, goals are met and success is achieved. In other words, everyone wins. You and your fellow leaders play crucial role in your
organization. We know what it means to employees, stockholders and customers to have firm faith in those who lead the way.The 10 Steps to Leadership Excellence gives you the tools to be the leader you want to be. No matter what you’ve already achieved, no matter what your leadership goals may be, you can profit from this program of focused leadership philosophy, skills building and practical knowledge.

Partnering with Skillpath Corporate Strategies, this 2-day program received nothing but rave reviews. Go to http://relationships-at-work.com/testimonials to see what participants had to say! Show less

Managers from the Division of Investigation converged in Sacramento for several days as part of a merger of two sub-divisions into one, addressing the challenges and setbacks in communication and structure. Two of those days emphasized the essentials of communicating with diplomacy during difficult times by learning how to build and strengthen speaking, writing and interpersonal
communication skills … staying in control of any situation … and managing responsibilities with tact, poise and… Show more

Managers from the Division of Investigation converged in Sacramento for several days as part of a merger of two sub-divisions into one, addressing the challenges and setbacks in communication and structure. Two of those days emphasized the essentials of communicating with diplomacy during difficult times by learning how to build and strengthen speaking, writing and interpersonal
communication skills … staying in control of any situation … and managing responsibilities with tact, poise and polish. Show less

Working together in response to a major team member survey, I partnered with Skillpath Corporate Strategies and the Columbus Regional Airport Authority to build credibility among organizational leaders. In this 3-hour program, participants learned the importance of building trust as a leader by demonstrating these key behaviors: Keep everyone informed, Speak with precision,Speak and appear positive,Speak to listeners’ emotions, Ask questions and listen, Be aware in all situations
Be… Show more

Working together in response to a major team member survey, I partnered with Skillpath Corporate Strategies and the Columbus Regional Airport Authority to build credibility among organizational leaders. In this 3-hour program, participants learned the importance of building trust as a leader by demonstrating these key behaviors: Keep everyone informed, Speak with precision,Speak and appear positive,Speak to listeners’ emotions, Ask questions and listen, Be aware in all situations
Be authentic, Give the “why” as well as the “what.” Participants also learned the negative impact of these behaviors: Is your conduct erratic? Do you treat promises lightly? Is what you communicate deceptive or dishonest? Do you follow through?
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Bringing an understanding of the neuroscience behind behavior is something I love to do. Speaking before a group of Hilton San Diego Bayfront employees on September 15 offered an opportunity for us to look at our coping strategies for dealing with stress at work and at home. Emotional eating is often a crutch for many of us. Participants learned what emotional eating is all about, what to watch for, and how to redirect that behavior by thinking through the moment! Here's what one… Show more

Bringing an understanding of the neuroscience behind behavior is something I love to do. Speaking before a group of Hilton San Diego Bayfront employees on September 15 offered an opportunity for us to look at our coping strategies for dealing with stress at work and at home. Emotional eating is often a crutch for many of us. Participants learned what emotional eating is all about, what to watch for, and how to redirect that behavior by thinking through the moment! Here's what one participant had to say: "Dr. Dupree gave an outstanding presentation. She is extremely knowledgeable on the subject. I look forward to having her present at the hotel again!" Show less

"Win more business by aligning with your customer" was the focal point of this one-day training with Sugar CRM in conjunction with Skillpath Seminars. Working with a seasoned sales force, we dove deep in how to forge strong relationships with customers by learning how to answer these critical questions:
How can you help me with my business?
What difference can you make for my business?
Why should I buy from you?
Why should I continue to buy ?from you?

WHY DO WE NEED GOALS?
Goals give you direction in all areas of your life Personal, Career, Spiritual, Material, and Contribution. Goals give you a purpose in life. A reason to get up early in the morning and go to bed late at night. Goals will put drive and passion into your life.

In early August, I had the opportunity to partner with Kevin Freitas and Sugar CRM through Skillpath Seminars to guide 20 managers through the art and science of setting successful employee goals. Working… Show more

WHY DO WE NEED GOALS?
Goals give you direction in all areas of your life Personal, Career, Spiritual, Material, and Contribution. Goals give you a purpose in life. A reason to get up early in the morning and go to bed late at night. Goals will put drive and passion into your life.

In early August, I had the opportunity to partner with Kevin Freitas and Sugar CRM through Skillpath Seminars to guide 20 managers through the art and science of setting successful employee goals. Working with Kevin and Sugar CRM was a rewarding experience. Gaining exposure to their philosophy on helping businesses create extraordinary customer relationships with the most innovative and affordable CRM solution in the market helped me deliver extraordinary tips on maximizing their employees' performance. Show less

Representing SkillPath Seminars, I was delighted to have the opportunity to deliver CRITICAL DISCUSSIONS, a one-day seminar for the Operations staff for Winston & Strawn in San Francisco!

The focus of the program was to prepare participants on how to have challenging conversations from the top level of Managing Partners to the legal support staff and everyone in between. Although good communication is always an important element in business, there are some critical discussions that can… Show more

Representing SkillPath Seminars, I was delighted to have the opportunity to deliver CRITICAL DISCUSSIONS, a one-day seminar for the Operations staff for Winston & Strawn in San Francisco!

The focus of the program was to prepare participants on how to have challenging conversations from the top level of Managing Partners to the legal support staff and everyone in between. Although good communication is always an important element in business, there are some critical discussions that can have a great impact and lasting effects. Most people are not well-prepared mentally for these discussions and this puts them at a distinct disadvantage. This one-day class provided participants with tools to improve their skills and outcomes in handling critical discussions.

Linda's comments made my day when she said "I do think the entire group, got a lot out of the seminar. By the way, you are a terrific trainer. Your knowledge and experience, coupled with the variety of training methods really made for a highly effective training." Show less

Any job...any organization, can take its toll on our health and well-being unless we learn to manage ourselves and our environment. In response to some ergonomic issues experienced, MANPOWER - San Diego initiated a proactive approach towards its employees on the health benefits and risk factors associated with work! We all need to do it but it sure can get in the way of healthy living!

On February 21, we initiated training and individualized assessments of each person's work habits… Show more

Any job...any organization, can take its toll on our health and well-being unless we learn to manage ourselves and our environment. In response to some ergonomic issues experienced, MANPOWER - San Diego initiated a proactive approach towards its employees on the health benefits and risk factors associated with work! We all need to do it but it sure can get in the way of healthy living!

On February 21, we initiated training and individualized assessments of each person's work habits, work environment, job demands, and risk factors. We made immediate changes, educated employees on what they could do to take responsibility for how they work, and outlined recommendations for follow-up interventions.

Already, people were thankful for the opportunity. Stay tuned! We'll do our 30-45 day follow-up to see how they are doing! Show less

A custom training and coaching program was designed for 55 of Hilton's Executive Leadership, Management and Supervisors in response to their 2013 SIROTA Team Member Survey.

The raining and program covered five key areas: 1) Building an environment of collaboration, openness and trust, 2) Developing the "right" people skills for strong leadership, 3) Understanding communication styles, generational and cultural differences, 4) Expressing concerns without fear of retaliation, and 5)… Show more

A custom training and coaching program was designed for 55 of Hilton's Executive Leadership, Management and Supervisors in response to their 2013 SIROTA Team Member Survey.

The raining and program covered five key areas: 1) Building an environment of collaboration, openness and trust, 2) Developing the "right" people skills for strong leadership, 3) Understanding communication styles, generational and cultural differences, 4) Expressing concerns without fear of retaliation, and 5) Leading by example.

Participants then completed the Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP) and received 1:1 Leadership Coaching on how to leverage the results for maximum effect and improved employee relations.

We're looking forward to seeing the impact on the 2014 SIROTA Team Member Survey Results! Show less

Working in collaboration with Brad Hutchins of Omega Health Systems and Diana Rich from DPI Specialty Foods, this project was designed to assess essential functions and job descriptions across DPI's several regional locations to establish consistency and uniformity in hiring, pay structure, operations, and people management. From driver helpers to executive leadership, the inner workings and structure of DPI have been under the scope of several layers of leadership collaborating in their… Show more

Working in collaboration with Brad Hutchins of Omega Health Systems and Diana Rich from DPI Specialty Foods, this project was designed to assess essential functions and job descriptions across DPI's several regional locations to establish consistency and uniformity in hiring, pay structure, operations, and people management. From driver helpers to executive leadership, the inner workings and structure of DPI have been under the scope of several layers of leadership collaborating in their effort to understand their regional differences and similarities to improve the bottom line. This has been a unique facilitative effort with regional and local collaboration...a big undertaking and a work still in progress. Show less

For the last seven years, USG - Plaster City has endeavored to turn around employee attitudes and less than positive work climate as revealed through team member surveys. A series of leadership training initiatives have been established annually by the Plant Manager through its Human Resources Department. We're very proud to announce that USG - Plaster City has raised through the ranks to be #2 corporate-wide! It really works!

Plant Manager Lonnie Dyke has selected the following… Show more

For the last seven years, USG - Plaster City has endeavored to turn around employee attitudes and less than positive work climate as revealed through team member surveys. A series of leadership training initiatives have been established annually by the Plant Manager through its Human Resources Department. We're very proud to announce that USG - Plaster City has raised through the ranks to be #2 corporate-wide! It really works!

Plant Manager Lonnie Dyke has selected the following components for this year's leadership development program to build the skills and increase the confidence of his foremen, supervisors, and managers:

• The Neuroscience behind the Communication Styles: Making the Connection to Past Training
and Understanding the “Why”
• Coaching your Team to Higher Performance: How to deliver constructive feedback
• Achieving High Impact Communication for Effective Decision Making and Problem-Solving
• Building Conflict and Communication Competency for Emotional Literacy
• Change your Habits…Change your Life: Best practices for the workplace interactions
• Taking care of business: How sleep plays a role in our emotional intelligence

I thank you USG for your ongoing confidence and trust in what we've brought to Plaster City and am thrilled to see the change in the survey results!
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