Success Stories
CED Trains Lockport High to Project Professional Public Image
One of the most important and yet overlooked components of many businesses is public
representation. The way your employees present themselves to the public, and the
way the public perceives your employees who publicly represent you can make all
the difference in your company's image with the community.
In theory, the concept seems almost a given, but consider how many times you've
personally done business with a company where the front line employee has treated
you with apathy or outright invective, as if you and the business you were bringing
was more of a hindrance than a necessity.
Lockport Township High School saw the value of projecting a professional appearance
to their public and recently took steps to train their secretarial group.
"Communication is a goal we all have in the district," said Diane Maier, Lockport
Township High School's assistant superintendent for personnel.
"Communicating in an appropriate manner with each other as well as our public is
vital. We continue to grow as a district and we all have ten times more things on
our plates each day. Info and reminders on how to sharpen our skills need to be
shared with all of our staff."
To help institute a consistent and skilled secretarial staff, LTHS hired Joliet
Junior College's Community and Economic Development (CED) to present day long training
sessions on August 10 and 11. Over 30 employees attended.
Each day consisted of two separate, four-hour seminars designed to help educate
employees in professionalism in business.
The first seminar, "Achieve Success on the Phone," teaches employees the secrets
of successful phone etiquette. From how to answer a business phone to how to professionally
place a client on hold or take phone messages, the "Success on the Phone" seminar
was created to help address a true problem area that many employees possess.
The second and more detailed seminar, "Projecting a Professional Image," helps to
educate and inspire employees on making positive impressions on your customers.
This seminar helps employees take a thorough look at the many particulars in business
that lead to making a professional and winning impression on the public.
From how to dress in the workplace to body language to inter-personal communication,
"Projecting a Professional Image" teaches employees how to be effective, confident
representatives for their company. It's possible that your long-time employees may
find it insulting to take what seems like common-sense refresher courses, but even
the best of us can fall into ruts that can be avoided with a bit of new perspective.
Kathleen Kleivo, Lockport Township High School's executive secretary for the principal
was apprehensive when she first heard LTHS was going to sponsor the seminars.
"I've been a secretary for 25 years and when they told me I would be attending a
phone skills seminar I was dreading the class," said Kleivo. After participating
in the seminar, however, Kleivo felt completely different about the experience.
"I had a wonderful day. The presenters made it fun and interesting and moved at
a very nice pace, and the overall atmosphere was very pleasant. I would recommend
this training for others at Lockport High School as well as other schools in the
area."
For her part, Maier was also pleased with the seminar.
"I have already told other employers about the workshops available from you," said
Maier.
"The speakers were excellent and very positive. They were able to handle the crowd
and the various personalities that always are present when you have an audience."
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