Charmaine Hammond

Communicating in high-pressure or uncertain situations requires more than confidence and strong communication skills. Critical thinking, observation skills, emotional regulation, preparedness and using presence in a respectful way are essential to not making a tough situation worse. Charmaine Hammond has years of experience with high pressure communications as a former correctional officer, mediator, and crisis intervention worker. Now as a speaker and facilitator, she utilizes those experiences to help people navigate high pressure communication.

This presentation will help attendees

• Recognize the signs of high volatile environments, high stress situations and
• Handle tough questions, accusations and blame with ease, grace and dignity
• Speak and communicate in stressful environments and situations. :
• Understand different working and communication styles and to communicate with them more effectively
• Utilize techniques for maintaining your composure when you feel like losing your cool
• Think on their feet in meetings, negotiations, interviews and impromptu presentations … no more regretting what you wish you had said instead
• Learn how different meeting spaces, furniture placement and lighting can escalate situations quickly or create respectful meeting environments.

Responding to and recovering from community crisis and disasters together is essential to getting through these crisis situations. The pandemic COVID-19 pandemic has really revealed how vulnerable some individuals, workplaces and communities are when disaster and crisis strikes.  So what does it take to help a community and residents recover, reset and rebuild resilience?

In this workshop, attendees will learn:

• 7 key elements of community resilience including connection, communication, leadership, collaborative efforts, resource allocation
• How to help organizations collaborate effectively
• Strategies to cascading messaging and communication
• How to build resilience at the individual, organizational and community level

Charmaine has worked with several communities on a variety of projects in support of the community and organizations’ recovery and rebuilding and restoring resilience. Charmaine is also executive producer of an award winning animated film, Back Home Again, which is based on the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo (Canada) wildfires and was created to be a conversation starter about connection, hope and mental health.

Despite how stressful it can be, conflict is a natural occurrence in workplaces. Having diverse teams, passionate staff, and a variety of professional backgrounds leads to great results but also sometimes conflict. Managers lose sleep and time over conflict, just as employees do. Yet, when conflict is well managed it can repair relationships, build new solutions to everyday problems, save time and money, create synergy, and more. This seminar helps participants turn the most avoided conversations into courageous dialogues.

Resilience is more than simply bouncing back after change, challenge, crisis, or adversity. Now, more than ever, the skill and character of resilience and positive mental health in the workplace is an essential quality for business and personal success. Increasing workplace challenges such as disputes, harassment complaints, safety issues, remote teams, absenteeism, multigenerational teams, and rapid change require resilience and mental wellness to cope and maintain productivity and working relationships. This session provides practical strategies and practices that can be implemented immediately to produce positive results.

Despite how stressful it can be, conflict and miscommunication is a natural occurrence in workplaces. Having diverse teams, passionate staff, and a variety of professional backgrounds leads to great results but also sometimes conflict. Managers lose sleep and time over conflict, just as employees do. Yet, when miscommunication and conflict is well managed it can repair relationships, build new solutions to everyday problems, save time and money, create synergy and more. This seminar helps participants turn the most avoided conversations into courageous dialogues while keeping your cool.

Great teams don’t just happen… they are built by design, not default. When team members know and understand their working style, and the styles of others, they can more effectively and comfortably adapt their approach to communication, issue resolution and work together to build a team that stands the test of time. This presentation helps improve team performance, workplace relationships, and productivity.

Is your organization experiencing change or transition? Conflict (and unresolved conflict) often surfaces during periods of workplace change, which can complicate the change and create additional challenges to manage. Leading teams can be challenging at the best of times. Leading the conflict, change, and crisis is difficult without the right tools. Leaders spend more than 60% of their time dealing with conflict and employee issues in the workplace. How a leader leads through change and conflict has a significant influence on the results.

Respectful workplaces are safer workplaces. Respectful and resilient workplaces have less turnover, healthier team relations, and produce results. This presentation will help build a respectful workplace by dealing with confrontation and bullying behaviours and will ultimately create a culture of kindness, resilience, and respect.

Engagement and how employees that are engaged not only enhance the workplace culture but also add incredible value to the organization. Organizations that look at recognition from the perspective of engagement, purpose-driven work, organizational culture, and meaningful recognition are more likely to have less conflict, stronger collaboration, appreciation for one another and the role team members play in the overall organization and commitment to corporate values and objectives. Recognition is not about anniversary pins – it is about creating a culture where purpose and engagement thrive, individual talents and skills are tapped into and recognized, and where leadership creates the environment for people to grow with the company instead of their competitors. It is about creating the conditions (and supporting leaders in leading these conditions) that foster creativity, motivation, and resilience.

Charmaine Hammond has worked with organizations from many sectors to build leaders at many levels, facilitate teams in working better together, and creating a working environment where appreciation and recognition are woven through the culture.  Charmaine was also contracted by the Government of Alberta to create, launch and implement the Minister’s Awards of Merit. She has also worked with municipalities and non-profit organizations on similar projects.