HANCOCK COUNTY — Today (Friday, Nov. 6) is the last day to register for the Women in Business webinar, led by a Fortville native who runs a professional development consultancy.
It will be the Greenfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s fourth Women in Business event. They’ve been in-person conferences in the past, but like so much in 2020, it is going virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Women in Business will be made up of two one-hour sessions from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Nov. 10 and 17. Attendance is $35 for both sessions. Barb Skinner of Fishers-based Skinner Consulting, who spoke at last year’s conference as well, will lead sessions on appreciation and gratitude.
Skinner is a professional development specialist who also provides career planning services. She was a star basketball player at Mt. Vernon High School in the late 1970s and is a member of the Butler University Athletic Hall of Fame.
"With 2020 being the challenging year that it’s been, I think we’re all in need of some type of positive thinking, some type of feel-good, something to get us out of the rut that we’re in," Skinner said.
During her Women in Business sessions, she’ll pull from her training in a program called Motivation by Appreciation.
"If the management, or our bosses, or our supervisors don’t take the time to show us appreciation for who we are as a person, the effort that we’re giving, those types of things, then it’s just a job," Skinner said. "It’s just a paycheck and people will perform usually just enough to not get fired. But, if you really want to provide the best experience for employees, for your people, then you want to try to identify the ways that they feel appreciated most."
Skinner will address the various ways people feel appreciated and go over strategies to apply them.
"It’s always good to get a group together… where we can help each other out and identify with some of the specific challenges that women in the world of work have to deal with," she also said.
Retta Livengood, president of the Greenfield Area Chamber of Commerce, said Skinner’s message of appreciation and gratitude aligns well with Women in Business’ message.
"The whole reason for us doing this even is to celebrate women and their accomplishments," Livengood said. "…We feel like appreciation and gratitude are two very positive words. And given today’s current environment, we could all use some positive mojo in our lives."
She hopes that for at least two hours this month, webinar attendees will be able to escape the unfortunate reality of the pandemic and focus on the women making a powerful impact in the community, both among businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Attendees can register for the webinars at greenfieldcc.org under the News & Events tab.
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WHAT: Women in Business virtual conference
WHEN: 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Nov. 10 and 17
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Barb Skinner, Skinner Consulting
COST: $35
REGISTER: greenfieldcc.org, News & Events tab
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