Boston, MA Join IFMA Boston for it’s inaugural one-day conference at Bentley University on March 27, which will provide you with the key strategies, technologies and best practices to help navigate the ever-changing FM landscape. 

The conference will be kicked off with their keynote speaker Deborah  Easton, communication skills consultant with Kent State University. Her keynote address is titled “You’re Moving My Cheese Again?” – The Human Side of Change.

She will also be facilitating a session in the afternoon entitled Communicating with Influence. Have you ever had a “no brainer” idea, but couldn’t get others to buy in? Have you ever been dumb-founded by the reasons people give for disagreeing with you? And have you ever experienced a situation in which you thought your requests were completely clear, but the other person did the complete opposite?

Often people have developed a favorite set of strategies that they utilize in influencing others. These strategies were probably devised through trial and error efforts and have become a default style. There are, however, many other persuasive devices that can be used to adapt to the many challenges inherent to asking human beings to change. This breakout session will provide insight and additional tactics for:

• Understanding how changing the “mind” may not be the most effective approach;

• Creating the most persuasive vision of the change; and

• Overcoming resistors’ objections.

Easton has been a communications coach for 30 years, and provides audiences with practical and effective advice for communicating with colleagues, customers and direct reports. Her techniques for one-to-one interactions and group communications provide participants with practical strategies for handling difficult exchanges. Easton adapts every program to the needs of unique organizational cultures and the individual learner. She has partnered with Kent State’s Center for Corporate and Professional Development to provide a broad range of communications skills programs for organizations such as NASA Glenn Research Center, Pepperl + Fuchs Inc., The MetroHealth System, Automated Packaging Systems, Davey Resource Group, Cleveland Clinic, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Carlisle Brake and Friction, National Interstate Insurance Company and L’Oreal USA, among many others. Her most requested training topics include interpersonal communication skills, coaching soft skills competencies, communicating performance expectations effectively, coaching accountability, effective listening, dealing with difficult behaviors, professional customer service communication skills and communication strategies for generations working together. 

Prior to her work in facilitating professional development with adults, Easton taught communication courses in Kent State University’s Department of Communication Studies, where she supervised 40 instructors of the speech fundamentals program. She also taught in Kent State’s Graduate School of Management. Easton holds a master’s degree in speech communication from Kent State University.