Western Mass Coaching Alliance (WMCA)

Find or Connect with Professional Coaches in Western Massachusetts

You are here: Home / Archives for WMCA Events

March 28, 2012: “Public Speaking for Coaches – Strategies for Success” with Millie Calesky

Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Time: 6:30-8:00pm (Meeting begins at 6:30; Networking available 7:45-8:30pm)

For: Especially for coaches and open to anyone interested in the topic

Location: Office of Shana Hiranandani, 41 Main Street, Florence, MA 01062  [MAP]

Parking: Free, on-site or on the street

Refreshments? Bring your own or Cooper’s Corner store is next door.

________________
PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Public Speaking for Coaches – Strategies for Success

Public speaking is a powerful tool for coaches…

  • It can help us generate revenue, new contacts and consulting opportunities.
  • It enables us to get up in front of our potential clients and explain what we do.
  • It provides an opportunity for people to get to know us and understand how we can make a difference in their lives.

In this interactive presentation, you’ll learn strategies for developing your skills and how to market yourself as a speaker. There will be at least 15 minutes set aside for  Q&A and sharing our own “lessons learned” from our adventures in public speaking.

________________

Coach Millie Calesky
Motivational Speaker, Trainer, and Workshop Facilitator

Warm, upbeat, and engaging, Millie delivers practical, real-world tips that participants can use to
transform their lives. She engages her audience through fun, interactive exercises that encourage
participants to explore, both on their own and in groups.

Millie honed her speaking skills as a long-time member of Toastmasters International and as a former 6th grade English teacher. She is a past president of the Last Word Toastmasters Club in Pittsfield, MA, and has maintained a full-time coaching practice in the Berkshires since 1998. She is an
energetic, entertaining speaker who inspires her audiences to break through and achieve their goals.

Since 2007, Millie has facilitated a weekly job-seekers’ support group at BerkshireWorks – a one-stop career center in Pittsfield, MA. She is also a popular workshop leader at venues such as the Whole Health Expo, Berkshire Community College, and the Berkshire Women Writers’ Festival.

February 22, 2012: Celebration and Networking Roundtable – Take Two!

Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Time: 6:30-8:15 pm

For: Especially for coaches and open to anyone interested in the topic

Location: Office of Shana Hiranandani, 41 Main Street, Florence, MA 01062  [MAP]

Parking: Free, on-site or on the street

Refreshments? Feel free to bring your own (quiet) supper or snack.

________________

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Tapping into the resources we have in each other at last month’s roundtable was convivial, productive, and just plain fun! Our January roundtable generated abundant and useful brainstorming on each of our individual endeavors. The networking sparks were flying. We were reluctant to end.

One long-time member wrote the facilitator of January’s roundtable…

“I am still impressed by the strength of the WMCA meeting last night.
It was one of the all-time top meetings, from my perspective.”

We discovered that these lightly structured conversations can be facilitated in way that makes them relevant to each of our immediate concerns as practitioners. New and old members alike said they wanted to do it again in February. So we will. Please do join us!

 

[Read more…]

April 27th Meeting: Coaching Profession Research Findings

Date: Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Time: 7-8:30pm (7:00pm Greetings; 7:15-8:15pm Program; Networking available until 8:45pm).

Location: Office of Shana Hiranandani, 41 Main Street, Florence, MA 01062  [MAP]

Parking: Free, on-site or on the street

Refreshments? Bring your own. Cooper’s Corner store is next door.

Program Overview

Sinéad Ruane will present some preliminary findings from her dissertation research — for which many WMCA members gave their time and thoughts by agreeing to be interviewed.  The focus will be on the joys and challenges of coaching and self-employment.

During the first half of the presentation, Sinéad will discuss some of the themes that have emerged during her fieldwork, (which includes observations, reading, interviews, and informal conversations), illustrating with some examples and stories.  Sinéad welcomes questions and comments.

In the second half, Sinéad will open up the floor to a more interactive discussion.  She is interested in hearing our feedback and ideas about how this information can be employed to address the needs of coaches and to support their careers.

About Sinéad Ruane

Sinéad Ruane is currently a PhD candidate in Organization Studies, studying at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  She holds degrees in the area of Management and Marketing from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, and University College Dublin, Ireland.

Using qualitative and interpretive methodologies, Sinéad is interested in exploring issues of culture, power, and identity in the workplace, new forms of work and employment relations, and the emotional side of organizational life.  She has recently been awarded an Institute of Coaching Harnisch Fellowship to support her dissertation research, which examines the emerging profession of coaching through the narratives of those working in this field.