Keynote Presentations and Workshops

Workshops That Produce Peak Performance

  • Workshops

    Mary Ann gave a wonderful presentation at our recent retreat. We really enjoyed the day and our attendees learned about themselves and their co-workers. I believe that her enthusiasm and style were vital to the retreat’s success.


    — Charles G. Woods, Principal, Patterson-Woods & Associates, LLC

Synergy’s high-impact workshops, seminars and advances (retreats) get to the heart of the key challenges faced by organizations and professionals today — and are designed expressly for those who are committed to continuous improvement.

Through her signature sessions, Mary Ann Singer enlightens, entertains and equips people for action. Your team or audience will come away from these programs energized and inspired, along with a strong foundation to:

  • Apply new perspectives and innovative thinking
  • Move beyond previous obstacles and challenges
  • Implement goals and actions powerfully

Mary Ann’s most requested signature programs include the following topics.

“The Three Surprising Secrets to Unlocking Greater Success: Time, Talk and Tolerations”

Leadership roles come with the opportunity to affect positive change and experience greater achievement. However, they can also come with added stress, frustration and, at times, overwhelm. Achieving and maintaining a healthy balance in the face of ever-growing to-do lists and conflicting commitments, remains one of the biggest challenges impacting leaders today — especially when it affects fulfillment, well being and happiness.

During this engaging and interactive session, participants will discover how mastering three important facets of leadership — time, tolerations and talk — is the surprising key to unlocking greater balance, energy, happiness and success in their roles as leaders. With this knowledge, participants will maximize their effectiveness and get into action powerfully. Specifically, attendees will focus on learning how to “lead from within” by:

  • Strategizing and prioritizing their time more effectively
  • Recognizing and eliminating tolerations to gain momentum and get more done
  • Empowering themselves by becoming more aware of and changing their self-talk
  • Learning to ask themselves the “right” questions to achieve maximum effectiveness
  • Focusing on what is within their control, as well as how to say “no” without guilt

 

“Power UP Your Influence and Ability to Get Results”

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” Alice Walker

Business success today is about people — their ability to think strategically, to innovate, to implement, and to influence desired outcomes through clear, effective communication. No matter what job title, role or position a professional may hold, in today’s dynamic work environments each person has the ability to influence others to create positive outcomes.

In this interactive and thought-provoking session, Mary Ann delivers proven strategies that professionals at all levels can harness in order to lead with greater authenticity and effectiveness. Participants learn practical tools to affect positive change and to harness their ability to lead with greater confidence and impact. They will change how they listen, communicate with others and increase their confidence to set boundaries.

By the end of the program, participants will walk away energized and inspired, along with a clear understanding of how to:

  • Lead and communicate with others in ways that their voice is truly heard
  • Learn and implement three strategies to effectively use their influence to achieve business goals and affect positive change
  • Eliminate five words from their vocabulary that compromise effectiveness
  • Communicate in a manner that fosters trust and builds strong relationships
  • Take proactive action to motivate others and achieve desired results

 

It’s All in How You Say It: Decoding Personal Communication Styles for Greater Collaboration & Results

If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times: “It’s not what you say. It’s how you say it.” Yet few professionals and leaders in today’s work environments have been equipped with the insights, skills and tools to become aware of how they are communicating — as well as how they can tailor their communication style to specific individuals and circumstances in order to achieve desired outcomes with less resistance.

In this transformational workshop, attendees will gain an understanding of their personal communication style as well as that of their colleagues, clients, employees and others who they interact with frequently. They will learn how to present issues for maximum effectiveness and how to take what others say less personally. As a result, productivity increases and frustration, conflict and stress decrease. Through interactive exercises, real-life examples and engaging content, participants will walk away with a clear understanding of how to:

  • Communicate more effectively with their colleagues, clients, employees and others
  • Resolve conflict, minimize resistance and reduce stress
  • Improve their own behavioral and communication style
  • Build a culture of enhanced teamwork and collaboration
  • Better tailor their messages and communication style to particular situations
  • Improve daily interactions with others at work, at home and beyond

 

“If I Put One More Thing On My Plate I’ll Drop It!”: How to Conquer Being Overwhelmed in Today’s Crazy-Busy World

It’s no secret that professionals in today’s workplaces are more stressed than ever before. But because the pace of work and life is not likely to slow down anytime soon, the real solution lies in arming individuals with strategies and tools to put them back in the driver’s seat where they can focus on achieving top priorities first.

Participants in this workshop will learn essential skills to deal effectively and efficiently with the realities of daily business life, including seemingly limitless to-do lists, ongoing interruptions, incessant phone calls, and overflowing e-mail inboxes. In this humorous and interactive session, Mary Ann teaches participants how to harness the power of focus for a noticeable increase in productivity. Participants will walk away with a sense of greater control and room to breathe, as well as with confidence in knowing how to:

  • Identify habits that sabotage productivity, as well as how to eliminate them
  • Implement 10 proven strategies for maximizing productivity and fulfillment
  • Delegate effectively to others
  • Set boundaries and say no without guilt
  • Create a “stop doing” list
  • Set clear, specific priorities
  • Develop a personal action plan to use time more effectively

 

Leadership Tips: Lessons For Living A Courageous, Fulfilled & Successful Life

Based on Mary Ann’s books, Leadership Tips: 52 Weeks to Business and Personal Success, Volumes I and II, this session helps participants take a proactive approach to achieving their personal and professional goals. Attendees engage in informative, inspirational and interactive exercises throughout the workshop, each based on one of Mary Ann’s astute business tips.

This workshop appeals to a broad variety of audiences and each session can be highly customized to your particular organization’s needs. Participants in this workshop:

  • Learn practical leadership tips with immediate applicability
  • Gain insight into ways for proactively managing time
  • Learn strategies for improving communication and team interaction
  • Develop a customized plan for creating a balanced and fulfilled life

 

In addition to these signature workshops, Mary Ann also customizes programs addressing other key business and personal performance topics, including:

• Increasing productivity and focus 
• Establishing executive presence that makes an impact
• Creating environments that help achieve goals
• Setting boundaries and exerting influence
• Developing a personal leadership style
• Coping with and managing change effectively
• Eliminating tolerations to improve success
• Motivating employees in today’s workplace
• Cultivating positivity in groups and teams to increase results