Out of School (OST) & Other Organizations Serving Young People & Families
Michael’s presentations feature original, tested skills and techniques he’s developed from frontline experience. He often combines elements from several different presentations into one that will fit your needs and time format. Michael is a speaker—but he knows it’s listening that makes great presentations. He will be delighted to reach out personally about customization.
Please note: Most of the following presentation topics can be adapted for Keynote and General Sessions as well as workshops and other interest sessions.
Please contact him so he can learn how to best meet your needs.
“Michael is best in class. Our organization has invited him back year after year as the most requested trainer by our staff. He delivers highly engaging, polished, and professional training sessions with the perfect blend of humor and exercises with practical strategies that can be immediately applied. I whole-heartedly and enthusiastically recommend Michael as a speaker for any youth-serving organization, school, or caregiver”.
-Carlyn Andrew, Chief Culture Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley, WI
Jump To:
Frontline Skills Topics
01 Growing Great Qualities in Kids
04 Teaching Problem-Solving, Responsibility, & Resiliency
05 Better Beginnings, Collaborative Community with O.U.R. Time
Leadership Team Topics
11 The Brandwein Seminar on Super Staff SuperVision
12 Continual Development of Staff
14 Building Excellent Teamwork & Collaborative Communication
17 Terrific Training Technique
18 Magnificent Meetings That Matter More
19 TIME MANAGEMENT for People Who Don’t Have Time to Take a Time Management Course
Frontline Skills Topics
01
GROWING GREAT QUALITIES IN KIDS: The L.A.S.E.R.B.E.A.M. Technique to Developing Outstanding Character, Social-Emotional Skills, & Bringing Out the Best in Young People
We say that we can build great character and boost self-esteem. But how do we make sure we are really doing that every hour of every day? Based on Michael’s best-selling book, this exciting, original session demonstrates exactly what to say and do to develop outstanding character, social-emotional skills, and life skills in young people.
Saying “Be nice!” and “Show some respect!” doesn’t work. Michael’s warm, positive, highly acclaimed L.A.S.E.R.B.E.A.M. Technique has been taught to tens of thousands of youth leaders, teachers, recreation and out-of-school program leaders, youth professionals, parents, and others throughout the world. No “theory.” These are practical, hands-on skills that can be used immediately every day.
You’ll Learn and Practice
How to identify exactly what behaviors we want to develop in young people and how to use positive communication and modeling to teach them
The three-step DLP approach: Get beyond, “Good job!” to provide credible and useful feedback and praise that not only teaches that we value certain behaviors, but also why we do
Developing outstanding behaviors that demonstrate great character traits and qualities such as kindness, persistence, teamwork, confidence, responsibility, respect, and other keys to lifelong learning and success.
02
“WHY DON’T YOU BEHAVE?!” — The Brandwein Key System Solution to Handling Negative Behavior in Young People
When a young person says, “You can’t make me!” or “They did it first!” do we and staff know precisely how to reply? When facing bullying, put-downs, teasing, and whining, what must we do immediately instead of just saying, “It’s not allowed!”? Most important: Do we know how to respectfully get young people to listen the first time? What do highly credible adults do and say to build that trust?
Michael’s Key System demonstrates practical tools that have been praised nationally for answering these questions with skills that will be used right away.
The most challenging thing we must learn when working with young people is how handle undesired behavior, and this skill-packed, energetic session is highly popular because it makes this easier and ensures success with practical tools that fill in the gaps in other approaches — particularly in boosting our credibility and being much more specific about how to teach what we want young people to do to replace ineffective behavior.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Michael’s original and creative techniques — his Key System — in three clearly explained steps to handle behavior with greater confidence, calmness, and expertise
Four specific skills to show that we mean what we say about behavior expectations
The big secret to teaching young people positive choices that replace negative ones
How to reduce stress and increase confidence while growing relationships that support good choice-making
03
TALKING IT OUT: Superb Communication Skills to Build Positive Relationships, Model How to Express Feelings, and Facilitate Problem-Solving
When we say, “I understand” or “I hear you,” how do we make sure they believe us? Based on Michael’s three Emmy® award-winning programs for public television stations across the U.S., this fast-paced, skill-boosting session demonstrates his inventive, highly effective techniques that use listening to build stronger relationships and positive connections with young people, while teaching them essential skills for success in life.
This is not “theory” — you will use these tools immediately and every day. The big bonus: You will also find this greatly helpful in working with other team members, parents, and in other relationships in your life.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Using listening to build positive connections with young people so they really feel heard, understood, and valued, even when we disagree
How to teach them to express their feelings respectfully and clearly, including hard ones such as anger, disappointment, lack of confidence, and fear
Helping them learn how to solve problems and conflict by talking it out
How to reduce tension and increase cooperation
04
Practical & Powerful Techniques to Teach Problem-Solving, Responsibility, Resiliency, & Independence to Young People
More youth leaders, teachers, parents and others report that today’s young people of all ages need even more support in learning how to be independent and handle challenges. This session demonstrates Michael’s special three-step C.D.C. technique to help young people think more for themselves, with greater confidence.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Exactly what to say and do to help young people learn how to solve problems, handle mistakes and challenges, and get what they need with greater independence, resiliency, confidence, and calmness
How to reduce whining and increase critical thinking skills
Teaching young people the specific “language” to use and questions to ask that lead to effective, persistent problem-solving
Reducing “rescuing” of young people and increasing the use of daily—but often “invisible”--opportunities to practice responsibility skills
“No matter what size room at conferences we put him in, they are always standing room only! Outstanding results, stellar evaluations. I cannot recommend Michael Brandwein enough. I bring him to every event I possibly can for out-of-school time professionals, prevention, recovery, and treatment professionals and high school and college-age leaders. He is a whirlwind of new insight ”
05
BETTER BEGINNINGS, COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY WITH O.U.R. TIME: Fast & Practical Ways to Involve Young People in Building Positive Group Cultures of Great Respect, Reflection, Responsibility, & Kind Relationships
Adults often say, “Who knows a rule?” in a well-intentioned effort to “go over” the group rules. It’s boring, based on a bossy model, and ineffective. Michael says, “People take better care of what they help create.” This one-of-a-kind session demonstrates his original, simple, and powerful methods to expertly guide young people to create a group Code and culture and how to communicate with each other to solve problems and make their group experience a great one.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Leading young people to be responsible for defining positive community expectations with more specificity, positiveness, and group “ownership”
A step-by-step approach to facilitate fun, daily, quick, interesting discussions with groups of all ages
How to provide young people practice using the kind of communication that helps us express ourselves, to make and keep friends (enormously important in an age of terse, electronic chatting)
Developing greater collaboration and teamwork skills, with increased respect for different views and opinions (skills in great demand in an increasingly diverse world)
Accountability/responsibility skills for solving behavior problems and other challenges the group will face—while celebrating the group’s great choices every day
“You won’t find more practical knowledge when it comes to child development. Michael has a seemingly endless supply of thoughtful techniques that are easy to implement. He is exceptional at creating fun, creative and engaging ways to train anybody who works with young people. ”
06
MISTER ROGERS ROCKS! — How to Apply His Research-Based Wisdom to Build Self-Worth, Kindness, & Great Life Skills in Young People of All Ages
There has never been a more important time to apply the principles of kindness and the powerful approaches and teachings of the legendary Fred Rogers. Inspired by the educational research-based and profoundly influential practices of this pioneer in youth development, Michael has developed this exciting, unique session of his own specific and practical techniques and strategies you can train staff to use—and use yourself—with young people of all ages to learn, grow, and become their best.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Developing positive self-concepts and self-esteem
How to grow kindness and caring behaviors
Building confidence and creativity
The powerful skills people use to show patience and enrich relationships
What we can do to “believe” in our kids in ways that builds their trust in themselves and treasure their individuality.
07
DUMPING THE DISSING: How to Stop Put-Downs, Bullying, Teasing, & Other Disrespectful Behavior While Creating a Safe & Respectful Environment for Learning & Growth
One of the key conditions required to assure successful youth development and learning is safety—not just physical, but emotional. When anxiety goes up, learning and the willingness to participate go down. This unique session demonstrates precisely what to say and do to confidently handle important negative behaviors, including name-calling, teasing, verbal bullying, and other disrespectful behavior.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Michael’s original training tools and activities train staff to be professionally “on” this issue with clarity and credibility
How to get staff to practice these techniques immediately
This Big Bonus: By learning these techniques, staff can also use them in dealing with many other undesired behaviors—handling difficult behavior with greater credibility and calmness
NOTE: Please see 02 “Why Don’t You Behave?” for a more comprehensive presentation on handling undesired behavior. That session works best if you have 2-3 hours and includes techniques that are great for Dumping Dissing. The Dissing session itself focuses on a specific and important subset of undesired behavior and can be presented in about 60-75 minutes.
“Without a doubt, Michael Brandwein is the go-to youth development professional that we consistently request due to the overwhelming and observable impact he has on our staff and educators. His genuine enthusiasm for working with children is inspiring and his exceptional delivery and presentation skills are second to none. Returning staff look forward to his arrival and I have seen them implement his techniques on a regular basis. ”
08
PURPOSEFUL PLAY: Quick, Cool, Original No-Prop Games that Teach Young People (and Staff!) Skills for Life & Leadership
We come to play, and when we leave we’ve learned! In this active session, Michael leads us in some of his best original and creative presentation of games that go “beyond fun” and which you can use with all ages, indoors and out.
Two things make this unique session really stand out:
Each activity is mission-directed: Participants will be having too much fun to know they are practicing essential social-emotional and life skills like communication, making friends, positivity, resilience, leadership, respect, collaboration, and more
BONUS: While learning the games, Michael demonstrates outstanding game leadership techniques that can be used with any activity we lead, including clear communication, grabbing and keeping attention, maximizing participation, and more.
09
Leading the Little Ones: Super Skills for Working with Younger Children
Staff need to be taught special skills to work with our youngest participants. Boost staff success with these immediately useable skills staff can use to work with young children (pre-K, K, and early elementary through about age 9).
You’ll Learn and Practice:
How to build great relationships of respect and cooperation
Increasing their confidence and feelings of self-worth
Great ways to give them success so they’ll develop strong life skills and qualities
The secrets to keeping a group of young ones together and more attentive
Leadership Team Topics
10
Super Staff SuperVision: Leading & Coaching to Bring Out the Best in Staff Leaders
The Leadership Team is the heart of the organization — providing expert training for new and experienced team members is one of an excellent program’s best investments.
These are skills that directors, site directors, assistant directors, supervisors, and other Leadership Team members can use immediately and every day to motivate staff and coach them to their highest levels of performance, and help ensure that we have a creative, vibrant program. It explains exactly what to do when “walking around” and how to develop positive relationships with the staff team while supporting their success. This skill-packed session demonstrates terrific techniques to maximize staff performance.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
How to more precisely identify, coach, and grow the exact behaviors we’re looking for, including excellent teaching and group leadership
The key secret to staff retention and motivation and the conversation and planning that makes it happen
Simple, outstanding ways to support people in doing their best work and build stronger, trusting work relationships
Promoting ongoing skill development as an effective mentor and coach, and providing more useful feedback, encouraging open communication
How to boost program creativity and excitement, guide staff and young people to develop key qualities for life, improve safety, and more.
11
The Brandwein Seminar on Super Staff SuperVision: Powerful & Practical Skills for the Leadership Team 1-Day Course
Outstanding training for the leadership team, including supervisors, directors and assistants, site-directors, head counselors, and others. This is the nationally acclaimed, skill-packed supervision training session from the author of the number one national best-selling book on camp staff supervision, Super Staff SuperVision, for both new and advanced members of the leadership team.
You Will Learn and Practice:
The 6 Paths — the six essential things leadership team members must do every day and how to get them done brilliantly
Identifying the exact behaviors we want to develop in our staff
Michael’s CDOS technique to coach staff to learn and use those behaviors
Motivating staff and preventing burnout—and supporting the mid-level and high performers who often get less attention
Building trust and credibility and being a boss of even peers and friends
How to increase registration and retention numbers — building program creativity to stand out from the rest
Handling tough staff behavior with calmness and confidence
And more!
12
Continual Development of Staff: Superb Coaching Skills to Maximize Staff Performance
This session teaches Leadership Team members Michael’s renowned, two-step Continual Development of Staff Method, or CDOS, for coaching others. Imagine the difference we could make in the impact and success of our program if we could take those “middle/average” staff and boost their skill level throughout the season! And wouldn’t it be great to take the superstars and keep them motivated and challenged so that the job has even greater value to them, and so they want to come back?
Michael shows you how with proven, immediately useable tools for the leadership team to produce outstanding, positive, supportive coaching of all staff.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
How to create an easy-to-use structure in which continual work on performance goals is the norm: “Everybody’s working on something” all the time
Making feedback more useful so it produces positive changes
Overcoming resistance to coaching, even by veteran staff
How to cut through the stress that leadership team members have about providing feedback
13
The INTENTIONAL Program: How to Put More Muscle in Our Mission by Making Sure We Produce Real Youth Development Every Day
It’s the most challenging thing in the business: Making sure that our program isn’t just fun, but actually delivers on our promise to produce important, positive changes in our participants. This is what sets you apart from others and makes participation in your program invaluable!
Our real purpose is not just fun and “making memories.” The best programs reach for an even higher goal: using the fun and experiential activities to teach outstanding character and skills for life.
This exciting session demonstrates precisely what to do to use our activities and programs to build great qualities and specific character traits in our participants and make lasting differences in their lives. Do we really teach how to make friends? Do we have special techniques to be sure our program teaches persistence and respect? We can do this and more!
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Specific steps to make it much easier for the whole team to build lasting differences in the lives of young people
How to motivate and lead others by communicating the mission with greater clarity and power
Concrete tools to focus expertly on developing essential qualities in youth, including persistence, responsibility, respect, kindness, teamwork, confidence, and more
Inspiring and leading staff to make real differences in our program participants that will last a lifetime.
14
Building Excellent Teamwork & Collaborative Communication
Team leaders of all types will use these practical techniques every day to build more open communication and stronger professional relationships, which in turn encourages best performance and program improvement.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Boosting everyone’s ability to be more flexible and open to change
Reducing talk behind backs
Increasing constructive expression of what people really think, creating an environment where it’s safe to present new and different ideas that will enhance our service to others
How to develop more positive relationships for great teamwork
15
CONFLICT COMMUNICATION: How to Deal with Disagreement, Conflicts, & Hot People without Antacids
One of Michael’s most requested presentations! This internationally acclaimed session demonstrates practical, essential skills you will use every day to (1) handle conflict with greater confidence and calmness and (2) build more open and collaborative communication for outstanding teams. Deal with greater confidence and credibility with contrary positions, disappointed and upset people, and more.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Precisely what to say and not to say when resolving disagreements
How to act with respect and improve relationships even when there is conflict
Resolving conflicts constructively with less stress
How to immediately boost your persuasiveness and problem-solving using expert techniques to tailor responses to the needs and concerns of others
Providing excellent customer service
Increasing more open and honest communication for ongoing improvement
“Each word, each activity, and each method in a presentation with Michael is hand-crafted based on his years of experience leading in the field. Laughing while we learn is the icing on the cake; immediately ready-to-use and new ideas learned are the proof!”
16
LARGE GROUP LEADERSHIP: Super Secrets to Making Magnificent Moments at All-Camp Assemblies, Announcements, & Events
To be a superstar youth leader, we can use distinctive, creative, highly effective group leadership techniques that go way beyond the commonplace “If you can hear me clap once.” In this unique session, Michael demonstrates original, outstanding skills you won’t find anywhere else for an essential part of our programs: For opening/closing gatherings, announcements, special events, meals/snacks, campfires, and large group program leadership of every kind. Specialized skills are required to effectively lead these moments, and you’ll learn them here!
Michael’s original, tested techniques to instantly seize attention — be the superstar leader who can grab the attention of hundreds of young people and staff in less than 5 seconds.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
How to motivate excitement, maximize participation, and more
Original methods to make announcements and other large group moments some of the most exciting, memorable, and creative times of the program day
How to make the times when we’re up in front terrific opportunities to model leadership and creativity that will powerfully affect your entire program
17
TERRIFIC TRAINING TECHNIQUE: Outstanding Activities & Masterful Methods for Immediate Use
Michael calls it the “PDP” — Pass Down Principle. Staff development must not only give valuable information. We have to present it in creative, motivating ways that are a model of how we want our staff to teach and lead.
The author of the best-selling training books for youth programs demonstrates fun, original, easy-to-use techniques and tested activities you won’t find anywhere else. You can use this before young people arrive or during the season as ongoing development. Increase staff learning, maximize participation, boost motivation, and grab attention — for both new and experienced staff.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Creative, engaging, ready-to-use activities that you can plug into existing training right away
How to get staff to immediately practice skills so they are ready and confident to use them on the job.
Making training exciting and interesting, a model for what we want our program to be every day.
Fresh ways to present essential skills—so that returning staff don’t say “I’ve already done this”
Teaching communication, leadership, activity instruction, and other essential skills that staff must know and use to make our programs successful
How to use training to promote professionalism and responsibility
18
MAGNIFICENT MEETINGS THAT MATTER MORE: How to Plan & Lead Outstanding Staff Meetings
Meetings — boring? Not after this fun, energetic session. This is like finding undiscovered treasure! Meetings are even more important and valuable than we thought — the WAY we run meetings can provide big benefits to our entire program in some surprising, usually unrecognized ways. These payoffs include the opportunity to use meetings to model great leadership.
In this fast-paced session, you’ll learn creative and practical techniques to go beyond “announcements” and checklists. Make even 5-minute check-in meetings exciting mini-events that not only inform but support the mission of the program.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Getting people to pay attention and participate
Developing staff professionalism
How to grow skills in staff with special techniques to involve them in the leadership of meetings
How to do fast ongoing staff development to extend your training beyond orientation
Modeling outstanding skills that staff can use with young people
19
TIME MANAGEMENT for People Who Don’t Have Time to Take a Time Management Course: The Real Secrets to Getting Things Done
This nationally acclaimed, creatively presented, no-nonsense session demonstrates six groups of outstanding tools that has received rave reviews by professionals for their flexibility, practicality, and ease of use. Boost your productivity right away while reducing unnecessary stress. You don’t have to use all of the techniques every day – just when you need them. They can be applied quickly and tailored to your individual needs and work habits.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Special techniques to defeat procrastination and reduce interruptions
How to increase productivity and efficiency
Getting more accomplished and never have a day when you got “nothing done”
Organizing what needs to be done in a new and better way that replaces the usual “to do” list with something simple that helps you produce high quality work more efficiently
20
CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCCESS: Immediate Ways to Get Your Whole Team to Provide the Best Service
These are practical and powerful techniques for ourselves and to lead and train others for maximum service performance, to delight those we serve and reach new customers/clients as well. Motivate and teach others the most important things to do to provide great service to others and within our own team.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
The single core secret to impressing those we serve and how to apply this every day
Exactly what to say and do to build positive and lasting service relationships
Dealing calmly and professionally with conflict, upset people, and problems
How to use creative, unique activities to get team members s committed to outstanding service not only to customers/clients but in our internal collaboration as well
21
IT’S FUN, & A REAL JOB: Building Staff Professionalism, Responsibility, & Motivation
This session is packed with unique and practical tools directors, team leaders, and others can use at all times: getting staff (interviewing), training them, and day-to-day leadership. With existing and returning staff, we need to infuse them with continued motivation. With new staff — especially younger ones — a lot of the assumptions we used to make about whether people will understand how to hold down a job and work professionally with others may not be true. Staff often need more of our support to develop the skills needed for job success. This session demonstrates how to get this done to build great teams.
You’ll Learn and Practice:
Building trust and support of their best performance
How to increase retention in credible ways
What to ask when hiring to determine whether candidates value professionalism and ongoing growth
Handling undesired staff behavior to focus on developing good choices
Motivating and coaching through Michael’s Goals & Growth Method
Providing more credible, frequent feedback
“Michael Brandwein is a true expert in the Out of School (OST) field!!! He gets it!! Immediately after his trainings, Directors request his return and are excited about implementing what they learned and the immediate impact it is having in their programs. Michael takes the time beforehand to understand the audience and curate content to fit our needs. His presentations are full of practical strategies that staff working with any youth can understand and apply. We look forward to our next training with Michael!”
22
FAST SOLUTIONS, FUN PROCESS: Solve Your Toughest Challenges Now with the Consultative Problem-Solving Technique
Michael teaches the Consultative Problem-Solving Process, a highly effective and fun group learning technique you can use immediately. Get great ideas today, in this session, working with colleagues to solve the challenges you’re facing at your organization or program
You’ll Learn and Practice:
How to handle a challenge of your choice
A terrific process you can use with your Leadership Team, staff, and even with young people