Blog Archives

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Business

With the advancement of technologies lilee Al, experts believe the worleforce is undergoing a fourth industrial revolution. How should companies react?

Description

Generative artificial intelligence is being increasingly adopted by companies and entire industries. However, the tool remains a mystery to many people. This program offers working professionals a comprehensive understanding of the technology, its practical applications, and ethical considerations through a hands-on, experiential environment.

The session begins by demystifying Generative AI, outlining its types, and presenting leading tools such as OpenAI's ChatGPT series and DALL-E, Microsoft's Copilot, and more. The training then delves into real-world applications, showcasing successful implementations across industries and providing step-by-step guidance on using Generative AI for tasks like content creation, customer service automation, and strategic planning. The session also emphasizes the value AI adds to businesses and the relevant ethical considerations such as addressing biases in AI systems, data management, and the balance between automation and human labor.

Audience

Professionals in any industry who want to explore and gain knowledge about artificial intelligence.

Outcomes

Participants will walk away with these skills:

  • Understand Generative AI, including its types and current tools
  • Utilize Generative AI for various business tasks
  • Explore how Generative AI can help companies and industries achieve growth and optimization
  • Recognize ethical considerations surrounding Generative AI
  • Develop a roadmap for integrating Generative AI into business processes, ensuring responsible usage, and staying ahead of evolving trends and regulations

Venue

Cintas Center
1624 Musketeer Drive
Cincinnati, 45207 United States + Google Map
Phone:
513-745-1094

Build Your Own Certificate

Business professionals need a variety of skills and tools to complement their diverse industries and achieve their unique success. Build a certificate from our large list of offerings to match your exact needs!

Description

XLC is proud to offer all working professionals the ability to build their own custom certificate programs by choosing four unique one-day programs that target their specific needs. Participants can focus on business acumen tools, communication skills, or any combination in between! No matter what the selected one-day programs are, professionals will learn and gain tools and skills that can be immediately incorporated into their professional and personal lives.

One-Day Program Options:
Participants select 4 one-day programs offered within the same semester.

Audience

Professionals at any level who want a customized solution for their challenges, obstacles, and areas of improvement.

Venue

Cintas Center
1624 Musketeer Drive
Cincinnati, 45207 United States + Google Map
Phone:
513-745-1094

Business Innovation Certificate

In this inspiring and highly interactive program, we will share innovation methods and tools across the areas of Design Thinking, Storytelling, and Creativity/Improvisation.

Our internationally recognized facilitators have more than 75 years of experience between them in innovation and have touched hundreds of companies and brands.

To obtain a Business Innovation Certificate, participants will attend the following one-day programs:

Program Dates

  • April 4, 2023 (8:30am-4:00pm)
  • April 18, 2023 (8:30am-4:00pm)
  • May 2, 2023 (8:30am-4:00pm)
  • May 16, 2023 (8:30am-4:00pm)

Description

Creative Problem Solving

This highly-interactive, fun, and fast-paced session provides a framework for understanding and applying tools to meet real business needs. You will walk away from this session with increased confidence to generate creative ideas, techniques to recognize/replace unproductive thinking patterns, and a methodology to foster creative potential and innovation. Participants are encouraged to think about real-life organizational problems and bring these situations to the program to discuss and brainstorm together. By walking through these problems together, participants will learn the steps to creatively solve problems.

Customer Experience

In this program, participants will learn how to strategically deliver customer experiences with purpose. Delivering exceptional customer service is all about the details. In order to exceed expectations, you need to create systems and processes to make sure that nothing is left to luck. Learn ways to be intentional to create memorable experiences. Discover unique ways to make sure your customers are telling others about their excellent experience with your organization.

Design Thinking

In this one-day program, you will have a hands-on experience while learning both the mindset and method of Design Thinking. Covering the principles of empathy, problem framing, ideation, prototyping, and testing, you will leave with tools and stories you can take back to your business for immediate application.

Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that is 100% focused on people. You begin by examining the needs, dreams, and behaviors of people you want to affect with your solution. This is the ‘Desirability’ lens, and you will continue to view the world through this lens throughout the design process. Then, you begin to view solutions through the lenses of  ‘Feasibility’ (what is technically and organizationally feasible) and ‘Viability’ (what is financially viable). These two lenses are introduced carefully during the later phases of the design thinking process. Finally, the program will stress that true breakthrough solutions will overlap all three lenses.

Storytelling for Innovation

More than ever, there is one thing that truly separates many brands and companies today—that one thing is STORY. When it comes to creating powerful brand connections, engaging innovations, and inspirational business strategies, a good story can make whatever brands share more impactful. For this full-day workshop, presentations include surprising insights, engaging personal stories, fun movie references, hands-on exercises, and “Hollywood-esque” tools. Participants will leave with a series of inspiring story fundamentals, examples, and methods that can be applied by ANY role within an organization and in ANY industry. Using the building blocks of storytelling, participants will be able to develop strategies to bring innovative ideas and methodologies back to the organization.

Audience

Individuals that strive to bring design thinking and creativity to their organization’s daily practice and are looking to build a culture of innovation within the organization.

Outcome

Creative Problem Solving:

  • How to define and unleash creativity
  • Understand the myths of creativity
  • Learn to identify problems with effective brainstorming
  • Gain skills to strengthen creativity
  • Capture ways to think differently
  • Learn The Three-Legged Stool of Innovation
  • Tackle actual organizational problems

Customer Experience:

  • Learn what makes a great customer experience
  • Unlock deep customer understanding to reveal customer pain points
  • Map the customer’s journey to reveal emotions and insights
  • Develop customer personas and segmentation
  • Turn insights into actions
  • Pursue customer-centered innovation

Design Thinking:

  • See new opportunities in a consistent manner
  • Connect deeply with customers
  • Use the needs and wants of customers to guide ideation and solution-making
  • Transform insights and data into actionable ideas
  • Create and implement new solutions with business impact in a faster and more effective way
  • Discover solutions through three different lenses

Storytelling for Innovation:

  • Defining and leveraging the most distinctive quality of the brand idea in the stories
  • Understanding how empathy serves as the foundation for both the story and innovation strategy
  • Knowing where to look to find the best “stories” to learn from
  • Utilizing story principles to ensure data and analytics are delivered in the most powerful and compelling way
  • How to use a story sequel plan for the brand’s strategy and long-term pipeline
  • Creating focused and clear presentations by leveraging a powerful story theme
  • Crafting and using an elevator pitch to leave the audience wanting more

Venue

Cintas Center
1624 Musketeer Drive
Cincinnati, 45207 United States + Google Map
Phone:
513-745-1094

Creative Problem Solving

In the current volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, solving problems in unique ways and thinking outside of the box are becoming increasingly important for an organization’s success.

Description

This highly-interactive, fun, and fast-paced session provides a framework for understanding and applying tools to meet real business needs. You will walk away from this session with increased confidence to generate creative ideas, techniques to recognize/replace unproductive thinking
patterns, and a methodology to foster creative potential and innovation.

Participants are encouraged to think about real-life organizational problems and bring these situations to the program to discuss and brainstorm together. By walking through these problems together, participants will learn the steps to creatively solve problems.

Finally, participants will complete an assessment prior to the program to discover their natural tendencies when thinking creatively and where they can shift their attention to yield better results.

Audience

Appropriate for any professional who wants to enhance their creative problem-solving skills.

Outcomes

Participants will walk away with these skills:

  • How to define and unleash creativity
  • Understand the myths of creativity
  • Learn to identify problems with effective brainstorming
  • Gain skills to strengthen creativity
  • Capture ways to think differently
  • Learn The Three-Legged Stool of Innovation
  • Tackle actual organizational problems

Venue

Cintas Center
1624 Musketeer Drive
Cincinnati, 45207 United States + Google Map
Phone:
513-745-1094

Business Acumen Certificate

XLC’s Business Acumen Certificate gives you skills to manage with a strategy that is understood and can be implemented at all levels, along with a strong foundation of how business operates, makes money, and sustains profitable growth.

You will learn tools to effectively manage and engage the workforce. You will gain knowledge in planning, organizing, directing, and controlling the activities of an organization in order to satisfy customers’ needs.

Participants must attend 4 of the following one-day programs within the same semester:

Description

Change Leadership:
Change Leadership includes more than just looking at what change is needed, but how the change will affect people. This program will provide participants with practical tools to assess and manage change, successfully identify the role and phases of change, and walk through how to create action plans to overcome challenges and reach desired outcomes.

Creative Problem Solving:
This highly-interactive, fun, and fast-paced session provides a framework for understanding and applying tools to meet real business needs. You will walk away from this session with increased confidence to generate creative ideas, techniques to recognize/replace unproductive thinking patterns, and a methodology to foster creative potential and innovation.

Effective Decision Making:
In this fast-paced world, a person’s and their team’s effectiveness in getting things done at work depends on decision-making. How a person manages their time, what meetings they go to, and the work their team focuses on are all based on effective decision-making methods. In this one-day program, participants will explore various ways and methods to make decisions as both an individual and as a leader. Then, the program will focus on how to build a culture of effective decision-making within an organization. Real-world examples and interactive activities will guide discussions and showcase examples of great and not-so-great decision-making skills.

Executing Business Strategy:
In this program, you will learn how to define a business strategy and communicate it to peers, supervisors, and reports. Once participants can capture the elements of a strategy, they will explore the strategy’s execution. Creating a cohesive and comprehensive strategic plan will be guided by the OGSM method while also referencing other approaches. Filled with small and large group exercises, case studies, and concrete examples, participants will be able to immediately identify and advance their organization’s strategy.

Finance for Non-Financial Professionals:
In this one-day program, you will develop an understanding of key financial documents, how to interpret them, and why they are important. Financial terms and calculations will be explained in a way that makes sense for non-financial business professionals. Finally, you will also be challenged to apply what you learn in class by analyzing how your work and your decisions are related to the overall performance of the company.

Storytelling with Data:
Data provides the foundation for making smart and appropriate choices in many contexts. However, it is not unusual for managers to be overwhelmed by the amount of available data within their organization and the marketplace. This session focuses on identifying the relevant business objective or question, assessing what data is needed, and understanding the target audience. Then, participants will discover how to utilize the most applicable data to tell a compelling story that positively impacts the right business choices and outcomes. Participants will also explore the interpretation of data and ensure that data is used accurately and completely.

Time Management and Accountability:
This program aims to provide practical tips, tools, and strategies to help individuals approach their use of time wisely and help managers lead their teams more effectively. Oftentimes, procrastination sets in because a certain task seems daunting or emotionally taxing. Participants will explore ways to manage their energy and mindsets to aid in their productivity. Finally, the program will discuss how accountability is created between managers and their teams, among colleagues, and within oneself.

Audience

Professionals at any level who want to increase their business acumen.

Venue

Cintas Center
1624 Musketeer Drive
Cincinnati, 45207 United States + Google Map
Phone:
513-745-1094