Workshops and Webinars

Below is a list of currently scheduled workshops, speaking engagements, and webinars.  Please contact the hosting agency to learn how to register for these events.

If you are interested in bringing Efficient Librarian workshops or webinars to your organization, please reach out by email to: efficientlibrarian@gmail.com.  Topics for workshops include:

  • Productivity and Efficiency
  • Leadership
  • Supervision/Coaching
  • Culture and Organizational Development
  • Public Libraries

Upcoming Workshops

Overcoming the Email Avalanche: Three Steps to an Empty Inbox
May 9, 2023, 2-3 pm (EST)
Webinar
Sponsored by SWFLN 

Workshops & Keynotes

Since 2012 I have presented workshops and keynote talks on office efficiency to Government and Non-Profit entities.  I also speak about libraries and the impact they have on society. My range of classes includes:

The Efficient Librarian – Half Day & Full Day Workshops
The world of work seems to be moving faster and faster every day. Is it possible to keep up with the rapid pace and still be stress free? Yes, it is! This workshop will present productive strategies for workplace success based in part on an internationally recognized productivity system. Learn powerful methods for managing commitments, information, and communication that are the gold standard for personal and organizational efficiency. Discover concrete solutions for transforming uncertainty into an integrated system of stress-free productivity. Participants will learn:

  • The three sources of knowledge work stress
  • How to get things out of your head and into a trusted system
  • How to organize their actions in an easy four folder format
  • The ways to recognize their priorities both in the short and long terms.

Finding Your Leadership Pathway – Half Day Workshop
There are multiple pathways to leadership. From team supervision to executive positions, the wide array of possible career paths creates a diverse set of leadership opportunities. However, we often lack the time to think strategically about your options and challenges. To that end, join fellow leaders to share a half day of exploration, self-reflection, and networking, all focused on mapping your leadership development journey. Learning objectives include:

  • Assessing your starting point
  • Identifying a leadership destination
  • Anticipating road blocks and detours
  • Developing leadership growth strategies
  • Reflecting on the journey

Overcoming the Email Avalanche: Three Steps to an Empty Inbox (1 hr)
Huge volumes of email are a fact of office life, yet it threatens to overwhelm our work.  Is there a way to get email under control short of mass deleting your entire inbox?  Yes, there is!  In this fun and engaging class, participants will learn how to:

  • Clear out inbox backlog, no matter how large
  • Identify different types of actionable email and respond accordingly
  • Create an efficient organizational structure to their email client
  • Reliably locate archived email
  • Celebrate the joys of an empty inbox!

From Inbox to Completion: The Secrets to Successful Workflow (1 hr)
Is your inbox overflowing?  Is your work spilling onto every available surface?  Do you want to get more stuff done in less time while looking effortless in the process?  In this energizing class, you will learn the best practices for workflow management based on an internationally recognized system.  This includes discovering:

  • The definitive five phases of workflow
  • The key questions to ask about any item on your physical or virtual desk
  • The role of functional folders for later action or reference
  • The importance of a weekly review

Managing Employee Performance: A Simple Formula for Talking With Staff (1 hr)
The success of any project or plan relies on the work of your staff.  Supervision is not for the faint of heart, especially when employees need to be coached or counseled.  So how can we manage employee performance without tearing our hair out?  In this webinar, learn a simple and widely tested approach to interacting with your employees that takes some of the stress out of the process.  This webinar will present on:

  • The challenges of employee performance management
  • The SBI Feedback model for coaching and counseling employees
  • Working with your HR Department
  • FMLA, ADA, and other Fair Employment principles

Developing Motivated Cultures: Six Simple Factors That Shape Your Organization (1 hr)
Every good organization has a strategic plan.  However, the success of that plan is highly dependent on your organization’s culture.  A strong culture motivates employees to work harder and find ways past obstacles.  So how can culture be developed and shaped to increase everyone’s motivation?  In this webinar, you will learn:

  • A specific definition of culture and how it shapes an organization
  • The six direct and indirect factors that determine motivation
  • How a group of cultural “Firewatchers” can shape your culture
  • Strategies to grow a strong culture and keep it thriving

Leadership: Challenges and Rewards (1 hr)
What does it take to be a leader? To be blunt, leadership is not easy. In fact, it may not even be right for you! Discover the challenges and rewards of leadership in this webinar. Participants will learn:

  • The reasons why you should NOT become a leader
  • The special aspects of leading in a government or non-profit organization
  • The hidden rewards of leadership (it’s not just about promotions)
  • Six starter tips for the leadership path

Why Did I Make that Dumb Decision?  Understanding Common Fallacies of Decision Making and How to Avoid Them (1 hr)
Have you ever made a bad decision?  Sometimes it is simply bad luck, but often we make poor choices based on how our brains are wired.  In this webinar, participants will discover how the field of Behavioral Economics provides insights into how people actually make decisions.  Understanding how our minds work is the first step to making better decisions. In the webinar, participants will learn:

  • How ideas from Behavioral Economics shapes our decision making process
  • Five major decision making fallacies and how to avoid them
  • Why fear of failure may be the most detrimental fallacy of them all

Leadership in Libraries: Observations from the Director’s Seat (1 hr)
Between a pandemic, political partisanship, and fast changing technology, public libraries are experiencing a dramatic series of changes and challenges.  To survive in these unusual times exceptional leadership is required from our Library Directors.  However few people understand exactly what a Director does with their day and why it impacts their library’s operations both present and future.  In this webinar, participants will learn:

  • The specific core functions that Public Library Directors focus on
  • Keys to effective leadership in public libraries
  • Why becoming a library director may be the right or wrong career path for you
  • How you can be a library leader from any level of the organization

Past audiences include:

Library Organizations – Florida

Library Organizations – USA outside Florida

Other Government and Non-Profit Organizations

What Participants say about Efficient Librarian Workshops

“Thanks to Doug we are now even more efficient.  Not only did he give us the tools we needed to improve, but he did so in such a way that was funny and engaging.  We were truly impressed.  His training made a significant impact on all of our employees and everyone is continuing to implement what they learned.”
– Laurie George, CEO, United Way of Palm Beach County.

“When Doug said to keep engaged with the material. There was a chart that was displayed that showed how quickly we would be able to forget the information. And because of this, I am staying engaged with the material. I am staying up to date!”
– Brittan – Webinar Participant

“Thank you for the wonderful presentation today.  I found it entertaining and believe it will be most useful.  … I can immediately put a lot of this into action efficiently.”
– Graham

“Doug Crane knows the material and is a very good presenter. I was surprised at how much I already do that he recommended and I will apply some new things to maintain a good workflow.”
– Anonymized feedback from a PLAN workshop participant

“The information presented was extremely helpful and I have already begun to apply the lessons learned. Doug Crane is an excellent speaker and made a boring topic interesting and fun.”
– Panama City (FL) Workshop Participant

“Doug Crane’s enthusiasm for practical efficiency is marvelous. His proposal, that every one of us is capable of improved personal organization, is so credible that I am actually encountering this survey in my ten minute email sweep! Doug’s obvious respect for every member of the staff, the premise that every person’s work is essential and everyone’s time is valuable, creates an atmosphere of inclusion. Belonging is key to effective motivation, and Doug Crane is exemplary in his appreciation of the library staff as a team.”
– Panama City (FL) Workshop Participant

“Clear email inbox! No more hemming and hawing over emails and leaving them unanswered… Still a fan of this workshop!”
– Michelle

“It has been great! One of the most useful workshops I have attended.”
– Christine

“I thoroughly enjoyed this webinar. It was engaging and well presented. While participating, I was able to start making use of the tools learned.”
– Anonymized feedback from a PCI webinar participant

“Extremely passionate about the subject material.  Very funny – great speaker”
– Robert – Palm Beach County employee