Barbara May is a leadership communication expert, team building facilitator and award-winning coach.

With more than three decades of work experience behind her in fields as diverse as sport and recreation, education, not-for-profit management, entertainment and government, Barbara brings a uniquely powerful mix of personal stories, humorous examples, and real-world insight to her programs and clients.

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By talking openly about her struggles and triumphs, Barbara helps people discover new ways of solving problems in the workplace such as dealing and communicating with co-workers and bouncing back from mistakes with confidence.

Yes. Barbara's keynotes and team building seminars are a great way to kick off an event. They are fun, informative and highly interactive. Book Barbara to speak at your next event and she'll help you see your stumbling blocks in a fresh and powerful way.

Yes, Barbara will customize the Team Building Seminar to meet your specific needs. 

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In addition, she'll facilitate the Stumbling Blocks Challenge(s) in a way that addresses the challenges, obstacles and hurdles that you face as a team.

It depends on your goals and objectives for the seminar. For example: If you would like your team to get to know one another on a more personal level, which will strengthen relationships and improve productivity, then an ideal audience size is 12 – 24 participants.

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If you have a different goal in mind, please let Barbara know. The ideal audience size could be anywhere between 2 and 200 participants.

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Some past clients have used the Canada-Alberta Job Grant to subsidize their leadership training. Eligible participants can leverage the grant to cover 2/3 of the training cost provided the training is a minimum of 21 hours. Applications for grant funding must be submitted before the training begins. 

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If you are planning to apply for the Canada-Alberta Job Grant training subsidy, please let Barbara know so she can give you the information you need to apply for the grant. 

Stumbling Blocks Team Building Seminars are usually 1/2 day or full day session that focus on helping people discover new ways of solving problems in the workplace such as dealing and communicating with co-workers and bouncing back from mistakes with confidence.

Barbara's team building seminars are fun, informative and highly interactive. In addition they:

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• Improve communication by strengthening an individual's ability to interact with other people.

• Improve teamwork by encouraging team members to work together to achieve an end result.

• Improves leadership by inspiring participants to discover innovative solutions to the challenge.

Barbara May's Leadership Training and Coaching is an intensive 5-module training program that focuses on helping business leaders develop the communication and leadership skills they need to succeed.

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Each module is delivered to a small group of team leaders and is offered in a series of half-day or full-day sessions. 

Barbara can help your team get past these common stumbling blocks:

• Communication breakdowns between co-workers.

• Coping with and eventually reducing stress.

• Personality conflicts between team members.

• Lack of team spirit or morale.

• Dealing with and accepting change.

• Butting heads with managers and team leaders.

• Boring meetings and presentations.

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Barbara can support and reinforce the following learning objectives during your team building seminar:

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• ​Change management and accepting change.

• Taking initiative and being willing to ask for help.

• Moving on and learning from your mistakes.

• Handling burnout, stress and setbacks.

• Motivation, teamwork and accountability.

• Communication, collaboration and resolving conflict.

• Public speaking and presentation skills.

In her team building seminars, Barbara use a variety of block-building activities to facilitate discussions about overcoming challenges, obstacles and hurdles at work. These team-building activities, which she calls the Stumbling Blocks Challenge, help people see their stumbling blocks in a fresh and powerful way. The challenges are fun and educational and have the added benefit of strengthening communication, teamwork and leadership—the building blocks you need to succeed.​

Yes. As part of her commitment to improving health care, education and social services, Barbara offers a special rate for not-for-profit associations.

During Barbara's Leadership Training & Coaching, she covers the following topics:

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Module 1: Engaging Leader Mindset

Module 2: Emotional Intelligence Activator

Module 3: Compelling Conversations Starter Kit

Module 4: Engaging Communication Toolbox

Module 5: Public Speaking Breakthrough

Module 6: Leadership Presentation Mastery

Module 7: Team Building Success Strategies

Module 8: Coaching for Excellence Playbook

Module 9: Engaging Leader Game Plan

Most clients book Barbara for all 9-modules. However, if you would prefer to start with training in one or two areas, that is also an option. Think of it like a menu. You select the topics that you would like for your training. And Barbara will customize the training to meet your needs.

“Sometimes we get stuck in the things that trip us up, our stumbling blocks, and this was a great opportunity to hear that somebody else has experienced those issues too.” ​

- Shawna Miller, President, Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce

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“Barbara May possesses a passionate coaching style combined with years of real-life experience. Thoughtful and appealing, her presentations are always packed with powerful information wrapped in a fun and interactive style of engagement.”​

- Stephen Khan, Owner, Management Information Group

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“I want to thank you again for the great day! Our team continued conversations around points discussed throughout the evening. I even heard, 'Now, that’s a stumbling block.'”​

- Carrie Scammell, Team Lead, Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Inc.

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“Barbara provided our group a personalized, dynamic and intriguing presentation! She was funny and thoughtful! Such a rare package for a presenter and a fabulous end to our Retreat!”​

- Joelle Brown, Executive Director, St. Albert Victim Services

“Right from the start, Barbara engaged our group at a level that challenged us. Discussion was aimed at how to apply our insights to our own situations. The day moved quickly, and no one was zoning out. A great experience all around.”​

- Bobbi Junior, Communications Coordinator, Family Solutions Group

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“Barbara is a very positive and inspiring facilitator. She was able to pull out the strengths and talents of participants to help them see what they have to offer. I think she did a wonderful job.” ​

- Suzanna Martin, Norquest College

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“Thank you for overcoming all those stumbling blocks years ago so you could be here today to educate, engage & inspire us!”

- Megan Maltman, HR Manager, Primary Care Network

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“Barbara was excellent at detecting the key stumbling blocks for each person's situation. Wonderful observation skills and very entertaining!" ​

- Carol Brandly, Seminar Participant

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“Barbara's keynote gave attendees the chance to interact with one another and develop their problem-solving skills. She has a great story and kept the crowd motivated and enthused for the entire hour.” ​

- Brenda Kolasa, CEO, Success 4 Business Expo

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“Barbara presented to our department at a time of significant change. Her sessions helped get conversations started about the impacts of change in a way that was fun, engaging and accessible to all who attended.” ​

- John Younk, Director, Strategic Planning Ancillary Services, University of Alberta

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"Watching my brother go from bumbling and fumbling to a clear, concise, structured presentation made it clear how effective Barbara May's teachings are. It was a true transformation."

- Mike Kuby, Playworks

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“Barbara's willingness to share her story has impacted me in a very remarkable way. It has impacted our journey as a hospital." ​

- Dr. Curtis Johnston, Chief Medical Officer, Royal Alexandra Hospital

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“Barbara was friendly, engaging, and took the time to speak with attendees as well as the news media. She was a joy to work with and we were thrilled that she was part of our event!”​

- Tom Pura, Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce