Joan Pastor is president of Joan Pastor and Associates, an international consulting company. She acts as a consultant on the "people" aspect of business to corporations, and has been a professional speaker, trainer, seminar leader, and organizational development specialist for more than 19 years. She and her associates have worked in more than 20 countries on all five continents. They are known for their expertise in global issues, future trends, strategic planning, and cross-cultural communications.

Joan has two master's degrees and has practiced extensively as a psychotherapist. She has been a guest on a number of radio and television shows and has hosted her own radio show. Joan is the author of more than 35 articles as well as the book Women's Work and the recipient of numerous awards, including Certified Speaking Professional from the National Speakers Association, Outstanding Young Woman of America, and Who's Who in the East and West. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and was elected to the prestigious membership of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in 1992.

Joan has taught and continues to teach seminars and classes at numerous companies and associations, and a number of universities across the country through their business schools. Courses include Leadership Skills for Technical Professionals, Developing and Implementing High-Performing Teams for Increased Competitive Edge, Cross Cultural Issues in a Global Economy, and Negotiation Skills for Internal and External Customers. Joan also provides consulting services to and through these schools.

Executive coaching and facilitation are different from training. Joan has worked extensively with senior management, both one-on-one as well as working with the entire senior management team at a number of organizations.

She has given numerous keynotes to associations and organizations around the world reflecting her extensive experience.

We have over 14 years of experience facilitating groups to determine, define, and improve their work procedures and departmental processes, including projects and conferences associated with and involving the highest level of senior officials in our government, our military, and other governments. We have worked in partnership with our associates to implement process and quality improvement in organizations around the world. We have facilitated senior management teams in strategic planning, organizational change and implemented self-managed teams throughout organizations.

Finally, we have taught facilitation skills, leadership and management development, negotiation skills, and group dynamic skills for over 10 years in many companies and for several universities, including:

• California State University
• George Mason University
• Michigan State University
• San Diego State University
• University of California at Berkeley
• Washington State University

Developing and Implementing High-Performance Teams is a practical, step by step system for developing and sustaining a high performing team. This method teaches a team, and each person within a team, to dramatically improve relationships, planning, quality and productivity. The results attained are long lasting and measurable; it is effective for any type of team, including management teams. You will be able to re-energize existing teams, and know specifically what team structure is best suited for your company, your department or the project. Our system of team development is often used company-wide to transform the organizational culture into both a customer and team-driven environment. It will increase your bottom line.

Facilitative Leadership; Advanced Facilitative Leadership

Today's managers and team leaders must manage differently; they must be able to manage groups and individuals, and take on the roles of coach and facilitator. Facilitative Leadership, beginning and advanced, are two of JPA's most popular courses. It teaches highly effective and sophisticated skills and techniques to run everything from process improvement to senior management meetings. Learn conflict resolution in groups, specific tools for handling difficult people, and problem solving, decision-making and process (re) engineering tools that will get individuals and groups to their goals.

Leadership Skills for the Technically Trained Professional

Today's technical manager and project leaders must take charge of their profession and become highly skilled leaders, developing and managing people as well as technical skills. Leadership Skills for Technically Trained Professionals teaches the communication, performance and leadership skills required for both managing individuals and teams. You will learn how to recognize and handle the various personality styles of your peers, employees and customers. Learn to communicate and resolve conflicts with maximum impact!

Negotiate! Win/Win Results in Today's Competitive Market

Negotiation skills are fundamental to quality customer service and vital for selling your company's products or services. Internal negotiation is also crucially important for decision making, teamwork and problem solving. But you won't be successful if you can't negotiate on-going workplace alliances, or keep your customers plus generate referrals. Negotiate! teaches you to gain the trust of others with integrity, identify needs, present your opinions, cut through the daily business routine that deadlocks decision-making, and strategies, strategies and more strategies!

World Class Quality and Customer Service

To be on the leading edge in today's global economy, organizations must not only satisfy customers' expectations, but also anticipate their needs. "World Class Quality and Customer Service" draws from Joan's years of experience working with customer service departments. As a training program, she will teach people the specifics of customer service, from gathering and tracking information, to handling the telephone, to handling complaints and solving problems. As a highly entertaining keynote, Joan draws from her international work with companies around the world to share the secrets of outstanding quality and customer service, and you learn the secrets necessary to be customer driven in a culturally diverse world. In all cases, learn the details of anticipation, one of the greatest reasons for successful companies and departments in the past, present and future.

How To Handle Customer Complaints

How to Handle Customer Complaints focuses specifically on the hardest part of working with internal and external customers: how to successfully resolve complaints, both on the telephone and in person. Learn how to match strategies to personality types, control the conversation and how to resolve conflicts with key phrases, actions, and negotiation skills. Learn how to turn complaints into opportunities and keep your customers coming back again and again!

So Who's Afraid of a Little Conflict and Change?

You can be guaranteed that as we approach the 21st century, changes will continue to occur in the workplace--and with change comes conflict! So Who's Afraid of a Little Conflict and Change? as a seminar teaches you how to implement change in an organization, department or group as smoothly as possible, how to mediate all types of conflicts, and the communications skills needed to be effective change agents and resolve the natural conflicts that arise when people work together and adapt to change together. Whatever your profession or industry, this program is customized to teach you the psychology of change and how to handle your most challenging people and situations. As a keynote, this is one of Joan's most popular speeches. Believe it or not, who thought conflict could be so fun--and funny?!

Building Bridges through Cultural Diversity and Cross-Cultural Communication

Another highly popular keynote or seminar, audiences around the world have taken advantage of Joan's international expertise and educational background in cultural diversity to talk about this critically important, yet highly sensitive topic. Building Bridges through Cultural Diversity and Cross-Cultural Communication will be your passport to learning about cultural diversity in organizations, and around the world! You will learn how one's cultural origin affects communication, how to overcome difficulties originating from unintentional as well as intentional bias, and techniques to avoid cultural faux pas. This program is presented in a caring manner that is educational as well as highly entertaining.

Leadership & The Power of Positive Persuasion

Leadership is not about a position within an organization - it is about the ability to empower others! Leadership and The Power of Positive Persuasion teaches strategies for establishing a leadership position and empowering others. Learn specific persuasion techniques and develop collaborative skills to communicates confidently and gain the respect of both your department and your "customers!" This is a popular keynote or breakout session.

Train the Trainer/Presentation Skills

These two highly interactive programs focus on public speaking, delivery and how to interact with the audience effectively. Train the Trainer/ Presentation Skills will cover all the facets of speaking and/or training skills, such as managing stage fright, using body language, voice and words to impact presentations. Learn how to teach, facilitate and entertain and how to build immediate rapport with any size or level group. Also, a presentation or training program will not be a success without successful preparation, so a highly efficient process for preparing training modules and speeches is taught. The presentation skills program is useful for any type of presentation you have to give, as is the train the trainer process.

The Breakthrough to Success: How to Get Out Of Your Own Way

Sometimes success--whether it be fame, fortune, or your own personal definition--is easier to achieve than you might think. In fact, what you think could very well be the greatest obstacle in your path! The Breakthrough to Success: How To Get Out Of Your Own Way! is a highly popular motivational keynote that inspires and entertains while giving some real food for thought. Learn the real nature of success and failure, where you personally stop yourself from achieving more, and how to use failure as a stepping stone for success.

Planning your next conference or need a trainer?

A Joan Pastor keynote or program is always:

• Fun
• Educational
• Interactive