Professional Development III

The Wild, Wild West: Wrangling Local Government Social Media Accounts

Managing social media for a local government can feel like the Wild West—fast-moving, highly visible, and often unpredictable. Participants will gain a practical understanding of today’s major social media platforms, including who uses them and how each can be leveraged to meet specific goals.

The presentation will also cover:

Today’s major social media platforms, including who uses them and how each can be leveraged to meet specific goals
What content is appropriate, effective, and compliant for government channels—balancing engagement with clarity, accuracy, and public service priorities
Community engagement—fostering interaction, responding to criticism, and managing negative comments with professionalism and trust
Legal fundamentals that govern public sector social media
Empowering your elected officials to follow the law
Presentation will include a Q&A and interactive activities.

Let’s Network the Process: Real Solutions, Real Connections

What’s working in your office—and what could work better? This high-energy, peer-driven session brings clerks and recorders together for interactive roundtable discussions focused on real challenges and real solutions.

From technology and software tools to records management, workflows, and public records requests, the conversation is driven by you. Share your experiences, ask questions, and tap into the collective knowledge of your peers to uncover practical strategies that make a difference.

This isn’t just a discussion—it’s a working session. You’ll leave with fresh ideas, proven approaches, valuable resources, and new professional connections you can rely on long after the session ends.

How Can I Help? De-escalation in the Workplace

As observations of escalated behaviors have increased, outward facing staff need fresh tools for realistic expectations, healthy boundaries, and authentic connection. In this highly interactive workshop, we look at the crucial role of purpose, keys to prevent power struggles, and what to do when you need to exit an interaction. This workshop focuses on escalation prevention, and mental health for staff and clients or patrons. This workshop does not address conflict that includes physical violence, but rather the cumulative weight of increased anger, outbursts, and anxiety in the public sector. At the end of this workshop participants will have practiced skills in the following areas:

Reconnecting with the importance of purpose in seasons of high stress.
Uncover what is at the root of most escalated interactions
Use fresh language tools to circumvent power struggles
Identify before, during, and after work practices for mental health support

Leading with Purpose: How to Influence, Connect, and Navigate Conflict

You don’t need a specific title to be a leader—you just need a clear sense of purpose. In this session, we'll begin by exploring your professional "North Star"—the purpose that keeps you steady and resilient when things get tough.

Once you have that foundation, we’ll dive into the human side of work: communication and conflict. We’ll explore how to use your organization’s values to build bridges and turn awkward, "stuck" conversations into productive breakthroughs.

Records Ready: A City Clerk's Guide to Retention and Disposition

This presentation, led by Megan Gregor, CMC, MLIS of MG Consulting Services LLC, offers city clerks a focused, practical guide to the final stages of the records lifecycle—applying retention schedules and carrying out proper disposition. Participants will learn how to interpret and implement retention schedules, understand the legal and operational importance of timely records disposition, and apply best practices for managing both paper and electronic records. The session emphasizes strategies for legal compliance, cost savings, and organizational efficiency, ensuring agencies remain organized, accountable, and in line with state and local requirements.

Developing Effective Workplace Policies

Does your organization rely too heavily on the “institutional knowledge” of longtime employees? Do you struggle to get staff to read (or follow) your agency’s rules? Are your existing policies outdated? In this session, the trainer will provide you with critical tools for creating “reader-friendly” rules, such as:

Learn what policies should (and shouldn’t) include.
How to plan policies before you write them.
Editing policies for clarity & brevity.
Formatting policies so they’re easy to skim.

The Role of the Clerk Revisited and Your Future in the Clerkdom

So, you’ve completed PD I, II and III – what’s next? In this session we will revisit the facets of the clerk profession discussed in PD I (The Role of the Clerk) and reflect on your experiences thus far in the Clerkdom. We will explore and identify your unique values as a clerk – what is important to you about your work, role, and career; consider your professional goals and aspirations; and discuss further education and professional development opportunities.

Speaking to Be Heard Above the Noise - Public Speaking Skills for the Professional

In today’s fast-scrolling, soundbite-driven world, your message must be clear, concise, and compelling—delivered in seconds and remembered for days.

In this powerful session, Executive Speech Coach Deb Sofield equips professionals with the tools to speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose across every platform—whether you’re on stage, on camera, or online.

You’ll Learn How To:

Set the Stage for Success – Build credibility and command attention from the first word
Use Body Language as a Superpower – Reinforce your message with confident presence
Choose Words That Matter – Avoid costly missteps and speak with influence and intention

Whether you’re pitching to clients, speaking at conferences, or going live on social media, this training gives you the tools to rise above the noise—and lead the conversation.

With a blend of foundational techniques and modern communication strategies, this session is ideal for professionals who need to make a lasting impact - fast.

“Don’t just speak to be heard. Speak to be remembered.” – Deb Sofield.

Not Reinventing, but Reimagining the Wheel: ChatGPT for Municipal Clerks

In an era of rapid technological advancement, municipal clerks are increasingly tasked with finding efficient ways to manage their workloads while maintaining the high standards required for public service. This session will explore how ChatGPT can be seamlessly integrated into the daily operations of municipal offices to enhance productivity, streamline processes, and improve public engagement.

Participants will gain insights into how ChatGPT can assist with drafting documents, generating responses to common inquiries, managing schedules, and supporting complex tasks such as research and report generation. Rather than completely overhauling existing workflows, this session will focus on practical ways to incorporate AI technology, allowing clerks to leverage their existing expertise while reducing repetitive tasks.

Participants will take a deep dive into real-world applications, success stories, and a live demonstration of ChatGPT in action. This session is designed for clerks at all levels of tech proficiency, aiming to empower you with the tools and confidence needed to enhance your office's operations without losing the human touch that is so critical to public service.

Discover how ChatGPT can be your new ally in reimagining your role and making your day-to-day responsibilities more manageable and impactful.