Free Miscellaneous Topics in Chicago

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  • Humanity’s Journey Home

    Roger Breisch, Speaker / Provocateur, Dancing With Chaos

    In his book "Humanity's Journey Home," Roger talks about the future of the species Homo sapiens and our relationship to the biosphere. It is a provocative view and well received by those who are willing to take off rose-colored glasses and examine the perils we face and the paradigms that got us here. The perspective is hopeful in the long term, but realistic in the short term. MORE >

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  • Changing the Course of Human History

    Roger Breisch, Speaker / Provocateur, Dancing With Chaos

    Neil Postman once said, "Children are the living messages we send to a future we will not see." When we change the life of a young person, we change the course of human history.

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  • Questions That Matter

    Roger Breisch, Speaker / Provocateur, Dancing With Chaos

    In his book, Questions That Matter, Roger Breisch writes, “Putting aside deceitful questions—whose cadence and tone imply an answer—all questions matter. Sentences that end with the ubiquitous squiggle atop a period open the future to new possibilities. Sentences ending with just a period condemn the future to limitation and constraint. Answers have a way of ending discovery and learning; captivating questions open us to unimagined possibilities.” MORE >

    After spending more than 3500 hours answering calls on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Roger has learned a great deal about what questions truly matter in creating a life that matters.
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  • Your Brain is Lying to You!

    Roger Breisch, Speaker / Provocateur, Dancing With Chaos

    In her highly acclaimed book, Being Wrong: Adventures in the margin of error, Kathryn Schulz says “As far as we know, then, error is uniquely ours. Our fallibility is what keeps us suspended between the kingdom of lessor animals and the kingdom of God.” MORE >

    How might we be different in the world if we knew a large percentage of what we think we “know” is wrong… or at least off kilter? If we entered the world each day with the understanding there is much to learn and revise about our current thinking, might we be more curious? Better listeners?

    The human brain is a pattern making marvel, but the stories we make up based on those patterns are often wrong. We do this every day when we make up stories about others based on very little knowledge of who they really are. Might we find people are far more interesting than our first impressions leave us to believe?

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  • Injuries on the Job: Navigating a Complicated Illinois Workers’ Compensation System

    Paul Byck, Lawyer / Partner, Kreiter, Byck and Associates, LLC

    Many who suffer work related injuries have no idea what their rights are. Even worse, because of their vulnerability, they rely on the assistance of insurance adjusters - the very people whose job it is to deny or limit their benefits. There are many risks with this approach that could be detrimental to the injured party's claim. MORE >

    The lecture will focus on how to navigate a complicated workers' compensation system in Illinois, and the risks associated with trusting insurance companies to do the right thing. It will include common requests by insurance adjusters that seem harmless, but can have real consequences. The lecture will also emphasize the importance of managing a claim proactively.

    This lecture should interest any person, group or profession that is at high risk of suffering work injuries.

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  • Measuring Results From Training

    Bette Lawrence-Water, Founder and Principal Consultant, Spectrum Strategic Solutions

    Although we all know that training can have many amazing benefits, sometimes it can be hard to prove those benefits and attach a dollar value to training. Some topics, like sales training or time management, might have direct, tangible benefits. Other topics, like communication or leadership, might have benefits that you can’t put a dollar value on. MORE >

    Through this discussion participants will learn about the different ways to evaluate training progress, and how to use those results to demonstrate the results that training brings. Once the training has been evaluated the next step is to modify and updated the curriculum to create a content that is better suited for the participants.

    Presentation Objectives:
    • Understand learning styles and learning cycle
    • Understand levels of evaluation
    • Be familiar with many types of evaluation tools, including goal setting, tests, reactionary sheets, interviews, observations, hip-pocket assessments, skill assessments, and learning journals
    • Understand when to use each type of evaluation tool
    • Be able to perform a needs assessment
    • Know how to write learning objectives and link them to evaluation
    • Be able to write an evaluation plan to evaluate learning at each stage of the training and far beyond
    • Know how to identify the costs, benefits, and return on investment of training
    • Be familiar with the parts of a business case

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  • Take the Mystery Out of Selling Your Home

    Dale Tippett, Managing Broker, DALE D. TIPPETT, Licensed Real Estate Managing Broker

    Especially if you haven't moved for a long time or feel overwhelmed with change, you will learn how to deal with the challenges home owners face when they are hesitant to sell their homes, even though they know that they should. Join the discussion on what to do and how to do it to make your next move less stressful. MORE >

    We'll talk about the process of selling your home, getting help with your stuff, the professionals involved and more... A must for adult children and Baby Boomers.
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  • Unintended Impact: One Athlete’s Journey from Concussions an Amateur Football to CTE Dementia

    Jim Proebstle, Author

    Tragic CTE Dementia Outcome from Concussions in Amateur Football Inspires a New Book: As an athlete, Dick was revered; yet, success turned traitor as the concussions received in high school and Big Ten (MSU) football led to a world of confusion, poor decision-making, and confinement defined by a wheelchair in a long-term care facility. In his multiple levels of impaired functioning, the opportunity for Dick to “get it”—life, that is—was over. He just didn’t know it. Dick was my brother. MORE >

    Nobody will remember a backup college quarterback, but Dick’s story bridges the glamour of NFL football—its high-profile athletes and its $billion settlement for players with CTE dementia—and the millions of anonymous amateur football players who may suffer with the same concussion-induced devastation of CTE dementia. Unintended Impact covers the drama from childhood to adulthood, including numerous personal and business episodes that serve as warnings that something had been derailed. In 2015, with today’s focus on CTE, lack of knowledge is not acceptable. Yet in Dick’s life, lack of knowledge was just one of the underlying factors contributing to the heartbreak of his tragedy. How many other Dick Proebstles are there?
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  • The Bible and the Ballot – A New Vision for Christian Political Engagement

    Ted Williams III, Political Science Faculty, City Colleges of Chicago/WYCC PBS

    Faith is an increasingly controversial topic in US politics. Can diverse faith and secular communities find common ground on our nation’s most pressing issues? Should faith remain personal or can people of faith contribute to US politics? Ted’s non-partisan and holistic conversation offers a new vision for faith-based civic engagement.

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  • Domestic Violence: Treating the Abuser

    Rob Johnson, LCPC, Crossroads Counseling of Chicago

    It is not widely recognized that the perpetrators of domestic violence need help. In Partner Abuse Intervention, participants learn skills for handling conflict. Rob will discuss the background, curriculum and outcome of this intervention.

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