Keeping It Short and Sweet – Bite-Sized Typsy Courses Featured This Month
Welcome to the 7th edition of RTO7’s staff picks of the month as we share our experiences and recommendations of the courses offered on Typsy! For March, which has been a busy month for us, most of us have chosen a short mentor session or lesson, less than 10 minutes long,
Typsy is the on-line training platform that is available free-of charge to those that work in the tourism industry in BruceGreySimcoe. The training is open to all levels of employers and employees – business owners, managers, full-time and part-time staff, and seasonal employees.
You can complete the training anytime, anywhere, too, as it’s available 24-7 – download the app to your phone and train on the go.
After you’ve read about our choices below, we encourage you to try Typsy out for yourself and be sure to share this awesome training tool with your staff and co-workers.
Bill Sullivan, CEO, RTO7 / BruceGreySimcoe
Typsy Pick of the Month: Fostering a Resilient Workplace
Total Course Length: 5 minutes
We have heard that a few stakeholders have not had the time to complete an entire course, so this month a few members of the team are trying something different. We are reviewing a lesson that is a part of a course. Our hope is that our write up will encourage the stakeholder to commit to a review of one lesson and that review will encourage them to become interested in completing the full course. I was somewhat skeptical that this would work on me.
The lesson that I choose to review is ‘Fostering a resilient workplace’. Some of you may know that I have spent most of my career in a leadership role. Somedays, I am very good at it, other days there was/is plenty of room for improvement. An area that I have often felt that I could be better at is ‘fostering a resilient workplace’. How do I keep the team members engaged, communicating openly without fear of retribution from leadership or other team members, challenging themselves to be even more productive than they already are, being comfortable to ask for help. The list goes on. This particular lesson did not answer all of those questions, but it did give me ideas of how to open and keep the door open to a productive dialogue, sometimes monologue, and keeping team members working towards the same goal.
My skeptic self was proven wrong, this lesson has tweaked my interest enough to complete the course within the week. I think the rest of the team will benefit from my doing so.
More About Bill
Bill Sullivan is the CEO of Regional Tourism Organization 7, BruceGreySimcoe. Bill has over 40 years in senior management roles within the hospitality and tourism industry in rural Ontario. Bill’s operational experience during previous booms, recessions, emergencies, pandemics is assisting the industry on its road to recovery. Bill is responsible for strategic planning and operations of the organization. Prior to joining RTO7, Bill held progressive management positions over a 30-year career in resort operations. Bill received his education in the Hospitality and Tourism program at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University).
Alex Hogan, Project & Administration Manager, RTO7 / BruceGreySimcoe
Typsy Pick of the Month: Effective Communication Essentials
Total Course Length: 42 minutes
This is a good basic overview of effective communications, regardless of whether it’s verbal, written, or non-verbal communication. The course reviews how important how you say things (Pitch, Pace, Projection, Pause and Pronunciation) is to the feeling you project, and it does this effectively with a simple phrase, which can be understood very differently based on switching up the Five P’s. The instructor presents another good example that illustrates how to be (or not be) precise in your communications. Another good reminder for me was the value in asking questions – not to pretend you understand something that you don’t, but to focus more on learning than on ‘succeeding’. A good overview of principles to keep in mind to ensure your meaning is taken as intended (plus strategies for when it's not).
More About Alex
Alex Hogan is the Program & Administration Manager at RTO7 and has over 20 years’ experience managing a wide variety of projects. Alex brings strong communication and organizational skills to projects to meet the needs and objectives of partners and projects. She manages the Partnership Program, as well as contributing to sustainable tourism and workforce development projects. Prior to RTO7, Alex managed training projects for a Toronto based environmental consulting company specializing in waste management and climate change issues. She graduated from Environment and Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo.
Ginny Henry, Communication Coordinator, RTO7 / BruceGreySimcoe
Typsy Pick of the Month: Creating Positive Social Change
Total Course Length: 7 minutes
This month, I chose a mentor session over a course as I had watched this session several months ago and loved the concept, so thought it was worth a share. One of my personal beliefs I’ve carried throughout my working career is that the job I do, and the role I play, matters, so this session totally resonated with me.
This stand-alone session is only seven minutes long but is totally packed with information and positivity. Presenter Hannah Brennan believes there are things we can all do in life to bring about social change.
After working for years in the hospitality industry, Hannah noticed a gap between inexperienced young people eager for work and prospective employers who needed staff reluctant to hire inexperienced workers. Thus, Scarf was born. This not-for-profit organization assists young people, predominantly those that need protection – migrants and refugees – who are both motivated and talented yet lack experience in the hospitality industry.
Through partnerships with restaurants and other hospitality businesses, Scarf’s ten-week training program offers its participants hands-on training, mentoring and a paid work experience. Hannah closes with these words at the end of this video, “If more businesses hired based on attitude rather than experience, it would mean that all young people would have equal opportunity for jobs. And that’s what we want to see. That’s our ultimate goal”.
More About Ginny
Ginny Henry is the Communication Coordinator at Regional Tourism Organization 7 / BruceGreySimcoe. Her career in the tourism industry started from the “bottom up”, with a summer job cleaning toilets and rooms at a family-run motel in Port Elgin, Ontario just over 40 years ago. Many of her job choices were inspired by the words, “it’s something I’ve always wanted to do”, with a strong focus on customer service, tourism, event organization and small business support. Her role at RTO7 includes social media, overseeing the seasonal partnership/image campaigns, newsletters, website content and pretty much anything communication-related that crops up. Ginny has a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University in Ottawa.
Kim Clarke, Manager, Stakeholder Relations RTO7 / BruceGreySimcoe
Typsy Pick of the Month: Personal Protective Equipment
Total Course Length: 12 minutes
The WHS (Workplace Health & Safety) series covers a few different topics. This month, I chose Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Although this is a short course (slightly over 12 minutes), there is a lot of information packed in. Luke Croston does a terrific job keeping the content moving and provides a bit of comic relief for a topic that some might find a bit dry. PPE isn’t just for construction sites or skilled trades. I discovered, that when I break it down, there are more hazards that you would come into contact within a hospitality job, or even in your everyday life!
Here are three tips I learned:
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Create a maintenance schedule to look after your PPE.
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Wear PPE when it’s appropriate to do so and don’t when it’s not.
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Just because the topic of PPE is easy to learn, doesn’t mean it’s not important.
More About Kim
Kim Clarke is the Manger, Stakeholder Relations at Regional Tourism Organization 7 / BruceGreySimcoe. Kim has spent over 15 years in the tourism industry working in destination development and management. She works closely with a variety of stakeholders to help them create amazing new experiences, managing visitation and works to find solutions to the workforce crisis. Kim is the lead for the experience and workforce development files at RTO7. She received her formal education, Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Allison Davies, Communication Assistant, RTO7 / BruceGreySimcoe
Typsy Pick of the Month: Discovering Where You Fit
Total Course Length: 5 minutes
Did you know that in addition to creating full length courses on Typsy, you can also complete several stand-alone lessons or take one of their mentor sessions for a short but inspiring option? This month, I decided to review “Discovering where you fit”—a mentor session with chef Tobie Puttock.
I instantly liked Tobie. While he threw out the adage ‘If you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life’ he also joked that that’s not entirely true. Work is still work—but Tobie shared his journey from being passionate about snowboarding and skateboarding to entering the hospitality world via kitchen and restaurant work to support those existing passions. He said he nearly quit cooking several times and that it took time to discover where he fit in the culinary world. Eventually he discovered a passion for pasta, worked at some very prestigious Italian restaurants and crossed paths with Jamie Oliver. His passion and expertise in Italian cooking paid off when Oliver called him up to hire him for one of his new startup restaurants.
Tobie says that ultimately, you should be passionate and proud of what you are creating—whether that’s pasta or spreadsheets and shared that it takes time to unearth that passion. He suggests keeping an open mind, asking questions, and asking for extra experience in the areas you are drawn to. Ultimately, says Tobie, your heart and your gut will tell you where you should be going. It was an inspiring and enjoyable mentor session for a Monday morning.
More About Allison
Allison Davies is a writer, photographer and content creator who has worked for Regional Tourism Organization 7 in the Communication Assistant role for 5 years. As a trained photojournalist, she worked for many local DMOs on both writing and photography projects before joining the RTO7 team full time. Today she uses those skills to help support tourism operators by marketing the region through social media and web content. She has an English Literature degree from McGill University and a Photojournalism Diploma from Loyalist College. In her free time, Allison loves to shoot sports and continues to write for several magazines on a freelance basis.
Amanda Pausner, Experience & Administration Coordinator, RTO7 / BruceGreySimcoe
Typsy Pick of the Month: What Makes a Great Team
Total Course Length: 5 minutes
This lesson is taught by Ritchie Gibson it is bite sized, taking only five minutes to digest. The instructor describes what it takes to develop a ‘great team’. Let’s Get This Done and Do it Together! – was the mantra he quotes. Collaboration is key and the focus. This lesson is geared toward any employee looking to gain practical teamwork skills. I highly recommend it.
More About Amanda
Amanda has worked in the tourism industry for over 23 years. She joined the RTO7 team in 2018 in her current position as Experience & Administration Coordinator. She assists with administration duties, programs offered by RTO7 and, over the last two years, has led the T3 Accelerator Coaching Program, which supports small businesses in Bruce, Grey and Simcoe Counties. Previously, she worked with Grey County Tourism for 16 years, managing operator relations and working as a media relations specialist, showcasing what the area had to offer. While taking the Tourism Management course at Georgian College, Barrie she spent her summers with the Owen Sound Transportation Company (MS Chi-Cheemaun Ferry). In her spare time, Amanda enjoys travelling with her family of four and working in her many veggie gardens.
Robyn Hewitt, Program Coordinator, RTO7 / BruceGreySimcoe
Typsy Pick of the Month: Becoming a Star Employee
Total Course Length: 40 minutes
I was curious about this course because of the instructor, Dan Cockerell, who is a former vice president of Disney's Magic Kingdom, and I knew he would bring an important perspective on the topic of becoming a star employee. There is content in this course that would be applicable for young employees just starting in the workforce, but there is also useful information for owners and managers who have been in the workforce for many years. One lesson in this course that was of interest focussed on self-care and its importance in consistent work quality. Burnout is a common problem within the industry and if you are looking for guidance, take a few minutes to view this lesson, it may at least get you thinking about a positive way forward in just a few minutes. We also have resources on RTO7.ca for additional help.
More About Robyn
Robyn joined RTO7 as the Program Coordinator in August 2021 and brings a diverse background with almost 20 years of experience in various capacities of sales, marketing, and partnership development in the hospitality and tourism industry. Much of her experience is within the hotel sector where she specialized in the leisure travel trade, selling multiple properties within the Marriott family of brands. She has experience in creating integrated sales and marketing strategies and has managed the digital marketing for a large urban hotel. Robyn oversees the RTO7 Implementation Programs (OIP, SIP, RIP), as well as the administration of the Typsy training platform. She received a Business Commerce Degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and completed a Certificate of Digital Marketing Management through the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto.
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