Winner of the July 8, 2022 Typsy Tourism Operator Incentive Program
Congratulations are in order! The team at Stevenson Inn and Spa all completed the Typsy training course, “Interacting with Guests”, which qualified them to enter a draw for a chance to win a team-building experience – valued at $500 - through RTO7. As the lucky winners, the Stevenson team spent a fantastic day at Vetta Spa on December 13th, consisting of a super constructive three-hour meeting, building gingerbread houses “just for fun”, savouring a delicious lunch and treating the full-time staff to a day at the spa itself.
As Stephen Milne, co-owner of the inn and spa with his wife Susanne, says “It truly was a great and much needed team building experience. As a small business, we almost never have the time or disposable income to do these types of important things with our staff.”
A big thank you to the crew at Stevenson’s for using the Typsy platform and thank you in advance for continuing to use it as a training tool for your new staff members.
Did You Know?
Typsy training is open to all levels of employers and employees – business owners, managers, full-time and part-time staff, and seasonal employees.
After you’ve read about our choices below, we encourage you to try Typsy out for yourself and to share this awesome training tool with your staff and co-workers.
Bill Sullivan, CEO, RTO7 / BruceGreySimcoe
Typsy Pick of the Month: Rostering (Scheduling) Management
Total Course Length: 41 minutes
Rostering (Scheduling) management is another solution to help address the labour issues that plague our industry right now. This course is worth the watch and might be worth doing a second time to ensure you get all of the great information that will help your business succeed. Probably the thing that I thought was most noteworthy is that scheduling should not be seen as task but as a management tool to optimize the performance and profitability of your business. All too often, scheduling is left to the last minute and is rushed. This course outlines why it should not be treated that way and what steps to take to develop a schedule that meets the needs of the employee and the employer. The course will also show you what the end results could look like. One last item that is reinforced throughout the course is the need for compliance with the employment law. It is a good reminder that we should review our Employment Standards Act regularly and ensure that our business leadership teams are aware of the regulations necessary to be in compliance.
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: Body Language Basics
Total Course Length: 33 minutes
I enjoyed this short course. I think I know the importance of body language but it’s a really good reminder of how to set people at ease (in a work or social setting) especially when human nature is to judge people instantaneously.
It was a reminder that when people can’t see you (e.g. over the phone), in the absence of being able to observe you, people make assumptions about your intent, and they’re most often pessimistic assumptions (regardless of whether that’s your intent).
I learned the history behind the handshake and why I much prefer a firm handshake. I’m interested by how things have changed since covid - does the fist bump convey the same information as a handshake?
All in all, worth a watch…and if you listen carefully if you’re on the phone with me in the next few weeks (or at least while it’s fresh in my mind), you’ll be able to hear me smiling ;)
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: Wine 101 for Servers
Total Course Length: 28 minutes
Although I’m not a server, I am a drinker of wine. By taking the course, Wine 101 for Servers, I discovered lots of useful and practical information about serving and tasting wine - how to properly open a bottle of wine, the correct serving temperature for different varieties of wine and how to hold a wine glass (all of which I’ve been doing incorrectly for years!). There is also a lesson on how to know when a bottle of wine is “off” and how to handle this as a server. This is an excellent starter course for anyone who is a server or, like me, hosts gatherings and wants to serve a glass of wine with ceremony and class. The instructor, Kristene King Thrall, is extremely knowledgeable and each lesson is offered in quick, easy-to-follow bite-size pieces. What I learned is that serving wine is not as complicated or intimidating as you may think and I’m looking forward to impressing family friends with my wine serving finesse during this festive season. Cheers!
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: Sustainability 101
Total Course Length: 54 minutes
The idea of becoming more sustainable can be overwhelming. Almost every aspect of our lives can be viewed through a sustainability lens. This can make ‘becoming sustainable’ a very intimidating experience. Earth Check partnered with Typsy to produce ‘Sustainability 101’. Dr. Natasha Montesalvo will show you what you can do in your work and home lives to live a more sustainable life. She provides some practical and easy ideas to begin on your journey. This course provides some key insights you can share with your guests, starting is as easy as turning off the lights!
BONUS: This program will provide you with your Typsy certificate and a badge through badgr.
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: Relationships for Leaders
Total Course Length: 59 minutes
Monisha Dewan leads this nearly 60-minute, 12-lesson course on Relationships for Leaders. I personally did this course in multiple sittings and found it more enjoyable that way. Emotional intelligence is not always a topic discussed as a leadership quality, but Dewan offers some great insight into how valuable strong relationships, rapport, networking, and EQ are in building a great team in the workplace. I enjoyed the fact that Dewan admitted that while this is a challenging time for the tourism and hospitality industry, she truly feels stronger work relationships can help us succeed. This course offers everything from tips on building rapport with coworkers (‘Hey you like Elton John? I like Elton John too’) to the value of being a good listener and finding common ground and shared values in an increasingly diverse workforce. She covers six techniques of persuasion, offers tips for networking and perhaps most importantly, offers suggestions on how to build regular feedback from staff into your workplace. The final section on taking feedback constructively and putting it to use was very down to earth, especially when Dewan admitted that negative feedback can trigger a fight or flight response, similar to when we’re in danger, which explains why so many of us have knee-jerk reactions to what would otherwise be constructive criticism. I enjoyed this quote from Mother Theresa: “I can do things you cannot. You can do things I cannot. Together, we can do great things.”
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: Latte Art Fundamentals
Total Course Length: 56 minutes
The holiday season is upon us and I am going to wow our family and friends by serving up fancy coffee-based beverages! We purchased a SMEG espresso machine over a year ago and have used it twice, now is our time to get better acquainted. This Typsy course taught by Alessandro Zengiaro is easy to follow, uses many visuals and after each lesson a step-by-step guide is provided for you. I may not have mastered the swan yet, but I’d say my heart skills will put smiles on faces over the holidays. Have some fun with this one! Happy Holidays.
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: Pastry Fundamentals
Total Course Length: 41 minutes
My greatest weakness in the workplace is my complete lack of self-control when it comes to the office donut and other delightful sweets that often appear. All jokes aside, I do love both sweet and savory pastries, but I have always felt too intimidated to explore the art in my own time. After watching this course, I’m certainly not any closer to becoming even a hobby pastry chef, but I do have a better understanding of the tools needed and the specific ingredients that are commonly used. If you want to learn how to bake a classic Vienna cookie for your holiday dessert platter, this course is for you! Also ideal for anyone interested in expanding their skill set in the kitchen or exploring a career in culinary arts.
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.