Heather Barbre Blades has a diverse career background, encompassing extensive work as a technical writer and conflict professional. After spending over a decade at Missouri State University focusing on communication and conflict management, she is now a Senior Technical Writer at Jack Henry and the co-founder of Communication and Conflict Management Associates.

Heather’s expertise in fostering collaborative cultures, her passion for research, and her dedication to building meaningful connections have been invaluable at Jack Henry. She has played a vital role in facilitating, expanding, and evaluating engagement efforts for her team of over 30 technical writers and her larger department of 140 associates. Heather is also an experienced trainer, facilitator, mediator, and conflict coach. Her passion for helping others develop communication skills and manage challenging interactions shines through, whether she is presenting to a group of 300 or supporting an individual colleague.

Get People to Do What You Want: The Magic of Influencing Without Authority)

Co-presented with: Nicole Edens

Do you ever wish you had a magic wand to get people to do what you want? While we can’t promise magic, we can offer the next best thing: everyday negotiation skills! Regardless of your role, you can use the art of interpersonal negotiation to encourage others to act in desired ways for the benefit of the group. And as a bonus, these skills can transform your professional life (and your work relationships) – no authority required!

Get ready to unlock the magic of everyday negotiation to enrich your connections with colleagues and make your professional interactions smoother and more productive.

In this session, attendees will learn:

• Why strong interpersonal negotiation skills give you more influence than your fancy title, your formal authority, or your stunning intellect.
  
• Why being likable and fostering emotional equity matters – and how to do both.
  
• The difference between positional and interest-based negotiation – and how one of these is the secret to negotiating situations to make everyone happy.
  
• Practical everyday negotiation magic tricks (skills, tips, and techniques) to persuade and influence others effectively.