Human Resources Events Key Terms

Learn key terms that can help your HR staff locate resources and build relationships

By Michele Vrouvas

Part of any human resource professional’s job is to build professional relationships that end up benefiting the company. That usually means attending events like seminars and forums sponsored by professional associations that focus on business enhancement skills. These skills range from improving interviewing techniques to crafting procedures that help the company navigate smoothly through times of critical change. Review some key terms describing these human resources events to identify opportunities for improving your organizational culture.

Business enhancement skills seminars

At business enhancement skills seminars, HR professionals learn how to assess their levels of competency in various areas so that they can identify strengths and weaknesses. These areas include how to set priorities, improve interpersonal communications, become more assertive, identify and meet new challenges and develop business savvy.
Try: The business enhancement skills seminars offered by the American Management Association focus on each of these areas in detail.

Compensation and total rewards seminars

Especially in their first year on the job, HR professionals spend much of their time attending compensation and total rewards seminars. These events help them understand how companies determine employee compensation based on actual performance. HR professionals also learn how to analyze the various components of a total rewards program which compensates employees for subjective qualities, like talent and effort.
Try: Read the Minnesota Council of Non Profits’ discussion of these seminars to understand how they guide HR professionals with employee management and compensation policies.

Managing multiple priorities

"Multi-tasking" has been a buzz word among HR professionals for quite some time. It's no wonder, then, that some HR events focus on managing multiple priorities at work. It's based on the idea that today's professionals are expected to multi-task projects of equal significance. These events encourage you to manage multiple priorities by taking advantage of team work opportunities and relying on time-saving strategies.
Try: National Seminar Training’s discussion of how to determine priorities at work recommends goal setting as a reliable approach.

Critical thinking skills for leaders

Any HR event devoted to leadership and management training is going to include a presentation on critical thinking skills for leaders. These skills include the ability to suggest new approaches, identify challenges and suggest solutions for them and know when and how to make informed decisions.
Try: Go to Alliance Tac to learn the various processes involved in these critical thinking skills which are essential for managers at all levels.

Change management seminar

With many companies laying off employees, re-structuring and merging, HR professionals are seeing the benefit of attending at least one change management seminar. These events stress the importance of designing change management policies that help your retained employees cope when their co-workers have been laid off and also communicate to the public your company's reasons for restructuring.
Try: Achieve Max explains how a change management seminar can give HR people a step-by-step process to get them started on designing a change management program.

Professional development seminars

Professional development seminars are the HR events most frequently attended by public relations people. The focus at these seminars is on the news and trends in the public relations field that tell professionals the recent political, economic and social challenges their organizations are likely to face.
Try: The professional development seminars at PRSA are particularly designed to provide public relations personnel with resources for learning about these new challenges and tips on how to respond to them.