Confident communication is one of the most essential—and most learnable—leadership skills. In this highly interactive half-day workshop, participants will explore the building blocks of effective speaking, whether presenting in a board meeting, leading a team discussion, pitching an idea, or engaging with clients and colleagues. Through practical exercises, real-time learning support, and hands-on skill application, participants will learn how to use body language, voice, and presence to strengthen their message and connect with their audience.

The session blends public speaking fundamentals with workplace communication strategies, giving participants practical tools to structure clear presentations, anticipate and respond to questions, and manage nervousness with greater ease. Each participant will create and deliver a short pitch or presentation, receiving supportive feedback to enhance confidence and impact. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Apply core principles of confident communication, including effective body language, voice control, and presence.
• Structure a clear, engaging presentation or short speech using simple, adaptable frameworks.
• Communicate more skillfully with colleagues, clients, and managers in everyday professional interactions.
• Identify strategies to manage nerves and stay grounded when speaking in meetings or public settings.
• Anticipate potential questions or objections and prepare strong, thoughtful responses.
• Deliver a short presentation or pitch and integrate feedback to strengthen confidence and clarity.

Stacey Commer is a Project Five Team Instructor and a former broadcast journalist with a 36-year career in radio and television, including 27 years as a News Director. An award-winning communicator and recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal, Stacey now specializes in helping professionals become confident, compelling public speakers. She delivers workshops across sectors, supports executives with speech preparation, and teaches practical strategies for presenting with clarity, presence, and impact. Stacey also serves on the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council and the NAIT Radio & Television Board.

Leadership transitions • Professional growth • Preparing for what’s next

Making the decision to take on or even explore a new position, can feel overwhelming, daunting, exciting, hopeful, and energizing. There is a gambit of reasons someone might want to transition to a new role, and many people feel conflicted. Maybe you like your work, but not the people you work with, and maybe it’s the opposite. During this lunch and learn session, we will explore key aspects to prepare yourself to successfully transition to a new role. We will look at how to know when it’s time to look for something different, who can you trust for advice, and how to make the best decision for yourself. Through self-reflection and group discussion, I will share strategies that will help you cope with change, manage the transition, and lay a foundation that will support your success.

You will leave with practical strategies to:

• Manage a change.
• Navigate transition thoughtfully,
• Lay a strong foundation for success in a new role.

Ideal for: emerging leaders, professionals stepping into new responsibilities, or employees considering a role change or advancement.

Deanne Kaar has cultivated her leadership, coaching, and organizational development expertise over many years as a senior leader within the health care and not-for-profit sectors. Utilizing her background in mental health and addiction services, she supports leaders in a kind, compassionate, and understanding way to develop plans that successfully address challenges. Deanne has worked with many teams to improve morale and engagement, enhance leadership capacity, increase quality of services, and create sustainable change. On an individual basis, Deanne enjoys coaching leaders to explore what is working and not working, identify and build new skills, and find hope where challenges exist. Organizationally, she works with leaders to take action that align with the strategic direction, develop measures for success, and utilizes a systems thinking to address issues. With her engaging, transparent, and fun approach, Deanne values developing trusting relationships, and takes a growth mindset when facing adversity.

Most leaders know what to do in conflict—yet when emotions rise and stakes feel high, their skills vanish. This is completely normal. Conflict is not just a cognitive challenge; it is a nervous system event. When our bodies react, our access to logic, communication tools, and leadership presence narrows. In this engaging Lunch & Learn, Conflict Engagement Specialist Jae Morgans unpacks why conflict remains one of the most challenging leadership capabilities to build—and what it actually takes to strengthen it. Through a trauma-informed lens, participants will explore how to move from reactivity to grounded, intentional action during difficult moments. You will learn how to:

• Recognize and navigate the nervous system roadblocks that derail conflict skills
• Understand how trauma, memory, and stress responses shape real-time reactions
• Identify the core elements of meaningful, sustainable conflict training
• Build an intentional practice that transforms anxiety into skillful capacity

Whether conflict leaves you avoiding tough conversations or rushing in too quickly, this session helps with what’s happening beneath the surface—and how you can shift it.

Jae Morgans is a nationally designated mediator (C.Med) and qualified arbitrator (Q.Arb) with two decades of experience supporting individuals and organizations through conflict. Jae holds a BA in Justice Studies from Royal Roads University and advanced certifications in mediation, negotiation, and family mediation from the Justice Institute of BC. As the Conflict Engagement Specialist at the University of Saskatchewan, Jae provides trauma-informed conflict coaching, skill development, and structured dialogue support to help leaders and teams stay grounded, connected, and effective under pressure.

A unique training that draws on principles from physics to explore systems thinking, influence, and energy in leadership.

What if the secrets of great leadership were hidden in the laws of physics? This session uses gravity, momentum, and even quantum leaps as powerful metaphors for leading people and shaping organizations — sparking fresh insights, challenging assumptions, and revealing leadership in a whole new light. In this session, participants will:

• Explore leadership through the lens of physics, connecting core concepts to guiding teams, shaping culture, and leading change.
• Discover how managing energy, momentum, and balance builds trust and drives results.
• Turn ideas like force, pressure, and resilience into practical leadership strategies.

Palash Sanyal is a leadership coach, facilitator, and governance expert who works at the intersection of systems thinking, sustainability, and decision science. With experience spanning boardrooms, classrooms, and global organisations, he helps leaders turn complexity into clarity and build resilient, human-centred organisations.

This session explores how leaders can care for themselves to prevent burnout, build resilience, and model a healthier organizational culture by learning to:

• Recognize that sustainable leadership depends on being resourced, not depleted.
• Differentiate between self-soothing (temporary relief) and self-care (true repair), and why self-care is essential for ethical leadership.
• Apply small, intentional habits—like boundary-setting and rest—that build resilience and foster a healthier culture.

Rojette Besana is a Mental Health Worker & Workplace Wellness Facilitator with CMHA Saskatoon who brings a background in psychology and experience supporting children, youth, and families through advocacy and education. Inspired by her own journey and upbringing in the Philippines—where mental health was often considered taboo—she is passionate about creating awareness and safe spaces where people feel supported and understood.