VitalSmarts News Feed

VitalSmarts exhibits and Joseph Grenny delivers speech at SHRM 2008 in Chicago

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:50:00 MST

VitalSmarts exhibits at the 60th Annual SHRM Conference and Exposition in Chicago June 21-24, 2008. Author Joseph Grenny will deliver an Influencer presentation on Saturday, June 21, 2008 from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Stop by the VitalSmarts Booth (#3808) to receive a free copy of Crucial Conversations or Crucial Confrontations. The conference will be held at McCormick Place West in Chicago, IL.

VitalSmarts exhibits and Steve Willis presents at Safety 2008 in Las Vegas.

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:00:00 -0700

VitalSmarts exhibits at the American Society of Safety Engineers' Safety 2008 conference in Las, Vegas, Nevada, June 9-11, 2008. World class speaker and leadership consultant, Steve Willis, will deliver a presentation on Crucial Confrontations on Wednesday, June 11, from 10:45 am to 12:00 p.m. Stop by the VitalSmarts Booth (#784) to receive a free copy of Crucial Conversations or Crucial Confrontations The conference will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

VitalSmarts receives an Excellence in Practice Award and delivers a Cracker Barrel session featuring results of their practice with MaineGeneral Health at ASTD 2008 in San Diego, CA.

Fri, 30 May 2008 08:00:00 -0700

VitalSmarts and MaineGeneral Health received a coveted Excellence in Practice Award for their practice: Improving Employee Satisfaction and Patient Safety One Crucial Conversations at a Time. Mike Wilson, vice president of Business Development at VitalSmarts, and Patrice Putman, director of employee development at MaineGeneral, will present the results of their practice during their Cracker Barrel session on Monday, June 2 from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. (Session #M307). This event is part of the ASTD 2008 International Conference and Exposition.

VitalSmarts exhibits and Joseph Grenny delivers keynote at ASTD 2008 in San Diego, CA.

Fri, 30 May 2008 08:00:00 -0700

VitalSmarts exhibits at the ASTD 2008 International Conference & Exposition in San Diego June 1-4, 2008. Author Joseph Grenny will deliver a keynote presentation on Influencer on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 from 10:00 - 11:15 a.m. in room 11AB of the San Diego Convention Center. He will be available to sign books following his presentation from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the ASTD Bookstore. Stop by the VitalSmarts Booth (#217) to receive a free copy of Crucial Conversations or Crucial Confrontations The conference will be held at the San Diego Convention Center.

VitalSmarts exhibits and Ron McMillan delivers keynote at the AACN Tradeshow in Chicago

Fri, 2 May 2008 08:00:00 -0700

VitalSmarts exhibits at the National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition in Chicago May 3-8, 2008. Author Ron McMillan will deliver a keynote presentation on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 from 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. followed by a book signing at the VitalSmarts booth from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and at the conference bookstore from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Stop by the VitalSmarts Booth (#2879) to receive a free copy of Crucial Conversations or Crucial Confrontations. The conference will be held at McCormick Place West in Chicago, IL.

VitalSmarts’ Training Programs Receive the Industry’s Highest Approval Status

Thu, 1 May 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Internationally-recognized association approves VitalSmarts as an Authorized Provider of training products

PROVO, UT—Apr 28, 2008—VitalSmarts, an innovator in corporate training and organizational performance, is now a certified education provider as recognized by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). According to IACET, VitalSmarts’ three training programs, Crucial Conversations®, Crucial Confrontations™ and Influencer Training™, meet the training industry’s highest standards for continuing education.

IACET, an internationally recognized and highly regarded non-profit organization, approves training products for continuing education units according to compliance to the organization’s standards for design, development and delivery. Thousands of companies have requested IACET’s approval in efforts to enjoy the organization’s prestigious credentials and the advantages that approval status brings over non-authorized competitors.

Benefits of IACET approval include immediate acceptance into hundreds of professional associations as a trusted training provider.

“Our training programs have always received outstanding reviews from participants,” said Al Switzler, cofounder of VitalSmarts. “Having IACET’s stamp of approval further validates our courses by setting them apart as some of the most trusted and valued education credits available in the industry.”

IACET Commissioner John Gomez personally reviewed VitalSmarts’ programs and toured the corporate headquarters. “IACET's standards are considered the bench in the continuing education industry,” said Gomez. “And VitalSmarts is now recognized as a valuable member of the IACET organization.”

Commissioned by the U.S. Bureau of Education in 1968, IACET developed from a national task force focused on improving continuing education that was composed of leaders in the American Medical Association, American Nursing Association and other continuing education groups. The task force established the universal guidelines for training and continuing education and formed IACET as the governing body to promote, monitor and enhance these guidelines of quality. The IACET certification is now the worldwide industry standard that thousands of vendors seek for their educational programs.

Sue Stein, a 30-year veteran in the training and consulting industry says, “VitalSmarts’ training is highly respected in this industry and the IACET seal is a confirmation of this to me, my students and others who require Continuing Education Units for professional development. By achieving this recognition, I am assured that VitalSmarts’ courses are meeting and exceeding best practices in design, delivery and update of their programs.”

For more information regarding the IACET approval and Continuing Education Credits offered by VitalSmarts, please visit www.vitalsmarts.com/continuingeducation.aspx.

About VitalSmarts

An innovator in corporate training and organizational performance, VitalSmarts is home to award-winning training products that deliver powerful tools to enrich relationships and improve end results. The company also has three New York Times bestselling books, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer. VitalSmarts has been listed twice on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies and has taught more than 2 million people worldwide. www.vitalsmarts.com

Note to editors: Al Switzler, cofounder of VitalSmarts is available for interviews.

CONTACT: Brittney Maxfield of VitalSmarts, L.L.C. +1-801-724-6272, or bmaxfield@vitalsmarts.com.

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VitalSmarts exhibits at ACPE Tradeshow in New York

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0700

VitalSmarts exhibits at the annual American College of Physician Executives in New York, New York, April 19-21, 2008. Author David Maxfield will conduct a 2-day Influencer Training April 20-21; and VitalSmarts Master Certified Trainer, Emily Moss, will conduct a 2-day Crucial Conversations Training April 18-19. Stop by the VitalSmarts Booth to receive a free copy of Crucial Conversations or Crucial Confrontations The conference will be held at Marriott Marquis located at 1535 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.

Nearly Half of Americans Say Presidential Candidates Lack Influence

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Study shows 45 percent doubt even their preferred candidate can influence change

PROVO, UT—April 1, 2008—A study conducted by the authors of a new bestseller on influence found that despite candidates' battle cries for change, nearly half of Americans don't believe the current presidential hopefuls have the power to change the issues that matter most to them.

Specifically, the three most pressing issues respondents don't believe candidates can change are terrorism, global warming and the federal budget deficit.

The survey of 580 respondents also uncovered which front-runners voters believed would be most able to achieve his or her position if elected to office. Here's how the candidates ranked:

Barack Obama: 32 percent

Hillary Clinton: 28 percent

John McCain: 27 percent

Joseph Grenny, coauthor of Influencer: The Power to Change Anything (McGraw-Hill), says Americans' cynicism toward the current presidential candidates is a result of society's inability to influence change.

"Influence is something everyone struggles with, and powerful politicians are no exception," Grenny says. "Candidates will need a lot more than inspiring rhetoric and track records of success to convince voters they can effect real change."

Grenny's new book, Influencer, teaches that creating change requires more than throwing extra resources or more money at problems.

Grenny traveled the world to study influencers who solved major world problems such as: preventing more than five million cases of AIDS in Thailand; eradicating a debilitating disease in 11 countries in Africa; and rehabilitating more than 14,000 hardened criminals. Some of these influencers had political power behind them, most did not. But one thing they had in common was that they used the same set of powerful skills to bring about profound change.

"The good news is it is possible to change persistent and resistant problems," says Grenny. "As soon as our political leaders can acquire the skill set to assemble an influence strategy as big as the problem they're trying to tackle, they will make change in this country inevitable and increase voters' confidence."

About VitalSmarts

An innovator in corporate training and organizational performance, VitalSmarts is home to award-winning training products that deliver powerful tools that enrich relationships and improve end results. The company also has three New York Times bestselling books, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer. VitalSmarts has been listed twice on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies and has taught more than two million people worldwide. www.vitalsmarts.com

Note to editors: Joseph Grenny, coauthor of, Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, can share with your readers/viewers the common skill set used by the world's greatest influencers to solve profound problems. Fact sheet with details about the skills available upon request.

About the research: The study collected responses via online survey tool from more than 580 individuals. Margin of error is approximately 3 percent. Full survey results are available upon request.

CONTACT: Brittney Maxfield of VitalSmarts, L.L.C. +1-801-724-6272, or bmaxfield@vitalsmarts.com.

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VitalSmarts exhibits and Joseph Grenny delivers keynote at AORN Tradeshow in Anaheim

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0700

VitalSmarts exhibits at the annual Association of periOptive Registered Nurses (AORN) conference in Anaheim April 1-3, 2008. Author Joseph Grenny will deliver a keynote presentation on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. followed by a book signing in the Congress Bookstore. Stop by the VitalSmarts Booth (#2821) to receive a free copy of Crucial Conversations or Crucial Confrontations. The conference will be held at The Anaheim Convention Center located at 800 West Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92802.

Why You Can't Kill a Bad Habit with a Magic Bullet

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:00:00 -0700

New study shows using 4 influence strategies to change bad habits is 4 times more successful

New Study Reveals Most Leaders Lack Influence

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:00:00 -0700

95% of leaders fail when trying to influence bad employee behaviors.

From the bestselling authors of Crucial Conversations & Crucial Confrontations comes Influencer: The Power to Change Anything

Mon, 8 Oct 2007 08:00:00 -0700

New York Times bestselling authors Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler, along with David Maxfield, release their latest book.

VitalSmarts Sales Team Wins American Business Award

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:00:00 -0700

VitalSmarts won a Stevie Award in The 2007 American Business Awards in the category of Best Sales Team on Monday, June 11.

VitalSmarts Co-Founders Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 Award Winners in Utah Region

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 08:00:00 -0700

VitalSmarts co-founders, Al Switzler, Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan and Mike Carter, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 Award in the Utah region.

Public Displays of Insensitivity (PDIs): Why America Lacks Digital Manners

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 08:00:00 -0700

New study reveals 91% regularly encounter PDIs, but most suffer silently.

Pssst! Your Corporate Initiative Is Dead and You're the Only One Who Doesn't Know?

Fri, 9 Feb 2007 08:00:00 -0700

New research says 90% of employees know far in advance when projects are doomed but feel incapable of speaking up.

Lacking New Year's Resolve at Work?

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 08:00:00 -0700

New poll says 69 percent avoid accountability discussions with coworkers; expert provides tips for how to hold anyone accountable.

Crucial Conversations About Drugs With Teens

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 09:00:00 -0700

Survey says most parents don't discuss drugs with their teens. White House urges parents to sharpen conversation skills.

Unwrapping the Secret to Talking About Holiday Finances

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 08:00:00 -0700

Survey reveals 60 percent live with a squandering spouse, yet 78 percent stay mum

85 Percent of High-Stakes Business Initiatives Fail When Executives Avoid Discussing Five Crucial Issues

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 09:00:00 -0600

New Research Reveals Often-Ignored Human Elements Crucial to Execution

Corporate Untouchables

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 08:00:00 -0600

A New VitalSmarts Poll Reveals 93 Percent Work with an 'Untouchable' No One Confronts - an employee who gets away with anything and is accountable for almost nothing.

VitalSmarts Shifts Executive Team Focus with Three Managing Directors

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 17:00:00 -0600

VitalSmarts announced today the appointment of Mike Carter, Brett Walker and Jeff Gibbs to the positions of managing directors.

VitalSmarts Ranked #491 on the 2006 Inc. 500

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 11:30:08 -0600

Inc. magazine announced its 25th annual Inc. 500 ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. VitalSmarts ranks No. 491 on the list with three-year sales growth of 307.8 percent. This is the second consecutive year VitalSmarts has made the Inc. 500 list.

VitalSmarts Announces Crucial Conversations Training 3rd Edition

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 09:00:00 -0600

Hundreds of Enhancements Make Award-Winning Training Even Easier to Implement and Measure.