Nan Gesche
M.A.
MN, US"Cracking the Collaboration Code" to allow individuals and teams to connect more authentically, engage more respectfully, and work more effectively together.
Nan Gesche, MA, is an energetic educator who uses experience, insight, and some sturdy research, all sprinkled with a little humor, to get people to see themselves and the world differently. Her passion is to “Crack the Collaboration Code” and to allow individuals and teams to connect more authentically, engage more respectfully, and work more effectively together. Her goal is to build collaboration skills to work through challenging conversations and problem-solving so people can get back to the business of reaching their goals while strengthening relationships.
Nan has been engaging large and small audiences nationally. She is a catalyst who makes change doable! Her 20 plus years of independent and corporate experience allow her to stretch people's thinking to help them focus on the realities of life and business. She has worked with diverse organizations on projects such as change management, resiliency building, conflict management, as well as working with individuals on conflict management issues.
Previously, Nan was a Change Enablement Manager for Arthur Andersen where she partnered with organizations at the outset of change initiatives to help ease organizational and personal transitions. As the Director of Training and Development for Marquette Banks, her primary responsibility was to assist in rolling seven bank charters into one. Prior to this, Nan was a commissioned National Bank Examiner and District Training & Development Officer with the Comptroller of the Currency, a division of the U.S. Treasury.
Nan currently teaches for the University of Minnesota in their Communication Studies program and the College of Continuing and Professional Studies. She also teaches at the Graduate School of Banking in Madison. She graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of North Dakota. She received her MA in Organizational Communications and a professional certificate in Training & Development from the University of Minnesota. She is qualified to administer and train in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, ExperienceChange™, the Conflict Dynamics Profile, and the Life Style Inventory. Nan is also a member of the MN and National Speakers Association.
She also loves a good vintage clothing shop, so stop her after your session if you know of any in the area.
Nan Gesche, MA, is an energetic educator who uses experience, insight, and some sturdy research, all sprinkled with a little humor, to get people to see themselves and the world differently. Her passion is to “Crack the Collaboration Code” and to allow individuals and teams to connect more authentically, engage more respectfully, and work more effectively together. Her goal is to build collaboration skills to work through challenging conversations and problem-solving so people can get back to the business of reaching their goals while strengthening relationships.
Nan has been engaging large and small audiences nationally. She is a catalyst who makes change doable! Her 20 plus years of independent and corporate experience allow her to stretch people's thinking to help them focus on the realities of life and business. She has worked with diverse organizations on projects such as change management, resiliency building, conflict management, as well as working with individuals on conflict management issues.
Previously, Nan was a Change Enablement Manager for Arthur Andersen where she partnered with organizations at the outset of change initiatives to help ease organizational and personal transitions. As the Director of Training and Development for Marquette Banks, her primary responsibility was to assist in rolling seven bank charters into one. Prior to this, Nan was a commissioned National Bank Examiner and District Training & Development Officer with the Comptroller of the Currency, a division of the U.S. Treasury.
Nan currently teaches for the University of Minnesota in their Communication Studies program and the College of Continuing and Professional Studies. She also teaches at the Graduate School of Banking in Madison. She graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of North Dakota. She received her MA in Organizational Communications and a professional certificate in Training & Development from the University of Minnesota. She is qualified to administer and train in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, ExperienceChange™, the Conflict Dynamics Profile, and the Life Style Inventory. Nan is also a member of the MN and National Speakers Association.
She also loves a good vintage clothing shop, so stop her after your session if you know of any in the area.
Conversational Intelligence
It isn’t always about how smart you are, rather how effective you are in creating powerful conversations to build trusting relationships and mutual success. Business at its core is about people connecting with people, everything happens thru conversations. Sharing and challenging different perspectives comes with the territory of moving up the ladder. Yet authentic communication can be a challenge, and if done poorly, can lead to miscommunication, lack of trust, and poor...
Cracking the Collaboration Code
Collaboration is something most of us value, yet we struggle with how to put it into practice when working with others. This session is about creating the right mindset and practicing skills to help you expand the contributions of others while understanding how one’s own actions can affect others and outcomes. Learn some tips and tools on how to work more effectively together, connect more authentically, and engage more respectfully.
Objectives / Outcomes of...
Critical Thinking: Making Decisions That Stick
Working with teams over the years, it is clear that many voices and perspectives get lost during the decision-making process. To make more effective decisions, we need to better understand how to expand our own ability to thinking critically, as well as the ability of others. We also need to ensure that multiple perspectives are being considered.
During this interactive session, you will explore one of the most sought-after workplace skills – critical...
Disagreement Doesn't Have to Be Divisive
There is a big difference between healthy, productive disagreements and heated arguments. For two parties to come to a mutually beneficial agreement, there must be a level of professionalism and respect. While navigating this territory can feel uncomfortable, it is possible for people with different points of view to have a constructive conversation. This brief yet dynamic session will equip you with the tools to speak your mind, while allowing the other side to feel heard and...
Elevate Your Team: Empowering Your Team To Reach Their Full Potential
Gallup found that 70% of the variance in a team’s engagement and motivation is related to their management. If this is true, would your team members describe you as a motivation-creating coach or a soul-crushing boss?
True leaders don’t just delegate, they elevate. They recognize that performance is not a fixed output and have mastered the subtle nuances of communication that ignite team motivation.
Don’t miss your chance to become the motivation-creating coach your...
The Good Fight Club
Conflict is a normal by-product of communicating with other people. How we deal with conflict and differing perspectives impacts our ability to get along and work with others. As part of the course we will discuss they types of conflict that exist, use a self-assessment tool to identify your preferred style for dealing with conflict, outline strategies for dealing with differences, and build skills for positively resolving conflict.
This interactive...
REAL Conversations, REAL Change
Do you need your people to speak up? Are the best ideas only heard during "the meeting after the meeting"? Do you want to figure out how to make it safe to talk about anything?
People don’t stop sharing ideas because they don’t have or don’t know how to give an opinion. They stop sharing ideas because no one seems to be really listening. To help you generate honest conversations about how to bring about change and keep your team engaged,...
Setting Boundaries and Saying "No"
"The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything." - Warren Buffett
While you might not have the luxury to say "no" to almost everything, we each have the right to speak to our needs and to share those things that don't serve us well anymore. The trick is knowing how to share your needs to reduce the potential for a negative reaction from the other person. If you want to...
Teamwork: Small Act, Big Wins
One of the top non-technical job skills desired by employers is the ability to work on a team. It isn’t enough to be good at your job, you also must be good at working with others and building a resilient team. So how do you build and maintain a resilient team? You may be surprised how some small changes can positively impact your team in significant ways.
If you want to jumpstart your team's level of engagement, this interactive experience is your you. Packed with...
Ladies, Let's Negotiate!
Fact: Women who negotiate brilliantly on behalf of others often falter when it comes to asking for themselves. If we want more out of life, we need to learn to ask for what we want by embracing the power of negotiations. So, whether you avoid negotiating like the plague or consider yourself at the top of your negotiation game, come get some practical tools for getting more of what you want while building lasting relationships.
Objectives /...
38 recommend Nan
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Roseville School District
On-Site
M.W., Site Coordinator, Roseville School District
Therapeutic, impressive, knowledgeable, engaging, fun! Nan was AMAZING! - Topic: Cracking the Collaboration Code
University of Minnesota
Virtual
K.G., Rheumatology Program Administrator, University of Minnesota
Fast paced, stays on track, engaging, energizing, one of the few webinars worth my time! When I saw you were the presenter I blocked my calendar and was not doing other things at the same time. Usually I multitask during presentations, but your info is important and comes too quick to allow for this. I attended a different webinar from you last year and enjoyed it! Your presentation was very energizing and motivates me to want to make a difference (vs just passively riding along & silently feeling resentful about things). Life circumstances do not allow me to do this right now, but when I can do more, I feel empowered to do so. Thank you!
Precisely
Virtual
A.M., Employee, Precisely
Nan is a tremendous speaker who took a new spin on a familiar topic. I have never seen a presenter engage as many people on a virtual presentation/conference as she accomplished. And because of that, it made this rather familiar topic really fresh because we could hear from so many perspectives. | Topic: Elevate Your Team
MN DNR
On-Site
S.B., Employee, MN DNR
This is a worthwhile session that should be part of training for all employees. We have all dealt with disagreement and this is a good reminder of steps we can take to ensure our conversations and relationships are thoughtful and respectful of others and a good reminder to try and understand a person’s intent during conversations. Topic: Disagreement Doesn’t Have to Be Divisive
Winona Chamber of Commerce
On-Site
R.C., Employee, Winona Chamber of Commerce
I appreciate how engaged you Nan was with her audience. I've always felt the best educators are those who encourage open communication and participation and I felt very tuned in to this. I know I will definitely be discussing this with my people (family, friends and coworkers) and using these things but I also plan to tell them where I learned this and to attempt to relay it in a way close to how Nan presented it to us. It's so open and inviting. it feels very inspirational that way, like it leaves room for thought and reflection and that's important, I feel, for people to find new ways to adapt the lessons to their own lives.
Winona Chamber of Commerce
On-Site
J.J., Employee, Winona Chamber of Commerce
Nan was well prepared and extremely knowledgeable. She possesses the rare ability to quickly take comments or questions and be able to translate them into the topic at hand. Would definitely recommend her again.
NH National Guard
Virtual
D.M., Employee, NH National Guard
Very beneficial! She gave a wonderful class with tips that I could immediately use with leading my teams. | Topic: Elevate Your Team
The Raymond Corporation
Virtual
F.A., Employee, The Raymond Corporation
Awesome presentation and great information. Sometimes these concepts are in the background and need to be brought to the forefront. | Topic: Elevate Your Team
ProjectBites
Virtual
A., Conference Attendee, ProjectBites
We are starting this work within our local government organization, and it is exciting to see further down the road on this. There were several good nuggets to bring to our team and build into our change management plan.
ProjectBites
Virtual
L., Conference Attendee, ProjectBites
Nan had some exciting new perspectives and tools that could be used for team building and maintenance. | Topic: Elevate Your Team
MN DNR
On-Site
K.H., Employee, MN DNR
I really enjoyed this presentation and the time went quickly. As a neurodivergent person it can be difficult to listen without interrupting and is something I really need to work on. - Topic: Disagreement Doesn’t Have to Be Divisive
I&C Engineering Associates
Virtual
M.A., Employee, I&C Engineering Associates
Extremely well done and provided me some very useful insights for me to incorporate into my future clients' projects. In my opinion, the best presentation out of the whole event. | Topic: Elevate Your Team
Perfection Custom Closets
On-Site
T.S., Design & Sales Manager, Perfection Custom Closets
She is able to boil down negotiating to its root human experience and make it feel not so scary. | Topic - Women In Manufacturing – The Power of Negotiations
LEEP
On-Site
K.K., Office and Event Coordinator, LEEP
Verified @mankatoleep.orgIt taught me a lot of the different types of respect and how that plays into conflict. One of the biggest things I took away from this is that conversation makes the relationship, in that each conversation you have with that person your relationship with them will change. I highly recommend going to a workshop by her.
John Deere
On-Site
C., Territory Sales Manager, John Deere
It made me think about how I managed conversations that didn’t go how I would have liked and taught me tools moving forward for managing discussions as well as how to address negative situations to have more productive relationships.
Ecolab, Inc.
On-Site
K., Corporate Account Manager, Ecolab, Inc.
It was an engaging session that demonstrated the power of both verbal and non-verbal communication during hard and potentially divisive conversations.
C. Inc
On-Site
A., Change Management Manager, C. Inc
I participated in your virtual learning from WiM for “Ladies, Let’s Negotiate” one month ago. I was so inspired by your strategy (and frankly frustrated with no annual raises this year for my company). I did exactly what you suggested. First I prepped my evidence – my work, responsibilities and projects as well as salary comps both inside and outside of my company. Then I laid out my range – salary values but also PTO ask in case salary was completely not doable. Finally I jotted down my possible responses for the conversation. Then I was ready to schedule my 1:1 with HR. The meeting went swimmingly and HR was very open to an increase. It took a few weeks but last Friday I was given a salary increase of 9.1% which is honestly way more than I would have asked for if I had been forced to give a number. My husband and I were celebrating and he said “I’m proud of you for being so brave and asking for it.” My response was to thank Nan and the WiM webinar for the inspiration and courage. So I just wanted to share my success story and personally say “Thank you Nan!” You are doing amazing work that women need to hear because we do not naturally want to negotiate. I’m sure that I am one of many that your words have helped out.
Memorial Blood Center
On-Site
A., Account Manager, Memorial Blood Center
A professional requirement! Skill building to be Proactive and not reactive. Gives you the opportunity to see the big picture of situations and what your part can be to make things better or great, if you can't change the situation you can change your perspective and this class equips you to do that. | Topic: Cracking the Collaboration Code
State of MN
On-Site
A., Employee, State of MN
Super insightful ways to approach problems and critical thinking. Nan gave me some great insights and techniques that I was not aware of. I now know how to define issues from problems. There is a huge difference! Great material and handouts that I will be referencing again. | Topic: Critical Thinking: Making Decisions That Stick
South Dakota Bankers Association
On-Site
H., Employee, South Dakota Bankers Association
Working with Nan is a DREAM. Equally comfortable on stage, in a classroom, or over a cup of coffee, Nan can find a way to connect to meet your needs. You were a dream to work with, which is huge in our industry!
John Deere
On-Site
S., Staff, John Deere
Incredibly engaging and insightful. Very applicable to my day to day job. Will absolutely be implementing a lot of the takeaways from this session going forward.
Arizona Bank and Trust in Phoenix
On-Site
K., SVP of Sales & Marketing Manager, Arizona Bank and Trust in Phoenix
We just saw Nan speak, this is her second time presenting to our team. Once again she brought a dynamic, lively, outgoing, exciting session to us. She gave us lots of good information on good communication and how to work better with our teams.
PMI MN
On-Site
S., Employee, PMI MN
Nan was definitely an engaging speaker, she had the audience captive the whole way thru her presentation. She challenged us to think critically and think about what it takes to think critically. She got us to step out of our comfort zone and definitely learned a lot in this presentation and would seek her out again.
Hennepin County
On-Site
K., Principal Internal Auditor, Hennepin County
Her experiences and approach to teaching this class are articulate and ensure the student learner gains the most from the concepts shared.
AdvanSix
On-Site
M.J., Industrial Hygienist, AdvanSix
The course reminds me of my mother finding her voice during her divorce and what she learned from the National Organization for Women. I appreciate women who teach other women how to find their voice, to be bold, and how to successfully negotiate life. | Topic: Ladies, Let's Negotiate
University of MN
On-Site
E.R., Program Specialist, University of MN
Verified @umn.eduThis was so valuable in helping me understand my role in allowing my boundaries to be crossed and what I can do to support myself. I feel like I have actionable ways to improve my work situation that I can implement today and in the future.
Nicolet Law
On-Site
C., Staff, Nicolet Law
Necessary!!!! I think everyone could learn a ton for this, and really help navigate conflict and disagreements. The words you choose are EVERYTHING. | Topic: Disagreement Doesn't Have to Be Divisive
A Professional Development Company
On-Site
D.J., Author and Award-winning Professor of Communication., A Professional Development Company
Nan is PRACTICAL. If she doesn’t use it, she doesn’t teach it. She does an AMAZING job at bridging the gap between the real world and the ideal.
Colliers
On-Site
R., Controller, Colliers
This session reminded me that I have the ability to make conversations, not just difficult conversations, more effective and to create better, more respectful cultures within our individual teams. | Topic: Disagreement Doesn't Have to Be Divisive
TuWay
On-Site
M., Employee, TuWay
Excellent information that was well presented. Great suggestions on how to get the best out of your team. | Topic: Elevate Your Team
Decorah Bank & Trust
On-Site
L., HR Officer, VP, Decorah Bank & Trust
Amazing! Can’t miss! Will go back and seek ways to find Nan speak again!! | Topic: Conversational Intelligence
UMN CFANS, Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
On-Site
S., Administrative Director, UMN CFANS, Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Interactive, informative and engaging. The thought behind ideas so simple( but often simply forgotten) presented in an interactive way. | Setting Boundaries and Saying "No"
Sherwin
On-Site
C., Employee, Sherwin
This was an emotionally intelligent training with everyday applications and potentially huge impacts. | Topic: Ladies, Let’s Negotiate
Hennepin County
On-Site
R., Employee, Hennepin County
Nan brings a calm sense to the things that need to be thought about when it comes to leading teams. | Topic: Elevate Your Team
Citizens FNB
On-Site
P., Employee, Citizens FNB
Valuable information in pieces that we can actually take back to the bank with me. Very relevant content. | Topic: Conversational Intelligence
PMI Keystone Chapter
On-Site
D., Program Director, PMI Keystone Chapter
Thank you! Excellent presentation! Every company should provide this training to managers. It is not just the how’s but the whys! | Topic: Elevate Your Team
Union Gospel Mission
On-Site
L., Staff, Union Gospel Mission
I learned about ways to communicate effectively by the mindset that I have when I come to the conversation. Using the right words can make a positive impact on how productive the conversation is. | Topic: Disagreement Doesn't Have to Be Divisive
Comcast
On-Site
N., Sales, Comcast
Very practical and takes the emotion out of negotiating. Wished I would have known this when I started my career 35 years ago. | Topic: Ladies, Let’s Negotiate
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