Communication Skills Courses

With IRA reporting requirements constantly changing, it is vital for your financial organization to stay up to date on the latest requirements. This course provides an in-depth review of key IRA reporting topics, including required minimum distribution statements, fair market value statements, account statements, and IRS Forms 1099-R and 5498. Our experts also review the electronic reporting requirements, beneficiary reporting requirements, procedures for requesting extensions, and IRS penalties for improper reporting.

RMD rules changed recently resulting from the SECURE Act, the CARES Act, and most recently the new life expectancy tables. RMDs make up a large part of most financial organizations’ IRA administration services and will continue to increase as baby boomers age. Attend this course to ensure that your organization is handling RMDs according to the most current rules. Course topics include RMD calculations, excess accumulation penalty taxes, financial organization responsibilities, and reporting.

This course provides answers to your clients’ rollover questions by explaining all the rollover opportunities, including evolving portability rules between IRAs and employer plans. You will learn how to capture, facilitate, and report rollovers between employer plans and IRAs, as well as become familiar with new requirements from the DOL regarding making rollover recommendations to clients.

For the first time in about 20 years, due to the SECURE Act, the IRS is requiring all IRAs to be amended. The last time an amendment was required was in 2002, and possibly in 2007 and 2010 for financial organizations using prototype documents. Are you familiar with the amendment requirements and the process for amending your documents? To avoid IRS penalties, financial organizations must use the correct and properly amended IRA opening documents. This course provides information on how to properly establish Traditional and Roth IRAs and how to amend them.

Take your knowledge of HSAs to the next level with a review of difficult HSA issues regarding eligibility requirements, employer contributions, excess contributions, prohibited transactions, mistaken distributions, and reporting. For a refresher on HSAs, see HSA Fundamentals.

Want to manage a successful HSA program more effectively? During this course, our experts teach the fundamentals of HSAs and basic HSA compliance rules. You will gain an understanding of HSA benefits, eligibility requirements, documentation and reporting requirements, contribution rules and limits, portability rules, and the difference between qualified and nonqualified distributions. For a deeper dive into HSAs, see HSAs – Advanced.

Maintaining Superior Team Performance focuses on maintaining superior performance. Managers learn to evaluate individual performance and build performance standards that blend with the company’s mission and vision.

Participant Key Skill Transfers to Take Away: 

1. Winning motivational strategies.
2. Learning best practices in employee development, performance improvement, and employee recognition.

Program Agenda

• Review Action Plan Successes from Past Session
• Conducting Performance Appraisals
• Discuss the Formal Appraisal Process at Your Company
• Look at the Steps in Conducting a Performance Appraisal
• Review a Sample Performance Appraisal Written by Branch Managers
• What to Do When Things Go Awry
• Managing Difficult Situations During a Review
• Managing Conflict
• Structured Intervention
• Re-balancing the Culture
• Delegating to Build Your Team
• Mentoring the Team
• Performance & Development
• Recognition and Reward – Non-Monetary and Monetary
• Understanding the Challenges Facing the Financial Work Force of Today
• Program Summary
• Complete a Final Action Plan to Grow the Branch

Business Development focuses on the relationship building process to identify how to gain the trust of your client, gain a larger share of wallet, and present solutions that solve your clients’ needs.

Participant Key Skill Transfers to Take Away: 

1. Mastering pre-call planning.
2. Learning to call virtually or in-person on the right (most profitable) clients and prospects.
3. Building relationships with productive referral sources.

Program Agenda 

• Introductory Discussion: Our Role in Growing the Branch
• Review Action Plan Successes from Past Session
• Our Past Calling Successes & Challenges
• The Value Proposition
• Call Planning on Our Most Profitable Clients
• Gaining the Virtual or In-Person Appointment
• Planning for a Quality Encounter
• Determining Lead Officers and Call (Individual or Joint) Strategy
• Plan What to Have With You during the Call
• Plan Bridging and Introductory Comments
• The Initial Meeting
• Listening and Communicating How You Can Help
• Making a Recommendation and Asking for the Business
• Earning Referrals
• Call Follow-Up
• Expand Your Notes to Capture the Call
• Calendar Follow Up Activities
• Assess the Call
• Discussing an Upcoming Client Call
• Discussing Challenges & Opportunities
• Complete an Action Plan for Skills Transfer back to the Job
• TOOLKIT: Forms for use back on the job

Managing a Successful Branch focuses on the foundation skills of a Branch Manager. Managers learn the key elements of managing a successful branch – selecting the team, staffing and scheduling, procedures, and building the team.

Participant Key Skill Transfers to Take Away:

1. Learning to create an energetic and productive workplace.
2. Learning to manage the branch team and integrate technology to drive additional business.
3. Driving business development even when the branch traffic is slow.

Program Agenda

• Branch Staffing Model – Layers are Collapsing
• How Technology is Revolutionizing Our Business
• Vision Review – Our Role as Dream Builders
• Defining the Performance Management Process
• Coaching, Counseling, and Disciplining
• Scheduling and Staffing in Today’s Work Environment
• The Bored Board Concept – “Go To” List for Slow Times
• Creating a Fun Work Atmosphere
• Generational Approach to Communicating
• Challenges & Opportunities
• Complete an Action Plan for Skills Transfer back to the Job

In this final session, participants will work through an analysis
of three financial institutions with recommendations for
action, intended benefits and potential risks.

The capstone overview session will bring together
the core lessons from previous sessions and prepare
participants to test their mastery of the topics covered. Key
performance indicators will be reviewed and capstone
assignment criteria will be shared. Participants will work to
prepare their final capstone presentation utilizing a new set of
financial statements from a bank not previously considered.
Using the information contained in these statements,
participants will be expected to assess various aspects of
the bank’s performance and make suggestions related to
increasing performance and managing risk.
Session Objectives:
• Discuss key performance indicators
• Describe the different asset classes held by the bank
• Describe the bank’s general funding strategy
• Analyze capital position and the impact it may have on
growth

Financial performance is a function of leverage, earnings,
and expenses. As banks make decisions affecting each
of these three factors, they also increase or decrease the
risk of loss to shareholders and may impact the deposit
insurance fund. Participants will gain a broad understanding
of risk considerations as they relate to a bank’s financial
performance.
Session Objectives:
• Discuss risk management expectations
• Understand various risks to your bank and mitigation
strategies
• Apply risk and return examples using scenario-based
opportunities

This session focuses on capital components, strategies,
attributes, structure and other factors that drive value.
Participants will consider these topics from several different
perspectives, first learning the basics and then progressing
through increasingly complex analyses of the subjects
covered. By considering how a wide array of variables
interact with one another to affect performance, participants
will arrive at a dynamic understanding of the role of capital in
banking.
Session Objectives:
• Develop a clear understanding of capital through analysis of
the balance sheet
• Discuss capital instruments, retained earnings, dividends,
share repurchase
• Identify and discuss the importance of capital ratios,
regulatory requirements and valuation
• Identify shareholder risk in bank investment

How efficiently a bank funds its earning assets is one of the
single largest determinants of financial performance and is
a critical component of an institution’s overall business plan.
Participants will examine how funding strategies impact a
bank’s overall liquidity and operational costs. Building on
key concepts developed in earlier sessions, participants
will arrive at a detailed understanding of how banks fund
themselves and how various factors come into play in this
process.
Session Objectives:
• Develop a clear understanding of liquidity in banks
• Describe how banks manage liquidity
• Discuss funding strategies
• Analyze capital position and the impact it may have on
financial performance

This session will focus on the basics of a bank’s balance
sheet. By analyzing a sample bank balance sheet,
participants will demonstrate understanding of the
institution’s primary sources of earning assets, funding
liabilities and total capital. Participants will practice
identifying potential risks and limitations on financial
performance, and will leave with an understanding of how
leverage, risk management and asset allocation impact
earnings and performance.
Session Objectives:
• Develop a clear understanding of the relationship of how
assets, liabilities and capital interrelate
• Describe the different asset classes held by the bank
• Identify primary funding sources
• Understand risk-based capital

What would happen if your best manager suddenly resigned because they weren’t being challenged and weren’t growing? Replacing a single key leader is expensive.

Why Financial institution Leaders Choose 1:1 Coaching with Paul Nunn

Financial leaders face a unique reality:
You are expected to drive results, develop people, manage compliance, and maintain the culture. But without a sounding board and time to step back and think, it can be hard.

That’s where Paul Nunn’s 1:1 coaching makes a meaningful difference.

Banking Experience That Builds Immediate Credibility

Paul has been in banking since 1997, starting on the front line and working his way through leadership roles. He understands the pressures managers face because he’s lived them — staffing challenges, accountability issues, service expectations, sales discomfort, and the emotional weight of leadership in a regulated environment.

This is not theoretical coaching. It’s bank-ready, real-world guidance grounded in decades of experience.

Certified Coaching, Applied Practically

Paul is a certified coach, trained under internationally recognized executive coaching frameworks and influenced by leaders such as Marshall Goldsmith, whose work on behavior change shapes Paul’s practical, action-oriented approach.

What sets Paul apart is how he translates professional coaching into plain language and practical tools that resonate with Financial institutions, especially those who may be new to coaching or skeptical of “soft skills.”

A Safe, Objective Space for Leaders

Many bank leaders don’t have a neutral place to talk through challenges. In 1:1 coaching, Paul provides:

• An unbiased third-party perspective
• A confidential space to work through people issues
• Practical framing from a leadership and HR-aware lens
• Clear next steps leaders can immediately apply

This makes coaching especially valuable during moments of conflict, uncertainty, or transition.

Cindy is a seasoned professional with an extensive background in the financial services world; having successfully served in a variety of positions within the retail, lending, and credit areas as well as a senior officer in the areas of human resources, training, and development. For more than 25 years, Cindy has served as President to her own consulting firm.  Her initiatives have helped her financial services clients improve their profitability through building cultures of engagement and productivity through talent development.

In addition to her extensive background in leadership and management development consulting/training, Cindy has coached and developed some of the most effective leaders, in numerous banks and credit unions, throughout the country.  With significant training in various coaching models, she brings a practical, engaging, and result-driven partnership with those she works with.  Her work has helped others expand their capabilities, develop dynamic teams, navigate through challenging situations, and create/enact fluid development plans for both career and personal growth.

While Cindy has worked with many emerging leaders, she specializes in working with experienced managers and senior leaders. No matter what level, her personalized and supportive approach to each client’s needs creates a synergy of development. Her clients have shared:

“Cindy took a lot of time to understand my needs and create a plan with action items to accomplish in between meetings.  I liked that fact that she was a banker herself so she could relate to me.”

“Cindy helped me better understand myself in terms of how I was interacting with different personalities on my team.  She really helped me to become a better leader to each of my team members and to the team as a whole.”

“I liked the personalized approach to coaching meetings.  Cindy not only wanted to know what was working, but what was not working (with no judgement).  I found her to be supportive, but she would push me a bit out of my comfort zone sometimes, but this helped me to grow as a leader and has also helped me in my personal life.”

Tamra Gaines brings more than 30 years of leadership experience, including deep expertise in financial services, to help leaders navigate complexity with confidence. An ICF-accredited Certified Professional Coach, she has worked closely with banks and credit unions at all levels and understands the regulatory pressures, talent challenges, and leadership transitions facing the industry today. Her coaching equips professionals to think strategically, lead decisively, and strengthen the leadership pipeline, wherever they sit in the organization.

What people are saying:
“Tamra’s coaching brought clarity, accountability, and confidence to my leadership. I’m achieving goals with greater focus and alignment than ever before.”
— Kristen Schmieg-Jester, SVP Delivery Channel Operations, InTouch Credit Union

“Tamra doesn’t just teach leadership—she cultivates it. Her programs and coaching help leaders uncover their strengths while building confidence, accountability, and sustainable growth.”
— Abby Trauth, MC, CCUFC, Luminate (Credit Union League)

“Whether coaching one-on-one or presenting to a room of leaders, Tamra meets people where they are and delivers insight that resonates and drives action.”
— Kristy Swanson, Landrum HR

Gail Tilstra brings more than three decades of leadership, human resources, and professional development experience to her one-on-one coaching work. Her career includes nearly 30 years as Director of Human Resources for a community bank, along with senior leadership roles in employee relations and talent development within larger financial institutions. Since transitioning into training and coaching, Gail has worked extensively with professionals at all levels—emerging leaders, experienced managers, and individual contributors—helping them strengthen communication, leadership presence, and professional confidence.

What sets Gail apart is her practical, real-world approach. She does not coach from theory alone; she coaches from lived experience. Her sessions are grounded in real workplace challenges and focus on skills that participants can immediately apply—whether that’s navigating difficult conversations, increasing self-awareness, managing up, preparing for career advancement, or improving overall professional behavior and effectiveness.

Gail’s one-on-one coaching is highly personalized. She takes the time to understand each client’s goals, challenges, and work environment, and then partners with them to create clear, achievable strategies for growth. Clients often describe her style as supportive, insightful, and direct—providing honest feedback while creating a safe space for reflection, learning, and growth.

Over the years, participants in Gail’s programs and coaching engagements have shared feedback such as:

• “Extremely relatable and practical—everything discussed felt relevant to my role.”
• “Gail has a way of making you see things differently without making you feel judged.”
• “I walked away with tools I could use immediately, not just ideas.”

Whether working with managers, non-managers, or professionals in transition, Gail’s goal remains the same: to help individuals communicate more effectively, show up with confidence, and succeed in today’s workplace.

Skip Willcox brings more than two decades of mortgage banking and financial services experience to his one-on-one coaching work. His career has been built on production, business development, and relationship-driven growth — not just management theory. As the founder of Kairos Sales Group, Skip now works with mortgage originators, banking professionals, and sales leaders who want to increase production, strengthen referral networks, and build long-term professional influence.

What sets Skip apart is his real-world producer background. He has personally built pipelines, developed referral partnerships, and helped hundreds of families achieve homeownership. He understands the pressure of monthly numbers, inconsistent lead flow, difficult conversations, and the mental weight of performance expectations because he has lived it. His coaching is grounded in practical application, not theory.

Skip’s coaching focuses on helping professionals create consistency in a business that often feels unpredictable. Sessions are centered around tangible skills and strategies clients can apply immediately including building referral relationships, structuring follow-up systems, improving sales conversations, strengthening personal accountability, and developing a long-term growth plan that aligns with both professional and personal goals.

Each coaching engagement is highly personalized. Skip takes time to understand a client’s market, strengths, challenges, and ambitions, then partners with them to build clear, achievable action steps. Clients often describe his style as direct, encouraging, and practical, someone who will tell you the truth, help you see opportunities you may be missing, and keep you focused on the activities that actually drive results.

Professionals who work with Skip commonly say things like:

“Skip helped me turn scattered effort into a focused plan. I finally had clarity on what moves the needle.”

“His experience in the mortgage world made the coaching feel relevant immediately — not generic sales advice.”

“He challenged me to raise my standards while giving me systems I could actually stick with.”

Whether working with a loan officer building a book of business, a banking professional trying to regain momentum, or a leader guiding a team, Skip’s goal remains the same: to help professionals do more, close more and be more.