PORTAGEVILLE -- University of Missouri Extension's Southern Telecenter has teamed up with Steve Halter to offer a program helping small business owners, office managers and staff members manage time more wisely. The series will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 21 and 28 at the University of Missouri Extension Southern Telecenter in Portageville.

During the training, students will be introduced to fundamentals of time management. They will learn how to evaluate the use of time, identify goals and set priorities, develop an overall time management plan, discuss the Pareto principle, assign a price to time, conduct a time audit and correctly identify and control poor time management personality types. Course activities also cover managing their time to increase productivity, developing a daily plan, managing technology and saying "no" to doing too much. Students will also learn how to handle e-mail, the Internet, telephone, personal interactions and paperwork to productively use their time.

Seating is limited, so please register by Aug. 18. To register or for more information, call 573-379-5609.

Also planned is an eight-course series that will highlight professional development.

Professional development training will be offered by the University of Missouri Extension Telecenter Network at the University of Missouri Extension Southern Telecenter at the Delta Center in Portageville. It is an eight course series beginning Aug. 25 with an 8:30 to noon session; and each course is a two-day event.

Former CEO of the Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce and current president of Kapstone Management Services Inc., Ken Parrent has teamed up with the Telecenter to provide professional development training to area leaders and management.

The eight courses give an opportunity for professionals to improve skills over one or all of the following areas: motivation, organizational behavior, interpersonal communication, organizational communication, change management, business etiquette, coaching and strategic decision making. It will provide participants with practical skills needed to grow as leaders.

For more information and detailed course descriptions, call 573-379-5609.

Another training will concern presentations. University of Missouri Extension Telecenter has teamed up with Steve Halter to offer a program helping small business owners, office managers, and staff members more comfortable preparing, developing, and delivering presentations.

The series will meet from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 4, 11 and 18 at the University of Missouri Extension Southern Telecenter in Portageville.

During this three week, nine hour training, students will be introduced to fundamentals of creating a presentation. Students will discuss the components of a good speech or presentation, and then they will learn how to develop their own.

As students work through the activities, they will write and deliver three short presentations in class. They will be introduced to a variety of delivery techniques that include building rapport with the audience, using body language and humor, and facilitating a question and answer session. Students do not need to have any prior experience. They only need a desire to improve their presentation skills.

Seating is limited, so please register by Aug. 18. To register or for more information, call 573-379-5609