NCSL / Legislative Staff Sections

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The coronavirus pandemic is a crisis unlike any other in recent times and has placed extraordinary demands on leaders and employees across the globe, including within state legislatures. Strong leadership skills, agile management techniques and ongoing self-care are a few essentials legislative staff need to navigate these uncertain times.

Participants attending this webinar will:

Identify and reflect on the specific leadership skills needed during a crisis.
Identify and reflect on modern management techniques for remote environments.
Identify and apply self-care strategies to achieve maximum productivity and success.

This quick 30-minute webinar, sponsored by NCSL's Young and New Professionals Group (YNP), is designed to give you one more tool in your productivity toolbox. Hear from renowned NCSL trainer Curt Stedron, as he explains the concept behind and how to use the ABCDE Method to increase not only personal but also office-wide productivity. Then hear from Heather Koszka, capitol office director for California Senator Brian Jones (R), as she explains how she was inspired by Stedron's presentation of the method and how she has adapted and implemented the ABCDE Method on multiple levels in her office.

In 2019, NLPES recognized Kansas, Louisiana and Virginia for their outstanding use of evaluation research methods. During this webinar, you will learn more about each office's award-winning methodology and the lessons learned. Kansas staff will describe how it evaluated the state's Medicaid program. Louisiana staff will describe how it measured local government bond issuance costs. And Virginia staff will discuss its analyses of spending on inmate health care.

NCSL and NLPES are sponsoring this webinar. Webinars allow attendees to participate in meetings taking place around the world from the comfort of their desks. They are collaborative, interactive and easy to use.

Presenting information to legislators is one of the most important tasks legislative staff perform. The information staff present can help shape policy discussions, and influence the decisions of lawmakers. Testifying before a committee, or presenting to a group of legislators can be stressful and challenging for legislative staff. As states prepare for their 2020 legislative sessions, Jonathan Ball, the Legislative Fiscal Analyst in Utah, shares some guidance and advice for conveying information to legislators.

Dan Billings has spent 27 years investigating, researching, mitigating and teaching topics on workplace violence. This session will focus on de-escalation techniques to consider when dealing with potentially violent people you may encounter within and outside the legislature.

The webinar is sponsored by LRL and NLSSA.

The audit and evaluation process is broken into three phases: planning/scoping, fieldwork and writing. This 60-minute webinar will focus on the first phase—planning and scoping evaluations. It will cover general best practices and pitfalls for planning and scoping; an overview of Texas's scoping tool and staff training; and Michigan's referent group meeting.

This webinar is sponsored by the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society as part of its continuing effort to bring professional development opportunities to its members.

Cutting through the noise to reach constituents can be challenging. As technology continues to transform how we communicate, podcasts have exploded onto the scene as a great tool for engaging audiences. Learn best practices for podcasting, from how to decide on topics and conduct interviews to the nuts and bolts of equipment and software. This webinar is open to all legislative staff who want to learn about this popular communications and storytelling tool.

Legislative staff write to convey facts without adding bias. Advertisers use writing tactics that captivate the reader and push a product or an idea. But are there techniques used in advertising that will help legislative staff make their writing more engaging? Learn how to enhance the impact of your writing by examining it through the lens of an advertisement. Reshape some of the key techniques advertisers use to help you to reach your audience without adding bias.

Working in the legislature can be intense with long hours, looming deadlines and competing priorities. Patrick Sullivan, director of Montana's State Professional Development Center, is an expert on how to prevent this hectic environment from leading to a siloed team. Whether you are a new or veteran staffer, join us for this webinar to learn more about the context of the inward mindset as it applies to workplace culture and how you can have an impact on the effectiveness of your team.

The public sector, legislatures included, has faced intense criticism and scarce resources for many years now. There are techniques available to public employees to not only cope with these challenges but to thrive. This webinar will explore various ways in which legislative staff can expand their capacity and practice self-care in challenging times. The key is to transform our mindset from one that is in “survival mode” to one that seeks ways to be helpful and solution oriented.

This webinar offers guidance to NCSL Standing Committee staff officers.

Presenting complex information to colleagues and policymakers in a concise manner is a challenge—whether you have an hour or 10 minutes. Learn from communications coach Marianna Swallow the steps to delivering an effective presentation and speaking like a pro. She shares the keys to designing a powerful presentation, tips to revise and sharpen your talk, and strategies to make your delivery compelling.

Join us as representatives from three states will talk about their staff training programs. Each presenter will speak about the impetus and history of their state’s staff training program; problems encountered along the way and any changes made; and advice for other states.

Access to confidential data is often a key factor in the ability to answer legislators' concerns when performing an audit or evaluation of an agency or program. In this webinar, staff from three offices will share their experiences, issues and solutions when it comes to getting access to sensitive or confidential data necessary to do their work. Specifically, we will focus on what types of training and communications are in place to ensure our own staff know their rights and responsibilities regarding confidential data. We will discuss mechanisms our offices have in place to communicate with the auditee on getting confidential data. We also plan to discuss innovative ways or best practices to help overcome agencies' fears or reluctance to provide confidential data to audit and evaluation staff.

Legislators and legislative staff: Leverage your LinkedIn profile to really tell your story and build a brand that attracts the best people in the business!
Join the NCSL Young & New Professionals Group and Aaron Moore of LinkedIn for an interactive how-to webinar on Thursday, Dec. 1.
Moore will lead this session beginning with LinkedIn profile improvement 101, ensuring that both legislative staff and legislators leverage their profile to tell their unique story and build a solid brand. The webinar will also cover tricks-of-the-trade on how to attract the best candidates for current job openings as well as share your content in meaningful ways. Bolster your brand in just one hour!

This video reviews the responsibilities of legislative staff officers serving on Standing Committees

David Landis is a former Nebraska legislator and an expert on negotiations. He served from 1978 to 2002 in Nebraska's unicameral legislature. Landis authored more successful bills than any senator in the history of the state.
In this video he discusses the role of negotiations for legislative staff.

Segment 1 of David Landis training video.

Segment 2 of David Landis training video

Segment 3 of David Landis training video

Sari de la Motte is founder and CEO of FORTE, a communications consulting firm in Portland, Oregon, that specializes in nonverbal communication. She has coached Fortune 500 executives, trial attorneys, government officials and educators to increase their influence and leadership through the power of nonverbal communication. This interview discusses how what we say without words can influence how receptive people are to our message, both with colleagues at work and with people in our everyday lives.

This video explores the ethical issues that confront legislative staff.

To learn more about a career as a state legislative staff professional, visit www.legislativecareers.org. NCSL's Legal Services Staff Section (LSSS) is another great resource for legal legislative staff.