Testimonials

Quotes About Our Facilitators & Training Programs

“These sessions have helped me start to thinking more carefully about my relationships with the staff I manage. I’ve started to be more deliberate with the way I communicate both with individuals and the group. The way Jim reminds us of the connections of our feelings, judgments, past experiences with our actions is very practical and simple, more so than other techniques that I have experiences through other management workshops. Approaching even the most difficult situations with employees with open curiosity has already started to change the way I approach being a manager.”
Heather McQueen, Departmental Asst. Supervisor, Smith College, Northampton, MA

“Jim Hornickel provided our organization with a four day customized Leadership/Management training. As a new manager, I am excited to add these tools to my toolbox. I appreciated the commitment Jim had to our learning. He was open minded about our feedback and our needs and continued to tailor the experience for our team throughout the training. I am reminded to be aware of my perspective, recognize the impact of my actions and live purposefully. I look forward to the renewed energy among the management group going forward. Thank you.”
Lee-Ann Johnson, Career Center Manager, Employment and Training Resources

“Suzanne is a fantastic facilitator and an inspiring consultant! I attended the training she provided – the practice opportunities & constructive feedback were invaluable. And the techniques to organize and effectively convey your message in a matter of minutes are invaluable.”
Amanda Koenig, Director, Ovations at United Health Group

“Jim Hornickel did a great job with a diverse group of individuals in the custom designed two-day workshop for the Executive Leadership group, finding much common ground upon which we are now building highly successful working relationships!”
Bob Aresti, CEO, Hamilton Sundstrand FCU

“Thank you again for delivering the excellent training yesterday. The feedback from the group has been very positive.”
Sanjay Tiwari, Director, KLM Cargo U.S.

“Suzanne Guthrie has a remarkable ability to convey complex information in a way that cuts to the core of the topic and teaches the key elements needed to make real change. Because Suzanne’s own presentation skills are so outstanding she was constantly modeling what she was teaching throughout the day. Her warmth, honest but kind assessments, great example, and outstanding facilitation skills left each participant feeling really good about what they had learned and wanting more.”
Jean Gran, Financial Wellness Consultant

“Jim Hornickel was a breath of fresh air – so far removed from typical instructors. The flavor of the class was just so different than what we experience on a day to day basis. He basically raised the bar – by midday on the first day, he inspired people to participate. Nothing but high praise. He was very truthful and open with the team.”
Cindy Vanderpool, Internal Revenue Service, Washington DC

“Suzanne is an upbeat and dynamic facilitator; participants in her workshops provide high scores on her ability to engage with the audience. We’ve been quite satisfied with the results of our relationship with Suzanne and look forward to a continued business relationship.”
Doreen Boettcher, Learning & Development, Wells Fargo Home & Consumer Finance Group

“The feedback from yesterday’s class was absolutely splendid! The students had nothing but positive things to say about the content and you, the instructor. I’m sure that the changes we implemented made a very positive difference.”
Kimberli Pitts Calhoun, Employee Development Specialist, Air Products and Chemicals

“I want to tell you how well the team did with Jim Hornickel in their one-on-one sessions. They went into their sessions very open minded! After each session, I read their body language and they all came out of the room as if they had seen the “light”.”
Ana, L.A. Station Manager, KLM

“I would like to thank you again for your visit to Saudi, it has been a real pleasure meeting you in person. I extend my thanks for the training our VPs on powerful executive communication. You made it useful, interactive and so operational. The feedback from the senior management team is extremely positive and I am now trying build on your session.”
Laurent Belle-Paret, Internal Communication and Learning & Development Manager, Schneider Electric

“I recently had the opportunity to attend a session on Resilience & Emotional Intelligence led by Suzanne Guthrie, of Bold New Directions”. It was a great opportunity to explore the nuances of how to become more resourceful and effective with my colleagues and teammates on the job. Suzanne’s style is warm and encouraging; she shares new information clearly while drawing out examples from participants in the room. The individual and group exercises led to deeper understanding and skills; my supervisor came away with a whole new way of looking at her role in the organization and I picked up some useful tips which enhanced my problem solving skills and offered new perspectives to my clients. I would highly recommend attending a session led by Suzanne – in fact this was my second time participating in her trainings and I came away properly impressed both times.”
Carrie Hemenway, Career Counselor, Hampshire College

“I would like to express my thanks for all your efforts with our IBQ Bank staff. It was felt by all to be a very good use of time and they really liked your approach. The most commonly used comment being… ‘it was well worth the weekend’ – we all know that is never said lightly!.”
Sarah Sexton, Head of Learning and Development, International Bank of Qatar

“Suzanne conducts sessions in a friendly open manner skillfully bringing together students of varied professions and backgrounds. Acting as a facilitator as well as a teacher, Suzanne made each of us feel welcome, and important, as we came through the classroom door. Even though the concept of the course implied putting us into stressful “respond on demand” situations, she was able to take the shyest of students comfortably from one on one situations, through to small groups scenarios, and by the end of the class to stand-up presentations in front of the whole class. It was her reassuring and confidence-inspiring style, filled with personal stories. that helped move us through these potentially stressful transitions.”
Mike Buckrell, Systems Architect, IBM

“I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 days of training with Jim. Not a dull moment, days well spent. I would definitely consider a refresher after practicing the techniques.”
Ashmir K. Singh, Puig Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

“The experience & workshop exercise will empower my business communication & presentation skills to be ambassador for my company.”
Joyce Lee, Manager, RH Trading Ltd (Papua New Guinea)

“The course is informative and well-delivered. Organization of the workshop is excellent.”
Malcolm Neo, Solution Architect, TruvisorPte Ltd

“The topic was brought across clearly, easy to understand and digest. The step by step coaching made understanding better.”
Jennifer Ling, National Key Account Manager, Nestle Singapore

“Absolutely improved my knowledge on communication & presentation skills.”
Sylvina, VP Cash Management Sales Corp, PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk

“It’s a good practical training that gets participants involved. An effective way to learn.”
KaterinMargaretta, SC Planning Manager, PT TirtaInvestama

“The course was very well organized & Jim is very knowledgeable & passionate about the subject. Very well done!”
Camellia Mohiddin, Admin Executive, PetronasCarigali Brunei Ltd

“This training is easily the best training I have ever attended in the last 5 years. There were no boring moments whatsoever, and the speaker had a wealth of quality knowledge to be shared. A very pleasant & professional speaker.”
ZuhairahZainalAbidin, LNG Trader, PetronasLNG Ltd

“Great, fantastic, excellent!”
Andrew Goh, Senior Sales & Marketing Manager, Matrix SdnBhd

“This program was fun, interactive & most importantly insightful.”
Ahmad Shahrum Ahmad Suhaidi, Senior Account Manager, Neural Oilfield Service SdnBhd

“Thanks for providing important cues for effective communication which leads to powerful presentation!”
Ainnuddin, Project Manager, SBM Malaysia SdnBhd

“Learning the four behavioral types has really helped my presentation skills, allowing me to identify my audience and deliver impactful information.”
Sheikh MohdNorhafiz bin Abdul Aziz, Clinical Trial Monitor, Roche (M) SdnBhd

“It has been a wonderful learning process in conquering my fear of public speaking.”
SurayaBanu, Senior Accountant, CIFOR