AIST Young Professionals Webinar – “Navigating Difficult Conversations”

13 March 2025 • 1–2:30 p.m. EST. • Zoom

Does the hair on the back of your neck stand up when someone says, “We need to talk?” There are dozens of books on the topic of difficult, crucial, challenging, fierce and important conversations. Those times when you know you should have a difficult conversation with your spouse, your coworker or your client… but you don’t. Maybe you fear that talking will just make things worse. Still, you feel stuck, and you’d like to free up that energy for more useful purposes.

In this interactive session, international speaker and author Jeff Tobe dives into the six strategies to having that meaningful conversation. Those strategies include:

How to PREPARE for the conversation
Having a GOAL in mind but remaining flexible
Becoming an ACTIVE LISTENER
Taking CARE of yourself
How to BRAINSTORM IDEAS together
How to EMPATHIZE and coach

Presenter: Jeff Tobe, M.Ed., CSP

Certified Speaking Professional Jeff Tobe’s credentials are impressive. Insider Magazine dubbed him “The Guru of Customer Experience” and readers of Convention & Meetings Magazine chose him as one of their favorite speakers along with other celebrities including Bill Clinton, Anderson Cooper, Condoleezza Rice and Daniel Pink. He is a creativity and customer service experience trainer, professional speaker, and bestselling author who works with companies and organizations that want to increase their bottom line by changing their customer experience and retaining great talent.

After having started and sold three successful businesses, Tobe founded Coloring Outside the Lines in 1996 and since then has worked with hundreds of clients ranging from ones with less than 20 employees to Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, PepsiCo, Bank of America, ReMax International and many more!

Jeff Tobe’s most requested virtual or live programs focus on creativity/innovation, customer service experience and employee engagement. His high-energy, high-fun and high-content programs create the ideal presentation for any kind of corporate or educational forum. As a trainer, Tobe has guided thousands of people to understand their role in the end-to-end customer service experience focusing on skills-based training.

Tobe’s articles have been read in hundreds of publications and he is the author of the hugely popular book Coloring Outside the Lines. He is the co-author of three other books and his newest book, The CX Edge: Customer Experience Questions to Help You ATTRACT, KEEP and WOW Customers, is quickly becoming one of the hottest business books on the market. He is also the creator of the Touch Point Focus initiative, in which he takes organizations through a one-year CX journey to make them the employer of choice and the vendor of choice in their industry.

Moderator: Kelsey Ferro, Technical Associate, Opta Group

Kelsey Ferro is a dedicated and forward-thinking young professional with a passion for innovation in the steel industry. With a strong foundation in steelmaking, metallurgy and a keen focus on innovative practices, she thrives at the intersection of technical expertise and practical application. Currently working at Opta Group (USA), Ferro leverages a deep understanding of steel processes, including casting technologies, slag chemistry and secondary metallurgy, to deliver impactful solutions. A recent graduate of Colorado School of Mines, she is committed to professional growth and continuously seeks opportunities to refine her knowledge and contribute to advancements in the steelmaking industry. Ferro has also cultivated firsthand industry insights, including internships with Nucor-Yamato Steel Co., Ellwood Quality Steels and Caterpillar Inc., further broadening her expertise. Beyond her technical skills, Ferro is actively involved with AIST, where she serves as Young Professional chair for the Continuous Casting Technology Committee and as the programming subcommittee chair for the Young Professionals Membership Committee. Through this engagement, she contributes to advancing industry knowledge and fostering collaboration among professionals in the steel sector. This involvement underscores her commitment to industry’s growth and her dedication to continuous learning and leadership within the steelmaking community.