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• ATD Hawkeye Chapter SIG: Burnout, Boundaries & the Brain©

  • When
    28 Sep 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom
  • Registered
    9 registrants

  Register

  
  

  ATD Hawkeye Chapter SIG: Burnout, Boundaries & the Brain©
  
  Recognizing, reversing, and preventing burnout using applied neuroscience and nervous system resets

  Facilitated by Melanie K. Hoffner

  Monday, September 28 | Virtual via Zoom

  ATD Hawkeye Chapter is thrilled to host a Special Interest Group (SIG) just for you—one that blends brain science with real-world strategies to help you develop talent more effectively.

  Introducing Talent Development with the Brain in Mind, a monthly virtual series facilitated by Melanie K. Hoffner, certified Brain-Based Trainer, Dr. Amen Licensed Brain Health Coach, and self-proclaimed “brain junkie.” With warmth, energy, and practical insight, Melanie translates the latest neuroscience into tools you can use to support your brain—and the brains of those you teach, coach, or lead.

  Each session includes:

  - Engaging, research-informed content made simple and actionable

  - Interactive experiences that help learning stick

  - Resources and strategies to apply immediately

  - A welcoming space for discussion and community

  Schedule & Format:

  - When: Fourth Monday of each month

  - Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00pm CT

  - Where: Zoom

  Cost:

  Members can log into the website and register to attend each session for free.  Other guests will need to register online and pay a fee of $20.00 for each session.

  Show details
• ATD Hawkeye Chapter 50th Anniversary Fall Conference - Communication for Impact

  • When
    30 Sep 2026
  •  
    8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
  • Location
    Kirkwood Regional Center, 2301 Oakdale Blvd, Coralville, Iowa

  Register

  

  ATD Hawkeye Chapter 50th Anniversary Fall Conference

  
  

  
  

  Show Up and Show Out: Communicate with Clarity, Confidence, and Career-Defining Presence

  
  

  Click Here for a Digital Conference Program & Speaker Guide!

   

  For 50 years, the Association for Talent Development Hawkeye Chapter has championed growth, learning, and leadership. But in today’s fast-moving workplace, expertise alone isn’t enough. Visibility, voice, and delivery determine whose ideas get heard, funded, and followed. In this high-energy opening keynote, the award-winning international professional speaker and The Presentation Fixer, Bridgett McGowen, challenges talent development professionals to raise the standard of how they show up in classrooms, boardrooms, and high-stakes conversations and how they show out when it matters most.

   

  Blending practical communication strategy with real-world delivery techniques, Bridgett equips attendees with tools they can immediately apply to trainings, stakeholder briefings, leadership sessions, and conference stages. Participants will learn how to turn everyday communication moments into influence opportunities, strengthen executive presence, and deliver messages that move people to action.

   

  This milestone conference deserves more than attendance. It deserves bold presence. And it deserves talent development leaders who are ready not just to be in the room but to own it. Leaders who are energized to represent the next era of talent development and ready to show up and show out!
  
  

  Audience Takeaways:

  • A practical framework for showing up with authority and authenticity in any professional setting
  • Delivery techniques that increase audience engagement and message retention
  • Strategies to translate expertise into influence through stronger communication
  • Tools to project confidence even under pressure
  • A renewed commitment to visible, vocal, high-impact leadership

  

  Conference Speaker Times & Tracks:

  
  

  

  Track 1: Show Up

  Confidence • Executive Presence • Authenticity

  Leadership presence is more than confidence—it is how people experience you before you even begin speaking. This track focuses on helping professionals strengthen executive presence, communicate with authenticity, and project confidence in high-pressure situations. Sessions in this track explore mindset, visibility, emotional intelligence, credibility, and the small communication habits that build trust and influence. Participants will learn practical techniques to show up with clarity, professionalism, and purpose in meetings, presentations, conversations, and leadership moments.

  Ideal for: leaders, emerging leaders, trainers, HR professionals, and anyone ready to increase their professional presence and confidence.

  Track 2: Speak Up

  Presentation • Facilitation • Storytelling • Engagement

  Great communicators do more than share information—they create connection, energy, and action. This track is designed for professionals who want to strengthen their speaking, training, facilitation, and audience engagement skills. Sessions focus on presentation delivery, storytelling, audience interaction, message clarity, and communication techniques that improve retention and participation. Participants will discover how to move beyond simply delivering content to creating memorable experiences that inspire learning and engagement.

  Ideal for: trainers, facilitators, presenters, educators, leaders, and professionals who communicate to groups or teams.

  Track 3: Move People

  Influence • Persuasion • Leadership Communication • Change

  Communication has the power to shape culture, influence decisions, and move people toward action. This track explores the strategic side of communication—helping leaders communicate vision, strategy,  navigate change, build buy-in, and influence others with intention and credibility. Sessions will focus on persuasive communication, stakeholder conversations, difficult discussions, change messaging, and leading through communication. Participants will leave with tools to communicate in ways that inspire trust, alignment, and forward movement.

  Ideal for: organizational leaders, managers, project leaders, change champions, HR professionals, and talent development professionals.

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• ATD Hawkeye Chapter SIG: Change Your Mindset, Change Your Brain©

  • When
    26 Oct 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom
  • Registered
    4 registrants

  Register

  
  

  ATD Hawkeye Chapter SIG: Change Your Mindset, Change Your Brain©
  
  A practical exploration of neuroplasticity, RAS, and shifting out of survival-mode thinking

  Facilitated by Melanie K. Hoffner

  Monday, October 26 | Virtual via Zoom

  ATD Hawkeye Chapter is thrilled to host a Special Interest Group (SIG) just for you—one that blends brain science with real-world strategies to help you develop talent more effectively.

  Introducing Talent Development with the Brain in Mind, a monthly virtual series facilitated by Melanie K. Hoffner, certified Brain-Based Trainer, Dr. Amen Licensed Brain Health Coach, and self-proclaimed “brain junkie.” With warmth, energy, and practical insight, Melanie translates the latest neuroscience into tools you can use to support your brain—and the brains of those you teach, coach, or lead.

  Each session includes:

  - Engaging, research-informed content made simple and actionable

  - Interactive experiences that help learning stick

  - Resources and strategies to apply immediately

  - A welcoming space for discussion and community

  Schedule & Format:

  - When: Fourth Monday of each month

  - Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00pm CT

  - Where: Zoom

  Cost:

  Members can log into the website and register to attend each session for free.  Other guests will need to register online and pay a fee of $20.00 for each session.

  Show details
• Fall Event: Soup, Connections & A Little Competition!

  • When
    28 Oct 2026
  •  
    5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
  • Location
    Red Cedar Lodge @ Wannatee Park, 1700 Big Bluestem Dr, Marion, Ia 52302
  • Registered
    Be the first

  Register

  

  Fall Event: Soup, Connections & A Little Competition!

  Date: Wednesday, October 28th

  Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

  Location: Red Cedar Lodge @ Wanatee Park, 1700 Big Bluestem Dr, Marion, IA 52302 - Once you get to the park, follow signs to the lodge!

  Join the ATD Hawkeye Chapter for an evening designed for fun, connection, and a little friendly competition!

  Enjoy our Soup Cook-Off, catch up with old friends, meet new L&D professionals, and then team up for a fun, interactive challenge that will put your creativity and trainer know-how to the test.

  No presentations. No PowerPoint. Just great food, great people, laughter, networking, and fun.

  Come hungry. Come ready to connect.

  And bring your trainer brain—you just might need it! 

  Cost:

  • Members/Non-Members - $10

  Show details
• ATD Hawkeye Chapter SIG: The Neuroscience of Trust & Psychological Safety©

  • When
    23 Nov 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom
  • Registered
    3 registrants

  Register

  
  

  ATD Hawkeye Chapter SIG: The Neuroscience of Trust & Psychological Safety©
  
  Explore how oxytocin, cortisol, and social threat detection impact your team’s collaboration, communication, and creativity

  Facilitated by Melanie K. Hoffner

  Monday, November 23 | Virtual via Zoom

  ATD Hawkeye Chapter is thrilled to host a Special Interest Group (SIG) just for you—one that blends brain science with real-world strategies to help you develop talent more effectively.

  Introducing Talent Development with the Brain in Mind, a monthly virtual series facilitated by Melanie K. Hoffner, certified Brain-Based Trainer, Dr. Amen Licensed Brain Health Coach, and self-proclaimed “brain junkie.” With warmth, energy, and practical insight, Melanie translates the latest neuroscience into tools you can use to support your brain—and the brains of those you teach, coach, or lead.

  Each session includes:

  - Engaging, research-informed content made simple and actionable

  - Interactive experiences that help learning stick

  - Resources and strategies to apply immediately

  - A welcoming space for discussion and community

  Schedule & Format:

  - When: Fourth Monday of each month

  - Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00pm CT

  - Where: Zoom

  Cost:

  Members can log into the website and register to attend each session for free.  Other guests will need to register online and pay a fee of $20.00 for each session.

  Show details
• ATD Hawkeye Chapter SIG: Reflections with the Brain in Mind©

  • When
    28 Dec 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Online via Zoom
  • Registered
    3 registrants

  Register

  
  

  ATD Hawkeye Chapter SIG: Reflections with the Brain in Mind©
  
  Look back with intention, celebrate small wins, and set yourself up for a brain-friendly new year

  Facilitated by Melanie K. Hoffner

  Monday, December 28 | Virtual via Zoom

  ATD Hawkeye Chapter is thrilled to host a Special Interest Group (SIG) just for you—one that blends brain science with real-world strategies to help you develop talent more effectively.

  Introducing Talent Development with the Brain in Mind, a monthly virtual series facilitated by Melanie K. Hoffner, certified Brain-Based Trainer, Dr. Amen Licensed Brain Health Coach, and self-proclaimed “brain junkie.” With warmth, energy, and practical insight, Melanie translates the latest neuroscience into tools you can use to support your brain—and the brains of those you teach, coach, or lead.

  Each session includes:

  - Engaging, research-informed content made simple and actionable

  - Interactive experiences that help learning stick

  - Resources and strategies to apply immediately

  - A welcoming space for discussion and community

  Schedule & Format:

  - When: Fourth Monday of each month

  - Time: 12:00 noon to 1:00pm CT

  - Where: Zoom

  Cost:

  Members can log into the website and register to attend each session for free.  Other guests will need to register online and pay a fee of $20.00 for each session.

  Show details