Assertiveness, stress management and motivation are all key qualities needed to today's tough and challenging marketplace.

And those are exactly the topical and relevant subjects Paul Loftus, a Montreal-based international management development consultant, will be tackling with students in a series of seminars held at the Bermuda Insurance Institute (BII) next month.

Mr. Loftus, who doubles up as an industrial/organisational psychologist and has been hosting seminars in Bermuda for more than 20 years, will hold the one-day Assertiveness Training for Managers & Team Leaders workshop on January 13, followed by the Stress Management workshop the next day and a workshop entitled Motivating for Peak Performance on January 15.

The first workshop will teach managers, supervisors or team leaders how to be assertive in order to achieve the results they want, using high self-esteem, confidence and management with authority.

The content of the course includes an introduction, essential assertiveness skills, self-esteem and further techniques.

The second course focuses on the unrelenting demands of today's work environment which places an enormous burden on managers, examining the root causes of stress in the business world, will help identify stressors and will provide numerous solutions which can be applied. It will also look at burnout and diagnostics.

The Motivating for Peak Performance will show students how to keep people motivated and operating at peak performance, applying recently developed and classical theories of motivation and reward to discover that old assumptions about human nature are inadequate to deal with today's workforce.

To book your place contact the BII at 295-1596 or visit the website at www.bii.bm