Leadership, Communication, and Conflict Resolution Support

for Higher Ed LEADERS & OTHER Professionals

COMMUNICATION FOR TRANSFORMATION

Human interaction can be complicated, and even messy, for anyone—from senior executives to academic leaders who battle "impostor syndrome."

Communication expert Amber Kinser cultivates clients' communication skill, savvy, and confidence, transforming the way they lead, manage, and collaborate.

Amber Kinser Consulting & Coaching programs

foster lasting, self-propelled change.

They are customized to organizational needs and

objectives, and adapted to individual styles,

strengths, challenges, and goals.

In my consulting practice, I combine knowledge and expertise drawn from

my doctorate in human communication, 23 years of administrative leadership, and professional training in coaching, conflict resolution, and mediation/ arbitration. Using the Energy Leadership™ system, I conduct thorough assessments and offer insight-driven recommendations and training for positive, measurable outcomes.

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Leadership Development

Content knowledge and technical skill are only useful if a leader can earn the trust and confidence of the people.

This confidence is earned through the “soft skills” of leader presence, growth mindset, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal communication skill & savvy. Consulting with me customizes and targets growth areas for each organization and leadership team, fostering keen awareness of their “soft skill” strengths and challenges. Through my leadership development training, leaders craft greater emotional intelligence; learn to influence others in authentically powerful ways, mindfully curate their time and energy, and foster cultures of belonging and psychological safety.

conflict resolution

Conflict is an inevitable and important part of human communication. It can provide opportunities for growth, stronger relationships, clearer goals, and more productive work environments.

Unresolved, conflict can threaten team cohesion, employee well-being and morale, and organizational effectiveness. Skilled at working across a broad array of dispositions, temperaments, and conflicts styles, I collaborate with organizations to analyze, diagnose, and resolve conflicts so that organizational members can move forward and optimize pursuit of their goals.

I teach proactive conflict resolution and difficult dialogue skills, and step in to mediate or collaboratively resolve conflicts already in play.

MEDIATION

When conflicts become especially intense and parties cannot find a path forward, a skilled mediator can help move them to resolution.

As a mediator or facilitator, I use the 3-phase InAccord model, which recognizes the central role of emotions in conflict. I guide disputants toward handling emotions productively, without reactive posturing or bargaining, and opens up space for new insights, mutual understanding, and satisfactory agreements.

I work with individuals both separately and in tandem, with the aim to conclude each conversation facilitation or mediation with a clearly articulated and mutually agreeable path forward.

coaching progRams

In my coaching practice, I help build better leaders by cultivating client awareness of leader presence, guiding them in building communication skill & savvy, and teaching them to manage impostor thinking. I draw from advanced communication training, 23 years of leadership experience, and certifications in professional coaching.

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Academic leaders are challenged with creating cohesion among a complex mix of personalities, temperaments, and sensibilities. Communicating skillfully and strategically is central to this work.

A leader's listening habits, word language, body language—and even the language of organizational symbols and events—work together to foster particular subcultures within the larger culture of the university, college, or other work environment. Given the significant impact that culture has on all human behavior, effective leaders need to be aware of, and strategic about, what kind their own communication choices are helping to create. Through compassionate, client-centered coaching, I guide leaders in executing reflective and conscious communication choices.

In addition, I offer critical insights about multiple aspects of leadership, including: strategic planning; articulating vision, mission, values, and goals; writing annual faculty/staff/employee reviews; conducting meetings; curating leader time and energy; and resolving conflicts.

See David Bertrand's 2019 study "The Practice of Executive Coaching to Improve Leadership

Capacity in Academic Deans in American Higher Ed

See Stefan Kalt's 2019 "How Deans Can Use an Executive Coach" in Dean and Provost.

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION

Executives and senior leaders in any industry carry a pronounced responsibility for ensuring—through pointed self-awareness—that communication with their teams

is clear, inclusive, credible, & adaptive.

Executive coaching with me will cultivate a comprehensive understanding of how each facet of a leader’s communication style work, and how they can be improved and best utilized for optimal interpersonal and organizational outcomes.

As a certified Energy Leadership Index (ELI) Master Practitioner, I begin with the ELI. The ELI is a transformational assessment tool that illuminates the client's current performance and serves as a foundation for co-developing insights with clients about where and how to direct improvements. Areas of focus include: emotional intelligence, time management, speaking and listening, conflict resolution, and growth mindset, among other areas.

See Forbes on the ELI as one of the "Best Tests To Help You Understand Your

Strengths and Weaknesses.“

See Candace Goodwin's 2022 article on "Why Executive Coaching Works in

Higher Ed."

When employees think and feel like impostors, both they and their organizations pay a high price. Work productivity, morale, innovation, and leadership potential all suffer. But these thoughts and feelings can be managed. I know, because I learned how to navigate my own lifelong struggle with impostorism, competence, and confidence based on research findings and proven management strategies. Now, I guide other professionals in changing their relationship with competence, embracing their achievements and potential, and moving forward with confidence to more rewarding careers.

See Valerie Young's Ted Talk on "Impostor Syndrome"

See Divasmita Chakraverty's 2022 study on the origins, contributing factors, and impacts of

Impostor Phenomenon “Faculty Experiences of the Impostor Phenomenon in STEM

Fields” in CBE-Life Sciences Education

Testimonials

"100%, yes I would recommend Amber. She listened and provided clear and relevant feedback. In particular, her visualization tools had an immediate positive impact on my life. “

Felix, Marketing

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