Description

The HR Collective has become a go-to space for Idaho’s manufacturing leaders—whether you carry an HR title or simply manage the people side of your business. The forum has evolved into a professional network that fosters collaboration and real-world knowledge sharing. Today, the Collective is positioned as a TPM-aligned, employer-led forum: a place where manufacturers surface shared pain points, translate them into data and insights, and walk away with tools, templates, and measurable fixes they can apply immediately in their workplaces

From pay and retention to engagement and career development, this is where meaningful conversations happen—with peers who truly get it. You’ll connect with industry experts, share best practices, and walk away with practical tools to support your people and strengthen your organization.

This month’s session—“Practical Tools for Difficult Conversations”—focuses on building confidence and clarity in the tough moments leaders face every day. You’ll learn a simple, repeatable structure that helps you stay calm, communicate clearly, and maintain trust even when emotions run high. It’s a tool you can use yourself and easily cascade to your supervisors and team leads.

Whether you’re addressing performance, accountability, safety, or interpersonal conflict, you’ll walk away with practical language, ready-made examples, and a communication approach that reduces defensiveness and strengthens relationships.

Key Topics

• How to stay grounded and effective when conversations get tense
• What to say to prevent defensiveness and keep dialogue productive
• A repeatable process for addressing issues clearly and respectfully
• Turning accountability conversations into forward-moving problem solving

Why Attend?

You’ll walk away with a simple, practical communication tool that strengthens culture, reduces friction, and keeps teams aligned. Expect real manufacturing examples, short demonstrations, and usable prompts you can share with your leaders the same day.

About the Presenters

Chris Kelly with the Idaho Manufacturing Alliance and Melissa Lowder with BBSI, will co-facilitate this session. Together, they bring deep experience in workforce development, leadership coaching, and employee relations within Idaho’s manufacturing sector.

Event Details

📅 Date & Time: First Thursday of the month | 11:00 AM MT
💻 Where: Virtual (link provided after registration)
📥 Submit questions in advance: info@idmfg.org

⚠️ This event is exclusively for IMA member manufacturing professionals.

We hope you’ll join us for this timely and informative session—let’s work together to create more confident, compliant, and well-informed HR and Management teams across Idaho manufacturing.