Sarah Elkins

Sarah Elkins

Helena, Montana, United States
17K followers 500+ connections

Join to follow

About

The stories you share say a lot about who you are. They contribute to your internal…

Services

Request proposal

Articles by Sarah

  • My Pronouns Aren't Actually About Me
    Feb 3, 2021

    My Pronouns Aren't Actually About Me

    Why I Added Pronouns to My Profile Name Shortly after I added (she, her) to my profile name and left a comment on a…

    24 Comments
  • What Stories Are You Making?
    Jul 17, 2020

    What Stories Are You Making?

    And What Messages Are You Sending to Those Around You? At least a dozen people have shared this with me in the past…

    29 Comments
  • No Longer Virtual: A Lesson in Turning a Dream into Reality
    Dec 23, 2019

    No Longer Virtual: A Lesson in Turning a Dream into Reality

    The inaugural No Longer Virtual was exactly what it was supposed to be. "How are you, Sarah? Getting excited for your…

    9 Comments
See all articles

Contributions

Join now to see all contributions

Activity

Experience

Education

  • Western Governors University Graphic

    Western Governors University

  • As an exchange student from Colorado State University, I lived in Duchesne College and traveled down the east coast of Australia following my semester of study. Great memories from that semester!

  • Activities and Societies: Chamber Singers, All State Choir (2 years)

  • -

    Re-certify every two years.

Licenses & Certifications

Projects

  • Brain Science for Success, Women's Leadership Network, Helena Annual Conference

    A one-day professional development opportunity focused on whole-brain thinking to improve personal and professional outcomes. Featuring speakers Dr. Melissa Hughes, Alyssa Dver, Colleen Rudio, and Sarah Elkins.

    Other creators
    See project

  • DBE Summit 2017

    Provided an interactive session: Inspiring Your Small Business: Learn to Share Your Story.

    Other creators
    See project

  • Webinar Interview, Building Buy-In for SeamlessDocs

    A major accomplishment in my city, our team implemented online forms quickly and with great success in terms of activity by our residents and staff. One form created to accept public comment received 315 submissions, more than triple our normal responses to a contentious community issue. This webinar was recorded to help other agencies develop buy-in for new technology, and to better understand the value of community engagement.

    See project

  • Contributor at Thrive Global

    Now contributing articles to Arianna Huffington's latest media project, Thrive Global.

    See project

  • Featured Speaker: Women's Leadership Network Helena, Annual Conference

    A fantastic opportunity to present to more than 100 curious, professional, enthusiastic women the nuances and power in body language as a communication tool internally and externally.

  • Featured Speaker: Professional Networking Online - Women's Leadership Network, Helena

    Presented an overview of navigation, profile design, and engagement strategies on LinkedIn, and introduced the group to the new beBee platform.

  • Featured Speaker: Don't Step Out of Your Comfort Zone -- Leap! - Women's Leadership Network, Helena

    Provided a 40 minute presentation, offering strategies for building confidence and making strategic choices to be successful -- no matter how you define success.

  • Presenter, Panel Coordinator - MMIA Executive Academy, Montana: Media & Public Relations for Small Government Agencies

    Other creators

  • Keynote Speaker: Be Real, Be You, Storytelling for Tour Directors - ITMI Annual Symposium

    Presented to over 300 tour directors for the opening session at the International Tour Management Institute's 2016 Annual Symposium. Provided an interactive, engaging hour and 15 minute presentation on components, strategies, and major keys to telling a great story.

    See project

  • Presenter - Helena Parking Commission Training: Customer Service in the Public Sector

    Provided a two hour customer service workshop to city public parking staff. Focused on empathy, strategies for dealing with difficult customers, and how body language, facial expression, and attitude can directly affect customer perception.

    Evaluation Responses:
    -Good information, feedback, great interaction. Very informative.
    -I think this would help in people's work and their personal life also.
    -I liked Sarah's examples AND she is fun.
    -I liked the interaction. It wasn't a…

    Provided a two hour customer service workshop to city public parking staff. Focused on empathy, strategies for dealing with difficult customers, and how body language, facial expression, and attitude can directly affect customer perception.

    Evaluation Responses:
    -Good information, feedback, great interaction. Very informative.
    -I think this would help in people's work and their personal life also.
    -I liked Sarah's examples AND she is fun.
    -I liked the interaction. It wasn't a presentation but a talk.

  • Presenter - 911 Dispatcher Training: Customer Service in Dispatch

    Provided a two hour workshop to new hires for the 911 dispatch as part of their regular new hire orientation and training. Focused on empathy, strategies for dealing with difficult customers, and the importance of a service mindset when interacting with internal and external customers.

    Evaluation Responses:
    -Very experienced speaker, very experienced with the materials being taught.
    -Great insight into how customer service should work and why it works.
    -Many people have…

    Provided a two hour workshop to new hires for the 911 dispatch as part of their regular new hire orientation and training. Focused on empathy, strategies for dealing with difficult customers, and the importance of a service mindset when interacting with internal and external customers.

    Evaluation Responses:
    -Very experienced speaker, very experienced with the materials being taught.
    -Great insight into how customer service should work and why it works.
    -Many people have forgotten or need to be reminded what it is to serve others.

  • Featured Speaker: Telling Your Story - Women's Leadership Network of Helena

    Provided a 40 minute presentation on storytelling - the why, what, and how of effective storytelling for a variety of media and environments.

  • Presenter - Executive Institute, Montana: Use of Social Media in an Emergency: Strategies and Best Practices

    Evaluation of Session (Scale 1-5):
    Presentation: 4.81, Usefulness: 4.75, Learning Outcomes Met: 4.80

    -Good focus on importance of rapidly developing portion of our lives.
    -Excellent
    -Sarah was good in her presentation
    -Something we forget about until an emergency but would also be useful with local happenings and important public info
    -Training was full of a lot of information. Time was allowed for group discussion.
    -High Tech - Good Info
    -Good Info!
    -Good use of…

    Evaluation of Session (Scale 1-5):
    Presentation: 4.81, Usefulness: 4.75, Learning Outcomes Met: 4.80

    -Good focus on importance of rapidly developing portion of our lives.
    -Excellent
    -Sarah was good in her presentation
    -Something we forget about until an emergency but would also be useful with local happenings and important public info
    -Training was full of a lot of information. Time was allowed for group discussion.
    -High Tech - Good Info
    -Good Info!
    -Good use of today's relevance, need more of today's importance not last year's works.
    -One of the best sessions of the workshop.
    -Presenter very comfortable with her role as instructor & command of subject matter.

    Facilitated a two hour workshop to discuss with municipal elected officials strategies and best practices when using social media to communicate with citizens during an emergency. Topics included basic social media practices and platforms, roles, responsibilities & expectations for municipal elected officials in an incident, available training opportunities through FEMA, suggested communication strategies & preparation, and social media as public records.

    See project

  • Presenter - Gov Tech Magazine Webinar: Wrangling Social Media In Big Sky Country: How Helena Is Corralling the Digital Records Stampede

    Via webinar, I shared the story of the City of Helena's decision to participate in social media platforms, the steps we took to begin, the policies created and strategies employed, and the ultimate decision to seek a solution to archive our social media records.

    Other creators
    See project

  • Presenter - MMIA 2015 Executive Academy: Role & Importance of a Public Information Officer in an Incident

    Presented about the important role of a Public Information Officer in city government, particularly during an emergency or major incident. Shared strategies for disseminating information in small communities and spoke about the availability of FEMA PIO training in Montana.

    Other creators
    • General Bradley Livingston

  • Presenter - MMIA 2014 Executive Academy: Using Social Media in an Incident, from the Local Government Perspective

    Organized a panel to focus on Public Relations/City Community Affairs at an educational workshop presented by the Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority (MMIA) and the MSU Local Government Center. The Academy is designed to assist mayors and city managers of varying levels of experience through a series of interactive sessions and discussions led by experts in their field.

    I shared my experience and recommendations in using social media in small government agencies. The panel I organized…

    Organized a panel to focus on Public Relations/City Community Affairs at an educational workshop presented by the Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority (MMIA) and the MSU Local Government Center. The Academy is designed to assist mayors and city managers of varying levels of experience through a series of interactive sessions and discussions led by experts in their field.

    I shared my experience and recommendations in using social media in small government agencies. The panel I organized presented sample social media policies and strategies and shared stories from local incidents and public information needs with mayors and city managers from all over Montana.

    Other creators
    See project

  • Facilitator/Presenter - Customer Service Workshop - Dealing with Difficult Customers

    Partnered with the Colstrip Bicentennial Public Library to present a four hour workshop to a variety of participants including motel staff, library staff, local government employees, etc. The most common comment on evaluations was that participants would like the workshop to have been longer. Presented a variety of strategies to deal with difficult customers.

    See project

  • Coordinator/Organizer - City of Helena's Sesquicentennial Anniversary Year Events

    -

    With a variety of community members and committees, I coordinated events to celebrate our city's 150th anniversary year. The major project for which I was responsible was the mural painted at Performance Square. With committee members we raised funds, secured support and sponsorships, coordinated with city and non-profit organizations and organized the painting of the mural. We planned and executed a successful anniversary celebration to dedicate the mural and to recognize the community members…

    With a variety of community members and committees, I coordinated events to celebrate our city's 150th anniversary year. The major project for which I was responsible was the mural painted at Performance Square. With committee members we raised funds, secured support and sponsorships, coordinated with city and non-profit organizations and organized the painting of the mural. We planned and executed a successful anniversary celebration to dedicate the mural and to recognize the community members involved.

    Also with a small committee, we successfully planned and executed a 150th New Year's Eve Gala to end the sesquicentennial anniversary year with a special event.

    See project

Recommendations received

27 people have recommended Sarah

Join now to view

View Sarah’s full profile

  • See who you know in common
  • Get introduced
  • Contact Sarah directly
Join to view full profile

Other similar profiles

Explore more posts

Explore collaborative articles

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.

Explore More

Others named Sarah Elkins in United States

99 others named Sarah Elkins in United States are on LinkedIn

See others named Sarah Elkins