Nice to “e-meet” you!
I’m Diane Darling (yes, it’s my real name).
I created Skills4Today because I was asked, can you teach my employees to _____ (fill in the blank from the examples below).
- Be better at public speaking
- Run good meetings
- Improve their email writing skills
- Know how to network when they attend a conference
- Deal with difficult people (including team members, clients, or even outside of work)
- Help employees gain confidence
- Get people back to the office
- Deal with multigenerational work differences
- How to succeed as an introvert
- Understanding football > yes, I teach people how to understand football*
- and other topics
Diane Darling, President & Founder of Skills4Today
Diane@DianeDarling.com; 617-308-0405
Get Diane’s Capability Statement
INSERT BOOK BLOCK HERE
Business Overview
- Skills4Today is a professional development firm based in Boston, MA.
- 100% women owned.
- Providing customized learning and development programs to government, universities, businesses, and nonprofits.
- Work with smart people who may not be gifted with “people skills.”
- Sample: Commencement speaker for MIT Charm School - yes there is such a thing.
Core Competencies
Skills4Today, a leading professional development and training organization, excels in four core competence areas, ensuring the growth and success of individuals and organizations alike.
Comprehensive Training Solutions
- Communication skills training
- People skills development
- Leadership coaching programs
Talent Management Expertise
- Employee satisfaction programs
- Recruiting strategies
- Retention initiatives
Executive Coaching
- Communication skills training
- People skills development
- Leadership coaching programs
Strategic Communications & Networking
- Employee satisfaction programs
- Recruiting strategies
- Retention initiatives
Differentiators
With a dedication to driving employee engagement, career advancement, and organizational performance, Skills4Today remains at the forefront of the industry delivering impactful results.
- Former Government: Worked for the SBA (Small Business Administration) as a part of the CARES Act during COVID.
- Specialized Training: Tailored programs for effective communication, people skills, leadership coaching, and strategic networking.
- Practical Approach: Offering actionable takeaways to implement immediately.
- Inspiring Experience: Participants leave motivated and ready to excel.
- Drive for Employee Engagement: Focused on empowering top talent.
- Proven Results: Delivering lasting impact on business performance.
- Led by Expertise: Principal consultant Diane Darling leads the way and curates others experts as needed.
- Industry Leader: Published by McGraw Hill in 9 languages and Diane demonstrates strong past performance.
- Pioneer: LinkedIn membership #16,418 out of over 800 million. You’re welcome connect with me.
Past Performance
Skills4Today, a leading professional development and training organization, excels in four core competence areas, ensuring the growth and success of individuals and organizations alike.
- Department of Energy
- MIT Supply Chain Management
- Chicago Veterans
- Canadian Consulate
- Sanofi
- Verizon
- Fidelity Investments
- TD Bank
- Valiant
- Small Business Administration
- Boston Scientific
- MD Anderson Cancer Center
- American Airlines
- Ecobat
- Cisco
- Yale Law School
- First Energy
- Latino Professional Network
- Department of Labor
- Raytheon
- Harvard Law School
- 20th Century Fox
- Avnet
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Association of Women in Science (AWIS)
- Pfizer
- Indiana Youth Institute
NAICS Codes
611430: Professional & Management Development Training
611699: All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction
Industry Certifications
8A: Pending
WOSB: Pending
EDWOSB: Pending
Business Overview
Location: Based in Boston, MA
Socioeconomic Status: Small Business
UEI: MQ78UDNRHC77
CAGE Code: 9LQ36
Year Established: 2018
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Work Area: Global
GSA MAS CONTRACT: In process
🏈 - Why I Teach People How to Watch Football*
THUMBNAIL OF VID
Quick answer - If you can’t ‘speak’ sports, it’s hard to network! People talk about sports around the water cooler - that’s why I called it WaterCoolerFootball.
If you’re are not networking, you feel excluded.
And I don’t like it when people feel left out.
Background Story
In her twenties Diane had the coolest job, taking Americans all over the world as a tour leader. She traveled to over 60 countries and six continents (she made it Antarctica years later).
One of the downsides was how often people lost things - eyeglasses, their favorite jacket, or house keys.
In the late 1990s, she got the idea to create an online business helping lost items reconnect with their owners. All was going well with market research, beta customers, and prospective partners.
Airlines said they would welcome such a service to help reconnect everything from lost teddy bears to laptops. Hotels expressed their enthusiasm given they are put in delicate situation when an item is left behind, however, it is unclear whether the guest was with their spouse or someone else.
She quit her job, took out savings, and decided to make it a go full time.
On September 11, 2001, life changed. Airlines had other things to worry about besides a teddy bear. Diane’s former boss was on the plane that went into the first tower.
Numb like so many others, Diane reflected how she was going to find a job and reboot. She was deeply in debt.
An active volunteer, she was hosting an event for women in technology providing a forum for them to advance their career through workshops and networking opportunities.
Someone asked if she could teach a workshop just about networking. She thought, why not?
A few weeks later at the Boston Chamber of Commerce, she did just that. Sharing her insights and experiences. The information was practical and actionable. Topics included:
- So many events, too little time - how to pick ones that are worthwhile
- How do you get into a conversation (and out of one)
- What to do when you forget someone’s name
- Tips to juggling a plate of appetizers without spilling a glass of wine
- Strategies to follow (aka the difference between persistence and stalking)
The program was a hit. A reporter from the Wall Street Journal was there and wrote a column that appeared on December 4, 2001.
That day McGraw-Hill called and asked her to write a book, NBC called and filmed her that evening for a segment, and her favorite call of the day - someone wanted to sell her a plaque of the article!
Effective Networking, Inc was launched and continued for many years. However she started being asked to teach other topics so in 2018
