Every ping, every "quick question," every tab switch — they're all tiny holes draining your bucket before you even get started. In this session, we'll show you how Microsoft Planner can patch the leaks caused by constant context switching. Walk away with a simple system that protects your focus and reduces mental fatigue so you can focus on the important stuff and keep your bucket full.

Inspired by the timeless wisdom of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, this engaging and interactive keynote invites audiences to rediscover simple, powerful habits that create healthier lives and stronger communities. Through humor, storytelling, and meaningful connection, participants will explore some essential “neighborhood lessons” that help fill their buckets and the buckets of those around them. When we fill our buckets, we can help build better lives-one neighbor at a time. Attendees will leave feeling energized, encouraged, and equipped to create a ripple effect of positivity in their workplaces, families, and communities.

Adobe Express Hands-On Practice
Kiley Biedenfeld, Jolene McCoy – Marketing Specialists, and Bella Shaova – Graphic Designer

This hands-on Adobe Express workshop is for beginners. At the workshop, we’ll dive right in using ISU Extension and Outreach’s custom brand kit—wordmarks, colors, fonts, and all. 

We’ll explore how to use pre-designed templates to create eye-catching social media posts, flyers, certificates, and more in just minutes.

Along the way, we’ll share practical tips, shortcuts, and creative tricks to speed up your workflow while maintaining brand integrity. Bring your laptop, your ideas, and your curiosity, and leave with ready-to-use assets and the confidence to complete future projects.

Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop for hands-on practice.

Microsoft Outlook and Excel Basics
Sara Wollner – Region 24 Regional Director

This hands-on workshop helps participants build confidence and efficiency using Microsoft Outlook and Excel. Learn to manage emails, calendars, and tasks in Outlook while developing essential Excel skills, including data entry, formatting, formulas, sorting, filtering, and creating charts. Participants will also discover time-saving shortcuts, productivity tips, and best practices to streamline daily tasks and improve workplace efficiency. Ideal for beginners or anyone looking to strengthen their Microsoft Office skills. 

Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop for hands-on practice.

How to Utilize the EAP and Calm Employee Benefits 
Jennifer Vit – IECA Executive Director, and Julie Baumler – IECA Program Assistant

County employees in all 100 extension districts are eligible for the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and many counties offer the Calm App. Learn about the two benefit programs, how to access them, and some of the more utilized or popular features.

Marketing in Motion: Practical Social Media Strategies 
Haley Princehouse – Region 9 Office and Program Assistant

Ready to turn ideas into action? In this interactive session, we’ll explore practical marketing and social media strategies using the tools you already have at your fingertips. Learn how to move beyond just having the tools to actually using them effectively in your everyday work.

Participants will walk through real-world examples, simple techniques, and time-saving tips to create engaging content that connects with their audience. This is a hands-on workshop—bring your laptop and be ready to work! By the end of the session, you’ll have at least three social media posts created or scheduled, leaving your “bucket” a little fuller and your marketing a lot more purposeful.

Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop for hands-on practice.

Zoom and Microsoft Teams: Tips, Tricks, and Productivity Tools
Sara Wollner – Region 24 Regional Director

This hands-on course helps participants use Zoom and Microsoft Teams more effectively for virtual meetings, collaboration, and communication. Learners will practice scheduling meetings, managing audio and video, sharing screens, using chat and breakout rooms, collaborating on files, and troubleshooting common issues. The course also highlights time-saving shortcuts, productivity tips, and best practices for engaging and professional virtual meetings. By the end, participants will feel more confident hosting and participating in online meetings while improving communication and teamwork.

Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop for hands-on practice.

Building a Simple Social Media Content System
Viviana Urvina – Marketing Strategist

This workshop will provide a practical framework for managing social media content with more clarity, consistency, and purpose. Rather than focusing only on individual posts, participants will learn how to build a simple content management process that supports long-term communication goals.

The workshop will cover beginner-friendly best practices for deciding what to post, organizing content ideas, writing clearer captions, choosing stronger visuals, and creating a basic content calendar. Participants will also be introduced to simple workflows for collecting content, planning ahead, and keeping social media manageable without needing a large team or advanced tools.

This session will introduce the fundamentals of digital accessibility and show how small, intentional changes make content easier for people with disabilities to understand and improve digital experiences for everyone.

The workshop will focus on practical, high-impact habits that are easy to apply right away. Participants will learn how to use headings for structure, write meaningful link text, add text to images, create simple accessible tables and lists, avoid relying on color alone, and use built-in accessibility checkers in Microsoft Office. At the end of the workshop, participants will have learned how to set up their documents accessibly from the start.

The session will connect these practices to ISU’s digital accessibility requirements, while keeping the focus on realistic office workflows. Attendees will leave with greater confidence, a clear checklist of quick wins, and strategies they can immediately use to reduce barriers and improve communication and understanding for all audiences.