Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisa Shorago.
Hi Alisa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I practiced law for over 15 years as a litigator in various areas, including employment law. While I learned a lot, I felt like there had to be a more proactive, preventative way of helping employees and companies build a positive workplace environment, rather than end up with the unpleasant experience of litigation.
So I walked away from practicing law and started my own business, Shorago Training Services. Combining my legal experience with my experience in college teaching, I decided my goal was to provide training that was actually useful and engaging. Given my employment law background, I started with harassment prevention training, which is one of my favorite areas, especially because nobody expects that particular training to be interesting or helpful! However, I quickly realized the importance of communication beyond preventing harassment. So I also provide companies with employee training on effective and emotionally intelligent oral and written communication skills.
I’m so much happier in employee training and in being my own boss. Besides giving me a way to make a difference, Imy work allows me plenty of flexibility. It’s always been very important to me to have time to volunteer for causes I’m passionate about. I currently volunteer as an advocate for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) patients; past gigs include volunteering with a nonpartisan election hotline and in animal rescue.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I knew I didn’t want to practice law but it took several years to figure out a path for a second career. Once I learned about employee training (aka corporate education), the light bulb went on – I knew it was something I’d be good at and enjoy.
Since then, there have been ups and downs, though happily more ups. And I’ve tried to take the down times to grow by learning new areas or sharpening my skills. For example, during the pandemic in 2020, when in-person training (at that time 90% off my business) was off the table, I studied up on and obtained a certification in virtual training. That allowed me to make sure my live webinars were engaging as possible. And I even created an online, on-demand eLearning course in the area of harassment prevention at a client’s request, which involved learning multiple tech platforms in the process.
As you know, we’re big fans of Shorago Training Services. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I started Shorago Training Services after sitting through some seriously boring harassment prevention sessions and realizing I could do much better. I’m known for truly engaging employees, not only making the time go by enjoyably but also providing information they can actually use to keep the workplace positive.
Beyond harassment prevention and discrimination prevention, I also provide training on effective and emotionally intelligent communication for employees and leaders. That includes the art of delivering feedback; how to give powerful presentations; and how to write or speak with your audience in mind. Last but not least, I enjoy offering “Wine in Business” as an educational and/or teambuilding experience – it’s a fun way to use my wine educator certificate (Level 3 WSET) and experience as a judge at wine competitions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shoragotraining.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisashorago/
