Course Catalog

This catalog includes all of the courses Walter has developed or is qualified to teach, but note that not every course is always available. Many courses can be customized for special audiences and occasions.  Let us know what you might be interested in by emailing or calling 207 343-1842,

Table of Contents

Click the course title to view the course description. Use the “back” button to return to the table of contents.

General topics—adult education courses of a general nature and of interest to diverse audiences.

Real Estate Licensing—courses that apply to real estate brokerage licensing.

Speeches and Key Note Presentations—“talks” available as keynote presentations—shorter versions are available for civic and community organizations.

General Topics

BYOB – Build Your Own Blog

Curious about blogging? This overview class will introduce you to the creative and technical aspects of creating and maintaining your very own blog, answering questions like “Why should I blog?” and “Where should I blog?” It’s been estimated that well over one million blog posts are appearing every day. There is any number of reasons the answer might be “yes.” Sign up for this fast-paced synopsis of blogging that will help you decide. (One two hour session)

Brainpower – Discovering Your Mental Abilities

Mental patterns and routines allow us to take in, categorize and handle great amounts of information, but they also account for most of our “stupid mistakes.” With awareness, we can manage the process and increase mental flexibility. After experiencing first-hand the flexibility and potential of the mind, participants learn how they can develop important mental skills such as fact-finding, problem-solving, and “happying.” (One three-hour session)

Cows Don’t Give Milk–You Have to Take It!

Do you need to be more persuasive?  The techniques you will learn have been applied in situations including advertising, public speaking, customer service, and even parenting.  This is an action-packed and information-crammed program that’s fun to boot!  You’ll learn, for example, that cows don’t give milk; you actually have to take it!  Or at least you need to know some basic techniques for getting those cows to yield the precious fluid.  We won’t be milking cows, but we will be learning techniques to increase the returns from our sales and influencing efforts. (One two-hour session)

Is There a Book in You? Publish it!

Publishing technology and the industry have changed dramatically in recent years. It’s no longer impossible or expensive for new authors to get published thanks to “Indie Publishing” and POD (print on demand) technology. Join local author “Mr. Boomsma” to learn how he published and distributes his recent book “Small People — Big Brains” using readily available resources. (One two-hour session)

Myths, Magic, and Mayhem–Negotiating a Difficult Real Estate Market

If you’ve never bought or sold real estate — or it’s been a while — this program will provide you with a  working familiarity with some of the principles and practices in today’s market. Using a workshop approach, the program will be tailored to the needs and interests of the participants and will include topics like the role of the various professionals involved in the process, the jargon of the industry, pitfalls to avoid, and consumer rights and responsibilities. Note this is a consumer course and does not qualify for continuing education credit for real estate licensees. (One two-hour session)

Public Speaking for the Nervous and Frightened

Do you get sweaty palms and shaky knees when called upon to speak in front of a group? Public speaking doesn’t have to be scary! This brief course doesn’t promise to turn you into a great orator, but it will help you get the butterflies in your stomach to fly in formation when you stand in front of a group by having an “enlarged conversation.” Come prepared to participate and have a lot of fun! Bring your butterflies! (Two sessions, two hours each)

Publicity for Non-Profits and Small Businesses

You may be making news, but is it news if nobody knows about it? This class will explore the basics of “getting the word out” through approaches that work for small businesses and non-profit organizations regardless of size. Participants will learn the mechanics of getting a story in print or on television and take home samples of formats and some tips for maximizing their business or organization’s exposure in the media. You’ll even learn why social media may not be the answer. (One two-hour session.)

Solopreneuring—Got What It Takes?

Nearly everyone sometimes enjoys the idea of “being their own boss.” But, believe it or not, being your own boss can be a pain! The rewards may be great, but so are the risks and requirements. This fast-paced workshop will challenge you to be honest with yourself and discover what sort of person you will be to work for. (One two-hour session.)

Substitute Teacher Workshop

This fun one-day program is designed to prepare people interested in serving as substitute teachers or ed techs.  There will be plenty of “hands-on learning” that will include important classroom management techniques and teaching strategies. We’ll also cover some legal aspects and help you develop your own “sub pack” of resources and an action plan to get you started on the right foot! If you’ve been subbing, this is a great opportunity for a “refresher” and new ideas. One student comments, “…very engaging with many real-life scenarios. I came away with new information even after subbing for a year.” The program is taught by Walter Boomsma, an experienced substitute teacher, and adult educator. (One six-hour session.)

Suicide Prevention – An Awareness Session Focused on Youth

This two-hour awareness session will bring attendees into compliance with the recent law (LD 609) that requires all Maine school employees to receive basic suicide prevention education. The program is designed to raise awareness about suicide risk factors and warning signs and to provide information on what steps to take if suicide is suspected. While focused on students and youth, the information and skills learned are appropriate for use with anyone who might be feeling suicidal, no matter what their age. (One two-hour session.)

Ten Dating Rules to Help with Your Job Search–Desperation isn’t pretty!

The idea of having a new job is exciting. For most folks, the idea of finding a new job is dreadful. This fun seminar will ask you to make your job search more fun by using a few basic marketing principles. You’ll learn how to turn your job search into a program and how a properly designed resume will help you answer tough interview questions. High school seniors are welcome and encouraged to attend! (One two-hour session)

Your WordPress Website/Blog

WordPress is one of the most popular free and open-source blogging and website publishing platforms. In this “user-friendly” and hands-on course, you’ll learn the basics of building a blog or website for your business or pleasure—in fact, you’ll have your site up and running by the end of the class. You should have some basic computer skills and a basic understanding of the Internet.  The class is not designed for advanced users! You will need to be able to access your email during the first session. (Two sessions, two hours each.)

The instructor instilled a level of confidence in his teaching due to experience with the subject matter. I felt extremely comfortable asking questions in relation to the material presented. I have experience teaching/instructing and receiving such in six years of college. I have no issue stating that this instructor is among the top three I have had.

Real Estate Licensing Courses

Real Estate Courses are sponsored by the Arthur Gary School of Real Estate.

Sales Agent Course

The state of Maine requires that a person pass the 55-hour Sales Agent course and a state exam, both with a 75% or better, to qualify for a Sales Agent license. Our 55-hour Sales Agent course covers all of the material required by Maine License Law and Rules to qualify for a Sales Agent license.

Associate Broker Course

The state of Maine requires that a Sales Agent pass the 60-hour Associate Broker course with a 75% or better to qualify for an Associate Broker license. This course must be completed before the expiration of their Sales Agent License.

Speeches and Keynote Presentations

You’ll See It When You Believe It

Since 1985, I’ve been presenting this keynote address to numerous groups in business settings and civic and social organizations. It is based on working with thousands of people—some successful, some not—an experience that helped determine the key factors that drive success.

The presentation brings these factors down to practical, everyday behaviors and attitudes the audience can relate to because they’ve been there. It is “serious stuff” balanced with just the right amount of humor to make it “go down easy.”

You’ll See It is delivered as a dialog of discovery with the audience, which can run for a half hour to over one hour with full content delivered at all lengths. Forty-five minutes to one hour is ideal. The audience is kept involved mentally through pointed questions and suspense. Examples are common to all and specific to your group.

Too often, “motivational talks” are uplifting and inspiring, but the result is temporary. This happens because motivation is an inner concept of choice. It’s dramatically affected by external factors, so much so that we “forget” that it is internal and give up that power of choice.

You’ll See It is uplifting and inspiring but goes beyond that. One by one, it strips away those external factors and allows people to discover the power of self-created choices and attitudes. It provides practical “how-to’s” for those who choose to manage themselves. You can stay uplifted and inspired when you discover:

  • the way you get treated is the way you teach people to treat you
  • how to stop looking for a miracle and start living one instead
  • what you believe about problems is almost as important as solving them.

People leave You’ll See It with a new direction of energy and the tools to become an artist of self-creation and mastery.

Finding Dead Rainbows—Where You Stand Makes a Difference

The seed for this presentation was actually planted decades ago on a school bus but came to fruition recently. Driving forces included my work with children as a substitute elementary school teacher and active community volunteer. Because of my work with kids, I became a Certified Mental Health First Aid Specialist and Youth Mental First Aid Provider through NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill). Mental and emotional tragedies are at least as common as physical, but much less effort and attention are given to them. Cigarettes come with a warning, but loneliness can also kill you. It increases your death risk by 14%. I’m convinced we need to find rainbows, even if they look dead.

Kids can help us. They often stand in a different place than adults, and it makes perfect sense to consider how they view the world.

In Finding Dead Rainbows, the audience meets several kids, including some from my book, Small People–Big Brains. We’ll figuratively shake hands with Dominic, a first-grader who inspired the book’s title. Additional examples include a second grader whose glasses tilt, but her advice to me was straight on, and I’ve tried to follow it ever since. We’ll also meet several victims of bullying and discover their simple solutions—solutions that suggest we might be viewing this growing problem backward.

Rainbows are about hope and promise. Where we find rainbows has a lot to do with where we look. And where we look has a lot to do with where we stand. If we stand in the right place, the world looks different, and when the world looks different, we can make a difference in our own lives and the lives of others.

While Finding Dead Rainbows is geared toward civic and fraternal organizations, it can have an application to any group or person who feels the need and opportunity to see the world more optimistically.

Cows Don’t Give Milk, You Actually Have to Take It!

Sales and customer service are, ultimately, impacted the greatest by the way your employees manage your customers’ experience with your product or service. But how do you “motivate” those employees to do their best?

This fast-paced session addresses an irony:  organizations will spend tons of money and effort making marketing and advertising promises but leave the buying experience to chance. It’s usually the lowest-paid, least informed employee called upon to deliver the promises made by marketing and advertising.

This dialog with the audience can run from forty-five minutes to an hour and half, with full content being delivered at all lengths. (One hour is ideal.) It asks (and answers) several important questions. What would happen if we put, say, 10% of the effort made to attract customers into making sure they get what we promise? Why do we treat employees so much differently than customers?

It’s been said that the first myth of management is that it exists. The fact is, you cannot force people to give you their best effort. Even if you are watching them 100% of the time, they still decide how much effort they are going to make.

Cows Don’t Give Milk shows how employees make that decision. By using examples, the presentation also shows how, many times, organizations and managers unintentionally encourage employees not to perform. We must stop trying to make employees “fit” and start marketing the value of joining in.

This presentation demonstrates in principle and practice how to apply the art and science of marketing techniques and create a “motivating environment” for the organization as a whole and with individual employees. (The emphasis is tailored to the needs and interests of the particular audience.) Examples from successful organizations are cited, and the audience is encouraged to “unlock their thinking” and create excitement, energy, and performance.

In the words of one attendee, “We are in the thinking stage of an incentive program… this will help prevent a disaster!”

Beyond customer service, Cows Don’t Give Milk can be customized to address concerns such as employee relations, quality programs, and daily performance throughout the organization.

Walter Boomsma (“Mr. Boomsma”) writes on a wide array of topics including personal development, teaching and learning. Course information is also available here!