SUMMER 2009 CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
Personal Guide for Managing Change 
Facilitator: LifeWorks
Date: July 8, 2009
Duration: One Hour (7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. OR 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.)
Location: Grace
Hall, Lower Level Training
Room
Audience: Any staff who want to increase their ability to manage their reactions to change.
Whether in our work or personal lives, changes in routines, responsibilities or even our physical space can be unsettling and challenging. This session will examine the normal stages that people experience when change occurs and offers tips on how to navigate through those times.
Specifically, participants will:
• Identify the three phases of the process of change.
• Clarify normal feelings, thoughts, and behaviors during times of change.
• Identify ways to take control of their personal situations.
• Increase personal adaptability.
To enroll click here.
Communication Series
Participants may sign up for one or more of the following sessions.
Date: Thursday, July 23
Facilitator: LifeWorks
Date: Thursday, July 23
Duration: One Hour (7:00-8:00 a.m. OR 1:00-2:00 p.m.)
Location: Flanner G-20
Audience: Any staff who want to become more effective in their communications with co-workers.
Listening is the real key to good communication. Whether at home or work, we can all improve the way we invite others to talk to us and achieve a more accurate understanding of their message. Learn the barriers to effective listening and strategies for overcoming them.
In this session you will assess your personal listening skills, identify the barriers to effective listening and specific strategies for removing them, and recognize the benefits vs. the costs of listening. Most importantly, you will learn and apply a model for effective listening.
Facilitator: LifeWorks
Date: Thursday, July 23
Duration: One Hour (9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.)
Location: Flanner G-20
Audience: Any staff who wants to become more effective in their ability to provide helpful feedback to others.
Define what feedback really is and gain an understanding of why it is so challenging to give feedback at home and at work. Learn how to give valuable, respectful feedback in a way that conveys that you care.
This brief session focuses on the basic model of giving feedback in a way that demonstrates respect for the other person and concern about the situation at hand. You will learn the definition and intention of genuine feedback and differentiate between effective and ineffective messages. Demonstrations and examples are part of the session.
Facilitator: LifeWorks
Date: Thursday, July 23
Duration: One Hour (10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.)
Location: Flanner G-20
Audience: Any staff who wants to become more effective in listening to and acting on feedback from others.
Assess your current capacity to deal with feedback that you receive from others and understand the value of constructive feedback. Identify ways you can invite it and strategies for dealing with it.
In this session, you will learn how you typically react to feedback and ways you can handle it more productively. Learn how to invite feedback from others and handle the messages even when you disagree. You will also develop strategies for distinguishing between useful and non-useful feedback.
To enroll click here.
Counseling for Performance Improvement -- Exempt Staff
Facilitator: Human Resources Business Partners
Date: July 21, 2009
Duration: 2 Hours (1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.)
Location: Grace Hall, Lower Level
Audience: Anyone with managerial or supervisory responsibilities
Every supervisor would probably agree that both coaching and counseling are important yet different. How does coaching for development of new skills differ from counseling for performance improvement? This session addresses what to do when a person’s performance does not meet expectations and the usual follow-up reminders do not result in performance improvement.
Participants will learn to:
- Differentiate between coaching for development vs. counseling for performance improvement.
- Recognize early warning signs that performance is off-track and not meeting expectations.
- Understand when to consult with a HR Business Partner to assist in addressing a performance issue.
- Properly record supportive documentation.
- Write a “Performance Improvement Plan” that includes clear follow-up actions.
- Prepare for and conduct a performance improvement conversation.
To enroll click here
Dealing with Challenging Guests 
Facilitator: Genelle King, King Communications
Date: July 29, 2009
Duration: 2.5 hours (5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.)
Location: Grace Lower Level
Audience: Any staff who regularly interact with campus visitors and want to increase their
ability to deal with difficult behavior.
While most of the visitors to campus are happy to be here and understand that there are specific ways of doing things, some become upset and angry when they can’t have it their way. How can you deal with guests who are demanding, unpleasant or use pressure tactics to get their way?
This workshop is for those staff whose jobs require high guest contact and need tactics for responding to difficult or emotional visitors who don’t seem to respond to logical explanations. Learn what you can say and do to avoid defensive reactions and create greater guest satisfaction.
Facilitator: Kara McClure, Learning & Organizational Development, Office of Human Resources
Date: June 11, 2009
Duration: 3.5 hours (8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) OR 1:00 p.m. – 4.30 p.m.)
Location: Grace Lower Level
Audience: Any staff who want to improve their ability to interact with people of different
styles.
Understanding the different behaviors of people is the key to effective communication. By understanding the preferences behind certain behaviors, we can communicate more effectively with people whose styles are different than our own. Research has shown that behavioral characteristics can be grouped together into primary styles, which are referred to as DISC:
- Dominance – How we respond to challenges
- Influence – How we influence others to our point of view
- Steadiness – How we react to the pace of our environment
- Compliance – How we respond to policies and procedures
This half-day workshop will enable you to identify your own behavioral style:
How you view change, conflict, tasks, people, risk, details; how you communicate with others; how others should communicate with you. Perhaps most important is that you will gain an understanding of how to adapt your style for more effective communication.
This workshop uses the results of an online individual behavioral assessment which must be completed one week before the workshop.
To enroll click here.
Managing Multiple Projects, Objectives and Deadlines 
Facilitator: Justin Driscoll, SkillPath Seminars
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Duration: 6.0 hours-- Half Day (9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
Location: Grace Hall, Lower Level
Audience: Any staff, administrative support, or supervisor who want to increase their effectiveness in setting priorities and meeting deadlines despite numerous unexpected interruptions.
This program will provide many tips and tactics to help you set and stick to daily
priorities, organize your work space, identify and eliminate time wasters, and handle phone calls
and emails efficiently. Learn when and how to say, “no” tactfully and manage interruptions.
These techniques and tactics can help you plan and execute your daily responsibilities in the
most productive way AND do it with less stress.
To enroll click here.
Facilitator: Ellen McNally, Varnum Consulting
Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Duration: 3.5 hours (8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) OR 1:00 p.m. – 4.30 p.m.)
Audience: Any staff responsible for conducting meetings of any size.
Learn how to plan, prepare and conduct effective meetings. Gain important interaction skills that are essential for meeting leaders. Your meetings can be shorter, more productive and result in better follow-up action.
Participants will learn all the basics of effective meetings ranging from identifying various types of meetings to meeting planning, preparation, follow-up and key interpersonal skills. You will learn the key elements of: a meeting planning checklist, how to develop a meeting agenda, how to open and close a meeting and how to follow up on the action items. Dealing with difficult behaviors during meetings will also be addressed.
To enroll click here.
Project Management Fundamentals
Facilitator: Natalie Udo, American Management Association
Date: Two Days – Wednesday, June 24 and Thursday, June 25, 2009
Duration: 17.0 Hours (8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
Location: Grace Hall, Lower Level/Flanner G-20
Audience: Anyone who is responsible for managing projects from the planning, managing and implementation stages.
This two-day workshop is designed to help those charged with managing a project to plan and
successfully implement projects within their own and in collaboration with other departments. It
covers all the essential basics, from defining scope, gathering requirements, setting realistic goals
and schedules to managing team members and deadlines. Specifically, the program will include:
- Defining the project charter and clarifying objectives using SMART criteria
- Assembling the project team
- Creating the project plan
- Tools for developing the Work Break Down structure
- Techniques for sequencing tasks and activities to create a project schedule
- Methods for monitoring and controlling projects
- Communications and status reporting
- Project closure and after-implementation tasks
- Role and responsibilities of project manager & team members
- problem solving, and decision-making
To enroll click here.
Facilitator: Ellen McNally, Varnum Consultants
Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Duration: 7.5 Hours (8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
Location: Grace Hall, Lower Level
Audience: Anyone who would like to improve his/her speaking ability in situations ranging from being asked to make a few comments, presenting an idea to your peers, to giving a formal presentation at a meeting.
Class size is limited to seven to provide individual attention.
This program is for those who want to improve their communication skills in both public speaking and small group presentations. You will have at least four opportunities to deliver impromptu and prepared presentations with video-taping and playback in a supportive environment. You will receive positive and corrective feedback from peers and coach against measurable, objective standards, plus written critique.
The overall goal is to double your presentation skills through practice and by effective demonstrations by an expert instructor. You’ll learn how to:
- Think on your feet
- Project more confidence
- Manage nerves and increase your comfort level
- Gain self-awareness of how others see you
- Get your point across
Speak up and be heard! This session promises to increase your skill and comfort levels through various tools and techniques, such as the development of a Key Word Outline and assessment of the physical skills of effective body language and voice tone.
To enroll click here.
Takes
responsibility and ownership
for decisions, actions and
results. Accountable for
both how and what is accomplished.
Demonstrates honest and ethical behavior that displays a high moral standard. Widely trusted, respectful and honorable.
Demonstrates energy and commitment to improving results, takes initiatives often involving calculated risks while considering the common good.
Understands, accepts and supports the Catholic mission of the university and fosters values consistent with that mission.
Works cooperatively as a member of a team and is committed to the overall team objectives rather than own interests.