UO training to tackle high-stakes conversations, different behaviors and more

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The University of Oregon's Office of Organizational Development and Training is offering a variety of new skills for faculty or staff members looking to improve themselves – from contracts and purchasing to holding high-stakes conversations.

More than 15 professional development courses, meetings and events are available to UO employees over then next five months. Most are offered at no cost and several can be expected to be provocative.

For example, the four-part July series, "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when the Stakes are High," will teach participants when and how to hold conversations about emotional or risky topics, with the goal of making high-quality, mutually beneficial decisions.

The course's description cites the anonymous quotation, "We are continually faced with great opportunities which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems.”

The Crucial Conversations course will be held during four 3.5-hour sessions in July, and will cost $75.

Most of the courses are being offered during April and May at various locations on and near the UO campus.

Another course likely to stir interest is Emotional Intelligence II: Managing Different Behaviors, from 9:30 a.m. to noon on May 30.

"Different behaviors are often seen as difficult even though most difficult behavior is accidental, unconscious, stemming from how we communicate and where we focus our attention," the course description says. "Left unchecked, though, different behavior has the potential to breed misunderstandings, false assumptions, and unnecessary frustration. So, what can we do when it affects us?"

Participants in the workshop will learn to identify and diagnose the four basic behavioral styles most often seen in the workplace, and how to manage emotions to avert frustration.

The full list of upcoming courses from Organizational Development and Training:

Computer Skills - For a complete list of upcoming computer courses go to: Computer Skills Workshops. Check the course list often since computer courses are added frequently throughout the term. For questions about computer courses, e-mail Kathy Cooks at kcooks@uoregon.edu.

- from UO Human Resources