Organisational and Professional Development, 9 October 2017

OPD Training Opportunities Available to Staff - October/November

The following Organisational and Professional Development (OPD) workshops, taking place October/November 2017, for Staff have places available. For further information, please follow the links provided after the workshop descriptors below, and make a booking by signing into your OPD account.

Workshops for which there is information below include:

• Introduction to Global Partnerships and Recruitment NEW
• Strategic Insights and Values into Action NEW
• HR for Managers I
• Marketing and PR - an overview of University support NEW
• IGrasp (eRecruitment) Training for Recruiters
• Improving Communication with International Students NEW
• HR for Managers II
• Effective Customer Service
• Managing Priorities in the Workplace
• Storytelling to Lead, Connect and Persuade NEW
• Introduction to Budgets
• SafeTalk NEW
• The Essential Manager: Developing Your People
• Personal Resilience NEW
• The Role and Responsibilities of Academic Line Managers and Mentors in Academic Probation [ACADEMIC STAFF]
• Managing Health and Safety
• Moving Towards a Paperless Office NEW
• Managing Your Manager NEW
• Advanced Word Functions
• Coaching Skills at Work

Sessions are provided free of change. If you have any issues, please contact OPD@dundee.ac.uk.

Please note: We require sufficient notice of cancellation and non-attendance to allow others the opportunity to attend these workshops, or to allow the workshops to be cancelled if insufficient places are filled. Our Terms and Conditions are available to read on our website.

Introduction to Global Partnerships and Recruitment

18/10/2017 12:30 17:00

This is a half-day introductory session for all staff required to travel internationally to support partnerships and recruitment activities.

Would you like to know how to “Tell the University of Dundee story” to international audiences? Do you plan to promote Dundee to international audiences at any point in the coming session? Are you interested in setting up an international partnership or working with an overseas institution more effectively? Are you interested in hearing about the opportunity to promote Dundee overseas in the future, then this workshop is for you.

For more information and to book.

Strategic Insights and Values into Action

30/10/2017 10:00 12:00

The University of Dundee’s values of Valuing people; Working Together; Integrity; Making a Difference; and Excellence, together with effective Communication, are central to  shaping and developing our culture. They empower us to become a high performance community.

During this workshop, you will learn about the place of our values in our Transformation Vision and our new 2017-22 University  Strategy, and the recent work done to develop Values into Action. During the workshop you will also have an opportunity to explore each of the values in detail. Working in groups you will learn more about what they might mean for you personally in your own work, but also how you can bring our values to life in your role and team, ensuring that they are at the heart of every action and every decision we make.

For more information and to book.

HR for Managers I & II

I - 31/10/2017 9:30 12:30

By the end of this awareness-raising workshop, attendees will grasp the significance of and appreciate the scope and reasons for robust HR processes around recruitment and selection.

II - 06/11/2017 9:30 12:30

This workshop will address some of the difficult aspects of the employment relationship and how managers should approach situations of misconduct, grievance, managing absences, whether these are short and persistent or longer term; as well as sub-standard performance in the workplace

For more information and to book.

Marketing and PR - an overview of University support

31/10/2017 13:30 16:30

This workshop aims to increase participants' understanding of: what marketing is; who our audiences are and what are their needs; how to use market research effectively; promotion - identifying your USPs and telling your story to reach your target audience; the importance of brand; PR and working with the press, to tell your research story and add to the public debate on topical issues; the role of External Relations and how to work with us.

For more information and to book.

IGrasp (eRecruitment) Training for Recruiters

02/11/2017 10:00 12:30

The workshop provides hands-on training on how to use the University eRecruitment application - iGrasp. Attendees are required to be actively involved in recruitment processes as part of their current role.

For more information and to book.

Improving Communication with International Students

03/11/2017 14:00 16:00

Some international students do not have much experience using English as a medium for communication and this workshop aims to look at ways their academic, social and cultural experience at University of Dundee can be enhanced.

Using research findings on ways that international students themselves feel their experience can be enhanced, this workshop will also highlight some common sources of language misunderstanding and suggest ways to help overcome these. It will also touch upon the different academic cultures that some of our students come from and how these differences can lead to problems in adapting to the UK academic culture.

While this workshop will be very relevant for teaching staff, it is also open to anyone who would like some insights into some common communication problems that anyone working with international students can experience. There will be some interactive exercises during this workshop.

For more information and to book.

Effective Customer Service

07/11/2017 9:30 16:30

This one-day workshop introduces participants to the concepts and skills of effective customer service; and examines the skills required for building successful, long-lasting, good customer relationships. Core areas covered include: customer service and business development, communication, internal and external customers, constructive complaints handling, and image and interpersonal skills.

For more information and to book.

Managing Priorities in the Workplace

15/11/2017 9:30 16:30

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing us is how to manage the many tasks we are faced with on most days. This workshop will give you a valuable opportunity to step back and have a look at what is really going on and what you might do about it.

The principal topics you will cover are: an analysis of your work, using specific tools to identify the true priorities, and the barriers to meeting them; addressing the ‘reality gap’ and formulating a workable action plan to deal with it; and using task boarding as a workable tool to deal with your ‘to do’ list.

For more information and to book.

Storytelling to Lead, Connect and Persuade

16/11/2017 9:30 13:30

‘Storytelling to Lead, Engage and Persuade’ is a half-day workshop devised for the University of Dundee. Participants will be reminded of something they already know – stories are powerful, and, stories work. Part of the workshop will focus on exploring The Story Stack, the storytelling framework that has been developed over the last two years. The Story Stack is the framework used to teach organisations who are committed to making storytelling a key part of their communication strategy. After you've been introduced to the Story Stack, it’s over to you. Firstly, you’ll get to put the story framework into action in an exercise called Going to the Movies. Then, in the Getting Real exercise, you’ll get the chance to explore storytelling in a leadership context. All participants will get access to an online course that will help them cement their learning. This will help achieve the goal of creating lasting change and a band of  Selfsufficient leadership storytellers.

For more information and to book.

Introduction to Budgets

20/11/2017 14:00 16:00

This workshop is aimed at people with no previous experience of budgets. It will cover the basics of budgeting and financial planning within the University environment. Participants will be given the opportunity to work through the planning, monitoring and control of an activity from inception to completion and will look at different scenarios.

For more information and to book.

SafeTalk

21/11/2017 13:30 17:00

safeTALK is a half-day alertness training that prepares anyone, regardless of prior  experience or training, to become a suicide-alert helper. Most people with thoughts of suicide don’t truly want to die, but are struggling with the pain in their lives. Through their words and actions, they invite help to stay alive. safeTALK-trained helpers can recognize these invitations and take action by connecting them with life-saving intervention resources, such as caregivers trained in ASIST.

The workshop features: presentations and guidance from a LivingWorks registered trainer; access to support from a local community resource person; powerful audiovisual learning aids; the simple yet effective TALK steps - Tell, Ask, Listen, and KeepSafe; and hands-on skills practice and development.

Since its development in 2006, safeTALK has been used in over 20 countries around the world.

For more information and to book.

The Essential Manager: Developing Your People

22/11/2017 9:30 16:30

This workshop gives you the opportunity to acquire tools and techniques you can use, not only in advancing the development of others, but also for your own progression. It is an active workshop, with diagnostics and exercises to aid your understanding.

The principal topics you will cover are: what motivates people to learn, using Learning Styles to help people develop, identifying and meeting learning and development needs, and the manager as a coach.

Some development issues you may meet: developing staff who work in a different location or who are in a different discipline.

For more information and to book.

Personal Resilience

23/11/2017 9:30 16:30

This workshop will cover ten guiding principles for developing personal resilience. Participants will have an opportunity to reflect and explore ways that they can improve their capacity to be more resilient and cope better with uncertainty and change.

The key principles are based on the book ‘Resilience - How to cope when everything around you keeps changing’, by Liggy Webb. Each participant will receive a ‘Little Book of Resilience’ and access to an online library to support them after the learning activity.

The emphasis is on distilling complexity and looking at practical and relevant tools that can be taken away to improve the quality of the participants’ life balance. This is also an opportunity to take time for personal reflection, through guided discussion and to create perspective in order to achieve better personal outcomes.

For more information and to book.

The Role and Responsibilities of Academic Line Managers and Mentors in Academic Probation

27/11/2017 14:00 16:00

This workshop will provide an oversight of the role of Academic Line Managers and Mentors in the recently revised Academic Probation system at the University and tips and advice on how to be an effective Academic Line Manager or Mentor.

The first part of the workshop will introduce the Probation system and cover the role of the Academic Line Manager within it. The second part of the workshop focuses on the role of the mentor.

Both facilitators will be present throughout and there will be ample opportunities for questions, discussion, sharing of experiences, and feedback on the probation procedures and roles.

For more information and to book.

Managing Health and Safety

27/11/2017 14:00 16:00

As a manager of staff or supervisor of students, you have duties under Health and Safety and employment law. It is important that you attend this workshop to become aware of how to fulfil
your duties and how to access the professional support available to you.

Working through case studies and practical discussion with your colleagues, you will have
the opportunity to learn about examples of risks you may have to manage. You will also have
the chance to complete a risk assessment and understand your roles and responsibilities to them, as well as their importance in upholding a safe working environment.

For more information and to book.

Managing Your Manager

29/11/2017 9:30 12:30

Most professionals have a boss, supervisor or line manager, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that the quality of our professional (and wider) life is influenced by the quality of relationship that we
have with this individual.

Our ability to influence and manage upwards is a key part of the modern-day professional toolkit, and yet most people only think about it when their relationship with their manager goes wrong in some way. This workshop is about getting the relationship right.

During this workshop we will consider: how to understand the agendas and drives of our managers, how to influence and manage upwards when we have no ‘power’, and how to
build a professional relationship that works fully for both parties.

For more information and to book.

Advanced Word Functions

30/11/2017 9:30 12:30

Are you put off by the prospect of writing long documents in Word? Do you have problems with multiple versions of documents? Would you like to know how you can save time by automating different aspects of your documents?

This hands-on workshop introduces the advanced features of Microsoft Word 2013, which will be invaluable when writing long documents or comparing documents written by more than one person.

For more information and to book.

Coaching Skills at Work

30/11/2017 13:30 16:30

One of the keys to professional success is to help develop the people around you. Coaching (and
associated skills) can provide a powerful basis to help build and develop teams and individuals,
hold more productive and useful meetings and to help people to take more responsibility for their
own goal-setting and performance.

Learn how to build an effective environment for coaching and learning; Understand how to work with others to help them set and achieve compelling goals; Communicate effectively, using powerful listening and questioning skills.

For more information and to book.