Staff Development and Training
Winter 2024 Courses
v Remember to check with your supervisor before
registering for classes.
v If a course is offered more than once, you can register
for either date.
v If you need to change/cancel a class, please contact
SD&T as soon as possible.
Adaptive Change Management
Instructor: Tony Daniels, CCBC
Date: 12/19/23
Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Poe Room, Central
Credit Hours: 7
We don’t always respond positively and productively to change. During times of change, a common reaction is to default to a mode of self-protection which makes it difficult to use our problem-solving skills to best meet the challenges and opportunities of changing circumstances and expectations.
Adaptive change management provides techniques for productive and positive responses to change and maximizes the resilience of individuals, teams, and organizations.
We’ll discuss establishing trust within teams and the organization, managing assumptions about other staff members, and what to do and how to ask for information when sudden change occurs.
Recommended for: all staff who work within teams, and public service staff in all locations
Better Business Writing
Instructor:
Mary Ellen Wehr, CCBC
Date: 11/20/23 Date: 11/30/23
Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Poe Room, Central Location:
Poe Room, Central
Credit
Hours: 7 Credit
Hours: 7
Could your grammar use a quick polish? Are you struggling with report writing and details, or trying to improve the clarity of your communications? Could your emails be clearer and more concise?
This course is designed to help you improve the knowledge and skills needed to write more effective business correspondence. Participants will review the importance of correct spelling, grammar and structure, and will be introduced to proper forms and styles for business memos and correspondence, including e-mail.
Topics to be covered include spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure; the three Cs (clear, concise, and correct) of business writing; business memos and correspondence; jargon and acronyms; and writing effective e-mail messages. We'll also be discussing how to tighten your report writing abilities.
Recommended for: staff who write reports on a regular basis, supervisors, and anyone who would appreciate a quick grammar refresh.
The Role of the Supervisor
Instructor:
Tony Daniels, CCBC
Date:12/13/23 Date: 1/16/24
Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. OR Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Creative Arts, Central Location:
Creative Arts, Central
Credit
Hours: 7 Credit
Hours: 7
In this course we’ll discuss the basics of supervision, starting with the importance of strong supervisory skills, a review of theories of management and supervision, and the roles and responsibilities of staff who supervise other staff.
Topics covered will include the differences between managers and leaders and how to be effective at both, understanding the situational leadership model, and developing a balance between a concern for task and a concern for people to increase overall effectiveness. You’ll also start to develop an action plan to increase your personal supervisory effectiveness and become a team leader.
Recommended for: new managers and those wanting to become managers, but also current managers who would appreciate a review of the basics.
Situational Leadership: Leading High Performing Teams During Change
Instructor:
Tony Daniels, CCBC
Date:
1/10/24
Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Creative Arts, Central
Credit
Hours: 7
Successful organizations require effective leadership. This
course will review principles for building and leading high performing teams
such as the impact of different leadership styles, basics of team dynamics, the
stages of team formation, motivating teams, developing trust, and using
coaching and reinforcing skills to be a catalyst for high performance.
Organizational change is inevitable and creates both challenges
and opportunities. Strong leadership is never more important than during times
of organizational change. Participants will be given a step-by-step roadmap for
strategically managing change which will include an emphasis on adaptive change
management and proven methods for supporting teams, employees, and customers
amidst change.
Recommended for:
managers and supervisors at all levels who want to strengthen their
leadership skills and improve the performance of their teams.
Team Communication and Engagement
Instructor:
Mary Ellen Wehr, CCBC
Date:
11/28/23
Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: Poe Room, Central
Credit
Hours: 7
Organizational change is constant and delivering clear, positive, and honest messages is an essential skill for leading teams through challenges and changes. This course focuses on understanding and improving the communication and interpersonal skills central to a supervisor’s effective interactions with the individuals that they lead as well as with other teams, management, and outside customers.
Topics will include a presentation of the communication process model and selected communication skills, barriers to effective communication, introduction of a personality profile instrument and the impact of personality types on communication, and active listening skills.
We’ll be discussing how to reframe conversations, coaching staff, team building, resilience, and flexibility. When to ask and how to answer difficult questions, assertiveness, transparency, and building trust will also be discussed.
Recommended for: managers and supervisors in all divisions
Workplace Communication
Strategies
Instructor: Mary Ellen Wehr, CCBC
Date:12/11/23
Time: 9
a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location:
Creative Arts, Central
Credit Hours:
7
Effectively communicating is an essential workplace skill. Learn techniques and tools for more effectively communicating with organizational leadership, supervisors, coworkers, and library patrons. This includes strategies for both written and spoken communications as well as the importance of good listening skills.
We’ll be including discussions of resilience, interpersonal conflict, navigating hierarchy and working across divisions, and how to handle small problems before they become big problems.
Recommended for: all staff, but especially public service staff in all locations
To register for a program or if you have any
questions, contact the Staff Development and Training Office
training@prattlibrary.org
410-545-7524
