The Bob and Aleicia Woodrick Diversity Learning Center provides tools that help promote a greater and deeper understanding of others, their cultures and customs. Businesses, educational and health care institutions, governmental agencies and non-profit organizations benefit from an informed employee base able to consider multiple perspectives and address conflicts with conscious intentional process. GRCC faculty and staff may attend all workshops free of charge.
All public workshops will be held at GRCC’s DeVos Campus in Sneden Hall (near downtown GR). Directions and details will follow registration.
SOCIAL CONTRACTS…AN INTENTIONAL APPROACH
May 27, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Whether you are leading a classroom, a small group meeting, or managing a project, the Social Contract approach will assist you in an intentional process of building and defining inclusive principles, guidelines and consequences for social behaviors. Do not play the expectation guessing game in regard to appropriate social behaviors. Instead, attend this workshop, which will:
- Introduce a model of an intentional, inclusive Social Contract approach.
- Practice the model by developing your own Social Contract.
- Share wisdom with other teachers, community organizers, and professionals.
- Take back the model to your community.
GENERATIONAL DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
June 4, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Never before have we had four generations of people together in the workplace. Because of this shift in employee demographics, the need to create safe places to discuss generational differences is vital. Essential to the Generational Diversity in the Workplace workshop are interactive activities, videos and small group dialogue exploring the relationship between different generations. Participants will:
- Understand the formative years of each generation and their core values.
- Use this information to connect and work with different generations.
- Offer strategies for effective cross generational communication.
Unintentional Bias in the Hiring Process
June 10, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Numerous studies show that our unconscious is dictating our decisions. These unconscious decisions impact our business decisions. The biases we carry may not be limited to visible differences but may extend to other assumptions and associations such as the way a person speaks (tone, volume, and accent) or prior personal knowledge or acquaintance. In the Unintentional Bias in the Hiring Process workshop, participants will:
- Examine common language and tools for processing unintentional bias situations in the hiring process.
- Review our Unintentional Bias in the Hiring Process video.
- Practice common language and process tools in small group activities.
BOUNDARIES IN THE WORKPLACE
June 12, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
How do you know where to draw the line in relationships, roles and responsibilities? Participants will begin to address this issue by exploring methods of respecting and protecting other’s boundaries in the workplace. Objectives for the session include:
- Define boundaries in regards to job responsibilities and interpersonal boundaries.
- Determine the importance of boundary setting.
- Help others to understand their boundaries.
Additional Workshop 2014
CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
In GRCC’s Woodrick Diversity Learning Center’s Cross Cultural Communication workshop, participants explore the history of their own communication style, and how it affects their current ability to enjoy and employ successful communication. They will experiment with relevant workplace communication examples. The program provides a safe place for participants to:
- Examine the intent of communication.
- Examine aspects of culture.
- Explore cultural influences on communication and cultural variations.
EFFECTIVE FACILITATION
Facilitation is more than discussion. Genuine facilitation requires listening, understanding and guiding the dialogue process. But when you reflect on all of our assumptions, biases, unspoken emotions and behavioral idiosyncrasies, this can seem almost impossible.
- Examine facilitation process tools and discuss when to apply dialogue, debate or discussion.
- Determine strategies for dealing with disruptive behaviors.
- Help facilitators gain tools to design and deliver cultural communication presentations.
FACILITATING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS
Facilitating Difficult Conversations is an experiential look at the process of facilitating difficult dialogue, focusing on the qualities of the facilitator and the nuances of group dynamic that impact the process.
- Examine your conflict management style.
- Develop cultural communication and facilitation skills to address difficult conversations.
- Practice processing difficult conversations.
HAS THE BULLY FROM THE PLAYGROUND MOVED TO YOUR WORKPLACE?
Bullying may not have been left behind as we all grew older! Some of the behaviors we experience in the workplace may exhibit the characteristics of bullying. The resulting environment may be so uncomfortable as to affect the work of an individual or the climate of an entire office. The workshop will help identify bullying and its effects while becoming aware of intervention strategies.
- Recognize and define bullying.
- Review prevention policies, actions and methods.
- Become aware of possible intervention strategies.
UNINTENTIONAL BIAS
Can casual conversations lead to conflict and misunderstanding in the workplace? Ever wonder what just happened, why a conversation didn’t go well? Could it be unconscious communication getting in the way? Through the Unintentional Bias workshop participants learn new strategies to avoid unnecessary miscommunication and skills to enhance interactions in the workplace.
- Examine the definition of unintentional bias and how it affects our communication.
- Explore how casual conversations may lead to conflict and misunderstanding in the workplace.
- Learn new skills to avoid unnecessary miscommunication and skills to enhance interaction.
WORKSHOP FORMAT
- All workshops have a 25 person maximum.
- Awareness and advanced level classes available.
- Custom-designed curriculum available at an additional cost.
- Workshop costs vary depending on level and time frame.
- Public workshops are $75.00 per person per session.
For more information, contact Tamber Bustance, at (616) 234-3390 or tbustance@grcc.edu.
The daily employee newsletter of Grand Rapids Community College 