Professional Development Days

Do you need professional development activities hours to fulfill your University of Alberta Professional Development Requirement? These workshops are for you! All workshops are in SUB 051. Register early, seats are limited.

Butterflies in Formation: Performance Under Pressure
Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Time: 8:45 am - 10:45 am

IDP Competencies: Confidence/Communication/Creativity

Description: Whether you are at a research conference, in the classroom, or in the boardroom, how you use your body is crucial if your ideas are to be communicated effectively and persuasively. Unfortunately, for many of us, nerves can sabotage our effectiveness as presenters, leaving our audience bewildered and unconvinced of our credibility. You will leave this session equipped with tools to manage your nerves and strategies to put into practice, which will allow you to look and sound like a pro. This session is interactive, and will provide the opportunity for participants to receive feedback on their presentation skills. Participants of this session are asked to prepare a one minute talk on any topic (e.g. your elevator pitch, your favorite joke, a microtalk on an interest topic in your field).

Facilitator: Stephen Leppard, PhD
Whether functioning as a teacher, administrator, university instructor, Doctoral researcher, U of A Senator or public speaker, Stephen Leppard has invested considerable energy creating interactive and informative environments while speaking to audiences large and small. Stephen understands that professional development sessions should both examine - and demystify – many of the verbal and non-verbal strategies employed by the best teachers, lecturers and presenters.

Effective Communication in the Diverse Workplace
Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Time: 11 am - 12:30 pm

IDP Competencies: Collaboration/Communication/Critical Thinking/Ethical Responsibility

Description:In a multicultural province such as Alberta, a diverse workplace is inevitable. Communication skills that are important in any workplace become crucial when your colleagues are from different cultures, backgrounds, and have multiple perspectives. Often mistaken as a skill only necessary for international students or immigrants, understanding how culture influences communication in the workplace is equally important for those who are Canadian-born and raised. In this interactive session, you will learn about two styles of communication, and the influences of culture on communication skills in the workplace.

Facilitator: Jill Chelsey
Jill Chesley is the Senior Diversity and Inclusion Consultant with the City of Edmonton. She brings over 20 years of domestic and international experience in the non-profit, private, and public sectors, including in the USA, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. Jill has developed in-depth knowledge within the the fields of intercultural communication, equity, and diversity and inclusion, particularly in large, complex organizations. Jill has a MA in Intercultural Relations, and is the Coordinator of the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication Fellows Program in Portland, Oregon, as well as the founding and current Chair of the Edmonton Business Diversity Network.

Leveling UP: Multiplying Your Potential with Collaborative Intelligence
Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Time: 12:45 pm - 2:15 pm

IDP Competencies: Collaboration/Communication/Critical Thinking/Ethical Responsibility

Description: Thriving in the world beyond university means honing an additional set of essential skills. Developing your collaborative intelligence (CQ) multiplies your own ability to problem solve, while also intensifying highly sought-after teamwork and leadership skills. This session will explain the foundational concepts of CQ and point you toward understanding your own mind pattern, while also encouraging you to develop discernment skills that allow you to cultivate strong collaborative relationships with others.

Facilitator: Heather Gautreau
Heather Gautreau is completing her PhD in Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta. She is a sessional instructor in undergraduate psychology at an Edmonton university, and she teaches for the Government of Alberta. During her professional career, she has presented over 500 sessions. Heather began studying Collaborative Thinking during a research internship with Dr. John Nychka, and she has experienced first-hand the powerful benefits of applying CQ to her graduate studies and to her professional life.

CliftonStrengths® Leveraging Your Strengths for Professional Success
Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm

REPEAT

Date: Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Time: 9 am - 11 am

IDP Competencies: Communication/Confidence/Ethical Responsibility

Description: Knowing your strengths and how to apply them is one of the ways that you can create a successful graduate student experience and in addition prepare you to use your strengths beyond graduation. This session will focus on helping you increase your self-awareness, and provide valuable tips in how to build an effective and rewarding teamwork experience. Please bring your Strengths Signature Theme Report to the workshop. *If you have not completed a CliftonStrengths® assessment, you may purchase a student discounted code for $10 when registering. Please choose the workshop *with an Access Code. If you have already completed your CliftonStrengths® assessment and would like to attend the workshop, please contact us for at ticket at czakert@ualberta.ca.

About CliftonStrengths®:
CliftonStrengths® is based on positive psychology and focuses solely on your unique strengths, and in particular your “Top 5” themes of talent. It helps to identify the sources of your strengths, to understand behaviours and to consider how your strengths contribute to your personal brand. It also gives the opportunity to build on your greatest talents, and develop an individualized plan to discover and develop strengths for your academics, career and beyond.

Facilitators:

Mathew Geddes, MSC
Matthew Geddes has been a Career Development Specialist for over seven years at the University of Calgary where he is passionate about helping individuals create careers that align with their values, skills, and interests. He supports Master and Ph.D. students in achieving their career aspirations through individual supportive consultations and engaging workshops. Matthew is certified in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and the Strong Interest Inventory® as well as interprets CliftonStrengths® with students.

Stephanie Warner, PhD
Stephanie completed her PhD in Experimental Medicine at the University of British Columbia in 2014, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary. Since June 2016, she has been working as the PhD Career Development Specialist in Career Services at University of Calgary. In this role, she provides individualized career coaching to PhD students, as well as creating and delivering group workshops for graduate students. Stephanie is certified in the Strong Interest Inventory®, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, and interprets CliftonStrengths® with students.

NEW Workshop added:

The Power of Social Networks
Date: Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Time: 11:15 am - 12:45 pm

IDP Competencies: Communication/Creavity/Critical Thinking

Description: This workshop will entail a process-based view of networks based on social science research; what they are, how they are useful, and how we can build and maintain them. We will cover a practical perspective on social networks. Instead of focusing exclusively on the activity of “networking" (networking as a verb), you have to first understand what networks are: as assets, resources, and sources of information (network as a noun).

Facilitator:

Tim Hannigan, PhD
Tim Hannigan is Assistant Professor in Organization theory and Entrepreneurship at the Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta, Canada. He previous held a post as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Corporate Reputation in the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. His research is at the intersection of social networks, scandal and reputation dynamics, innovation, and meanings & markets. His research helps to explain how reputations are built up and situated in audiences, and how they can be affected by shocks such as scandals. He also studies open innovation in organizations and ways that information flows across boundaries.

Building Your Professional Brand
Date: Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Time: 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

IDP Competencies: Communication/Confidence

Description: As a student or researcher, you are often asked to explain your work, summarize your interests, and chart your career path. These conversations can be challenging, particularly in high-pressure contexts like job interviews and with audiences outside your academic discipline. This workshop will take you through the process of building and communicating your professional brand - a powerful tool for sharing your story in a range of contexts and with a variety of audiences. You will examine how to communicate your brand through multiple channels, from resumes and cover letters to social media and blogging.

Facilitators:

Alan Shapiro
Alan Shapiro is a communication specialist and environmental professional with over five years of communication training, improvisation, and public speaking experience. Through his work with LitScientist, he provides communication training services for universities, research institutes, and technical firms. Alan is co-founder of Science Slam Canada, a non-profit organization that gives science students, researchers, educators, and communicators across Canada the opportunity to share their science with a general audience. Alan also works on environmental projects across Canada and is particularly interested in how environmental knowledge can be communicated effectively.

Nikki Berreth
Nikki Berreth is a science communicator and educator living in Vancouver. With a background in science and fine arts and formal training in Science Communication, she's always looking for new ways to relay both scientific and technical knowledge to her intended audience. She aspires to help others reach their full communication potential and has co-founded several organizations that do just that! In the upcoming year, she is looking forward to establishing Science Slam Canada as a national platform for STEM communication, growing LitScientist and breathing life into a new Adult Science adventure. In her free time, you will find her reading crime fiction, playing the ukulele on the beach or writing poetry on the bus.

Notes

CliftonStrengths Assessment:

If you have purchased a CliftonStrengths assessment an Access Code will be emailed to you on April 24, 2018. Please complete the online assessment and bring to the workshop. This assessment is required for the CliftonStrengths Workshop.

Professional Development:

These sessions may be used towards the University of Alberta Professional Development Requirement. To record these workshops towards your eight hours of PD activities, you will be able to sign in online or have an FGSR representative sign your record of PD activities. Please keep these records, no other record will be issued. All ethics and professional development sessions or activities must be approved by your department.

FAQs

What's the refund policy for the Clifton Strengths assessment?

No refunds.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No. Registration will be facilitated according to your name.

Is my registration fee or ticket transferrable?

Yes. Whoever takes your ticket can use your name at the door.

Protection of Privacy - The personal information requested on this form is collected under the authority of Section 33 (c) of the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and will be protected under Part 2 of that Act. It will be used for the purpose of reserving a seat at the individual events (event management), program administration, and statistical analysis for FGSR to improve program offerings to meet student needs. Direct any questions about this collection to: Andrea Graham, Project Manager, Graduate Student Professional Development Program, FGSR, 2-29 Triffo Hall, 780-492-7199. By filling out this form, you are providing consent to the collection and the use of this information (as described above).