6 Ways to Communicate with Students in Crisis Essential Communication Responses Faculty and staff are often the first point of contact for students experiencing mental health challenges. While it may feel daunting to be in that position without having received formal training, there are 6 essential communication responses you can use to confidently communicate with students when you find yourself in that position. While the 6 essential responses are fairly straightforward, it takes practice to use them confidently in the moment. We’ve created 3 interactive activities to help you practice these skills so you’re ready the next time a student approaches you for help. Watch the following video to learn about the 6 strategies before completing the practice activities: [h5p id=”88″] Practice Activities While the 6 essential responses are fairly straightforward, it takes practice to use them confidently in the moment. We’ve created 3 interactive activities to help you practice these skills so you’re ready the next time a student approaches you for help. [h5p id=”73″] [h5p id=”79″] [h5p id=”76″] Meet our Expert Contributor Jackie Leibsohn, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Seattle University; Licensed Psychologist Read Jackie’s full bio here.
We want to develop resilience in our students, but this work is difficult because there are so many different definitions of resilience. Where should you start in designing targeted interventions?
With so much information to process, your brain is constantly creating shortcuts — “rules of thumb” or biases that help you make decisions more quickly. While these shortcuts are meant to help you simplify a complex world, they also pose problems. With these biases humming in the background, you run the risk of making poor decisions. Join us online to gain awareness about common cognitive biases that impact decision-making. You’ll learn and practice three methods that can help you make sound decisions when it matters most.
We already know that learning from failure can lead to great success. But seeing the lessons can be hard as we’re wired to avoid failure. We often perceive failure as a threat, so we run. What’s worse? We don’t even know we’re doing it. Join us online to learn how to foster a culture of learning from failure. You’ll learn the neuroscience behind why we avoid failure, and you’ll leave with discrete strategies for how to shift the team’s perspective when our natural tendencies make it hard, including how to: Ask powerful questions Share failures to avoid making the same mistakes Reward the process as much as the outcome
You’re striving for high team engagement because you know it means higher productivity, innovation, and retention. But how clear are you on the building blocks of this engagement? How can you develop yourself and others to cultivate the team engagement you’re seeking? Join us online for a survey of the key drivers that impact team engagement. You’ll learn about three attributes that you need to develop as a manager to ensure you are “showing up” for your team. Then you’ll learn five areas in which to focus your management efforts to foster engagement. You may be surprised by what’s most important!
In a world of pressing demands and overflowing inboxes, it’s easy to “think fast.” Many of us rush to solve our problems – choosing our first options. Or we may rely on “tried and true” methods we’ve used before – unaware of our blind spots. Even if we could create space for a different way of solving problems, we often tell ourselves we’re not creative enough. But all of us CAN be creative problem solvers. We simply need to practice the discipline. Join us online to start practicing a proven process in creative problem-solving. Our expert will introduce you to ten strategies that will help you unleash your creativity, including: Assumption Reversal Doodling Metaphorical Thinking Idea Selection Grid
If you’re on a search committee, you’re working hard to ensure a fair and equitable hiring process. In the midst of the search, you may feel like you’re ensuring fairness by subscribing to notions like: “I don’t see skin color.” “I’m colorblind.” “I treat all people the same.” While you intend these as positive statements, they can also cast a shadow over your search process — negating a candidate’s unique experiences as a person of color or implying that racial privilege no longer exists. Join us online to examine white privilege and how it can impact your search processes. We’ll reflect on our privileges together, and you’ll leave with tools to engage in uncomfortable conversations around race during the hiring process.
Academic Restructuring: Creating New Growth Opportunities Agenda To help you understand the conditions and approaches surrounding the restructure at Merrimack College, you’ll learn the following: 1) The market conditions and financial realities that required the school to restructure 2) The outcomes of the restructure – both the good and the bad 3) How Dean Cherney led the university through the academic restructure, including how she created a common vision and cultivated employee buy-in and inclusion 4) The things Dean Cherney executed well and the things she wishes she would have done differently
We know that academic restructuring happens for many reasons. Maybe you need to restructure because you’re faced with a crisis, such as budgetary cuts or enrollment declines. Or, you might see opportunities for growth and innovation due to changing market trends. In either case, it helps to get perspective from other leaders who have lead their organization through this work. Join us to learn more about Clarion University’s story of restructuring. You’ll learn about: The circumstances that caused the institution to restructure How institutional leaders approached the process What the leaders would do differently in hindsight You’ll leave with honest insights that you can consider for your own institution, college, or department, no matter where you are in the restructuring process.
Academic Restructuring: Taking Action Quickly During Times of Change Hear from two institutions about how they restructured in order to stay competitive amid changing market demands. (This session covers one of those institutions) Agenda To help you understand the conditions and approaches surrounding the restructure at Clarion University, you’ll learn the following: 1) The market conditions and financial realities that required the school to restructure 2) The outcomes of the restructure – both the good and the bad 3) How President Emerita Whitney led the university through the academic restructure, including how she formed an action plan, how she overcame faculty resistance, and how she rethought traditional disciplinary structures 4) The things President Emerita Whitney executed well and the things she wishes she would have done differently
Many of us live with constant self-talk that undermines our confidence, courage, and resilience. You may tell yourself things like: “I’m such an idiot.” “I never get it right.” “I’m just not smart enough.” “I’m way too slow at my work.” Sound familiar? Join us online to learn how you can start developing your alternative voice – your inner coach – in order to become a more effective leader. You’ll learn the neuroscience behind why we all doubt ourselves, and you’ll discover a new technique that will help you think and act in more constructive ways.
Psychological safety is the belief that you will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. When you have psychological safety, you have the freedom to be vulnerable. You can take risks without feeling a sense of failure or ridicule. Teams that have psychological safety are more innovative, creative, and cohesive because vulnerability will not be held against anyone. In times of confusion or conflict, leaders and supervisors often try to bring teams together by creating a common vision or by clarifying goals and processes. But before these steps can be effective, you need to ensure a high level of psychological safety within your team. Without that foundation, your team will not function as cohesively. Join us online for this two-part webcast series to learn how to foster a deeper sense of psychological safety within your team.
The Promise and Peril of Podcasting in Higher Education Capitalize on the momentum of podcasts to advance your marketing and communication goals. Agenda What Will I Say, and How Will I Say It? Choosing the right topic Making the case for a podcast Ensuring your podcast isn’t a commercial Before and After Pressing Record Equipment/resource considerations Promoting the podcast to gain internal/external listeners Sourcing compelling content Setting appropriate expectations
We all know that there are benefits to infusing more interactivity into the classroom. But how can you make your classrooms more interactive in ways that are still easy and affordable to implement? Join us online to learn how you can make your lectures more engaging. With Dr. Ed Steigerwald’s expertise, you can create interactive lessons in as little as 15 minutes. Students in Dr. Steigerwald’s classes report better learning experiences as a result of the interactivity in PowerPoint.
Many institutions and academic units are seeking to make their curriculum more interdisciplinary, but lack the necessary infrastructure to make this happen. There is also a great deal of variability in terms of what an interdisciplinary curriculum can look like. This report adds value by providing an overview of how interdisciplinary education is taking shape in higher ed, diagnosing key challenges, and providing examples of how other institutions have approached this work.
More and more institutions are facing scrutiny over the accessibility of their websites, and now, that same conversation is turning to social media. While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn’t currently offer guidance related specifically to social media, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is calling out institutions that aren’t ensuring posts and content are accessible. Join us online to learn how you should begin integrating accessibility and inclusivity into your social media channels – greatly improving the way all people can receive your content and key messages. You’ll hear from Erika Boltz, social media coordinator from the University of Florida Health, who’s already worked through OCR reviews in her career. She’ll share what it takes to craft proper image descriptions, captions, and inclusive language.
After a supportive first year, many sophomores return to campus the following fall with a feeling of “What now?” It’s easy to make assumptions about why sophomores feel this way—maybe they’re lacking a major or are still seeking social belonging. But how regularly are you collecting data to understand more objectively why you’re losing sophomores? And how can you use this data to design targeted programs and initiatives? Join us online to learn how Duke University’s collaborative Sophomore Year Experience (SYE) program is targeting and improving the top transitional issues facing sophomores. Through surveys and studies conducted by a working group of faculty, administrators, and students, Duke analyzed their students’ social relationships, academic engagement, and well-being to identify key challenges their sophomores face. You’ll leave with strategies to help navigate roadblocks around funding, staffing, and resources.
In large part because of the funding opportunities it occasions, interdisciplinary research—and finding ways to facilitate more of it –is high on the priority list today for many institutions. But because academe has historically prized discipline-specific research and individual scholarship over collaboration, facilitating more interdisciplinary research opportunities on campus can be challenging. This report is meant to explore some of these key complications and suggest strategies to help academic leaders and research development professionals navigate these challenges. It will be of most benefit to institutions, centers, or departments that are just getting started in the interdisciplinary research space, and who want to gain a better understanding of the challenges and barriers they are likely to encounter.
Open educational resources (OERs) are teaching, learning, and research materials that offer alternatives to traditional textbooks. They permit free access, use, adaptation, and redistribution by others. According to one research study, 30% of faculty (from 3,000 surveyed) were very aware of open educational resources (OERs). But only 13% of faculty from the same survey are using OERs in at least one of their classes. So, while OERs may offer affordability and flexibility, many people still question the quality of these resources and the time needed to adopt them. Join us online to discuss the benefits and challenges of OERs and hear first-hand what it takes to implement them. A faculty member from Chippewa Valley Technical College will show you how high-quality OERs have been incorporated into their curriculum, and she’ll discuss the impact OERs have had on teaching and learning. In case you decide to implement, we’ll offer tips for getting started.
Having a position of authority is only one small piece of being a leader. A more important aspect of being a leader is exercising your influence. The savviest leaders know that behaving in ways that influence the feelings, thoughts, and actions of others is the piece that will ultimately give them traction. Join us online to learn the signs and symptoms of influence. We will focus on the difference between influence and authority, and you will leave with advice on how to use your relational capital to influence up, across, and down.
