Communications and Conflict Management

COMMUNICATIONS – A SKILL AND A CHOICE

Effective communication requires more than good intentions; it requires an understanding of the process, the development of skills and knowing when and how to apply the skills. This workshop addresses the process and skills needed to be a good communicator. Topics include: active listening, the power of non-verbal language, the difference between intent and impact, assertion not aggression and consensus building. Participants will have time for skills building and practice.

DIVERSITY AWARENESS AND COMMUNICATION

This series of workshops includes the basics in diversity awareness: defining terms, individual reflections on the culture of the individual and the organization, examining the traits and qualities of a healthy workplace, communication styles and practical examples of how an organization creates and perpetuates a culture of its own. The program includes basic sessions for all staff, management training for supervisors and the development of an internal task force to move issues beyond the basic level where change can take place.

CREATING AND MAINTAINING A HEALTHY WORKPLACE

This workshop is designed to assist administrators and professional staff to identify, appreciate and enhance their management style. Participants will be invited to review their role and responsibility in creating a climate where people are valued and challenged.

EFFECTIVE SKILLS FOR THE PRIEST PERSONNEL BOARD

This program will assist the members of a priest personnel board in working with clergy placement systems and necessary skills needed in this service. The presenters will review the key functions of the priest personnel board including the decision-making process, relevant data collection, and instruments for priest evaluation and policy development. Skills development will include interviewing techniques, objective decision-making and ways to approach persons who need a change.

GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START: WHAT’S YOUR WORKSTYLE?

Knowledge of yourself and your own particular style is essential for those in leadership positions. The ability to discover and share this with others is critical for those who are working in a team environment. Through the use of the DiSC Instrument, parish/pastor leadership teams, priest personnel boards and religious leadership team members identify their particular workstyle, share with others on the team and develop concrete strategies for good working relationships.

WORKSTYLE INVENTORY AND TEAM BUILDING

In this workshop participants complete a personal workstyle inventory and work toward a better understanding of how their style impacts those with whom they work. The goal is to help each participant identify their own strengths and weaknesses, gain an appreciation of those styles different from their own and develop strategies for strengthening relationships in the workplace. It is recommended that staff members, work groups, teams, departments, etc. participate together as a whole.

CREATIVE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Conflict is unavoidable in human relations. In this workshop, participants will examine their individual conflict management style and explore how it can lead to greater clarity, creativity and growth.

EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE IN A MINISTRY SETTING

Workplace relations, because they are human relations, require the implementation of policies, procedures and reasonable expectations for appropriate conduct. When workers fail to live up to a supervisor’s performance expectation, employee discipline becomes a way to both coach the individual and build a stronger working relationship. Where this is done well, methods of employee discipline correct the infraction as well as communicate the value of the employee and the dignity of the human person. This workshop will discuss employee discipline as rehabilitation, versus retaliation, identify the skills necessary to manage the process, examine methods of addressing common workplace difficulties and difficult people and allow time for participants to practice skills.

MANAGING GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

This workshop presents the rationale, policies, and procedures for due process and grievance procedures which are appropriate for the just treatment of church workers. Specific topics are: definitions of due process and grievance procedures, rationale and values, phases of a process, policy samples, preventive measures, grievance committees, and legal issues.