Register for New Professional Development Courses
Duke Learning & Organization Development January through June 2016 schedule is available
After Dinetta Richardson finishes teaching a four-hour class or pulls into her driveway after an hour-long work commute, she takes a few minutes to reset by focusing on breathing, being in the moment and not compulsively replaying work tasks in her mind.
Read MoreRichardson will share these mindfulness practices and more in a new Duke Learning & Organization Development (L&OD) course, “Resilience: Building Skills to Endure Hardship and Prevent Burnout.”
“I encounter a number of people who love their job, but because of a number of things like change in management or change in procedures, they lose focus on the things they love about their job,” said Richardson, a senior practitioner with L&OD.
The resilience course is among 125 classes offered by L&OD from January through June 2016 – an increase from 82 programs last fall. Courses cover professional development, leadership and management, and technology topics, and registration is available on the L&OD website. Duke employees will receive a course catalog in the campus mail or through their Duke office.
In 2015, L&OD oversaw about 2,100 professional development and technology course completions by Duke employees.
“Staff and faculty should take it upon themselves this upcoming New Year to identify what they see as their learning need, and once they have identified their need, they should have that conversation with their supervisor for alignment and growth,” said Keisha Williams, executive director of Learning & Organization Development.
About 20 new course topics will be offered this spring. Here are some of the highlights:
Resilience: Building Skills to Endure Hardship and Prevent Burnout
The class will be offered March 31 and May 4 and provide strategies for dealing with stress, adversity and trauma by identifying ways to function more effectively – both physically and psychologically. $130
Critical Thinking Skills: Strategies for Improving Critical Thinking in the Workplace
This half-day class on May 19 will identify habits that create barriers to critical thinking and examine strategies that enhance or promote critical thinking. $65
Managing at a Distance: Effectively Communicating with Employees Around the World
When supervising employees who telecommute or work in a different city, state or country, sometimes communication barriers come into play. Class participants practice communication skills that are required when using technology such as Skype and SharePoint, and learn now to facilitate relationship building between remote and local employees. The class is held over two half days, on Feb. 10 and 11 and again on May 25 and 26. $130
Communicating with Diplomacy & Tact 2
Learn advanced skills that utilize emotional and social intelligence, the art of influence, and techniques for navigating difficult conversations. Classes will be held April 14, May 31 and June 29. Communicating with Diplomacy & Tact 1 is a prerequisite. $130
Learning & Organization Development also offers a Professional Development Excellence Certificate Program, in which core workshops are paired with course electives to explore a particular professional development subject area, such as “Customer Service Excellence” and “Supervisory Excellence.”
“It really gives people a consistent journey,” Williams said. “All of the pieces in there are connected so you grow through each course."