Syracuse Sun

The Crucial Conversations program, a renowned professional development workshop series for faculty and staff, is set to be offered in person starting later this month. Simultaneously, the Crucial Influence program, designed for leaders, supervisors, and managers by the creators of Crucial Conversations, will also resume this summer.

Crucial conversations occur daily within organizations. These discussions are characterized by high stakes, strong emotions, differing opinions and topics that revolve around work quality, time management, productivity performance, customer satisfaction, sensitive issues or strained relationships. Such conversations are often avoided or poorly managed resulting in unfavorable outcomes.

Participants in the workshop will acquire skills to identify when conversations become crucial. They will learn how to avoid repeating the same conversation and separate facts from stories and emotions. This will aid them in making clearer decisions and commitments.

The four-week in-person Crucial Conversations program will run on Fridays from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., May 31 to June 21 at a North Campus location yet to be announced.

The Crucial Influence program aims to equip supervisors, managers and leaders with the ability to lead behavior change within their teams or organizations through hands-on instruction, practice and application. The course covers influencing others' behavior for inevitable changes both big and small; identifying behaviors that generate desired results; diagnosing problem behaviors using six sources of influence; motivating through personal values; teaching new skills; harnessing social influence; and correctly incentivizing behaviors.

Crucial Influence will also be offered in person for faculty and staff leaders this summer on Tuesdays from 9 a.m.-noon between July 9-23 at a North Campus location yet to be announced.

For both programs, participants must commit to attending all sessions as each week's skills build upon those taught previously. Managers and supervisors are particularly encouraged to attend due to the relevance of the skills taught for managing others. The programs provide experiential learning through exercises, real issue practice and group discussions. A cost of $350 per person is required to cover program materials, necessitating departmental approval. The fee will be charged to participants’ budget centers and approval from your supervisor and budget manager is required. Space is limited, thus registration is mandatory.

Both programs have received high commendations from past participants. One participant in the Crucial Conversations program stated, “It is excellent training for managers and supervisors. Success happens when opportunities are met by preparations. Crucial Conversations are crucial to relationship preservation, built on a foundation where there’s healthy trust, conflict, commitment and accountability; the four main elements that produce results.”

Another participant in the Crucial Influence program noted, “In a very short amount of time, I learned and espoused several ‘concrete’ methods for taking the guesswork out of what is motivating folks around me. In what is clearly a formulaic approach, I can now tailor my influence.”

For further inquiries about either program, contact Pam Gavenda, associate director of organizational development and training and Crucial Conversations/Crucial Influence certified trainer.