City of Springfield Supervisors' Training Sessions

The Center for Dispute Resolution (CDR) is pleased to offer the following training sessions exclusively for supervisors working for the City of Springfield. These trainings are provided as part of a contract with the City of Springfield. If you are not a supervisor working with the City of Springfield but would like more information on offering these types of trainings for your organization, please contact the CDR or learn more about customized trainings provided by the CDR.

Communication and Conflict Management Advanced Training Series

Exclusively for City of Springfield Supervisors

Supervisors, build your communication and conflict management skills by attending one or all of these free sessions. Pre-registration is required, so RSVP now to reserve your seat. The list of currently scheduled sessions is below, or click here to see a list of past topics offered. 

Sessions offered include the following:

Managing Emotions in Customer Service Interactions in the Time of COVID-19 

(NOTE: THIS SESSION IS OPEN TO ALL CITY OF SPRINGFIELD STAFF)

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. via Zoom - register now!
  • Thursday, September 17, 2020 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. via Zoom - register now

Have you noticed that lately your clients seem a bit…anxious? emotional? unreasonable? (Or wait, is that how WE are feeling?)

COVID-19 is affecting all of us in a myriad of ways, and the stress created by the pandemic is certainly impacting both our clients and our interactions with them. So, in this unprecedented environment when both we and our clients are under pressure, how can we provide outstanding customer service (and maintain our own sanity)?

In this interactive online session we will explore the following:

  • Why everyone is more tense, anxious, suspicious, fragile, frustrated, grumpy, defensive, etc., than usual, and how the stress of COVID-19 is impacting people’s emotional responses.
  • How an “emotional brain” limits the ability to think calmly and rationally.
  • Strategies to de-escalate clients’ emotions (and our own).
  • How to use the customer-service superpowers of listening, showing empathy, and saying the right things at the right times in the right way.
  • Why clients don’t always say (or even know) exactly what they need, and how to identify what clients really want.
  • How to practice self-care and collaboration to manage the stress you are under so that you can take care of your clients’ needs and remain resilient in your work.

Pre-registration for this live online workshop is required, and seats are limited. Register online using the following links:

  • Tuesday, September 15, 2020 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. via Zoom - register now!
  • Thursday, September 17, 2020 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. via Zoom - register now

Feedback for Improvement: Providing Effective Feedback and Performance Appraisals

Tuesday, November 10, 2020 – 8:30 a.m. - noon via Zoom

Seats are limited – register now!

Constructive feedback can be a gift, but often the feedback we give as supervisors is ineffective. This is particularly true when it comes to giving feedback on areas where improvement is needed.  Employees may dismiss our feedback, become angry and defensive, or feel frustrated and unsure of how to improve their performance. As a result relationships are damaged and valuable opportunities for growth are lost.

Giving effective feedback is an art, and this session will help you learn how to regularly provide constructive feedback that reinforces desired behaviors in employees and identifies ways employees can make positive changes. The session will also explore how to effectively receive and apply feedback in our own professional lives.

In this interactive session we will do the following:

  • Investigate the characteristics of effective and ineffective feedback.
  • Learn how our traditional approaches to giving feedback are often ineffective and even destructive.
  • Explore how employees respond to feedback and why ineffective feedback is often rejected and fails to promote behavior change.
  • Practice giving effective feedback for improvement.
  • Examine our current approaches to giving feedback and make concrete plans for how we can provide our employees with effective feedback for improvement. 

Register online now!

Past Training Topics

Since 2015 the CDR has developed and offered training sessions for supervisors working for the City of Springfield as part of a contract with the city. Session formats vary and range from 1-hour “lunch and learns” to half-day and full-day workshops. All sessions are designed for the diverse range of professionals working within the city and focus on strengthening the communication and conflict management skills of these professionals. Examples of past topics include the following:

  • Communication and Conflict Management Skills for Supervisors
  • How Personality Impacts Communication and Conflict Management in the Workplace
  • Feedback for Improvement: Providing Effective Feedback and Performance Appraisals
  • Communication and Conflict Coaching
  • The ABC's of Managing Employee Conflict - Always Be Coaching
  • Get Your Employees to Do What You Want: Everyday Negotiation Skills for Supervisors
  • Managing Inter-generational Conflict
  • Managing the Work Jerk – Bullying in the Workplace
  • Managing Perceptions
  • Listening: A Supervisor Superpower