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Building Relationships

Page updated 24 August 2022

Building relationships is the ability to identify and initiate effective working relationships within your own area and beyond.This competency is focused on developing and maintaining relationships in a way that encourages cooperation and collaboration in others while fostering partnerships to achieve results.

Who is this course for? 
This course is for all staff members interested in developing their influencing skills, both to build relationships and to achieve relevant outcomes. The aim of the programme is to improve the effectiveness of participants as influencers and to provide some techniques and approaches to enable this. 

How long is this course? 
This course includes 2x 3-hour workshop - including 15-minute break – followed by a 1 hour Action Learning Set.

What topics will be covered? 
This programme aims to develop influencing skills, strategically and tactically, for the ultimate good of the participant, the area work in and the University. The topics to be covered are outlined below:

Preparation: 

  • What’s the goal – are we clear on what we want to achieve?
  • Understanding the heuristics of how we think and why we think in a particular way
  • The What and the Why
  • The Who and the How
  • A strategic approach

Self-Awareness – the 5 dimensions of emotional intelligence

Influence tactics

  • How people respond – positively and negatively to influence tactics
  • Overcoming barriers
  • Reading the situation

Key interpersonal skills

  • Strategic listening
  • Question technique
  • Words, tone and body language 
  • Using storytelling in communications

Influencing style

  • Styles of influencing
  • Choosing the right style for the situation
  • Your style
  • Understanding others 
  • Respecting each other’s value
  • Strengths and areas for development

Skills practice

Personal action plans

Do I need to prepare anything before or after the session? 
To gain the maximum benefit from the course each learner will be asked to undertake some light pre and post course work. This includes a short self-awareness questionnaire, a short video and 2 articles to read.

Participants on this programme will have access to an online whiteboard and document repository for up to 3 months after completing the programme and all resources will continue to be available to them over this time. In addition, they can download materials locally and these will be available to them forever in this case. 

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the HR - Professional Development booking centre  If your chosen course is fully booked or no longer available, you can access the UCD LinkedIn learning portal via your UCD Connect login where you will find a range of eLearning courses. 

If you have any further queries on this programme, please contact peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for? 
This course is for all staff members who are considering using mentoring/or have already signed up to engage in a mentoring partnership, as a tool for professional development. 

The aim of the programme is to ensure that workshop participants will know exactly how to maximise the potential that engaging in a mentoring partnership offers.

How long is this course? 
This is a 3.5-hour workshop - including 15-minute break 

What topics will be covered? 
This course will cover a wide range of issues related to setting up and maintaining a positive, productive mentoring partnership.  It helps ensure that both mentors and mentees will be agreed on what mentoring is and what each of their roles will be in making it work.  It will explore what the key elements of successful mentoring are and what the partners need to do to ensure that this operates in their mentoring partnership.  During the workshop mentees will get guidance on what to look for in mentors, and ways of approaching potential mentors. The participants will have time to consider their own goals for engaging in a mentoring partnership and how to articulate these goals using the SMART acronym. 

During the workshop the participants will be clear on exactly what they are aiming for in their own partnerships and be able to identify ways to evaluate their own partnerships once they have set them up.  The participants will know the role of the mentoring agreement in maintaining this type of partnership, and how to ensure their own mentoring agreements are practical and useful in helping to achieve this. 

At the end of the workshop the participants will feel more confident in moving forward into their mentoring partnerships.

Do I need to prepare anything before or after the session? 
To gain the maximum benefit from the course each learner should have considered what exactly they are looking for from a mentoring partnership.  This will help the mentees be more focussed during the session and make their they can maximise what they can gain from participating in the workshop .

After the workshop the participants will be provided with a number of templates that can be used in the setting up and running of their own partnerships. The key then is for the participants to engage in their mentoring partnerships as soon after the workshop as possible. 

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the HR - Professional Development booking centre  If your chosen course is fully booked or no longer available, you can access the UCD LinkedIn learning portal via your UCD Connect login where you will find a range of eLearning courses. The 2021/22 training course catalogue will be launched and available to book from the start of the next Academic Year

If you have any further queries on this programme, please contact peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for? 
This course is for all staff members interested in developing their coaching skills. The aim of the course is to facilitate the development of the skills and mindset required to hold quality, focused and productive coaching conversations that result in greater clarity and direction for others. The mindset and skills can be used one to one, in a group, with colleagues, reports and stakeholders alike.

How long is this course?
This course includes 2x 3.5-hour workshop - including 15-minute break – followed by a 1-hour Action Learning Set

What topics will be covered? 
Coaching is a core mindset and skill that can be applied in any situation. The specific skills focused on in the programme are:

  • Questioning
  • Listening
  • Empathy
  • Directness
  • Being non judgmental
  • Patience
  • Presence
  • Coaching

By the end of this one-day programme you will leave with a practical tool, which you have practiced and are confident in using, which:

  • Gives laser sharp focus to your team
  • Significantly accelerates their performance
  • Saves time for you…over time
  • Empowers your team to problem solve themselves
  • Grows the next level of managers and leaders

In addition, you will have built:

  • The capacity to deliver quicker, better and more impactful results through your team and your colleagues at work
  • An understanding of the value & impact of coaching
  • The motivation, confidence and skills to have impactful coaching conversations at work
  • The ability to identify where coaching can be used to improve performance in your team
  • The ability to use practical coaching skills with your team in a variety of situations including feedback sessions, development conversations, team and individual meetings and in any situation where you are aiming to increase performance and results.
     

Do I need to prepare anything before or after the session? 
Participants on this programme will have access to an online whiteboard and document repository for up to 3 months after completing the programme and all resources will continue to be available to them over this time. In addition, they can download materials locally and these will be available to them forever.

Pre work will include:

  1. Read the article ‘Leveraging the Coaching Revolution’
  2. Learn about the difference between coaching, mentoring, training, and managing as well as what coaching is and what it is not
  3. Set your own objectives for attending the programme and enhancing your mindset and skills as a people manager

Post course work will include:

  1. Completing actions committed to in personal action plan
  2. 2 peer coaching sessions over the following 3 months focused on their development as a people manager and specifically the development of their coaching skills and practice
  3. Updating of actions and impact on digital whiteboard before action learning set.

A one-hour, online, action learning set will be facilitated by the trainer 2 months after the programme so that the participants can share experiences and learnings with one another and problem solve as needed.

Booking:
For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the HR - Professional Development booking centre  If your chosen course is fully booked or no longer available, you can access the UCD LinkedIn learning portal via your UCD Connect login where you will find a range of eLearning courses. 

If you have any further queries on this programme, please contact peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for? 
This course is for all staff members who have agreed to be a mentor to a colleague within UCD.

The aim of the programme is to ensure that workshop participants will know exactly what their role is as mentor and what is required to ensure that both mentee and mentor maximise the potential that engaging in the mentoring partnership offers.

How long is this course? 
This is a 3.5-hour workshop - including 15-minute break 

What topics will be covered? 
This course will cover a wide range of issues related to setting up and maintaining a positive, productive mentoring partnership.  It helps ensure that both mentors and mentees will be agreed on what mentoring is and what each of their roles will be in making it work.  It will explore what the key elements of successful mentoring are and what the partners need to do to ensure that this operates in their mentoring partnership.  The programme will look at the key skills mentors will need to ensure that they are the best possible mentor, including looking at goalsetting; listening; feedback and questioning.  

During the workshop the participants will be clear on exactly what they are aiming for in their own partnerships and be able to identify ways to evaluate their own partnerships once they have set them up.  The participants will know the role of the mentoring agreement in maintaining this type of partnership, and how to ensure their own mentoring agreements are practical and useful in helping to achieve this. 

At the end of the workshop the participants will feel more confident in moving forward as Mentors.

Do I need to prepare anything before or after the session? 
To gain the maximum benefit from the course each learner should have considered the reason they have agreed to be a Mentor, and what potentially they feel they may gain personally from a mentoring partnership.  

After the workshop the participants will be provided with a number of templates that can be used in the setting up and running of their own partnerships. 

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the HR - Professional Development booking centre  If your chosen course is fully booked or no longer available, you can access the UCD LinkedIn learning portal via your UCD Connect login where you will find a range of eLearning courses. 

If you have any further queries on this programme, please contact peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for?
This course is for all staff members interested in honing their networking and communication skills in the workplace. The aim of the course is to give staff an opportunity to awaken their skills to effectively communicate within the workplace. Staff working remotely from home have navigated how best to communicate with colleagues to fulfill duties. This session gives staff the confidence and employee engagement skills to successfully engage in person also.

How long is this course?
This is a 3.5-hour workshop - including 15-minute breaks

What topics will be covered? 
This is a highly practical course and scenario-based exercises and group discussions will be used throughout to allow learners to gain a better understanding of the content covered.

Topics Covered:
● Building rapport
● Identify your workplace relationship needs - individuals or departments you work closely with
● Creating productive relationships
● The importance of language used - speaking plainly
● Essential communication skills
● Being an effective team member
● Adopting a positive mindset
● Working collaboratively with others

Do I need to prepare anything before or after the session?
To gain the maximum benefit from the course each learner will be asked to complete a pre-course survey that asks specific questions about your current social skills. This will help learners to set the context for the course and allow them to focus on areas they need to improve

Post Course Work
Before the course begins each learner will also receive a 3-2-1 Personal Action Plan template.

Booking:

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the HR - Professional Development booking centre  If your chosen course is fully booked or no longer available, you can access the UCD LinkedIn learning portal via your UCD Connect login where you will find a range of eLearning courses. The 2021/22 training course catalogue will be launched and available to book from the start of the next Academic Year

If you have any further queries on this programme, please contact peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for? 
This course is for all staff members interested in developing their communication skills. The aim of the programme is to improve the effectiveness of participants as communicators and to provide some techniques and approaches to enable assertive communication. 

How long is this course?
This is a 3.5-hour workshop - including 15-minute break – followed by a 30 minutes Action learning Set.

What topics will be covered? 

  • Self-Awareness – the 5 dimensions
  • Communications Skills (Barriers to Effective Communication; Key interpersonal skills; Communication across different mediums including online video conference)
  • Communication styles – understanding yours and that of others (NB this will be linked to
  • DISC where participants already have completed a profile)
  • Strategies for communication in difficult situations (Assertive communication; Getting your message across)
  • Personal action plan

Participants will learn the skills of how to get their message across and understand and engage
others better, whatever the situation. On completion of this programme, participants will be able to:

  • Adapt and modify their communication style and skills when dealing with others, to get their message across
  • Understand their own style when influencing others
  • Recognise assertive, aggressive and passive behaviour in self and others
  • Have the knowledge to enhance own assertiveness
  • Know how to communicate across different mediums especially in the new world online environment

Do I need to prepare anything before or after the session? 
Participants on this programme will have access to an online whiteboard and document repository for up to 3 months after completing the programme and all resources will continue to be available to them over this time. In addition, they can download materials locally and these will be available to them forever in this case.

To gain the maximum benefit from the course each learner will be asked to undertake some light pre and post course work. This includes a short self-awareness questionnaire, 2 articles to read and a short video.

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the HR - Professional Development booking centre  If your chosen course is fully booked or no longer available, you can access the UCD LinkedIn learning portal via your UCD Connect login where you will find a range of eLearning courses. 

If you have any further queries on this programme, please contact peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for? 
This advanced course is for staff members interested in sharpening their communication skills further. 

The aim of the course is to help identify barriers to communication, focus on strategies for overcoming these barriers, and develop participants’ skills in building influence and impact.

How long is this course? 
This is a 3.5-hour workshop - including 15-minute break

What topics will be covered? 
Participants will sharpen their communication skills by identifying barriers to communication and strategies for overcoming the same and develop skills to build influence and impact. The topics covered include:

  • The communication process and how it can go wrong
  • How our brains process what we hear – the filters we use
  • Key rules of effective communication
  • Understanding your own communication style and that of others
  • Using that understanding in everyday communications at work
  • Focused listening and skilled questioning
  • Getting yourself heard in different situations
  • Online communication – the minefield of our new virtual world and getting the best from it
  • The assertive communicator
  • Reviewing your communication and action planning to enhance

Do I need to prepare anything before or after the session? 
Participants on this programme will have access to an online whiteboard and document repository for up to 3 months after completing the programme and all resources will continue to be available to them over this time. In addition, they can download materials locally and these will be available to them forever. 

Pre work will include: 

  • Watch a custom designed short video introducing the programme, what elements of UCD strategy and values the programme supports, what to expect, what is expected of participants and what to do in advance of the training. This will act both as a teaser and to start to sensitive the learning
  • A self-analysis questionnaire 
  • Two articles – HBR on Getting to Yes and a second article on virtual communications
  • View video on taking control of non-verbal communications
  • Think about your purpose for attending. What would be a positive take-away for you?

The tasks will take no more than 40 minutes to complete

Padlet for Pre- and post-work: https://padlet.com/learning34/5rtyn47c8kucek1d

Booking:
For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the HR - Professional Development booking centre  If your chosen course is fully booked or no longer available, you can access the UCD LinkedIn learning portal via your UCD Connect login where you will find a range of eLearning courses. 

If you have any further queries on this programme, please contact peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

UCD People & Organisation Development

Roebuck Offices, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 1 716 4919 | E: peopledevelopment@ucd.ie