Working Strategically

Aurora is a leadership development programme for those who identify as female. It was developed by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education in the UK. You can read more about the programme at (opens in a new window)Aurora | Advance HE

The programme is designed to introduce key leadership topics and skills through four online one-day workshops, complemented by online networking, action learning sets and resources.  Advance HE also host an in-person networking event as part of the programme.

The UCD HR People and Organisation Development Unit support the UCD Aurora cohort by hosting several local in-person events such as the UCD programme launch and closing events, mentee training and a mid-programme review event. On-going support is ensured through institutional mentoring.

Aurora is supported in UCD both by an overall Institution Champion, Professor Regina Uí Chollatáin, and an Aurora Coordinator in HR People and Organisation Development. 

Information on the 2025-2026 Aurora Leadership Development Programme will be available here in July 2025. 

Aurora Programme dates and outline

Participants

The programme was established in 2013 and has run in a number of venues in the UK and Ireland, including London; Manchester; Bristol and Glasgow and Dublin. UCD has supported over 185 women to participate in the programme since 2015,  demonstrating the University's commitment to leadership development and gender equality.

• Aurora Participants 2015 (Pilot)
• Aurora Participants 2016
• Aurora Participants 2016-2017
• Aurora Participants 2017-2018
• Aurora Participants 2018-2019
• Aurora Participants 2019-2020
• Aurora Participants 2020-2021
• Aurora Participants 2021-2022
• Aurora Participants 2022-2023
• Aurora Participants 2023-2024

Mentors

Aurora requires that the University puts systems in place to help support and develop participants on their Aurora experience. This includes having mentors in place to work with participants. Although the development days are run over 5 months, the mentoring arrangement is for the duration of one year to help participants maximise the benefit of the programme.

Guidance on choosing a mentor is available below:

2024-2025 Aurora Guidance in Choosing a Mentor

• 2016-2017 Aurora List of Mentors
• 2017-2018 Aurora List of Mentors
• 2018-2019 Aurora List of Mentors
• 2019-2020 Aurora List of Mentors
• 2020-2021 Aurora List of Mentors
• 2021-2022 Aurora List of Mentors
• 2022-2023 Aurora List of Mentors
• 2023-2024 Aurora List of Mentors

Should you have any queries in relation to Aurora in UCD, please contact (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie.

If you have questions relating to other leadership or management development please discuss this with your Line Manager or Head of School/Unit at your annual P4G conversation.

Who is this course for?

This course is for all staff who wish to improve their critical thinking and logical reasoning for better analysis, evaluation and communication in workplace situations. The programme develops the critical and analytical thinking skills needed to correctly decipher information to influence and activate competent thinking into practical application.

By the end of this course, learners will:

• Understand critical thinking, its purpose and presentation and the difference between critical thinking and AI
• Be able to critically assess heuristics and biases when analysing information
• Use Socratic questioning to understand the core and scope of any situation 
• Producing clear, structured argument mapping in support of your ideas
• Develop quick thinking on your feet to ‘thrive under pressure’

How long is this course?

The course duration is 3.5 hours.

What topics will be covered?

• Using clear reasoning: Making sense of goals 
• Use the ‘Tree Diagram’ technique to produce clear, structured arguments
• Learn different styles and structure of argument to produce powerful rational persuasion 
• Overcoming False Reasoning: Using cool logic in hot situations
• Learning to deal with false reasoning in meetings and discussions
• Heuristics: shortcut thinking 
• Introduction to Socratic questioning

Following the session participants will be provided with resources to further engage in the topic, this may include suggested reading, LinkedIn Learning videos or other online content and materials to continue your development.

Booking: 
For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the (opens in a new window)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 (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for?

This course is for all staff members who wish to equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively identify, engage, and manage stakeholders in a project. On completion of the course, learners will have the skills to conduct a stakeholder analysis and develop a stakeholder map, and understand effective strategies for engaging and communicating with stakeholders.

How long is this course?

The course duration is 3.5 hours.

What topics will be covered?

• Introduction to stakeholder management and its importance
• Types of stakeholders and their roles - stakeholder analysis process
• Strategies for effective stakeholder engagement
• Techniques for clear stakeholder communication
• Managing and resolving stakeholder conflicts - negotiation and problem-solving skills
• Measuring stakeholder satisfaction and success 

This course is highly practical and interactive and includes discussions and activities based on real world scenarios. The trainer will also encourage learners to bring in their own experience and discuss practical, local examples where relevant.

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the (opens in a new window)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 (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for?

This programme is for all staff who would like to develop their strategic influencing skills. 

At the end of this programme, participants will be able to: 

• Develop a more strategic approach to leading without authority and influencing as well as demonstrate practical techniques to build influence and impact 
• Understand the essential elements of trust as the foundation of influence & impact, and develop strategies for building trust with others 
• Build their influence & impact through identifying and responding appropriately to stakeholder needs
• Understand differences in others and how to adapt to their communication style 
• Recognise their own style when persuading / influencing others

How long is this course?

The course duration is 1 day.

What topics will be covered?

• 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 and the Who and the How
• Self-awareness – a strategic approach
• How people respond – positively and negatively to influence tactics 
• Reading the situation - Overcoming barriers
• Key interpersonal skills, including strategic listening
• Using storytelling in communications
• Styles of influencing 
• Respecting each other’s value

Following the session participants will be provided with resources to further engage in the topic, this may include suggested reading, LinkedIn Learning videos or  other online content and materials to continue your development.

Booking:

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the (opens in a new window)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 (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for?

This course is for all staff who wish to develop the skills to plan high-energy, creative meetings which achieve more in less time while, at the same time building engagement.

How long is this course?

The course duration is 3.5 hours.

What topics will be covered?

So much work happens in meetings and they both reflect and shape the culture of a team - they are key places where values are experienced. 

• Writing a great agenda that creates interest, helps participants prepare and keep everyone on track
• Effective meeting preparation including shaping strategic objectives
• Designing engaging meetings/finding creative ways to generate discussion and make decisions
• Inclusive meetings 
• Running engaging on-line and hybrid meetings 

Following the session participants will be provided with resources to further engage in the topic, this may include suggested reading, LinkedIn Learning videos or  other online content and materials to continue your development.

Booking:

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the (opens in a new window)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 (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

Who is this course for?

This course is for People Managers who wish to think more strategically about how they use their time to focus time on high impact tasks. The content will help build self awareness about time patterns and maximise opportunities through strategic delegation, feedback and coaching.

How long is this course?

This course is 3.5 hours in duration.

What topics will be covered?

• Work patterns and the beliefs behind these patterns
• Ways to prioritise the four capacity-building tasks (planning, building relationships, building infrastructure and L&D)
• Weighing and prioritising strategic challenges/opportunities against resources (people/networks/time) 
• Identifying plans to shift the focus of their work to maximise time spent on strategic tasks

For details of upcoming events or to book your place on available courses, please visit the (opens in a new window)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 (opens in a new window)peopledevelopment@ucd.ie or call ext 4919.

The "THRIVE - Leadership in Research" 2024 Programme is a joint initiative between UCD People and Organisation Development and UCD Research in consultation with our training partner 64 Million Artists. This important programme will contribute to the development of our UCD Faculty members at Lecturer/Assistant Professor or Associate Professor level and supports the delivery of UCD’s strategic plans.

The programme equips participants with the skills, knowledge, behaviours and confidence needed to realise their ambitions in UCD. Utilising a holistic approach, it provides a significant opportunity for Assistant Professors/Lecturers and Associate Professors across all disciplines to develop leadership and innovation skills in a group environment with peer-to-peer collaboration and networking.

Find out more about "THRIVE - Leadership in Research" and submit your application on our dedicated webpage.

RISE Leadership and People Management Programme

The RISE programme is designed for all Senior Leaders and People Managers across UCD.

This Leadership Programme, originally designed to empower leaders in achieving the goals of our 2020-2024 Strategy, has been modified to align with our ambitious new UCD Strategy to 2030 ‘Breaking Boundaries’. This exciting new phase focuses on cultivating leaders who can effectively address critical global challenges by pushing the boundaries of existing knowledge within our institution..

We commit to combining creatively across disciplines and working with partners to drive impact and excellence in the education and research that we deliver, while ensuring every member of our community is enabled to achieve their full potential.

RISE is delivered by our strategic partners (opens in a new window)Flow Group. The modules are designed to facilitate participants coming together to reflect and plan their individual and collective approaches to navigating an ever-changing and complex landscape, and each session includes personal reflection, action planning, small group conversation, idea generation and discussion.

Booking your place on RISE
To book your place on any of the RISE offerings please visit the dedicated RISE Booking Portal available to People Managers and Senior Leaders.

Please note only eligible participants will have access to book on the UCD RISE Leadership and People Management Programme.

RISE Programme Overview:

This high impact programme is designed as a learning journey which consists of a number of modules which must be completed in sequence. Senior Leaders and People Managers will attend the Core Module together to share experiences and work to create common approaches and language.  People Managers will then attend their Essentials modules in sequence (There is only one Essentials Module for Senior Leaders).

RISE Insights
The programme also offers RISE Insights Sessions on HR, Organisational Change, EDI, Finance and Research Finance and DiSC. These optional 90-minute offerings delivered by our UCD colleagues provide specialist advice and guidance. Insights Sessions can be attended at any time once you have completed your Core module.

RISE Peer Connect
These one-hour self-contained sessions allow for the continuation of learning and sharing among our diverse community of people managers and leaders. The purpose of these facilitated sessions is to connect peers in small groups of three, with each person talking through a challenge, idea or insight, sharing experiences and using the group as a confidential sounding board.

The Insights and Peer connect sessions can be attended at any time throughout your RISE journey.

Learning Path: (opens in a new window)Strategic Leadership

Click here for more information on LinkedIn Learning.