Professional & Personal Development Workshops

Whether teaching a class, wiring a computer lab, advising students or leading the college, each employee at every experience level in the community and technical colleges plays an important role in education.

Professional and Personal Development workshops are open to all Washington state community and technical college employees, whether faculty, staff, or administrators.

In some cases, a college may request group training for its employees only.

The SBCTC Professional Development trainer will work with staff to coordinate such requests on a case-by-case basis.

Please complete the Professional/Personal Development Workshop Training Request to get started.

Registering for the workshops is easy!

1. Visit the SBCTC meetings and events calendar.
2. Filter by "CTC Professional Development » Personal & Professional Development Suite."
3. Click "Sign up" button to enroll.

Workshops are scheduled on a rotating basis. If a date or time does not work for you, continue to review the calendar for another date/time.

All workshops are scheduled for two hours.

Workshop space is limited to 15; however, a waitlist is available. With any participant cancellation, you will be notified of moving off the waitlist.

You have the opportunity to earn completion badges. Use these digital badges in your email signature block, include in your resume, or add to your HR record.

To receive a completion badge, you must:

• Access the Professional Development Canvas course
• Complete and submit a two-question Completion Reflection

Once scored, a badge will be awarded for that workshop. (Certification)

Canvas Course Access for Badging

The Professional Development Canvas course is rich with extended information and additional resources. Once you have registered for a Professional Development workshop, you will be added to the Canvas course. The following are available in each module:

• Overview with objectives
• Presentation deck used within the workshop for review (no notes)
• Additional resource; websites, articles, videos, other areas of support
• Completion Reflection
• Discussion Board

Clock Hours and CEUs

In general, free workshops and classes are not eligible for CEUs. While opportunities to earn completion badges are available, certification for Clock Hours or Continuing Education Units (CEUs) is not.

Course description

Having trouble getting your point across to another person? Is there some conflict or a breakdown in communication that is affecting your work and/or work relationships? Is there a "right way" to pay a compliment?

This workshop will explore different aspects of effective communications based on specific scenarios.

Course objectives

Participants will gain insight on several areas within the workshop topic, including:

• Understanding of dialog options for the process for perception-checking
• Raising sensitive issues
• Receiving criticism or feedback
• Giving compliments or praise
• Exploring and realizing the impact of non-verbal messaging and body language

Also included is the opportunity to explore areas of conflict and resolution options, and understanding the differences between hearing and actively listening.

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

What makes a good leader?

What's the difference between leading and managing?

Everyone has the potential to be a good leader! (Or do they??)

But what does that entail? In this workshop participants will explore the 10 characteristics of a good leader, including: integrity, ability to delegate, communication, self-awareness, gratitude, learning agility, influence, empathy, courage, and respect. Participants will review the “Johari Window” when discussing self-awareness.

Course objectives

Participants will understand:

• Their “true color” as based on the True Colors Test to identify what type of leader and colleague they might be
• The 10 characteristics of a good leader
• How emotional intelligence (EI) plays a role in leadership
• The theory of the Johari Window
• Communication strategies as related to leadership
• Different ways to coach/mentor

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

"The customer is always right!" Until they are not.

Do you provide customers an excellent experience? Do you know you have two different sets of customers? How can we assist customers, stay within policy guidelines and provide a win-win customer experience?

Course objectives

This workshop will explore different aspects of excellent customer experiences, including:

• How to provide those experiences to both internal and external customers.
• Understanding the needs of customers
• 21 customer experience skills
• The FISH! philosophy
• How to receive an excellent customer experience and deal with the "difficult customer"

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

What do you really know about the team you work with? What steps can be taken to strengthen your team?

Course objectives

This workshop will explore:

• Different aspects of teams
• Team-building (team bonding) to include the psychology of teams
• Why team bonding is important
• Positive aspect of team bonding
• When team bonding activities should take place
• Ideas and brainstorming on activities

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

We all have strengths, but do you know which are your Dependable Strengths? And what's the difference between a regular strength and a Dependable Strength?

This two-hour workshop will explore how strengths can be confirmed to be Dependable Strengths.  Participants will be able to identify their Dependable Strengths as those strengths they have used in most areas of their lives; typically, from an early age.

Course objectives

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• "Prove" the strengths they have identified through the DSAP Pre-Work
• Peer review and compile information from preliminary work to determine which strengths are truly dependable

This information will assist participants in not only recognizing dependable strengths within themselves, but also with co-workers to help develop stronger teams.

* You will be asked to complete the Dependable Strengths Articulation Process (DSAP) prior to the workshop and be ready to review your DSAP results.

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

How do you spend your time? What about prioritizing or delegating work? Learn some tips, tricks and tools to help manage your time better and increase your productivity!

Course objectives

This workshop will explore:

• Know Your Energy
• Work-Life Balance
• Regular Breaks
• Goal Setting
• Delegation
• Time Batching
• Calendars
• Procrastination
• Email
• Additional Resources

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

This is a two-part workshop. Both sessions must be completed to earn a completion badge.

Stressed? What type(s) of stress are you experiencing? How does stress affect your physical and emotional health? How does stress evolve to a point where it becomes unmanageable?

Course objectives

In part one of this two-part series, participants will learn about:

• Different types of stress
• Effects of stress on the mind and physical body
• Burnout, depression, and breakdown
• Environmental and job stressors
• Stress-related diseases

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

This is a two-part workshop. Both sessions must be completed to earn a completion badge.

Now that you have been able to identify different types of stress and the effects of stress on your physical and emotional health, what tools can you use to minimize stress?

Course objectives

In part two of this two-part series, we will look at alternative therapies to help reduce our stress and stress reactions.

The different types of tools (alternative therapies) to assist in managing stress include:

• Diet/exercise
• Pet therapy
• Color therapy
• Water therapy
• Arts therapy and many more!

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

How do we protect our mental health and wellness in the workplace? How can we support ourselves and others who may struggle with mental health issues? Where do we turn for assistance and support?

Course objectives

This workshop will explore different ways to:

• Recognize issues/struggles with mental health within ourselves and our teammates.
• We will explore different ways that we can support others, ourselves and how leadership can better understand resources and alternatives.

This workshop will also include scenarios for the team to brainstorm for support.

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

What is vicarious trauma? How do our past experiences and/or "triggers" compound our stress and guilt?

Vicarious trauma is, at times, also referred to as "secondary trauma" or "burnout." How can we set healthy boundaries to minimize the secondary trauma in our work and personal life?

Course objectives

In this workshop we will explore:

• The effects of vicarious trauma, sometimes referred to as "secondary trauma" or "trauma burnout"
• Which types of employment may cause higher levels of vicarious trauma
• Stressors that come with the experience of vicarious trauma
• The cost to organizations of such trauma and how vicarious trauma increases other stressors.
• Steps to reduce the effect of such trauma.

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

This workshop will explore different ways to recognize signs of feeling psychologically unsafe in the workplace (and our personal lives).

Together, we will define what psychological safety is and what it isn’t, touch on triggers, generational trauma, and historical trauma, how our EQ affects our sense of safety and how we can use simple communication techniques to clarify and be understood, hence safe.

Participants will review the Four Quadrants of Psychological Safety.

Course objectives

Upon completion of this course, the participant will be able to gain insight on a number of areas within the workshop topic, to include how the following may affect our feelings of safety:

• How our past may affect our future
• Triggers
• Clear communications
• Self-reflection
• Plans for the future: team and individual

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

Do you catch yourself in negative "self-dialog"?

Want to turn your mind frame from negative to positive? How can you avoid "toxic positivity"?

This workshop will explore different aspects of changing our mind frame from the negative to the positive.

Course objectives

Upon completion of this course, the participant will be able to gain insight on several areas within the workshop topic, including:

• Identify a fixed mindset and a growth mindset
• Recognize the many forms of negative thinking
• Explore different ways to change one’s mind frame
• Explore aspects of toxic positivity
• View and discuss a Ted Talk video
• Brainstorm and discuss (using scenarios) the potential “positives” from negative situations.

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.

Course description

What's the difference between IQ and EQ? Which is more important in the workplace? How can we improve our EQ?

Course objectives

In this workshop, we will explore the following:

• The definition of EQ (vs IQ)
• Review the five core competencies of EQ
• Identify the importance of EQ in the workplace
• Explore suggestions for improving one’s EQ
• View videos by Dr. Daniel Goleman regarding IQ vs EQ and Compassion
• Group discussion & review scenarios

Course duration

Two hours

NOTE: A main objective of all workshops is to provide a safe environment for discussions, so this session will not be recorded.