University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Organizational Development and Training is offering NRICH professional development sessions for employees in September.
The sessions provide a range of learning opportunities for faculty and staff. The schedule is as follows:
- Sept. 2: The Productive Employee: Improve Your Wellbeing by Managing Your Email, To-Do List, and Time Better. This session, led by Celeste Spier, director, will help attendees explore how productivity and well-being are interconnected. It will cover strategies to manage email, reduce distractions, and prioritize tasks to build healthy routines.
- Sept. 4: Navigating Tough Conversations. A conference rewind from the 2025 UNL All-Staff Conference, this presentation by Kristen Blankley, professor in the College of Law, will provide ideas and tools for handling conflict with a productive mindset. The session will feature an interdisciplinary look at conflict, incorporating neuroscience and psychology to help attendees deal with difficult conversations more effectively.
- Sept. 16: Say It Better: Using Intentional Language to Transform Communication. Presented by Ranelle Maltas, training and technology specialist, this session will show how intentional language can strengthen clarity, tone, and professional relationships. It will cover common communication traps and provide practical tools to craft confident and empowering messages.
- Sept. 18: A Supervisor’s Guide to Retention Conversations. Also presented by Ranelle Maltas, this course is designed for entry-level supervisors and will teach the purpose and process for having retention and engagement conversations with team members, including what questions to ask and how to handle the discussion.
- Sept. 25: Customer Service Excellence 101+. Led by Ajai Ammachathram, program director of hospitality restaurant and tourism management, this interactive workshop is for anyone who interacts with customers or clients. Attendees will learn about standards of performance that impact customer experience and practice service recovery strategies to improve customer loyalty.
Additionally, the department is offering a full schedule of professional development opportunities, including a new networking series and the continued development of a monthly leadership program. Check out additional opportunities to connect and learn through NCLUDE learning groups, NCLUDE networking sessions, and NSPIRE leadership workshops. Registration is open.
