Workshop Descriptions: WAM Summit 2019

How to Say No (and When to Say Yes):

Ed Etchells, Liz Tullis

This workshop will build your skills is saying no (and yes) to professional duties and opportunities.

Learning objectives:

  • To describe the importance of disciplined management of creative professional time.
  • To suggest strategies to identify which creative professional activities would provide good opportunities for professional growth.
  • To demonstrate methods for negotiating creative professional time commitments

Learning to Lead:  (2 sessions)

Larry Robinson with Lee Fairclough, Allison Paprica and Linda Rabeneck 

This is a skills-focused workshop designed to coach non-traditional leaders (and aspiring leaders) in critical leadership techniques such as chairing a meeting, working with budgets, building a team, and negotiating. Facilitators will share insights in a panel format, then separate into breakout groups to address specific questions and challenges of participants.

Learning objectives:

  • apply specific critical leadership skills to one’s working environment
  • reflect on personal leadership experiences in a safe group environment
  • formulate ways to address common leadership challenges

Your Conflict Management Toolbox: 

Jennifer Webster

This is an interactive workshop which will focus on the key themes of Creative Conflict Management:

Learning objectives:

  • understanding diversity of conflict styles
  • engaging diverse thinking
  • exploring ways to reframe difficult conversations
  • using visual practices and play to fully engage people in problem solving through diagnostics to idea generation and closure

Over the course of the workshop, participants will learn the value of diversity, play and visual practices in their approach to conflict management. The workshop will include visual practices, videos, small group exercises, presentations, and a psychometric quiz to evaluate one’s own conflict style.

Stand Up Speak Up: Communication Techniques to Facilitate Difficult Conversations: (2 sessions)

Bonnie Anderson 

‘Stand Up, Speak Up: Communication Techniques to Facilitate Difficult Conversations in an Academic Workplace’ is an experiential learning workshop. The focus is on practicing difficult conversations that may arise in an academic medical workplace.  In small groups, and with guidance from professional facilitators and role players, participants will be presented with typical challenging scenarios and will be able to run through their approach for practice and feedback.

Learning objectives:

  • To gain confidence in having difficult conversations
  • To learn strategies to prepare for a difficult conversation
  • To learn specific communication techniques that will allow the difficult conversation to be a positive experience for all parties involved

How to be an Ally:

Ayelet Kuper and Lisa Richardson

This session will provide participants with the skills and language required to effectively address instances of incivility or inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. Allyship has been identified as a key means to foster a culture of inclusion and professionalism.

Learning objectives:

  • To understand why we need allyship within the DoM
  • To become comfortable with language and ideas that allow you to be an effective ally

Physician Health Matters: Caring for Ourselves and Each Other:

Joy Albequerque and Julie Maggi

Physician’s health and well-being are important present-day issues and are crucial to a strong health care system. Burnout rates are alarmingly high and are highly associated with challenges within the health care system, how we deliver care and reflect on the profession’s existing culture. This workshop will acknowledge the broad issues that impact academic physicians, then focus more specifically on individual factors that promote health, wellness and resilience. In this workshop participants will share together and practice skills and strategies that support us in the work we do. Each participant will create their own resilience map that highlights strategies currently used and those that are going to be nurtured going forward.

Learning objectives:

  • To identify personal vulnerabilities to stress and recognize signs and symptoms of distress.
  • To describe strategies for managing stress and optimizing resilience.
  • To develop a personal resilience map