Event Details

Recent SHRM research indicates that U.S. employees collectively experience over 60 million acts of incivility per day in the workplace.  Addressing others disrespectfully and interrupting or silencing others while they are speaking are cited among the most common types of incivility. Employees are looking to management to design a stronger culture of civility at work. About 66% of employees thought their supervisor or manager could have done more to prevent the incivility.  Civility in communication fosters a positive workplace where employees can work together productively and handle client interactions courteously. Through this presentation, attendees will develop the skills to communicate concretely, candidly, and thoughtfully through practical examples and engaging exercises.  Equipped with these tools, attendees can respectfully convey goals and tasks, discuss work challenges, and provide constructive feedback to employees while modeling for them how to effectively and civilly speak with managers, co-workers, and clients. By utilizing these skills, attendees will be empowered to prevent incivility in their workplaces and create a better experience for their employees.

The presentation will provide attendees with the knowledge and skills to:

• Objectively assess workplace situations by concentrating on information and avoiding personal interpretations or judgments.
• Pinpoint the core issue contributing to a situation, drawing on their objective observations and emotional responses.
• Clearly articulate a positive and specific action aimed at addressing the central issue, while also being receptive to alternative perspectives.

About the speaker:

Anna Francis is the CEO and founder of Diag Consulting, LLC, which trains individuals and teams in conflict resolution skills. Her legal and conflict resolution training and experience enables her to assist clients in engaging with others productively when conflict occurs, working with others to find creative solutions to divisive problems, and strengthening relationships. She is a trained lawyer, graduating from the University of Michigan Law School. As a practicing labor and employment lawyer, she often had to build consensus on contentious topics, including through participation in numerous mediated settlements. She studied conflict resolution and mediation while in law school and through the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, which focuses on conflict transformation education