All Change and Programme Management Office courses

A practical session where you will learn to crochet a Granny Square. Once you know the humble Granny Square you can make numerous projects - more than just blankets!

If you have a crochet hook and yarn please bring it with you on the day, if not materials will be provided. No previous experience or knowledge necessary.

One of the most important parts of a manager’s role is to support the development of others. This sounds like it should be easy but it can be trickier than it sounds. Come along and listen to some experienced managers discussing how they motivate and develop their teams.

The teams link for the session will be provided at a later date.

Many of us struggle with having potentially difficult conversations whether because of the fear of ‘getting it wrong’ or not knowing how to approach a situation objectively and with care. This sometimes results in issues not being addressed, which in turn can be detrimental to the individual, the team and, ultimately, the organisation. This practical 90-minute session aims to provide the structure, tools and tips to improve their skills to manage challenging conversations.

Be prepared to participate in Breakout Rooms.

Micro-coaching is a short, focused conversation using coaching skills. It can help us to generate insights and identify next steps with a specific opportunity or challenge. Micro-coaching is enriched by identifying how we want to feel in these specific situations, leading to better performance and wellbeing. This will be an interactive and future-focused workshop, and will include a guided micro-coaching activity where you will each use a deck of cards.

In this workshop, you will experience a guided micro-coaching activity to identify how you can make progress with an opportunity or challenge in an upcoming conversation or meeting that is important to you. We will each use the physical Emotional Culture Deck, which is an engaging and effective tool that takes a future-focused approach. The micro-coaching activity will include guided individual reflection and confidential paired conversations. By the end of the workshop, you will have generated ideas for practical next steps to get closer to your desired outcomes in your upcoming conversation or meeting. You will also have identified some effective coaching questions that you can use on your own, or with others, at work. We will use Slido and small group conversations to share insights. You are invited to come to this experiential and interactive workshop with an upcoming conversation or meeting in mind. This workshop will be a safe and confidential space; you are invited to contribute, and to share only what you feel comfortable with.

• Slido is an easy-to-use audience engagement tool that you can access via your mobile phone browser. It does not require downloads or registration. Please bring your mobile phone to access Slido in the session.

Note: there is also a 60-minute session via MS Teams on Tuesday 14th May if you would prefer a shorter virtual experience of micro-coaching, using a shared digital version of the Emotional Culture Deck.

About the facilitator: Sonali Kumarakulasinghe is a Coach, Facilitator and Consultant. She takes a Solution Focused approach and her coaching style is informal, focused and appreciative. Sonali has an MSc in Organisational Behaviour (Psychology) and she is a Certified Practitioner with the Emotional Culture Deck."

Micro-coaching is a short, focused conversation using coaching skills. It can help us to generate insights and identify next steps with a specific opportunity or challenge. Micro-coaching is enriched by identifying how we want to feel in these specific situations, leading to better performance and wellbeing. This will be an interactive and future-focused session, and will include a short, guided micro-coaching activity using a shared digital version of a card deck.

In this session, you will experience a short, guided micro-coaching activity to identify how you can make progress with an opportunity or challenge in an upcoming conversation or meeting that is important to you. We will use a shared digital version of the Emotional Culture Deck, an effective tool that takes a future-focused approach. The micro-coaching activity will consist of a short guided individual reflection. By the end of the activity, you will have generated ideas for practical next steps to get closer to your desired outcomes in your upcoming conversation or meeting. We will use Slido and short breakout groups to share general insights. You are invited to come to this interactive session with an upcoming conversation or meeting in mind. This session will be a safe and confidential space; you are invited to contribute, and to share only what you feel comfortable with.

• Slido is an easy-to-use audience engagement tool that you can access via your mobile phone browser. It does not require downloads or registration. Please bring your mobile phone to access Slido in the session.

Note: there are also 90-minute, in-person workshops on Monday 13th May if you would prefer a richer, hands-on experience of micro-coaching using the physical Emotional Culture Deck.

About the facilitator: Sonali Kumarakulasinghe is a Coach, Facilitator and Consultant. She takes a Solution Focused approach and her coaching style is informal, focused and appreciative. Sonali has an MSc in Organisational Behaviour (Psychology) and she is a Certified Practitioner with the Emotional Culture Deck."

The panel discussion on 'Developing Your Emotional Intelligence' offers participants invaluable insights and practical strategies from a diverse array of leaders, cultivating essential skills in self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication crucial for both personal and professional advancement.

Self-coaching for personal and professional growth empowers participants with vital skills and tools to proactively navigate their development journey with purpose and effectiveness.

An interactive session exploring ways in which you can prepare yourself for interviews, considering both the practical and the mental preparation to help you achieve the best possible interview you could have.

Be prepared to participate in breakout rooms.

An interactive session to signpost some of the many training and development options open to you and some options to consider reflecting on your career and progress.

A Q+A session will be held at the end for any specific queries.

Find out about a day in a Muslim's life and how the prayer is not only a pivotol part but a lot more than that!

Looking at how to turn failure into a positive rather than a negative. Discover the genuine benefits of failure. Guidance and techniques to show how to identify failure early and understand it.

A curated learning path on key skills for Mentoring (both for Mentors and Mentees). This Learning Path was created originally for the UIS Mentoring Scheme, but has kindly been made available for us all.

For more resources see the University of Cambridge's LinkedIn Learning Hub.

The course can be accessed here.

A curated learning path on working remotely. For more resources see the University of Cambridge's LinkedIn Learning Hub.

The course can be accessed here.

Discussion Topic: Discussing the difficult stuff: facing up to challenging conversations

This series follows on from the very popular first series held from April-July 2021. These informal drop-in sessions are designed to provide both new and more experienced leaders and managers, across all staff groups, with a safe space to share practice and discuss some of the challenges that can arise when supporting others to develop and strengthen their performance. Each session will start an hour of Q&A and discussion with a panel of experienced managers drawn from across the University. This will be followed by half an hour of small group discussion to allow participants the opportunity to meet other managers and share practice, in a smaller, more intimate setting. Those wishing to leave after the first hour and not stay on for final half hour in break out rooms, are free to do so. The format of the sessions is designed to facilitate peer support and learning. The sessions are not training sessions, although recommendations for training and other resources will be provided.

Comments from Series 1 participants: “I am loving all of these sessions and am so happy to have discovered a platform where ‘it all makes sense’” “It’s lovely to convene a group of people interested in leadership and developing their skills in this area.” “I intend to participate in as many sessions as I can because this forum gives a focused approach on developing leadership skills that are expected within the University. I had been looking for some sort of a planned approach to this and am really glad I found this.”

Panellists

Ken Billington - HR Adviser, School of Technology

Bruce Daniels - Administration and Operations Manager, Gurdon Institute

Emma Marron - Head of HR Shared Services, Human Resources Division

Questions we will consider during the session

1. What’s the most difficult conversation that you have had to have as a manager?

2. Was it as bad as you thought it was going to be?

3. Why do you think we avoid these conversations?

4. What can be the consequences of avoiding a difficult conversation?

5. How do you prepare for a meeting like this, both practically and mentally?

6. What mistakes have you made in the past, when trying to do this?

7. What approaches have you developed that you find work well?

8. What advice would you give to another manager who was dreading a difficult conversation?

9. How do you decompress after a meeting like this and ensure that your well-being is not impacted?

Are we more distracted these days? We often find ourselves multi-tasking and juggling multiple digital tasks and distractions during the course of our everyday work and lives. So how can we create positive digital habits that allow us to focus and make the best of our time on screen?

Questions to think about before this session:

• What are your biggest digital distractions?
• What do you wish you had more time to do during the course of the day?

These events are sponsored by ourcambridge and UIS as part of the Digital Workplace Programme

This interactive session aims to support our mentees to find a mentor. A selection of our currently available mentors will introduce themselves and share a little bit about their background, knowledge, and experience. It offers the opportunity for mentees to get to know some of our available mentors and consider whether they may be a good potential match. There will then be time for questions so that you can consider which potential mentors could best support your growth, learning, and career development.

Please take advantage of this chance to connect with mentors willing to share their experiences and assist you in achieving your goals. Sign up now and start your mentorship journey!

During this interactive session the ourcambridge Simplifying our Processes team will look at how habits can be established and how this can be applied to Lean tools and techniques, so helping to embed Continuous Improvement across the University. We will then discuss the impact that this could have on wellbeing.

Ourcambridge offer a wide range of opportunities for professional services employees wishing to develop their confidence and skills, and broaden their networks. At this session, we will provide an overview of the opportunities we offer to support your career development and information about how you can access these. The session will cover:

• Prioritising your personal development – what to consider and making the most of the SRD process

• Developing your Digital Skills – learn more about recent exciting developments in this area, including the new JISC self-assessment tool to review your digital skills

• Lean Practitioner training and certification – how might this support you in your role and what skills will it support you to develop?

• Communities of Practice – what are they and how can you join one to meet others working in similar areas?

• The Self-Match Mentoring Scheme – why you should find a mentor or how you can become one to others

• Speed mentoring – for those who are short of time but would still welcome a bit of extra support and advice

• Becoming an ourcambridge champion – what does this involve and how might it benefit your career development?

Join is for an afternoon of Christmas activities, designed to share information and enable networking amongst champions

Join us for an informal session where you can have your say about getting the most of being an ourcambridge champion and help shape the future of the ourcambridge programme. You will take part in a facilitated conversation by a member of the ourcambridge team.

An interactive workshop to determine the format and structure of the ourcambridge champions MS Teams group, including channels.

The workshop will be facilitated by a member of the ourcambridge team.

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please do not sign up to this workshop if you are booked to attend the session on Tuesday 13th October

Have you ever wondered how senior managers balance demanding job roles and extensive workloads? The ourcambridge team have brought together an experienced panel of senior managers who are happy to share an honest insight into the realities of their workload management. The session will include the opportunity to ask questions to the panel and provide some top tips and interesting reflections.

Speakers:

• Emma Rampton, Registrary
• Professor Anna Vignoles, Professor of Education, Faculty of Education
• Dr Nick Bampos, Deputy Head of Department, Department of Chemistry
• Dr Karen Kennedy, Director of Strategic Partnerships Office

Chair/Facilitator:

Jenny Rampling, Senior Programme Co-ordinator, ourcambridge

Speakers: Joanne Bishenden and Ian Matthias from PA Consulting Title: ourcambridge seminar: Engaging with Academics Effectively Wednesday 24 July 3-4pm Faculty of Classics, Lecture Theatre 1.02, Sidgwick Site

The ourcambridge team are involved in a number of projects that aim to improve staff wellbeing and recognise the critical contribution that professional services staff make to the University. This session will provide an overview of the ourcambridge programme, how our projects aim to support staff and highlight the ways professional services staff can get involved.

Speakers:

• Rachel Machon, Head of HR for ourcambridge and Supporting Our Staff Lead
• Jenny Rampling - Senior Programme Coordinator
• Claire Brind - Senior Programme Coordinator
• Freya Villis - Senior Programme Coordinator
• Dr Fatima Baldo - Professional Services Graduate Trainee

Over the past year, ourcambridge has worked with professional services staff from across the University to develop a set of core values that underpin the way we work. The values that you chose together were: Trust, Respect, Integrity and Collaboration. Embedding these as part of our culture means truly living them in the way in the way we work, through our actions and behaviours.

This focus group provides the opportunity for you to share your ideas for practical ways in which we can bring these values to life in our daily work. We will discuss the types of initiatives, tools and resources that individuals, managers, and teams may find most useful for promoting and embedding these new values. The focus group will be formed of 6 colleagues using Microsoft Teams.

The sessions will be led by Fatima Baldo, Jenny Rampling and Freya Villis, Senior Programme Co-ordinators