Facilitators: Dylan Platz, VUIT

Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Teams link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

CliftonStrengths for VU Employees

Description: The CliftonStrengths Assessment is a tool that provides insight into your natural recurring talents and abilities. In this session, we will provide you with an opportunity to complete the CliftonStrengths assessment to unlock your Top 5 Talent Themes, and explore how they impact your work. 

Facilitato rs: Krystal Clark & Chance Ryon

Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Dancing around the elephants in the room: a microlearning series on naming and acknowledging our realities

Description: Not everything is okay – we've been in abnormal and unusual circumstances for more than two years now and the weight is becoming a burden hard to reconcile. It is difficult to continue our daily lives as if “everything is fine” while also questioning the reality and facing the disbelief of what is happening around us. Many hear an expectation that we must somehow sit in the uncertainty of these times and simply find ways to thrive when the ways we mapped our experience and organized our lives no longer seem to be fit for the challenge.   

Transition comes with it great opportunity but how do we manage to not collapse under the stress and pressure if it feels like the resources we need are no longer available and requests for clarity go unanswered.    We’ve heard about languishing, and we want to flourish, but we wonder, how is that possible?    Throughout this series, we will create space to name many of the current difficult dynamics in our lives as realities, help to reduce their weight by normalizing them (yes, you are one and one of many!) and engage in an experience to encourage a small shift forward.    

We invite you to join us for any sessions that align with your interest and availability:   

• How to not know – uncertainty and thriving through ambiguity – Monday, 10/3, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Hypervigilance and looking for the next bad thing – Monday, 10/10, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Doing more with less – taking on more and more – Monday, 10/17, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Boundaries, priorities, and balance – Monday, 10/31, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Languishing or flourishing – binary or continuum? - Monday, 11/7, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.  

*Please note that this session is a learning and connection opportunity. If you are interested in individual counseling and support, we encourage you to reach out to the Employee Assistance Program of Work/Life Connections.     

We encourage participants to share their experiences in the session if they are comfortable, and we will create opportunities to participate and engage in non-identifying ways. We also welcome participants who prefer to listen and observe. We strive for an experience where every participant feels included to participate at the level that is most comfortable for them individually. The first portion of session will be recorded and available within Oracle Learn, for learners who are not available at the time of the live session or who prefer to engage in the self-paced format.  

Vanderbilt University is committed to creating opportunities for dialogue and discussion where staff and faculty feel safe and supported within the learning environment.  It is important to note that while facilitators may be mandated reporters, all efforts will be made to protect confidentiality (to the extent allowed by law) and maintain a safe space for discussion, dialogue and learning.  We encourage you to evaluate your own level of comfort and trust when sharing your experiences while keeping this in mind.  If you have questions about reporting requirements at VU, please contact one of the facilitators.   

Facilitator: Heather Kamper, LCSW, from Work-Life Connections/EAP, and Krista Vaught, Ed.D.

Date: Monday, October 3, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

*Please note: enrollment within Oracle is for the series - we invite you to join us for any session that aligns with your interest and availability. 

Conversation Circles: A Series for Managers and Leaders

Description: This new peer-to-peer learning opportunity creates an intentional space where supervisors, managers, and leaders can share and discuss insights and best practices while building their peer networks. Each one-hour Circle will offer social learning opportunities and conversations around a particular trending topic or topics among managers at Vanderbilt.   Join us as we explore and discuss common scenarios, challenges, and resources, and spark connections among managers and leaders across the university.  

Conversation Circles are a space for sharing practical strategies and best practices, for interacting with peers who are in similar roles, and for building your network.   

Conversation Circles are not a space for training on specific topics or policies, for talking through or venting about a specific challenge you are facing on your team, or for asking specific HR questions. For these areas, we encourage you to reach out to the HR Consulting, Employee and Labor Relations team .   

Topic: New Managers

Are you interested in submitting a discussion topic, sharing your strategies and experiences, or facilitating a Conversation Circle? We invite you to email TaShunda, Krista, or your HR Consultant , to share your ideas and interest.  

Here's what past participants share about Conversation Circles: 

• I really appreciated the Conversation Circle topic of Mental Health and Your Team. It was refreshing to able to speak candidly with other leaders and discuss ways we are all helping our employees through this unprecedented time. I liked being able to bounce ideas off each other and to know that we are all doing our best as managers to help our teams. - Christine Fogg Senior Financial Unit Manager -Plant Operations & SEMO  

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin, Chris Hicks (Sr. HR Consultant), Bari Brooks (Sr. HR Consultant), and Krista Vaught

Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

*Please note: enrollment within Oracle is for the Conversation Circle series - we invite you to join us for any session that aligns with your interest and availability. 

Dancing around the elephants in the room: a microlearning series on naming and acknowledging our realities

Description: Not everything is okay – we've been in abnormal and unusual circumstances for more than two years now and the weight is becoming a burden hard to reconcile. It is difficult to continue our daily lives as if “everything is fine” while also questioning the reality and facing the disbelief of what is happening around us. Many hear an expectation that we must somehow sit in the uncertainty of these times and simply find ways to thrive when the ways we mapped our experience and organized our lives no longer seem to be fit for the challenge.   

Transition comes with it great opportunity but how do we manage to not collapse under the stress and pressure if it feels like the resources we need are no longer available and requests for clarity go unanswered.    We’ve heard about languishing, and we want to flourish, but we wonder, how is that possible?    Throughout this series, we will create space to name many of the current difficult dynamics in our lives as realities, help to reduce their weight by normalizing them (yes, you are one and one of many!) and engage in an experience to encourage a small shift forward.    

We invite you to join us for any sessions that align with your interest and availability:   

• Hypervigilance and looking for the next bad thing – Monday, 10/10, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Doing more with less – taking on more and more – Monday, 10/17, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Boundaries, priorities, and balance – Monday, 10/31, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Languishing or flourishing – binary or continuum? - Monday, 11/7, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.  

*Please note that this session is a learning and connection opportunity. If you are interested in individual counseling and support, we encourage you to reach out to the Employee Assistance Program of Work/Life Connections.     

We encourage participants to share their experiences in the session if they are comfortable, and we will create opportunities to participate and engage in non-identifying ways. We also welcome participants who prefer to listen and observe. We strive for an experience where every participant feels included to participate at the level that is most comfortable for them individually. The first portion of session will be recorded and available within Oracle Learn, for learners who are not available at the time of the live session or who prefer to engage in the self-paced format.  

Vanderbilt University is committed to creating opportunities for dialogue and discussion where staff and faculty feel safe and supported within the learning environment.  It is important to note that while facilitators may be mandated reporters, all efforts will be made to protect confidentiality (to the extent allowed by law) and maintain a safe space for discussion, dialogue and learning.  We encourage you to evaluate your own level of comfort and trust when sharing your experiences while keeping this in mind.  If you have questions about reporting requirements at VU, please contact one of the facilitators.   

Facilitator: Heather Kamper, LCSW, from Work-Life Connections/EAP, and Krista Vaught, Ed.D.

Date: Monday, October 10, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

*Please note: enrollment within Oracle is for the series - we invite you to join us for any session that aligns with your interest and availability. 

Dancing around the elephants in the room: a microlearning series on naming and acknowledging our realities

Description: Not everything is okay – we've been in abnormal and unusual circumstances for more than two years now and the weight is becoming a burden hard to reconcile. It is difficult to continue our daily lives as if “everything is fine” while also questioning the reality and facing the disbelief of what is happening around us. Many hear an expectation that we must somehow sit in the uncertainty of these times and simply find ways to thrive when the ways we mapped our experience and organized our lives no longer seem to be fit for the challenge.   

Transition comes with it great opportunity but how do we manage to not collapse under the stress and pressure if it feels like the resources we need are no longer available and requests for clarity go unanswered.    We’ve heard about languishing, and we want to flourish, but we wonder, how is that possible?    Throughout this series, we will create space to name many of the current difficult dynamics in our lives as realities, help to reduce their weight by normalizing them (yes, you are one and one of many!) and engage in an experience to encourage a small shift forward.    

We invite you to join us for any sessions that align with your interest and availability:   

• Doing more with less – taking on more and more – Monday, 10/17, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Boundaries, priorities, and balance – Monday, 10/31, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Languishing or flourishing – binary or continuum? - Monday, 11/7 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.  

*Please note that this session is a learning and connection opportunity. If you are interested in individual counseling and support, we encourage you to reach out to the Employee Assistance Program of Work/Life Connections.     

We encourage participants to share their experiences in the session if they are comfortable, and we will create opportunities to participate and engage in non-identifying ways. We also welcome participants who prefer to listen and observe. We strive for an experience where every participant feels included to participate at the level that is most comfortable for them individually. The first portion of session will be recorded and available within Oracle Learn, for learners who are not available at the time of the live session or who prefer to engage in the self-paced format.  

Vanderbilt University is committed to creating opportunities for dialogue and discussion where staff and faculty feel safe and supported within the learning environment.  It is important to note that while facilitators may be mandated reporters, all efforts will be made to protect confidentiality (to the extent allowed by law) and maintain a safe space for discussion, dialogue and learning.  We encourage you to evaluate your own level of comfort and trust when sharing your experiences while keeping this in mind.  If you have questions about reporting requirements at VU, please contact one of the facilitators.   

Facilitator: Heather Kamper, LCSW, from Work-Life Connections/EAP, and Krista Vaught, Ed.D.

Date: Monday, October 17, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

*Please note: enrollment within Oracle is for the series - we invite you to join us for any session that aligns with your interest and availability. 

Uniquely You at Work

Description: In recent years, "bring your whole self to work" became a popular phrase in the workplace. Depending on who you ask, the phrase can mean very different things. This workshop attempts to bring clarity by addressing three main questions:   

• What is the "whole self" and what does it mean to bring your whole self to work?  
• What are the pros and cons of being your whole self at work?  
• Is your whole self ever too much?  

If you're ready to enhance your understanding of the "whole self at work" concept, don't miss this learning opportunity. 

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin

Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

CliftonStrengths for VU Employees

Description: The CliftonStrengths Assessment is a tool that provides insight into your natural recurring talents and abilities. In this session, we will provide you with an opportunity to complete the CliftonStrengths assessment to unlock your Top 5 Talent Themes, and explore how they impact your work. 

Facilitato rs: Krystal Clark & Chance Ryon

Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Time: 12:00 - 1:30 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted in person

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Dancing around the elephants in the room: a microlearning series on naming and acknowledging our realities

Description: Not everything is okay – we've been in abnormal and unusual circumstances for more than two years now and the weight is becoming a burden hard to reconcile. It is difficult to continue our daily lives as if “everything is fine” while also questioning the reality and facing the disbelief of what is happening around us. Many hear an expectation that we must somehow sit in the uncertainty of these times and simply find ways to thrive when the ways we mapped our experience and organized our lives no longer seem to be fit for the challenge.   

Transition comes with it great opportunity but how do we manage to not collapse under the stress and pressure if it feels like the resources we need are no longer available and requests for clarity go unanswered.    We’ve heard about languishing, and we want to flourish, but we wonder, how is that possible?    Throughout this series, we will create space to name many of the current difficult dynamics in our lives as realities, help to reduce their weight by normalizing them (yes, you are one and one of many!) and engage in an experience to encourage a small shift forward.    

We invite you to join us for any sessions that align with your interest and availability:   

• Boundaries, priorities, and balance – Monday, 10/31, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Languishing or flourishing – binary or continuum? - Monday, 11/7, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.  

*Please note that this session is a learning and connection opportunity. If you are interested in individual counseling and support, we encourage you to reach out to the Employee Assistance Program of Work/Life Connections.     

We encourage participants to share their experiences in the session if they are comfortable, and we will create opportunities to participate and engage in non-identifying ways. We also welcome participants who prefer to listen and observe. We strive for an experience where every participant feels included to participate at the level that is most comfortable for them individually. The first portion of session will be recorded and available within Oracle Learn, for learners who are not available at the time of the live session or who prefer to engage in the self-paced format.  

Vanderbilt University is committed to creating opportunities for dialogue and discussion where staff and faculty feel safe and supported within the learning environment.  It is important to note that while facilitators may be mandated reporters, all efforts will be made to protect confidentiality (to the extent allowed by law) and maintain a safe space for discussion, dialogue and learning.  We encourage you to evaluate your own level of comfort and trust when sharing your experiences while keeping this in mind.  If you have questions about reporting requirements at VU, please contact one of the facilitators.   

Facilitator: Heather Kamper, LCSW, from Work-Life Connections/EAP, and Krista Vaught, Ed.D.

Date: Monday, October 31, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

*Please note: enrollment within Oracle is for the series - we invite you to join us for any session that aligns with your interest and availability. 

Conversation Circles: A Series for Managers and Leaders

Description: This new peer-to-peer learning opportunity creates an intentional space where supervisors, managers, and leaders can share and discuss insights and best practices while building their peer networks. Each one-hour Circle will offer social learning opportunities and conversations around a particular trending topic or topics among managers at Vanderbilt.   Join us as we explore and discuss common scenarios, challenges, and resources, and spark connections among managers and leaders across the university.  

• Conversation Circles are a space for sharing practical strategies and best practices, for interacting with peers who are in similar roles, and for building your network.   
• Conversation Circles are not a space for training on specific topics or policies, for talking through or venting about a specific challenge you are facing on your team, or for asking specific HR questions. For these areas, we encourage you to reach out to the HR Consulting, Employee and Labor Relations team .   

Topic: Supporting neurodiversity

Are you interested in submitting a discussion topic, sharing your strategies and experiences, or facilitating a Conversation Circle? We invite you to email TaShunda, Krista, or your HR Consultant , to share your ideas and interest.  

Here's what past participants share about Conversation Circles: 

• Grateful for interactive co-learning opportunities with colleagues! I appreciated the real-world examples shared in this session and the time to digest them with others at Vanderbilt with whom I may not otherwise get to collaborate. - Jackie Hansom, Program Manager, Social Innovation at the Wond'ry, Vanderbilt's Center for Innovation and Design

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin, Dr. Dave Caudel (Associate Director, The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation), Anita Wilhelm (Associate HR Consultant), Bari Brooks (Sr. HR Consultant), and Krista Vaught

Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

*Please note: enrollment within Oracle is for the Conversation Circle series - we invite you to join us for any session that aligns with your interest and availability. 

Dancing around the elephants in the room: a microlearning series on naming and acknowledging our realities

Description: Not everything is okay – we've been in abnormal and unusual circumstances for more than two years now and the weight is becoming a burden hard to reconcile. It is difficult to continue our daily lives as if “everything is fine” while also questioning the reality and facing the disbelief of what is happening around us. Many hear an expectation that we must somehow sit in the uncertainty of these times and simply find ways to thrive when the ways we mapped our experience and organized our lives no longer seem to be fit for the challenge.   

Transition comes with it great opportunity but how do we manage to not collapse under the stress and pressure if it feels like the resources we need are no longer available and requests for clarity go unanswered.    We’ve heard about languishing, and we want to flourish, but we wonder, how is that possible?    Throughout this series, we will create space to name many of the current difficult dynamics in our lives as realities, help to reduce their weight by normalizing them (yes, you are one and one of many!) and engage in an experience to encourage a small shift forward.    

We invite you to join us for any sessions that align with your interest and availability:   

• Languishing or flourishing – binary or continuum? - Monday, 11/7, 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.  

*Please note that this session is a learning and connection opportunity. If you are interested in individual counseling and support, we encourage you to reach out to the Employee Assistance Program of Work/Life Connections.     

We encourage participants to share their experiences in the session if they are comfortable, and we will create opportunities to participate and engage in non-identifying ways. We also welcome participants who prefer to listen and observe. We strive for an experience where every participant feels included to participate at the level that is most comfortable for them individually. The first portion of session will be recorded and available within Oracle Learn, for learners who are not available at the time of the live session or who prefer to engage in the self-paced format.  

Vanderbilt University is committed to creating opportunities for dialogue and discussion where staff and faculty feel safe and supported within the learning environment.  It is important to note that while facilitators may be mandated reporters, all efforts will be made to protect confidentiality (to the extent allowed by law) and maintain a safe space for discussion, dialogue and learning.  We encourage you to evaluate your own level of comfort and trust when sharing your experiences while keeping this in mind.  If you have questions about reporting requirements at VU, please contact one of the facilitators.   

Facilitator: Heather Kamper, LCSW, from Work-Life Connections/EAP, and Krista Vaught, Ed.D.

Date: Monday, November 7, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

*Please note: enrollment within Oracle is for the series - we invite you to join us for any session that aligns with your interest and availability. 

Design Thinking, Upskilling, & Experimenting for Career Growth

Description:  In this workshop, we invite you to explore design thinking, upskilling, and experimenting, and how you can apply these concepts and tools to your professional life. For example, we will discuss prototyping and how we can explore if our skills might transfer into a specific role in the future, what actions we can take to experiment, and more. Participants will actively engage in discussions around their potential futures, their current role and related skills, and actionable steps to move forward.   

While we can't promise to help you discover your passion and dream job in one workshop, we do promise to help you start moving forward in thinking about your current career path and in creating and leveraging opportunities for growth, both in your current role and beyond. Participants will also explore learning and growth opportunities within Vanderbilt, and how they can harness such experiences for professional and personal development.   

This workshop is relevant to anyone interested in career growth, either now or planning for the future, and is especially relevant if you are considering pivoting or leveraging your skills in a different way, either in your current role or in a new area. We invite you to invest these two hours in yourself, your career, and your future.  

*This workshop will include about 10-15 minutes of pre-work. Please consider whether the  participation level  is a good fit for you: this workshop is  Level 3: Collaborate & Create , and you can expect breakout rooms, exercises, and activities. Discussion and feedback are critical to the design thinking process – and we’ll do these in a supportive and inspiring environment.    

Facilitator: Krista Vaught

Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 3:00 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Perspective Taking: Expanding Beyond Your Viewpoint

Description: What is perspective taking? How does it differ from empathy? From mitigating implicit bias to enhancing team performance, perspective taking can have a positive impact in the workplace and beyond. Learn more about its benefits and put this powerful tool to use through hands-on practice in this engaging workshop.

Facilitato rs: TaShunda Franklin

Date: Thursday, November 10, 2022

Time: 10:00 - 11:00 AM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

CliftonStrengths for VU Employees

Description: The CliftonStrengths Assessment is a tool that provides insight into your natural recurring talents and abilities. In this session, we will provide you with an opportunity to complete the CliftonStrengths assessment to unlock your Top 5 Talent Themes, and explore how they impact your work. 

Facilitato rs: Krystal Clark & Chance Ryon

Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Spring 2022

Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Description: “Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.”-- Patrick Lencioni

Attend this session and take some time to focus on the state of your team. There are five dysfunctions as diagnosed by the author that can impair the performance and success of any team. Due to our virtual environment, teamwork has looked a bit different over the past 1.5 years. We want to equip you with knowledge about each dysfunction and strategies for proactively addressing it within the workplace. 

Facilitators: Krystal Clark

Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Time: 2:00 - 3:30 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

BRAVING - Exploring the Anatomy of Trust

Description: An essential part of our daily work revolves around relationships with colleagues, whether in close proximity or distant. Trust is a key factor in building and maintaining those relationships. In this workshop, Brene Brown's BRAVING concept will be explored as it pertains to the anatomy of trust and workplace relationships. Presenting trust as a fundamental two-way street, the workshop aims at highlighting how each person in the professional relationship is responsible for building, earning and maintaining trust. Join us in discovering the positive outcomes of having workplace relationships with trust as the foundation.

Facilitators: TaShunda Franklin

Date: Thursday, January 20, 2022

Time: 11:00 - 11:50 AM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Design Thinking, Upskilling, & Experimenting for Career Growth

Description:  In this workshop, we invite you to explore design thinking, upskilling, and experimenting, and how you can apply these concepts and tools to your professional life. For example, we will discuss prototyping and how we can explore if our skills might transfer into a specific role in the future, what actions we can take to experiment, and more. Participants will actively engage in discussions around their potential futures, their current role and related skills, and actionable steps to move forward.   

While we can't promise to help you discover your passion and dream job in one workshop, we do promise to help you start moving forward in thinking about your current career path and in creating and leveraging opportunities for growth, both in your current role and beyond. Participants will also explore learning and growth opportunities within Vanderbilt, and how they can harness such experiences for professional and personal development.   

This workshop is relevant to anyone interested in career growth, either now or planning for the future, and is especially relevant if you are considering pivoting or leveraging your skills in a different way, either in your current role or in a new area. We invite you to invest these two hours in yourself, your career, and your future.  

*This workshop will include about 10-15 minutes of pre-work. Please consider whether the  participation level  is a good fit for you: this workshop is  Level 3: Collaborate & Create , and you can expect breakout rooms, exercises, and activities. Discussion and feedback are critical to the design thinking process – and we’ll do these in a supportive and inspiring environment.    

Facilitator: Krista Vaught

Date: Monday, January 24, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 3:00 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

A microlearning series on positive psychology: Awe

Description: “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.” - Albert Einstein  

Imagine looking up at the stars in the night sky, watching and listening to your favorite artist perform, watching the sun set at Radnor Lake, or experiencing artwork at the Fine Arts Gallery. What did you feel? Maybe a sense of wonder, vastness, and awe.   

Awe is defined as “The feeling we get in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding of the world” ( Greater Good Science Center ). In this session, we’ll share common sources of awe, physiological and psychological effects of awe - particularly on wellbeing, self interest, and collective connection. Then, we’ll create space to explore how we can infuse awe into our daily lives, both at work and beyond.  

*This session is part of  Awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion in our daily lives: a microlearning series on positive psychology. Grounded in positive psychology research, this bite-sized micro-learning series draws resources and inspiration from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, Jon Kabat-Zinn (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Dr. Kristin Neff (University of Texas at Austin), and more. Each session will focus on one aspect of positive psychology – awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion.  

You are invited to join us for one, two, three, four, or all five of these 30-minute learning experiences plus a final one-hour experience:

• Awe : January 31, 11:30 AM - 12 PM
• Gratitude : February 7, 11:30 AM - 12 PM
• Mindfulness : February 14, 11:30 AM - 12 PM
• Connectedness : February 21, 11:30 AM- 12 PM
• Self-compassion : February 28, 11:30 AM- 12 PM
• Final experience and savoring : April 11, 11 AM- 12 PM

Each experience will involve research highlights, practical strategies, and an opportunity for you to share your experiences and create meaning. The series will culminate with co-creation of a shared one-hour experience centered around awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connection, self-compassion, and savoring.  Recorded sessions will be available within Oracle Learn the day following the live session.    

In the series, you will be invited to explore resources and cultivate conversations in a collaborative Teams workspace – a space to connect and share your experiences, learnings, and successes, infusing awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion, into your daily life. To assist you in considering the influence of your learning and to assist us in measuring the impact of the series, participants are invited to complete a short survey on needs satisfaction at work and burnout, prior to the learning series and two months after the learning series. 

Facilitators: Krista Vaught & Heather Kamper (Work-Life Connections)

Date: Monday, January 31, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Atomic Habits

Description: Vanderbilt football coach, Clark Lea, talks about the importance of 'heartbeats and habits' and there's no time like the present to begin building new habits as we approach August. 

Atomic Habits has been called "the most comprehensive and practical guide on how to create good habits, break bad ones, and get 1 percent better every day."  This book, by James Clear,  encourages people to think deeply about the systems that need to accompany new habits.  

What new habits do you want to develop for the workplace? 
What old habits are you ready to be rid of in the workplace? 

Come learn about Atomic Habits and leave with an action plan to implement these practices into your work at Vanderbilt. 

Facilitator: Krystal Clark

Date: Monday, January 31, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 3:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Digital Body Language: Is That What They Meant?!

Description:   Every piece of digital communication is subjective. In the workplace, seemingly subtle choices can lead to miscommunication, inefficiencies, and challenging interpersonal dynamics.     

Have you ever experienced a supervisor sending a meeting invitation without a subject for a late afternoon, a colleague responding with one word when your email outlined multiple questions and priorities, or a message that the sender marked urgent that was not at all urgent? From emails, video calls, and texts, to emojis, punctuation, phrasing, tone, and more, this workshop will explore how digital body language influences your relationships, effectiveness, and understanding. We will discuss how brevity, response time and medium, seemingly meaningless word choices such as adding “very” or another adjective for emphasis, and other non-verbal virtual cues can impact our message.     

Together, we will explore strategies to enhance and clarify our digital communications so that our messages are fully received in the way that we intend, and so that we’re giving our colleagues the benefit of the doubt when we interpret their messages. For example, we can shift our response to a proposal a colleague shares from “I like your ideas here, but...” (which can feel invalidating or can, at the least, make others focus on what negative feedback might be coming after the “but”) to “I like your ideas here, and I wonder...” We can limit our use of words such as “kind of” and “just,” which can undermine our message, and we can limit saying “I’m sorry” (such as, “I’m sorry to bother you...”) to times that truly call for an apology.     

This workshop draws from multiple resources, including    Harvard Business Review, TEDx talks, Erica Dhawan’s  Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust & Connection, No Matter the Distance,  and various other articles.     

Facilitator: Krista Vaught

Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

CliftonStrengths for VU Employees

Description: The CliftonStrengths Assessment is a tool that provides insight into your natural recurring talents and abilities. In this session, we will provide you with an opportunity to complete the CliftonStrengths assessment to unlock your Top 5 Talent Themes, and explore how they impact your work. 

Facilitato rs: Krystal Clark & Chance Ryon

Date: February 2

Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

A microlearning series on positive psychology: Gratitude

Description: “Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.” – Amy Collette  

Gratitude is defined as “an affirmation of goodness” and “figuring out where that goodness comes from” ( Greater Good Science Center, from Robert Emmons, leading expert on gratitude ). Gratitude helps us to be in and celebrate the present moment, to decrease negative energy and feelings, and to shift our perspective and mindset.   

In this session, we’ll share the physiological, psychological, and social effects of gratitude, how gratitude influences our mindsets and our lives, and the challenges we may experience related to practicing gratitude. Then, we’ll create space to explore how we can cultivate gratitude in our daily lives, both at work and beyond.   

*This session is part of  Awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion in our daily lives: a microlearning series on positive psychology. Grounded in positive psychology research, this bite-sized micro-learning series draws resources and inspiration from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, Jon Kabat-Zinn (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Dr. Kristin Neff (University of Texas at Austin), and more. Each session will focus on one aspect of positive psychology – awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion.  

You are invited to join us for one, two, three, four, or all five of these 30-minute learning experiences. Each experience will involve research highlights, practical strategies, and an opportunity for you to share your experiences and create meaning. The series will culminate with co-creation of a shared one-hour experience centered around awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connection, self-compassion, and savoring. Recorded sessions will be available within Oracle Learn the day following the live session.    

In the series, you will be invited to explore resources and cultivate conversations in a collaborative Teams workspace – a space to connect and share your experiences, learnings, and successes, infusing awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion, into your daily life. To assist you in considering the influence of your learning and to assist us in measuring the impact of the series, participants are invited to complete a short survey on needs satisfaction at work and burnout, prior to the learning series and two months after the learning series.

Facilitators: Krista Vaught & Heather Kamper (Work-Life Connections)

Date: Monday, February 7, 2022

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Dealing with Change at Work

Description: “There is nothing permanent except change.” – Heraclitus   

Working within a thriving and evolving workplace means that change is constant. We all handle change differently and it’s important to continue developing strategies that allow us to deal with change effectively. This session will focus on the point of view of being on the receiving end of change and not being the formal leaders of change. How can you use personal leadership skills and influence as an informal leader to lead yourself and support others through change efforts?   

Attend this session to fill your toolbox with practical go-to tips to help you navigate change.   

Facilitator: Krystal Clark

Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Time: 2:30 - 4:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

A microlearning series on positive psychology: Mindfulness

Description: “The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn  

Mindfulness is defined as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally” (Jon Kabat-Zinn).   

In this session, we’ll share the  physiological, psychological, and social effects of mindfulness , how mindfulness influences our mindsets and our lives, and specific components of mindfulness. Then, we’ll create space to explore how we can infuse moments of mindfulness in our daily lives, both at work and beyond. We will conclude this session with a short mindfulness experience together and a silent close so that, if you wish, you can continue the mindfulness practice for an additional amount of time.   

*This session is part of  Awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion in our daily lives: a microlearning series on positive psychology. Grounded in positive psychology research, this bite-sized micro-learning series draws resources and inspiration from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, Jon Kabat-Zinn (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Dr. Kristin Neff (University of Texas at Austin), and more. Each session will focus on one aspect of positive psychology – awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion.  

You are invited to join us for one, two, three, four, or all five of these 30-minute learning experiences. Each experience will involve research highlights, practical strategies, and an opportunity for you to share your experiences and create meaning. The series will culminate with co-creation of a shared one-hour experience centered around awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connection, self-compassion, and savoring. Recorded sessions will be available within Oracle Learn the day following the live session.    

In the series, you will be invited to explore resources and cultivate conversations in a collaborative Teams workspace – a space to connect and share your experiences, learnings, and successes, infusing awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion, into your daily life. To assist you in considering the influence of your learning and to assist us in measuring the impact of the series, participants are invited to complete a short survey on needs satisfaction at work and burnout, prior to the learning series and two months after the learning series. 

Facilitators: Krista Vaught & Heather Kamper (Work-Life Connections)

Date: Monday, February 14, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Professionalism: What It Is and Is Not

Description: We hear it said frequently—“That’s so unprofessional?” But what exactly is professionalism? Is it the way we dress, talk, or behave? Or is it about one’s approach to work? This workshop is designed to challenge conventional ideas and make the distinction between what professionalism is and what it is not. If you’re ready to show up for work with a clearly defined take on professionalism, don’t miss this learning opportunity.

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin

Date: Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here.

A microlearning series on positive psychology: Connectedness

Description: “I do believe in an everyday sort of magic -- the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we're alone.”  
― Charles de Lint  

Social connectedness means you feel connected to others and you feel a sense of belonging.  Connectedness is one of our basic needs as humans. In this session, we’ll share the physiological and psychological effects of social connectedness, how it influences our wellbeing and happiness, and practices that foster connectedness. Then, we’ll create space to explore how we can create meaningful connection in our daily lives, both at work and beyond.   

*This session is part of  Awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion in our daily lives: a microlearning series on positive psychology. Grounded in positive psychology research, this bite-sized micro-learning series draws resources and inspiration from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, Jon Kabat-Zinn (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Dr. Kristin Neff (University of Texas at Austin), and more. Each session will focus on one aspect of positive psychology – awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion.  

You are invited to join us for one, two, three, four, or all five of these 30-minute learning experiences. Each experience will involve research highlights, practical strategies, and an opportunity for you to share your experiences and create meaning. The series will culminate with co-creation of a shared one-hour experience centered around awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connection, self-compassion, and savoring. Recorded sessions will be available within Oracle Learn the day following the live session.    

In the series, you will be invited to explore resources and cultivate conversations in a collaborative Teams workspace – a space to connect and share your experiences, learnings, and successes, infusing awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion, into your daily life. To assist you in considering the influence of your learning and to assist us in measuring the impact of the series, participants are invited to complete a short survey on needs satisfaction at work and burnout, prior to the learning series and two months after the learning series. 

Facilitators: Krista Vaught & Heather Kamper (Work-Life Connections)

Date: Monday, February 21, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Public Speaking & Facilitation

Description: Coming soon

Facilitator: Krystal Clark

Date: Thursday, February 24, 2022

Time: 3:00 - 4:30 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

A microlearning series on positive psychology: Self-compassion

Description: “Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings – after all, who ever said you were supposed to be perfect?” –  Dr. Kristin Neff  

Self-compassion involves self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. In this session, we’ll share the research behind self-compassion, its influences on well-being, and practices that foster self-compassion. Then, we’ll create space to explore how we can infuse self-compassion practices into our daily lives, both at work and beyond.   

*This session is part of  Awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion in our daily lives: a microlearning series on positive psychology. Grounded in positive psychology research, this bite-sized micro-learning series draws resources and inspiration from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, Jon Kabat-Zinn (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Dr. Kristin Neff (University of Texas at Austin), and more. Each session will focus on one aspect of positive psychology – awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion.  

You are invited to join us for one, two, three, four, or all five of these 30-minute learning experiences. Each experience will involve research highlights, practical strategies, and an opportunity for you to share your experiences and create meaning. The series will culminate with co-creation of a shared one-hour experience centered around awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connection, self-compassion, and savoring. Recorded sessions will be available within Oracle Learn the day following the live session.    

In the series, you will be invited to explore resources and cultivate conversations in a collaborative Teams workspace – a space to connect and share your experiences, learnings, and successes, infusing awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion, into your daily life. To assist you in considering the influence of your learning and to assist us in measuring the impact of the series, participants are invited to complete a short survey on needs satisfaction at work and burnout, prior to the learning series and two months after the learning series.

Facilitators: Krista Vaught & Heather Kamper (Work-Life Connections)

Date: Monday, February 28, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Sunday Scaries

Description: It’s Sunday. The end of the weekend and the beginning of that hopeless feeling in your stomach. Monday is around the corner and you feel anxiety about the coming days as you head back into the office. Sunday Scaries have become a popularly used name for that feeling and recent surveys have shown that more than half of working people in the United States report having this experience. You’re not alone. Impending workweek stress is real and can have real repercussions on your mental and physical health.  In this session we’re going to discuss the origin of these feelings, define how the Sunday Scaries show up in your life, and help you design a plan to address your Scaries.

Facilitator: Krystal Clark

Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Time: 1:30 - 3:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Burnout in the Modern Workplace

Description: Coming soon

Facilitator: Nidhi Patel

Date: Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Time: 10:00 - 11:30 AM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Conversation Circles: A Series for Managers and Leaders

Description: This new peer-to-peer learning opportunity creates an intentional space where supervisors, managers, and leaders can share and discuss insights and best practices while building their peer networks. Each one-hour Circle will offer social learning opportunities and conversations around a particular trending topic or topics among managers at Vanderbilt.   Join us as we explore and discuss common scenarios, challenges, and resources, and spark connections among managers and leaders across the university.  

Conversation Circles are a space for sharing practical strategies and best practices, for interacting with peers who are in similar roles, and for building your network.   

Conversation Circles are not a space for training on specific topics or policies, for talking through or venting about a specific challenge you are facing on your team, or for asking specific HR questions. For these areas, we encourage you to reach out to the HR Consulting, Employee and Labor Relations team .   

Topic: Mental Health and Your Team

How are you supporting your team members’ mental health, and how do you share resources appropriately?  

Are you interested in submitting a discussion topic, sharing your strategies and experiences, or facilitating a Conversation Circle? We invite you to email TaShunda, Krista, or your HR Consultant , to share your ideas and interest.  

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin, Chris Hicks, and Krista Vaught

Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Perspective Taking: Expanding Beyond Your Viewpoint

Description: What is perspective taking? How does it differ from empathy? From mitigating implicit bias to enhancing team performance, perspective taking can have a positive impact in the workplace and beyond. Learn more about its benefits and put this powerful tool to use through hands-on practice in this engaging workshop.

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin

Date: Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

CliftonStrengths for VU Employees

Description: The CliftonStrengths Assessment is a tool that provides insight into your natural recurring talents and abilities. In this session, we will provide you with an opportunity to complete the CliftonStrengths assessment to unlock your Top 5 Talent Themes, and explore how they impact your work. 

Facilitato rs: Krystal Clark & Chance Ryon

Date: Thursday, March 24, 2022

Time: 1:00-2:30 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

What is Employee Engagement and Why Does It Matter?

Description: Would you describe yourself as an Engaged, Not Engaged, or Actively Disengaged Employee?

Gallup defines engaged employees as those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.

Join us as we discuss Gallup’s 12 elements of employee engagementand how you as a formal or informal team leader can design an engaged workplace.

Facilitato r: Krystal Clark & Chance Ryon

Date:Tuesday, March 29

Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here.

Conversation Circles: A Series for Managers and Leaders

Description: This new peer-to-peer learning opportunity creates an intentional space where supervisors, managers, and leaders can share and discuss insights and best practices while building their peer networks. Each one-hour Circle will offer social learning opportunities and conversations around a particular trending topic or topics among managers at Vanderbilt.   Join us as we explore and discuss common scenarios, challenges, and resources, and spark connections among managers and leaders across the university.  

Conversation Circles are a space for sharing practical strategies and best practices, for interacting with peers who are in similar roles, and for building your network.   

Conversation Circles are not a space for training on specific topics or policies, for talking through or venting about a specific challenge you are facing on your team, or for asking specific HR questions. For these areas, we encourage you to reach out to the HR Consulting, Employee and Labor Relations team .   

Topic: Managing a Hybrid or Remote Workforce

If you have a hybrid team, with some employees working remotely and some in the office on any day, what tools and practices are you using to keep your team engaged and on track?

Are you interested in submitting a discussion topic, sharing your strategies and experiences, or facilitating a Conversation Circle? We invite you to email TaShunda, Krista, or your HR Consultant , to share your ideas and interest.  

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin, Bari Brooks, and Krista Vaught

Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

A microlearning series on positive psychology: Savoring (final experience)

Description: “We should learn to savor some moments to let time feel worth existing”  
― Munia Khan  

As the semester draws to a close, we will gather to co-create a final experience, infusing awe, gratitude, mindfulness, social connectedness, and self-compassion, and creating space to share and explore your experiences infusing each into your daily life. We will also explore the concept of savoring – reminiscing about positive events or feelings in the past, appreciating positive events or feelings in the moment, or anticipating positive events or feelings in the future (Chadwick, 2018; Bryant & Veroff, 2007), as well as processes and strategies for savoring.   

*This session is part of  Awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion in our daily lives: a microlearning series on positive psychology. Grounded in positive psychology research, this bite-sized micro-learning series draws resources and inspiration from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, Jon Kabat-Zinn (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Dr. Kristin Neff (University of Texas at Austin), and more. Each session will focus on one aspect of positive psychology – awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion.  

This final session a co-creation of a shared one-hour experience centered around awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connection, self-compassion, and savoring.  Recorded sessions of awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion, will be available within Oracle Learn.    

*To participate in this session, we ask that you have participated in  at least  one other session – either live or recorded – in the series.   

Facilitators: Krista Vaught & Heather Kamper (Work-Life Connections)

Date: Monday, April 11, 2022

Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here.

Uniquely You at Work: A Micro-Learning Series - Part 1

Description: In recent years, "bring your whole self to work" became a popular phrase in the workplace. D epending on who you ask, the phrase can mean very different things. This 3-part, 20-minute microlearning series attempts to bring clarity by addressing three main questions:   

• What is the "whole self" and what does it mean to bring your whole self to work?  
• What are the pros and cons of being your whole self at work?  
• Is your whole self ever too much?  

If you're ready to enhance your understanding of the "whole self at work" concept, don't miss this opportunity to quench your learning appetite in bite-sized segments.   

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin

Date: Thursday, April 14, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 1:20 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here.

Virtual Thought Leader Series: Neurodiversity at Work

Description: Join HR Employee Learning & Engagement for our next Thought Leader Series: Neurodiversity in the Workplace, with Dr. David Caudel, Associate Director of The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation.

The Virtual Thought Leader Series brings distinguished leaders and experts to share with our community, providing employees the opportunity to hear and learn from the best and brightest minds on a variety of trending topics. Presented as an engaging experience using a virtual platform, attendees are invited to interact with expert speakers via question-and-answer sessions.  

This session will feature a 30-minute talk, followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions. You are welcome to attend only the talk, or the talk and the question-and-answer session. 

Dr. Dave Caudel is the associate director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt University in Nashville Tennessee. Diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2009, Caudel is an autism self-advocate, speaking to a variety of organizations, including the U.N. and autism conferences internationally. For much of his life, he struggled to find his place in the world, and has had a number of careers, including videographer, soldier in the U.S. Army, journalist, photojournalist, magazine editor, public affairs specialist, truck salesman, and corporate stints from customer service to loss prevention, just to name a few, before deciding to give, “this college thing a try.” He received his Ph.D. in Physics at Vanderbilt University in 2017. He serves on the advisory committee for the Center for Discovery, Innovation, and Development (CDID) at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey, the Vanderbilt University Diversity Council and the All Access Inclusion Network, and is a founding member of the Vanderbilt Autism and Neurodiversity Alliance. His research interests include gamma spectrometers for astrophysics applications and meaningful employment for adults on the spectrum by finding novel, innovative ways to measure their strengths, talents, and passions, then match those to specialized business needs, as well as determining the programs and training needed to maximize success in the workplace.  

Speaker: Dr. David Caudel

Date: Thursday, April 14, 2022

Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here.

Uniquely You at Work: A Micro-Learning Series - Part 2

Description: In recent years, "bring your whole self to work" became a popular phrase in the workplace. D epending on who you ask, the phrase can mean very different things. This 3-part, 20-minute microlearning series attempts to bring clarity by addressing three main questions:   

• What is the "whole self" and what does it mean to bring your whole self to work?  
• What are the pros and cons of being your whole self at work?  
• Is your whole self ever too much?  

If you're ready to enhance your understanding of the "whole self at work" concept, don't miss this opportunity to quench your learning appetite in bite-sized segments.   

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin

Date: Thursday, April 21, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 1:20 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

CliftonStrengths for VU Employees

Description: The CliftonStrengths Assessment is a tool that provides insight into your natural recurring talents and abilities. In this session, we will provide you with an opportunity to complete the CliftonStrengths assessment to unlock your Top 5 Talent Themes, and explore how they impact your work. 

Facilitato rs: Krystal Clark & Chance Ryon

Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Time: 1:00-2:30 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Uniquely You at Work: A Micro-Learning Series - Part 3

Description: In recent years, "bring your whole self to work" became a popular phrase in the workplace. D epending on who you ask, the phrase can mean very different things. This 3-part, 20-minute microlearning series attempts to bring clarity by addressing three main questions:   

• What is the "whole self" and what does it mean to bring your whole self to work?  
• What are the pros and cons of being your whole self at work?  
• Is your whole self ever too much?  

If you're ready to enhance your understanding of the "whole self at work" concept, don't miss this opportunity to quench your learning appetite in bite-sized segments.   

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin

Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 1:20 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Conversation Circles: A Series for Managers and Leaders

Description: This new peer-to-peer learning opportunity creates an intentional space where supervisors, managers, and leaders can share and discuss insights and best practices while building their peer networks. Each one-hour Circle will offer social learning opportunities and conversations around a particular trending topic or topics among managers at Vanderbilt.   Join us as we explore and discuss common scenarios, challenges, and resources, and spark connections among managers and leaders across the university.  

Conversation Circles are a space for sharing practical strategies and best practices, for interacting with peers who are in similar roles, and for building your network.   

Conversation Circles are not a space for training on specific topics or policies, for talking through or venting about a specific challenge you are facing on your team, or for asking specific HR questions. For these areas, we encourage you to reach out to the HR Consulting, Employee and Labor Relations team .   

Topic: The Big Quit: How Do I Keep My People?

With tight budgets, recruiting challenges, and competition with large companies in the area, what strategies are working to retain your employees and to keep them engaged?

Are you interested in submitting a discussion topic, sharing your strategies and experiences, or facilitating a Conversation Circle? We invite you to email TaShunda, Krista, or your HR Consultant , to share your ideas and interest.  

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin, Deniz Mckelvy, Anita Wilhelm, and Krista Vaught

Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Design Thinking, Upskilling, & Experimenting for Career Growth

Description:  In this workshop, we invite you to explore design thinking, upskilling, and experimenting, and how you can apply these concepts and tools to your professional life. For example, we will discuss prototyping and how we can explore if our skills might transfer into a specific role in the future, what actions we can take to experiment, and more. Participants will actively engage in discussions around their potential futures, their current role and related skills, and actionable steps to move forward.   

While we can't promise to help you discover your passion and dream job in one workshop, we do promise to help you start moving forward in thinking about your current career path and in creating and leveraging opportunities for growth, both in your current role and beyond. Participants will also explore learning and growth opportunities within Vanderbilt, and how they can harness such experiences for professional and personal development.   

This workshop is relevant to anyone interested in career growth, either now or planning for the future, and is especially relevant if you are considering pivoting or leveraging your skills in a different way, either in your current role or in a new area. We invite you to invest these two hours in yourself, your career, and your future.  

*This workshop will include about 10-15 minutes of pre-work. Please consider whether the  participation level  is a good fit for you: this workshop is  Level 3: Collaborate & Create , and you can expect breakout rooms, exercises, and activities. Discussion and feedback are critical to the design thinking process – and we’ll do these in a supportive and inspiring environment.    

Facilitator: Krista Vaught

Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Time: 2:00 - 4:00 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Virtual Thought Leader Series: Do I Belong Here? Recognizing and Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome

Description: Join HR Employee Learning & Engagement for our next Thought Leader Series: Do I Belong Here?: Recognizing and Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome , with Dr. Maureen Gannon, Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Professor of Medicine, Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

In this session, participants will learn how to define the Imposter Syndrome and who is most likely to have Imposter Syndrome feelings. Participants will also learn practical tips on how to overcome or mitigate these feelings when they arise in themselves and how to help others who experience these feelings.

The Virtual Thought Leader Series brings distinguished leaders and experts to share with our community, providing employees the opportunity to hear and learn from the best and brightest minds on a variety of trending topics. Presented as an engaging experience using a virtual platform, attendees are invited to interact with expert speakers via question-and-answer sessions.  

Dr. Gannon is a native of Queens, New York.  She received her B.S. from Molloy College, her M.S. from Adelphi University, and her Ph.D. from Cornell University Medical College.  Dr. Gannon conducted her postdoctoral training in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University and was recruited to the faculty in the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism in the Department of Medicine in 2001. She became a full professor in 2016. The research in the Gannon laboratory focuses on the development and regeneration of beta cells and has implications for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. She has been funded by the NIH, JDRF, ADA, and the VA. She has held leadership roles in the ADA, including chair of the awards committee and chair of the Scientific Sessions planning committee.

Dr. Gannon has trained over 20 female graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in diabetes research, and has hosted many female undergraduates and high school students in her lab. She has given workshops nationally and internationally on topics including: Imposter Syndrome, Effective Mentoring, Conflict Management, and Communication Styles. In 2019, Dr. Gannon was awarded the Vanderbilt University Thomas A. Hazinski award for effectiveness in mentoring and professional development for faculty. She was appointed the inaugural Associate Dean for Faculty Development at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in September 2019.

Dr. Gannon lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and son who is a college freshman.  Her hobbies include Irish Step Dancing, singing, guitar, oil painting, and camping.

Speaker: Dr. Maureen Gannon

Date: Thursday, May 5, 2022

Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here.

Navigating Gender Bias in Professional Communication

Facilitato rs: Cara Tuttle Bell, Director of the Project Safe Center

Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Time: 12:00-1:00 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

CliftonStrengths for VU Employees

Description: The CliftonStrengths Assessment is a tool that provides insight into your natural recurring talents and abilities. In this session, we will provide you with an opportunity to complete the CliftonStrengths assessment to unlock your Top 5 Talent Themes, and explore how they impact your work. 

Facilitato rs: Krystal Clark & Chance Ryon

Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Time: 1:00-2:30 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Back to School with Vanderbilt's Employee Tuition Programs

Description   :  Attend this session with members of the Benefits Team who will demystify Vanderbilt’s Employee Tuition Programs including navigation of the newly updated EDAssist Portal.     

We know that a lot of thought goes into making the decision to further your education.  A panel of Vanderbilt staff members who have completed or are in the process of completing a degree will join us to share their back-to-school testimony and provide tips for navigating life as they work, study, and live out other important roles.     

A representative from the Master of Liberal Arts & Science (MLAS) Program will provide information about this unique academic experience that attracts employees from all parts of campus.     

This session will focus on Vanderbilt University staff members ONLY. We will not address the dependent/spousal tuition benefit or the faculty tuition benefit.      

Facilitator: Krystal Clark

Date: Wednesday, June 8

Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat!  Register here. 

#IamRemarkable

Description: The workshop strives to empower underrepresented groups to speak openly about their accomplishments in the workplace and beyond, thereby breaking modesty norms and glass ceilings. Our goal is to: 

1. Encourage everyone, but particularly those in under-represented groups, to develop the confidence and competence to engage in self-promotion
2. Raise awareness of the challenges facing under-represented groups in engaging in self-promotion.

Facilitator: Chance Ryon & Krista Vaught

Date: Monday, June 13

Time: 1:30-3:00 PM (CST)

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat!  Register here. 

Conversation Circles: A Series for Managers and Leaders

Description: This new peer-to-peer learning opportunity creates an intentional space where supervisors, managers, and leaders can share and discuss insights and best practices while building their peer networks. Each one-hour Circle will offer social learning opportunities and conversations around a particular trending topic or topics among managers at Vanderbilt.   Join us as we explore and discuss common scenarios, challenges, and resources, and spark connections among managers and leaders across the university.  

Conversation Circles are a space for sharing practical strategies and best practices, for interacting with peers who are in similar roles, and for building your network.   

Conversation Circles are not a space for training on specific topics or policies, for talking through or venting about a specific challenge you are facing on your team, or for asking specific HR questions. For these areas, we encourage you to reach out to the HR Consulting, Employee and Labor Relations team .   

Topic: Managing Employees at Different Career Stages

Are you interested in submitting a discussion topic, sharing your strategies and experiences, or facilitating a Conversation Circle? We invite you to email TaShunda, Krista, or your HR Consultant , to share your ideas and interest.  

Facilitator: TaShunda Franklin, Deniz Mckelvy, Anita Wilhelm, and Krista Vaught

Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Conversation Circles: A Series for Managers and Leaders

Description: This new peer-to-peer learning opportunity creates an intentional space where supervisors, managers, and leaders can share and discuss insights and best practices while building their peer networks. Each one-hour Circle will offer social learning opportunities and conversations around a particular trending topic or topics among managers at Vanderbilt.   Join us as we explore and discuss common scenarios, challenges, and resources, and spark connections among managers and leaders across the university.  

Conversation Circles are a space for sharing practical strategies and best practices, for interacting with peers who are in similar roles, and for building your network.   

Conversation Circles are not a space for training on specific topics or policies, for talking through or venting about a specific challenge you are facing on your team, or for asking specific HR questions. For these areas, we encourage you to reach out to the HR Consulting, Employee and Labor Relations team .   

Topic: Difficult Conversations

Are you interested in submitting a discussion topic, sharing your strategies and experiences, or facilitating a Conversation Circle? We invite you to email TaShunda, Krista, or your HR Consultant , to share your ideas and interest.  

Facilitator: Bari Brooks, TaShunda Franklin, Chris Hicks, and Krista Vaught

Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Time: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Save your seat! Enroll here. 

Mindsets, Grit, Positive Intelligence, Intellectual Humility, and More

Description: Do you have grit? Is your mindset fixed or growth-oriented, and is it based on scarcity or abundance? How’s your mental fitness? What’s your Positive Intelligence Quotient? Are you intellectually humble? Wait…what does any of this even mean?

In this microlearning series, we’ll break down mindsets, grit, mental fitness, positive intelligence, and intellectual humility into easy-to-digest language; we’ll share an overview of the research on each; and we’ll explore strategies to leverage each concept to optimize our performance and foster creativity, innovation, success, and continuous growth.

Facilitato r: Krista Vaught

Date: TBA

Time: TBA

Location: Hosted Virtually (Zoom link will be provided after registration)

Enrollment coming soon!

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Self-paced/Recorded Sessions

We invite you to enroll in our self-paced and recorded sessions:

A microlearning series on positive psychology: Awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion

Description: Do you experience or practice awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion? How are each of these concepts related to your wellbeing, and how can you infuse them into your work life?   

Grounded in positive psychology research, this bite-sized micro-learning series draws resources and inspiration from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley , Jon Kabat-Zinn (University of Massachusetts Medical School) , Dr. Kristin Neff (University of Texas at Austin) , and more. Each session will focus on one aspect of positive psychology – awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness, and self-compassion.   

You are invited to join us for one, two, three, four, or all five of these 30-minute learning experiences. Each experience will involve research highlights, practical strategies, and an opportunity for you to share your experiences and create meaning. The series will culminate with co-creation of a shared one-hour experience centered around awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connection, self-compassion, and savoring.    

Awe :

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.” - Albert Einstein  

Imagine looking up at the stars in the night sky, watching and listening to your favorite artist perform, watching the sun set at Radnor Lake, or experiencing artwork at the Fine Arts Gallery. What did you feel? Maybe a sense of wonder, vastness, and awe.   

Awe is defined as “The feeling we get in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding of the world” ( Greater Good Science Center ). In this session, we’ll share common sources of awe, physiological and psychological effects of awe - particularly on wellbeing, self interest, and collective connection. Then, we’ll create space to explore how we can infuse awe into our daily lives, both at work and beyond.  

Gratitude

“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.” – Amy Collette  

Gratitude is defined as “an affirmation of goodness” and “figuring out where that goodness comes from” ( Greater Good Science Center, from Robert Emmons, leading expert on gratitude ). Gratitude helps us to be in and celebrate the present moment, to decrease negative energy and feelings, and to shift our perspective and mindset.   

In this session, we’ll share the physiological, psychological, and social effects of gratitude, how gratitude influences our mindsets and our lives, and the challenges we may experience related to practicing gratitude. Then, we’ll create space to explore how we can cultivate gratitude in our daily lives, both at work and beyond.  

Mindfulness

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn  

Mindfulness is defined as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally” (Jon Kabat-Zinn).   

In this session, we’ll share the physiological, psychological, and social effects of mindfulness , how mindfulness influences our mindsets and our lives, and specific components of mindfulness. Then, we’ll create space to explore how we can infuse moments of mindfulness in our daily lives, both at work and beyond. We will conclude this session with a short mindfulness experience together and a silent close so that, if you wish, you can continue the mindfulness practice for an additional amount of time.  

Connectedness

“I do believe in an everyday sort of magic -- the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we're alone.”  
― Charles de Lint  

Social connectedness means you feel connected to others and you feel a sense of belonging.  Connectedness is one of our basic needs as humans. In this session, we’ll share the physiological and psychological effects of social connectedness, how it influences our wellbeing and happiness, and practices that foster connectedness. Then, we’ll create space to explore how we can create meaningful connection in our daily lives, both at work and beyond.  

Self-compassion

“Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings – after all, who ever said you were supposed to be perfect?” – Dr. Kristin Neff  

Self-compassion involves self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. In this session, we’ll share the research behind self-compassion, its influences on well-being, and practices that foster self-compassion. Then, we’ll create space to explore how we can infuse self-compassion practices into our daily lives, both at work and beyond.  

Facilitators: Krista Vaught & Heather Kamper (Work-Life Connections)

Enroll here and complete at your own pace

Creating Presentations That Stick: Design Principles

Description:  Rooted in learning science, this workshop explores what makes presentations effective and memorable. Participants will explore how to leverage instructional design and graphic design principles. Through analysis of examples, participants will distinguish components of average presentations versus exemplary presentations, and explore how they might infuse design principles into their own work. Participants will zoom away with foundational knowledge of instructional and graphic design principles, resources for more in-depth learning on both, and tools related to accessibility.   

Facilitator: Krista Vaught

Enroll here.

Creating Presentations That Stick: Engaging Your Audience

Description:  Rooted in learning science, this workshop explores what makes presentations engaging and interactive. Participants will explore what engagement means, and then how to leverage instructional design and audience engagement principles. Through analysis of examples and shared experiences, participants will distinguish components of engaging and interactive presentations versus ones that are not so engaging, and will discuss how they might apply design principles to make their own presentations more engaging, whether in person, virtual, or a mix.   

Facilitator: Krista Vaught

Enroll here. 

Microsoft Teams: A High-Level Overview with VUIT

Description: Join us for a live session with Dylan Platz from VUIT; we'll cover the what, the why, and the how, of effectively using Microsoft Teams, a powerful collaboration and video tool, and we'll invite you to ask questions. 

*This learning experience will take place within Microsoft Teams. If you have not opened Teams before, we invite you to watch an introductory video or two before the session via Microsoft's tutorials or within Oracle Learn (search for "Microsoft Teams").