Professional Development

According to Harvard Professional Development, EQ is one of the Top 10 Emerging Skills needed for the workspace of tomorrow.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotions are present in everything you think, do, and say each day on the job, in your career, and throughout your life. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is how you handle yourself and others. Your EQ taps into a fundamental element of human behavior that is distinct from your intellect and personality. It affects how you manage your behavior, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions that achieve positive results.

People who develop their emotional intelligence communicate more effectively, handle stress and conflict productively, are better team players, are able to navigate change, and also perform at a higher level.

EQ: The “Other” Kind of Smart. Decades of research points to emotional intelligence (EQ) as the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack. In fact, 90% of top performers have high EQ.

Developing a new skill isn’t as easy as flipping a switch. It takes awareness, understanding, practice, and a clear path for change. Our Mastering Emotional Intelligence® programs take your learners far beyond knowing just what EQ is. By discussing real world examples and experiences, and engaging in enlightening group activities, we take them on a learning journey that can continue throughout their professional development.

To fully engage in the learning and development around Emotional Intelligence we have developed a full year of commitment to developing your skills.  If you sign up you are committing to all of the expectations set forth.

EQ Dates (Both Cohorts use the same dates)

September 27th, 2023  - Level 1 Training F2F

October - Accountability Partner Call (You set date)

November 21st - 1:00-2:00 central - Zoom

December - Accountability Partner Call (You set date)

January 24th, 2024  - 10:00-11:00 am central - Zoom

February 15th-16th, 2024 - Level 2 Training F2F

March 27th, 10:00-11:00 am central  -

April  - Accountability Partner Call (You set date)

May 22nd 10:00-11:00 am central - Zoom

Two Locations - Grand Island & Lincoln

Register Today

Note: The training is open to anyone with an Extension appointment willing to make a full commitment to the expectations set forth.

Questions: Lisa Kaslon (lkaslon2@unl.edu)

After Taking 7 Habits

Are you feeling buried alive? The barrage of information coming at us from multiple sources coupled with the demands of our careers, are overwhelming and distracting. The sheer volume of information threatens our ability to think clearly and make wise decisions about what's important.

Franklin Covey's The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity is a process that will dramatically increase your ability to achieve life's most important outcomes. Supported by science and years of experience, this solution not only produces a measurable increase in productivity, but also provides a renewed sense of engagement and accomplishment.

5 Choices Schedule TBA:

Note: Training is limited to 12 participants. By registering for 5 Choices training you are expected to attend session dates. 

Questions: Lisa Kaslon (lkaslon2@unl.edu)

During Your First Year

Based on the principles in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People —the best-selling business book of all time —this three-day opportunity includes presentations, personal reflection, audience participation, case studies and exercises you can apply to your immediate and long-term needs. The foundation comes from brief video presentations by Stephen Covey, customized for Extension professionals. This workshop provides an opportunity to transform your way of thinking, acting, and producing.

April 30, May 1 & 2, 2024:  Location will be determined based on participants locations for ease of travel.

Register Today

Questions:Lauren Madsen (lmadsen2@unl.edu)

Discover how to use your natural talents to be a successful builder

Have you ever wondered if you have the talents to start and grow something of economic value? The world's best builders share something in common. They are born with 10 talents that help them build and grow. Builder Profile 10 (BP10) can identify each of these 10 talents in you! Gallup's BP10 assessment will help you discover and understand your unique combination of builder talents.

Developed during years of studying the world's most successful builders, BP10 helps you:

• Discover your builder talents during a 30-minute online test
• Develop your talents into strengths

Take the Assessment

Complete the BP10 assessment to gain the knowledge and self-awareness you need to be a successful builder.

Contact Linda Tempel to obtain an access and instructions to complete the assessment. For questions regarding the assessment, please view the Gallup Strengths Center Help page at https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/Help/en-US/Index.

DISCOVER YOUR TALENTS

After Your First Year

Clarity, Focus, Action, our signature professional development workshop, teaches life coaching skills. It is designed to help you help others get clear on where they want to go, get focused on the various paths to get there, and then move them into action. The coaching skills derived from this workshop will be useful to you if you supervise others - and almost everyone in our system either directly supervises others or works with someone that needs a little nudge because they are 'stuck'.

Participants have used the learning from this workshop to defuse emotionally tense situations, improve office relationships, strengthen committee outputs, provide better guidance to graduate students, help employees move their career forward, improve relationships with volunteers, help new staff set long and short term goals, and empower employees to solve their own problems.

Coaching Schedule:

The 2024 Coaching Dates have not yet been determined. But for your information, materials and meals will be covered.

NOTE: To make the best use of time, and to allow the workshop setting to be most effective for you, we are limiting enrollment to 24 individuals. You will need to completely clear your calendar on these dates as any absence during the session will greatly detract from your experience.

Registration will open once 2024 dates are set

Questions:Jill Lingard (jlingard@unl.edu)

Have you ever had an interaction with someone that makes you feel uncomfortable or worried about your personal safety? Unfortunately, Extension professionals can be the recipient of either intentional or unintentional comments or actions that leave us feeling concerned about our personal safety. The Every Person’s Safety and Interaction Matters training will equip you to handle situations in which you feel uncomfortable. The training includes:

• Identifying crisis development/behaviors
• Identifying and practicing attitudes and approaches to these behaviors/crisis
• Communication skills—verbal, paraverbal, nonverbal
• Responding to defensive behaviors
• Safety interventions (disengagements)

2024 Dates to be Determined

Questions: Jill Goedeken (jgoedeken2@unl.edu)

The following links each present eight themes of Excellence in Extension along with success indicators as they apply to Extension Specialists, Educators, Assistants, and Support Staff. Click on your title and review this material before viewing the webinars and completing the worksheets.

Specialists Educators Assistants Support Staff

A series of 4 webinars discuss the Excellence in Extension Model as it applies to 21st Century Extension Professionals. View each webinar and complete the accompanying worksheet, then submit to your supervisor, Research & Extension Director or Department Head/Chair.

Webinars & Worksheets

This course is available as a Free Benefit for employees of eXtension member institutions.

Impact Statement Reporting Course

This online Impact Statement Reporting course presents the best practices of educators nationwide who have been training professionals on impact report writing for decades.

You will learn:

• What impact statements are
• How to write them
• Where to market them
• How they can help your organization

ENROLL

Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act because it includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It determines how we deal with stress, make choices, and how we relate to others. From childhood to adulthood, mental wellness is important at every life stage.

As a visible professionals in our communities and regions, we serve a variety of people. Many of us know someone or have helped someone who is dealing with or has dealt with mental illness and recovery.

The Nebraska Extension Disaster Education Network (NE EDEN) interest group is committed to providing learning opportunities that will help us build knowledge in mental wellness. We can be equipped with information so we can recognize signs of stress in ourselves and our clients. We believe these learning opportunities will allow us to better serve our communities and help eliminate the mental health stigma in our state.

STAYING CONNECTED DURING TOUGH TIMES RESOURCES

MENTAL HEALTH PD OPPORTUNTIES

Cultural Competency Training

Navigating Difference helps outreach professionals expand their skills in working with diverse audiences. The goals for the training are to assist participants to:

• Become more aware of their own personal and organizational cultures;
• Examine how our personal and organizational cultures affect our ability to work across difference, in both negative and positive ways; and
• Build skills to increase competencies as we work with others who are different from us.

This is an interactive 2-day experiential cultural competence training builds on foundations from social justice, intercultural communication and organizational development. The training intertwines research-based theories and frameworks with activities and discussion from participants’ own experiences. Each successive module builds on the previous one, deepening the participant’s learning. The five modules are:

• Cultural Awareness
• Cultural Understanding
• Cultural Knowledge
• Cultural Interaction
• Cultural Sensitivity

Navigating Difference Schedule:

September 13-14 | 2 two-day face-to-face training from 10:00 am -5:00 pm in Douglas County Extension Office – Omaha, NE

Register Today

Questions? – Jackie Guzman

The Purpose of NELD is to provide the opportunity for current and future Extension leaders and administrators to:

• Learn, apply and reflect on new effective leadership, organizational collaboration and change concepts and strategies
• Develop a better understanding of self and enhance personal effectiveness through assessments, coaching, feedback, individual goal setting, strategies for processing and managing information leading to results
• Strengthen competence in decision-making, build leadership capacity, improve effectiveness of extension programming and promote life-long learning
• Broaden understanding of Extension on a local, state, national and international level
• Build a more robust national Extension network

NELD programming consists of four sessions, including one international cultural immersion experience to support deeper, more challenging learning and to align NELD with national interest in internationalizing Cooperative Extension.

LEARN MORE ABOUT NELD

Performance Through Trust

David Horsager, author of this research-based curriculum, introduced us to The Trust Edge at our Annual Extension Conference in the fall of 2015 and returned to Fall Conference in 2019 to renew our organizational commitment to trust. Now is your opportunity to become an active participant in this journey! Join us in furthering your understanding and practice of the eight Trust Edge Pillars. The Trust Edge begins with each of us.

Class size is limited to 25 participants per workshop. Materials and Meals will be covered. Travel expenses, such as mileage, and lodging will be the responsibility of participants.

Indicators

• Attendees will discuss the role of trust in both our personal lives and within Nebraska Extension. Familiarity with the workings of Nebraska Extension is helpful to participate in these discussions. Therefore we recommend Extension professionals attend after being in Extension at least 6 months.
• All Extension professionals are encouraged to attend Trust Edge to develop trust both internally and externally to the organization.

Trust Edge Workshop Schedule

• 2024 Date to be determined

Register will be available once new dates are determined

Our team is looking forward to seeing you at a Trust Edge workshop soon. Thank you for joining us and your colleagues on this journey!

Trust Edge Training Team: Lisa Kaslon – Jenny Keshwani – Dave Varner

Through the TECH2020 Milestone #7, Nebraska Extension is cultivating a fully engaged, high performing workforce through rapid, collaborative, informal, self-directed learning so Extension Professionals learn fast enough to keep up with the demands of their jobs and expand their expertise.

These resources can help you and your team:

• Develop a learning and performance strategy
• Articulate working smarter practices
• establish and model "Issue Team" work practices
• Support the Issue Team
• Monitor activities
• Develop an internal marketing plan
• Evaluate progress

VIEW WORKING VIRTUALLY RESOURCES

• Core Competencies
• Journal of Extension
• Nebraska LEAD Program