UF Training and Organizational Development is committed to your personal and professional development. This general category of training includes a broad range of workshops designed with the UF employee in mind. Taught by UF Training and Organizational Development instructors as well as subject matter experts from across campus, you’ll be sure to find a useful workshop here.
| Note: Beginning spring 2027, there will be a temporary reduction in course offerings as the Training and Organizational Development (T&OD) team prepares for the University of Florida’s transition to Workday. Thrive@UF will be most impacted. Some of the courses in this program will have fewer offerings, and others will not be available at all during this time. Employees pursuing Thrive@UF and other T&OD certificate programs are encouraged to consider this reduction when planning their professional development. |
Instructor: Irma Alvarez
Conflict is part of our daily lives and can undermine our success unless we get better at using it effectively. As surprising as this might sound, we want conflict in the workplace; but it has to be the right kind of conflict. In this class you will learn how to build your conflict competence and transform conflict for improving decision-making, problem-solving and relationship-building at work.
Instructor: Gwynn Cadwallader
Interacting with people is a large part of our jobs and how we use our emotions and react to others affects our performance. Explore ways to understand your own emotions and how to perceive the emotions of others. Find ways to strengthen relationships, build networks and find common ground. Generate ideas and “next steps” for leveraging your emotional intelligence in the workplace for improved effectiveness.
Instructor: Sarah Hanson
Instructor: Gwynn Cadwallader
Instructor: Becky Younglove
Change happens. It is a real, concrete, often stressful fact of life. Do you ever wish that change would go away–or at least slow down? If so, this class is for you. During this course, participants will:
Change is inevitable; long-term misery is optional!
Instructor: Kandice Lloyd-Weech
Did you know that as much as 40% of the average workday is spent listening to others? That’s close to half of your day! Isn’t it time, therefore, to stop and make sure you’re using your time to its greatest advantage? Take a few moments and ask yourself: Are you an effective listener? How often do you assess your listening skills? Could you improve? That’s where “Now Hear This” can help. In this workshop, we’ll:
Effective communication does not happen by chance; it requires practice and good technique.
Instructor: Bria Peters
Most of us think we’re good communicators. Listening and talking are things we engage in all the time, so we assume we do it well. Unfortunately, that’s often not the case. Attend “Communication Confidence” to learn a number of skills and tools to improve the way you communicate with others. Behind these skills are these fundamental concepts:
Instructor: Marc Francois
Would you like to substantially increase your ability to communicate with other people? Can you imagine the ways this might benefit you in your career, your day-to-day dealings with people, and in your personal relationships? “Relationship Strategies” assembles a number of simple tools that can be easily applied to improve both business and interpersonal relationships. This workshop offers guidelines for understanding and adjusting to the differences in people, through observation of their behavior. The tools presented here will enable you to see yourself and your world through someone else’s eyes—and that can go a long way toward increasing communication effectiveness!
Available as an on-demand online course through myTraining
This online course focuses on a key workplace skill: identifying and achieving the desired results of your work. In this session, you will learn to:
Instructor: Kandice Lloyd-Weech
We all have customers. The question is “Do we serve them well?” In this workshop, participants will identify customer expectations, review assertive communication as a key component of quality customer service, and discuss common customer service interactions and how to improve them.
Available as an on-demand online course through myTraining
Instructor: Ross Mecham
Things change rapidly and continually at work which requires us to address unanticipated, uncertain, time-pressured and complex problems and decisions. In this session we will consider how critical thinking, along with self-awareness and understanding of the mental shortcuts we often, and unknowingly, take can be integrated into a process to help cultivate good judgment.
This class qualifies for CPE Credit for Florida CPAs.
Instructor: David Smith
Project management, whether aimed at improving service or solving major organizational problems, requires a different set of management skills than those needed to oversee routine operations. Project management involves leading a diverse group of employees who are working in an environment that is highly dependent upon planning, limited by budget and scheduling controls, and subject to constant progress evaluations. You can make project management a positive work experience through understanding project functions from start to finish.
Instructor: Nicole A. Harris
How many meetings have you attended or conducted where they just seemed like wasted time? Well, no more! Attend this workshop to learn techniques for planning and facilitating effective meetings.
Instructor: Verlissa Ford
Assertiveness is a skill you can acquire, not a personality trait that some people are born with and others are not. When we communicate assertively, we express our feelings, thoughts, and wishes–standing up for our legitimate rights without violating the rights of others. In this workshop, you’ll learn to: Distinguish between assertive, aggressive, and non-assertive (or passive) behaviors. Include the three parts of an assertive message in your communication approach. Listen assertively by concentrating your attention on the other person. Respond appropriately to criticism Building on the topics discussed in “Communication Confidence,” this workshop highlights communication skills that are essential in many day-to-day situations. Improve your relationships and personal effectiveness at work and at home: Attend “Communicate Assertively!”
Instructor: Verlissa Ford
Make your writing fast, fun, and fabulous! Come to Power Writing and learn how to design power-packed documents that your readers will actually enjoy. In this class we will focus on preparing professional business documents discuss, including a review of grammar, tone, stressing the positive, saying “no” gently, and doing a little more than you need to in order to get your message across. You will learn to:
Instructor: David Smith
Do you control your email or does your email control you? Is email the best communication tool? Most of us spend a good part of our day using this powerful medium. Often we sort through emails with content that would have been better communicated via the phone, in-person, in a chat or in a virtual meeting.
Attend this interactive session to master how to select the best communication method for your message, review email etiquette, and learn to combine email best practices with the tools in the Microsoft Outlook desktop version in order to turn email into a valuable productivity tool.
Instructor: Verlissa Ford
Have you ever been in a meeting or making a presentation and wished you had prepared more fully? Has stage fright ever had an impact on your effectiveness? This program can help! Attend this program and learn how to:
Instructor: Dr. Nicole Stedman
No matter where someone’s role lies in an organizational chart, every person has the capacity to influence others around them. Every person can wield the power of influence to make change if they understand how influence works. In this course, you will learn what influence is along with what it is not, which builds into an understanding of how to apply your influence in many different settings. In other words, you will be able to use concepts of influence to create positive change in your environment.
Instructor: Nicole A. Harris
What is your “why”? What motivates you in your professional life? What future do you wish to create during your career? This course will help you leverage the power of storytelling to tap into your passions and purpose and unleash your best work performance. Your story is important and meaningful. By reflecting on your experiences and envisioning your professional and personal growth in the form of a story, you will be able to align your goals, your career trajectory, and your legacy with the story you want to live!
Instructor: Kandice Lloyd-Weech
Discover how gratitude can transform your mindset, relationships, and workplace culture. In this interactive course, participants will explore the psychological and physiological benefits of gratitude, and practice strategies to apply gratitude personally and professionally. Whether you’re looking to boost morale, foster stronger connections, or simply bring more positivity into your day, this course offers practical tools to help you thrive.
Instructor: Tricia Bachus
Every interaction—whether a hallway greeting, an email, or a tough conversation—shapes the character of our campus culture. Faculty and staff often set the tone for how communication unfolds within our work areas. This course invites you to explore how intentional, compassionate communication fosters a more civil and caring workplace – the kind of communication that influences a positive workplace culture, psychological safety, and a shared sense of belonging.
Through case studies, discussion, skill-building exercises, reflective practice, we will explore how to model compassion, address incivility, use tools to turn everyday moments into powerful opportunities for connection and culture change. We learn to CHOOSE the words that build trust, reduce harm, and reinforce a shared commitment to respect and empathy.
Available as an on-demand online course through myTraining
This interactive session is designed to increase institutional awareness so that employees may be more effective in their jobs as they navigate the complexities of our large university and serve as resources for others. This workshop reviews UF’s overall organizational structure, its managerial structure, and other relevant university relationships.
Getting Organized Infographic
Goal Setting Infographic
Track What You’ve Done Infographic
Instructors: Brandon Telg & Courtney Moon
An important element of Productivity & Performance is one’s ability to apply performance measures to their everyday work, not just for an annual review. This webinar will help you apply an organizational structure to your work, identify and write your goals using backwards design, and ultimately track and maintain your performance records over time.