Objectives: : The purpose of the course, "Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue," is to enhance the communication, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills of leaders within the US Army Corps of Engineers. It aims to address challenges associated with ineffective communication, conflict avoidance, limited collaboration, missed opportunities, suboptimal decision-making, and negative organizational dynamics.
Who Should Attend: Everyone
What You Will Learn: : This course equips participants with practical tools to navigate challenging conversations effectively. It empowers them to constructively address conflicts, embrace diverse perspectives, and improve leadership outcomes and organizational dynamics within the US Army Corps of Engineers. The course focuses on essential skills, including identifying underlying issues, controlling emotions, empathizing, speaking openly and respectfully, creating a secure environment, recognizing warning signals, aligning agendas, reviving stalled conversations, and translating talk into impactful action.
Length: 2 days
Objectives: This course will concentrate on the methods, techniques, and skills which assist Corps planners and project managers with developing a high-functioning team and maintaining effective communication with sponsors, stakeholders and interested parties throughout the life of the study. Participants will learn ways to effectively consult with or include others in raising awareness of on-going studies and efforts, integrating stakeholder values and concerns into the formulation and evaluation of projects, managing conflicts and disputes, and developing strategies to align participation activities with the Corps 6 Step Planning Process.
Who Should Attend: Corps Planners
What You Will Learn: By the end of this course the student will be able to identify the characteristics of effective public involvement processes, design and facilitate a team or public meeting, identify behaviors that escalate conflict during a dispute with other agencies or the public and identify behaviors that halt this escalation, develop a public participation plan, and select appropriate techniques for a participatory process.
Length: 4.5 days (3-day option is available)
Objectives: Risk Communication requires both planning and communication skills to work with internal and external stakeholders on any issue that impacts an organization’s mission. This course provides hands-on skills training in how to conduct an open, two-way exchange of information and opinions about hazards and risks, which enables communities to better understand risks and consequently make better risk management decisions.
Who Should Attend: Those who communicate risk to external and lay audiences.
What You Will Learn: Participants will focus on the following areas: 1) Know you stakeholder; 2) Risk communication overview; 3) Responding to a challenge or threat; 4) General communication skills; 5) Non-verbal communication; 6) Message development; 7) Media communication; and 8) Planning and implementing risk communication.
Length: 3 or 4.5 days
Objectives: This course focuses on the what, where, when, why and how of developing and managing relationships with USACE stakeholders. Managing relationships is key to assuring USACE meets stakeholder needs and that we effectively partner in developing innovative solutions now and into the future. From this course, students discover the importance of strategic relationship development and sustainment as a USACE core competency, gain an understanding of the concept of SRM, learn the value of building long-term stakeholder and end-user relationships, understand the enterprise language for SRM, learn how to develop end-user-focused strategies specific to USACE mission, utilize market research tools and evaluate SRM effectiveness.
Who Should Attend: Ideal for those who are in direct contact with customers including outreach coordinators, customer account managers, and program and project managers. The course focuses on the importance of managing long-term relationships for USACE customers and strategies for success.
What You Will Learn: What is Strategic Relationship Management (SRM) and why it is important to USACE as a reimbursable government agency. Objectives and benefits of SRM, components of SRM, hard and soft skills of SRM, the relevance of recruitment, hiring, retention and sustainment of technical competency to SRM, where each person fits into SRM, the SRM process, developing a strategic engagement plan, developing account plans, SRM implementation and evaluation.
Length: 3 days
Objectives: The course prepares staff to communicate and engage with the public about the broad range of agency activities and decisions, and to build stakeholder relationships.
Who Should Attend: Rangers, park managers, and project managers
What You Will Learn: Students who attend this course will build a communication strategy (for on-going or project-specific activities), including identifying audiences, developing key messages, and choosing appropriate virtual and face-to-face strategies and tactics. Students will gain an appreciation for the importance of effective communication and the value of public involvement in supporting the USACE mission. Students will leave with tools, tips and techniques for communicating more effectively and handling challenging situations. This course will develop proficiencies in strategic planning for public involvement and effective communication in USACE activities, delivering presentations, responding to audience questions, building trust, developing and delivering key messages, designing public meetings and workshops, and managing conflict. Skill-building activities, case studies, and group projects are used throughout the course to give students the opportunity to directly apply course concepts.
Length: 4.5 days