Relational Effectiveness at Work Initiative
Working relationships are not something you either have a knack for or don't. They're built through specific habits and skills, and those skills can be taught. This fall, the Office of Well-Being is launching a new six-session series focused on strengthening skills that improve how we listen, communicate, and navigate hard moments with colleagues.
Whether it's a conversation you've been avoiding, a team that's lost some of its trust, or just wanting to feel more confident speaking up (or hearing others out), this series gives you real, practical tools you can use in your very next conversation.
This series is open to all CUIMC faculty and staff. We especially encourage anyone who leads or manages a team to attend. The way a leader handles conversations, conflict, and change tends to set the tone for everyone around them.
The Curriculum & Session Schedule
This series will begin on October 15th and sessions will occur weekly on Thursdays from 12-1pm via Zoom.
01 | Values and Individualization with Dr. Paul Ingram
Every relationship has two participants; each of us controls one.
Paul Ingram, PhD, Columbia Business School | Thursday, October 15th from 12-1pm via Zoom
02 | Self Awareness with Dr. Erin Engle
Recognizing one's own state, assumptions, and impact in the moment.
Erin Engle, PsyD, CUIMC Department of Psychiatry | Thursday, October 22nd from 12-1pm via Zoom
03 | Active Listening and Validation with Dr. Colleen Cullen
Listening to understand, rather than to reply, and acknowledging before solving.
Colleen Cullen, PsyD, CUIMC Department of Psychiatry | Thursday, October 29th from 12-1pm via Zoom
04 | Building Psychological Safety with Dr. Lou Baptista
Conditions under which people speak up, surface error, and offer dissent.
Lou Baptista, MD, CUIMC Chief Well-Being Officer & CUIMC Department of Psychiatry | Thursday, November 5th from 12-1pm via Zoom
05 | Difficult Conversations and Relationship Repair with Bodi Regan
Choosing engagement over avoidance when friction has set in.
Bodi Regan, JD, Columbia University, School of Professional Studies | Thursday, November 12th from 12-1pm via Zoom
06 | Navigating Resistance to Change with Motivational Interviewing with Dr. Luis Pereira
An evidence-based approach to helping others move through change willingly, not reluctantly.
Luis Pereira, MD, CUIMC Department of Psychiatry | Date to be confirmed.
What You'll Walk Away With
By the end of the series, you'll have a practical toolkit for staying grounded in your own reactions, listening in a way that makes people feel heard, creating space for others to speak up, having the conversation you've been putting off, and helping colleagues move through change with intention instead of reluctance. Participants who attend all six sessions will receive a Relational Effectiveness at Work Series certificate of completion.