Please use the feedback link on the left and write me for further information about any of these talks. Some of these are open to the public in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, and Victoria.
1. Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009, 10:10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
LIMMUD FESTIVAL at the University of Toronto, Bahen Building
Writing Family Stories and Memoirs
Stories passed from one generation to the next carry the values, culture, and unique mythology of that family. Knowing our family's stories solidifies our sense of belonging. If you have been thinking of collecting family stories for your children and grandchildren, then this workshop is for you. Writer and editor, Lil Blume, will give you ideas for reviving memories and writing and organizing your family story project. Come prepared to do some writing and storytelling.
2. Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
JEWISH ARCHIVES AND HERITAGE SOCIETY, Jewish Community Centre, Edmonton
Writing Family Stories and Memoirs
Description above
3. Monday, Feb. 23, 2009, 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
WOMEN IN SCHOLARSHIP, ENGINEERING, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Communication Skills for WISER Women
Do you feel your ideas are not always heard?
Do your project contributions sometimes get less recognition than they seem to deserve?
Do you stay silent when you have an opinion to express because others might be defensive or dismissive?
In this fun, interactive workshop, Lil Blume will help you understand your reaction to workplace communication issues. You will practice alternate responses to difficult situations, learn strategies for improving teamwork, and become a wiser communicator.
4. Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
DR. S. GUIGARD'S TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONS CLASSROOM, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Presenting with Passion
This session for 180 civil and environmental engineering students will help students conquer PowerPoint presentations. We will combat fears and negative attitudes towards public speaking, help students understand audiences, and develop skills to use for their final presentations.
This session for 180 civil and environmental engineering students will help students conquer PowerPoint presentations. We will combat fears and negative attitudes towards public speaking, help students understand audiences, and develop skills to use for their final presentations.
5. Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009, 4:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY (WINtech) at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Edmonton
WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY (WINtech) at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Edmonton
Facing Conflict with Confidence
Do conflicts seem recurring and unresolvable? Would you like new ways of dealing with the dismissive, distracted, destructive, or dysfunctional people you encounter at school, work, and everywhere else? In this participant-centred, interactive workshop we build awareness of our choices and develop further skills in communicating in conflict situations.
Participants will:
Do conflicts seem recurring and unresolvable? Would you like new ways of dealing with the dismissive, distracted, destructive, or dysfunctional people you encounter at school, work, and everywhere else? In this participant-centred, interactive workshop we build awareness of our choices and develop further skills in communicating in conflict situations.
Participants will:
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Examine our attitude towards conflicts
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Understand conflict styles and strategies and evaluate the success of each
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Role-play both speaking and listening assertively in a conflict
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Learn basic strategies for creating win-win outcomes
6. Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
WOMEN'S ADVANCEMENT OFFICE, University of Calgary
Workshop for Grad Students:
Goal-Setting: The Dark Side
Researchers claim that 90% of people believe goal-setting is a good thing, but only 3% actually set goals and write them down. Is there ambivalence and fear related to goal-setting? Is goal-setting a genderized activity? Is goal-setting necessary for success? Do women’s needs for responsiveness, spontaneity, and flexibility make goal-setting difficult?
Researchers claim that 90% of people believe goal-setting is a good thing, but only 3% actually set goals and write them down. Is there ambivalence and fear related to goal-setting? Is goal-setting a genderized activity? Is goal-setting necessary for success? Do women’s needs for responsiveness, spontaneity, and flexibility make goal-setting difficult?
This fun, challenging workshop will help participants
- Recognize attitudes and feelings towards setting goals
- Explore goal-setting processes
- Learn how to create positive, achievable goals
- Learn strategies for handling conflicting goals and thwarted goals; and if time
- Look at the myth of the balanced life
Understanding our attitudes towards goal-setting will strengthen our ability to set goals and work towards achieving them.
7. Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 TIME: tba
WOMEN'S ADVANCEMENT OFFICE, University of Calgary
Introduction to Negotiating
Is your time taken up by students needing help, departments needing committee members, collaborative projects needing collaboration, and family needing everything? Are you struggling to find time for thinking, writing, research, and career development?
Is your time taken up by students needing help, departments needing committee members, collaborative projects needing collaboration, and family needing everything? Are you struggling to find time for thinking, writing, research, and career development?
We will look at how clarifying your goals can help you decide when to say "yes," when to negotiate, and when to say "no."
We will then examine how you can use interest-based negotiation.
Finally, we will look at a formula for a clear assertive message to use when you want to begin a negotiation.
8. Sunday, March 1, 2009 TIME: 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
LIL'S 2ND GEN AND GUESTS WRITING GROUP, Vancouver, B.C.
Writing Memoirs (and Family Stories) Session #4
I've been meeting with members of this writing group once a year for the past four years. Each year we look deeper into our building our identities as writers and developing an authentic voice. The goal is to write the stories that need to be told.
I've been meeting with members of this writing group once a year for the past four years. Each year we look deeper into our building our identities as writers and developing an authentic voice. The goal is to write the stories that need to be told.
9. Tuesday, March 3, 2009 TIME: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
STAFF DEVELOPMENT OFFICE, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C.
Communicating Nondefensively
Are you often on the defensive? Do you sometimes feel attacked? Do your responses tend to make you feel worse? Defensiveness prevents effective communication and, rather than protecting us, usually leads to more conflict and frustration.
If you are defensive or surrounded by defensive people, this interactive workshop can help you get more control of your responses to perceived attacks. You will identify defensive responses in yourself and others and learn how to respond nondefensively to stressful or difficult situations involving supervisors, coworkers, students, or faculty.
Bring a statement said to you -- by anyone -- that made you feel defensive.
Topics to be covered include:
Are you often on the defensive? Do you sometimes feel attacked? Do your responses tend to make you feel worse? Defensiveness prevents effective communication and, rather than protecting us, usually leads to more conflict and frustration.
If you are defensive or surrounded by defensive people, this interactive workshop can help you get more control of your responses to perceived attacks. You will identify defensive responses in yourself and others and learn how to respond nondefensively to stressful or difficult situations involving supervisors, coworkers, students, or faculty.
Bring a statement said to you -- by anyone -- that made you feel defensive.
Topics to be covered include:
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Causes and consequences of defensive behaviour
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Nine defensive responses that tend to hinder communication
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Nine nondefensive responses that can open communication
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Steps to living nondefensively
10. Wednesday, March 4, 2009 TIME: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT OFFICE, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C.
Facing Conflict with Confidence
Do conflicts seem recurring and unresolvable? Would you like new ways of dealing with the difficult, demanding, or dismissive people you encounter in the university environment? In this participant-centred, interactive workshop we build awareness of our choices and develop further skills in communicating in conflict situations.
Do conflicts seem recurring and unresolvable? Would you like new ways of dealing with the difficult, demanding, or dismissive people you encounter in the university environment? In this participant-centred, interactive workshop we build awareness of our choices and develop further skills in communicating in conflict situations.
-
Examine our attitude towards conflicts
-
Understand conflict styles and strategies and evaluate the success of each
-
Role-play both speaking and listening assertively in a conflict
-
Prepare a clear, assertive message that will begin negotiations for a win-win outcome
-
Look at the barriers to long-term conflict resolution and the process of finding tools to break through the barriers
11. Sunday, March 8, 2009 TIME: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Victoria, B.C.
Writing Family Stories and Memoirs
Description above
12. Monday, March 9, 2009, 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Academic Women's Caucus, University of Victoria
http://web.uvic.ca/awc/index.php
Academic Women's Caucus, University of Victoria
http://web.uvic.ca/awc/index.php
No, I'm Too Busy. What Time Should I Be There? Part 2
This workshop will follow from last year's work on assertiveness and negotiation for academic women. Details to be announced.
13. Tuesday, March 10, 2009 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
WOMEN IN ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE, University of Victoria
Goal-Setting: The Dark Side
Description above
Description above
Coming Later in the Spring:
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Let's Talk: The Listening Link
A communication workshop for parents in Ward 21 (Scarborough-Rouge River) of the Toronto District School Board offered by their trustee, Shaun Chen.
We want to make helpful remarks to our children and others when they are trouble. We want to open communication -- yet, well-intentioned comments often have the opposite effect. This workshop explores what to say -- especially when we don't know what to say.
and
Thursday, May 7, 2009 6:00 p.m.
Memorial University Alumni Event, Massey College, University of Toronto
http://my.munalum.ca/events/eventson.php
http://my.munalum.ca/events/eventson.php
Live Ambitiously: Degrees, Careers, and Our Personal Lives
Memorial alumni are invited to a provocative, interactive discussion on how ambition plays out in the lives and minds of working women on Thursday, May 7 at 6:00 p.m. Facilitator and communications consultant, Ms. Lil Blume will look at the sources of women's ambitions and how our attitudes and the attitudes of others influence our personal and professional decisions.
At this event, Ms. Blume will explore our attitudes towards our careers, dreams, and ambitions; look at influences in the culture, in the workforce, and in us that discourage us from dreaming big; and help us discover ways not to let our careers unravel when children and family become part of our lives.
Memorial alumni are invited to a provocative, interactive discussion on how ambition plays out in the lives and minds of working women on Thursday, May 7 at 6:00 p.m. Facilitator and communications consultant, Ms. Lil Blume will look at the sources of women's ambitions and how our attitudes and the attitudes of others influence our personal and professional decisions.
At this event, Ms. Blume will explore our attitudes towards our careers, dreams, and ambitions; look at influences in the culture, in the workforce, and in us that discourage us from dreaming big; and help us discover ways not to let our careers unravel when children and family become part of our lives.