Hello!

We’re excited to announce a 4^th cohort of the popular Conversations Worth Having for Library Leaders will be held on August 19 and 20, 2026 over Zoom led by Library Development Manager, Michelle Bradley. This 6-hour, highly interactive workshop, designed for library directors, managers, supervisors, and leaders, will help you establish communication practices that support productivity, engagement, high performance, regular feedback, positivity, and a culture of “we”. To date, more than 100 Michigan library leaders have participated in a CWH cohort since 2024. We have space for 20 more library leaders in August and registration is open today!

This virtual workshop will take place over two interactive mornings on Zoom:

• Wednesday, August 19 and Thursday, August 20 from 9 am - 12 pm each day

By registering, you are committing to attending both days of training. Upon completion of the training, you will receive a certificate of completion and be eligible to participate in additional opportunities with other Michigan library CWH practitioners.

So What is Conversations Worth Having?

Communication remains the top issue for organizations, teams, and relationships. Most people struggle to effectively communicate when they are frustrated, angry, hurt, or facing conflict. The effects of poor communication are costly. This workshop will help you establish communication practices that will support productivity, engagement, high performance, regular feedback, positivity, and a culture of “we.”

Conversations Worth Having includes four modules:

1. The Power of Conversation: Understand the nature of our conversations, how they affect human being and doing, and develop your ability to choose. 
2. The Art of Asking Questions: Understand the basics of Appreciative Inquiry and improve your ability to ask generative questions to foster effective communication.
3. Intentional Framing: Use positive framing to intentionally foster effective communication and continue to develop your ability to ask generative questions. 
4. Step Up to Feedback: Develop the skill and the motivation to routinely seek out feedback and promptly provide effective feedback, even in the most critical of situations. 

At the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Use generative questions to shift the dynamics of personal and workplace communication problems.
• Experience flipping negative conversations to conversations worth having
• Use effective feedback strategies with common workplace situations. 

This highly experiential course is built upon Berrett Kohler’s bestseller, Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement by Cheri Torres and Jackie Stavros. For more information about the Conversations Worth Having Institute visit the CWH Institute website. 

This project is made possible by grant funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) administered by the State of Michigan through the Library of Michigan.

Andrea Vernola

Continuing Education Coordinator | Library Development

Library of Michigan, 702 W. Kalamazoo St, P.O. Box 30007, Lansing, MI 48909

vernolaA@michigan.gov | 517-335-0123

https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan

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