1. Office of Outreach, Diversity and Equal Opportunity Cooperative Resolution Program “Collaborative Conversations” Jeff Schmitt Human Resources Specialist National Advisory Council for Office Professionals August 19, 2010 Norman, OK

2. Improve communication skills to: - Foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace - Build collaborative relationships that emphasize trust and respect - Minimize workplace disagreements

3. - more generations in the workplace - traditional resources gone - new technology/automation - increased diversity in the workforce - more responsibilities

5.  Not restricted to anyone group  A person who behaves in an non-exclusive or even discriminatory way does not have to have negative intent  We can make mistakes without even knowing it

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11.  Make your best effort to take the time to get to know and appreciate one another (face-to-face conversation)  Listen to each other’s natural consequences  Be open-minded and non-judgmental  Incorporate natural talents into work activities

12.  Dialogue cannot begin without mutual purpose and mutual trust  Without mutual purpose people will withhold meaning  Mutual purpose is the foundation of trust  Dialogue ceases when respect is violated

13.  Apologize for your role in causing/not preventing pain or difficulty when appropriate  Contrast to fix misunderstandings  Create mutual purpose (CRIB)

14.  Imagine what others might erroneously conclude  Immediately explain that this is what you don’t mean  Explain what you do mean

15.  C ommit to seek Mutual Purpose - Our solution is not the only one  R ecognize the Purpose Behind the Strategy - We confuse wants with strategies  I nvent a Mutual Purpose - Focus on long-term goals  B rainstorm New Strategies - Step back into dialogue

16.  Be true to your true talents  No one gets ahead without the help of others and without helping others  Take your life experiences and transform them into successes by seeing the lessons they contain (i.e., a free education)  Your character is not defined during the happy times, but rather during those times when the roadblocks seem permanent

17.  Everyday ask yourself, “What did I do to get better and to stretch beyond limits?” (Do not set unrealistically high expectations)  Know that happiness is an inside job and know that you are in control of your attitude (hold yourself accountable to yourself)  Strive for harmony, not balance

18. www.afm.ars.usda.gov/programs/coopres Jan Lewis 301-504-1450 Jeff Schmitt 301-504-1352