Those of you who made it to Dr. David Katz’s presentation on Jan. 12, 2021 may still be contemplating the messages he shared with us about the importance of community. (If you didn’t make it to that session, he’s dropping by again on Wednesday 1/27. 2:00-3:00 to talk about “compassionate conversations” and “affirmative meetings”, having difficult conversations with colleagues and students; watch your email for the link.)
Kelley Beckwith has also been doing some thinking about his messages and graciously agreed to share what’s been on her mind:
Sometimes we all need a nudge to take those extra steps to support ourselves and our colleagues. Dr. Katz emphasized the role emotions play, not just in learning, but also in working with colleagues. Especially when we are under stress and our ability to think clearly and work to our best ability is impacted, we need to be intentional about igniting our reward pathways. Dr. Katz suggested having a work buddy, being an active part of a team, and solving problems successfully as proven strategies.
Here are four additional, low-pressure ideas to ignite those pathways:
- When hosting a Zoom meeting, start the session ten minutes early so that early arrivals can chat informally before the meeting begins. This idea parallels how we connect informally when in-person, and it works even if you, as the host, aren’t able to turn on your video until start time. You are giving a gift of connection to any meeting participants who arrive early.
- To decrease email traffic, challenge yourself to make three phone calls to colleagues each week instead of conducting that business by email. Hearing someone’s voice fosters a higher level of connection than exchanging email.
- To simulate the ability of co-workers “stopping by” for a quick hello or checking in without a formal meeting, establish regular Zoom office hours for colleagues. As an example, one staff person held a Zoom coffee hour twice a week and invited their team to drop in as needed as a way to stay connected. It’s bring your own coffee, of course!
- To reduce feelings of isolation at work, arrange a regular Zoom or phone working session with a colleague. Pick a time when you will both be on Zoom but working on your own work. Similar to our in-person practices, quick questions or observations are easily addressed with this format, and your overall sense of productivity may increase. (Some students are using this model to study side-by-side as a way to stay on track.)
Take a few moments and make the effort to connect; it’s a great way to mitigate stress in these challenging times and ignite those reward pathways!
Wondering what to talk about during your virtual coffee hours or pre-meeting minutes?
Jessica Duncan shared this idea:
Let’s informally come together to join our colleagues in sharing some interactions we have experienced or thoughts we have related to our conversation from the David Katz presentation. So many times, we enter zoom meetings in our current world “business ready”. From our session many of you shared the joy in seeing your peers and meeting new colleagues. See this as an opportunity to have a no pressure conversation where we come together and share our successes, struggles, some laughter, and make connections together!
Starting Prompts for “Making Katz Connections” Conversation
- Have you had an interaction with a student or colleague that you would like to share with the group that went extremely well where you employed empathic listening?
- Have you experienced a circumstance when someone listened to you using these tactics and want to share how you felt afterwards?
- Is there an instance you encountered that did not go well and could have been better handled if the empathy factor was utilized?
- Do you have any other experiences, information, or insights that you wish to share that relates to the content offered at the David Katz presentation?
Thank you Jessica and Kelley! I think I just may put some of these ideas to good use… Were you inspired? Have you planned a change in your work practices that you want to share? Send us an email and we’ll help you get the word out!
