How To Navigate Difficult Conversations With Students

Facilitated by Ali Wood-Warren, however, others interested in facilitating, please let me know before Feb 24. We'll review the material within the webinar, occasionally pausing to consider and discuss within UM context. Please be prepared to reflect upon and share your own experiences as you feel comfortable.

Overview

It is a guarantee that every faculty or staff member who works with students in an academic capacity will end up having to have a difficult student conversation at some point. Whether the topic is medical school requirements, and the related need to pick a new major, plagiarism, impending academic dismissal or how to manage academic responsibilities when the student’s parent is dying of cancer, having the necessary skills to manage that conversation with the proper blend of authority and grace, are of paramount importance. When we first begin work at a new institution, we typically receive training related to school-specific policies, requirements and culture. Given that most people don’t willingly engage in difficult or confrontational discussions, given that our work requires heavy interpersonal communication, that we don’t tend to receive related training and support is unfortunate. However, it’s never too late.This webinar is designed to assist faculty advisors/mentors and advising, student success and student service staff and administrators at the post-secondary level. The presenter draws on more than 15 years of experience as a college administrator to discuss the following areas: interpersonal communication during challenging moments, the ability to maintain a calm disposition under stress, and how to avoid common pitfalls when navigating difficult student situations.

Objectives

Common pitfalls that arise when having a difficult student discussion
Practical tips to minimize difficulty on both sides in such discussions
Overview of how to diffuse a difficult situation that feels dangerous
Safety protocols to implement in any university setting
How to handle a situation where someone threatens self-harm
How to handle difficult conversations with parents
Related recommendations based on actual cases
Possible cases include: Explaining to an irate student and parent why the university cannot grant the student’s policy exception request, telling a student that she is no longer qualified to remain in her major due to her poor academic performance, upholding a student’s dismissal from the university, and working with someone who threatens self-harm in order to achieve an academic outcome

Presenter

Andrea Harris

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