Consensus Building through Effective Communication and Collaboration – Noncredit

UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN-MADISON

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Consensus Building through Effective Communication and Collaboration

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Upcoming dates (2)

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For registration assistance: 608-262-2451

Schedule

Online materials available May 21, 2025

Live sessions May 27, 29, and June 3, 5 9 a.m.–noon

**Prework or work outside of live sessions will be about 1 hour.

Registration through: May 19, 2025

All times shown in central time.

Fee

$550; $450 gov't/nonprofit

Cancellation Policy

  • Cancel three full business days before the class starts and receive a full refund minus a $25 administrative fee.
  • Cancel less than three business days beforehand, or do not participate, you remain responsible for the entire fee.

Summary

When leaders strive to work collaboratively with their teams, reaching a consensus and agreement can be challenging and rewarding. Through a blend of interactive exercises, insightful discussions, and practical simulations, you'll gain a deep understanding of consensus building, its strengths and when to leverage it for optimal results. Explore common decision-making approaches and how to determine the best one for each situation. Refine your listening skills to truly understand others' perspectives while improving how you communicate your own.

This course equips you to navigate the inevitable challenges of consensus building using strategy and creative problem-solving to find common ground.

Overview

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Determine the most effective decision-making model for a situation.
  • Use effective communication skills to support consensus building and foster collaboration.
  • Navigate the inevitable challenges of consensus-building constructively.
  • Leverage the collaborative negotiation model to achieve successful consensus and implement solutions effectively.

Earn Continuing Education Hours

By participating in this class you will earn:

Instructional Hours 12
University of Wisconsin Continuing Education Units 1.2

Explanation of Continuing Education Hours

Upcoming dates (2)

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Program Questions?

Contact Emma Bailey at [email protected]

Registration Questions?

Email [email protected] or call 608-262-2451.

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Meet your instructors

Harry Webne-Behrman

Harry Webne-Behrman has served as a facilitator, consultant, educator, and mediator for over 35 years. Harry has worked with hundreds of businesses, schools, community groups and public agencies, facilitating large-scale deliberation and engagement processes, as well as mediating interpersonal disputes, and he maintains tremendous enthusiasm about the importance of learning to work collaboratively to build positive work environments. Since moving to Canada in 2017, Harry continues to work as a consultant based in Ottawa, Ontario.

Julie Kovalaske

Julie Kovalaske has over 10 years of experience creating and facilitating training workshops. She is most passionate about working with leaders and individuals in organizations to help them develop skills and processes to work more effectively together and create meaningful change. She spent over 5 years working at UW-Madison, leading professional development for managers and supervisors on campus. Julie has experience in a variety of industries including not-for-profit, higher education, and for-profit organizations.