On Tuesday, Nov. 15, speaker Vicki Highstreet led a group of Student Affairs staff through an exercise on Establishing Effective Communication in the Workplace. This seminar was part of the Student Affairs Staff Council’s professional development series.

“Consistency is key to how we communicate with others,” said Highstreet, associate director for recreation programming at Campus Recreation. “The core to our credibility is in our integrity, our intent, our capabilities and our results. Behaving consistently within these cores will help us all understand each other as people and contribute to how we work effectively as a team.”

During the session, Highstreet asked participants to collaborate with one another and share their experiences as lions, owls, monkeys and golden retrievers—animals that represented different personality types and communication styles. Participants then discussed the cons and pros of their traits and strategized helpful ways to communicate with one another.

“This was a fresh approach to the personality quizzes and communication activities that many are familiar with,” said Kacey Tegtmeier, president of the Staff Council. “It’s always interesting to analyze yourself, coworkers and family members; and to see how you can increase understanding.”

The next Student Affairs Staff Council professional development seminar will review tactics for effective time management. It will take place on Jan. 24 from 1:30-2:30 in the Nebraska Union, Colonial A.