Program Format: Lunch and Learn

In our society, more and more people are receiving autism diagnoses and/or identifying as neurodiverse.

What does that look like in the workplace? How do folks on the autism spectrum gain skills and find careers that align with their interests? Or interview and apply for jobs? How do employers recruit and retain neurodiverse people? How do we create cultures of inclusion in our offices? How do we streamline processes for accommodations? Or use universal design?

Discussion on these topics and other important issues around neurodiversity will be included in this session. There will be time for Q&A and audience participation.

Panelists:

• Dr. Courtney Jarrett
  Director of Disability Services
  Ball State University
• Melanie Wright
  Program Chair for Human Services
  Ivy Tech – Muncie
• Gina Davenport
  Chief ABA Officer
  Hillcroft ABA Clinic
• Kate Boller
  Post Secondary Regional Lead Counselor
  Vocational Rehabilitation

This program is ideal for: people with disabilities, HR and other hiring staff, people interested in learning more about inclusion

Cost: This is a Free Community Program

Sponsored by:

We tend to think that the best decisions are the most rational—full of logic and void of emotion. Yet the research suggests otherwise: those who experience strong emotions actually make better, more effective decisions.

As leaders, you are making decisions all day, every day. These decisions include people, budgets, communication, and strategy. In this workshop, we will explore the business case for bringing more emotion into your decision-making, not less.

Whether you are someone who has been told you are “too emotional” or you are someone who prides yourself on stifling emotions—this session will help you realize the power of bringing emotions into the process, strategies for doing it effectively, and the peril of thinking you can make decisions without emotions.

Learning Objectives

1. Explore foundational brain-based aspects of decision-making
2. Identify the impact of unconscious emotions on decision-making
3. Learn about key cognitive biases that inhibit effective decisions
4. Develop a personal strategy for integrating emotions into an effective decision process

This program is ideal for:  anyone who is making decisions! New and seasoned leaders can gain insights to experience decision-making breakthroughs.

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $80 non-member. $60 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Adam Bouse is the Manager of Performance Coaching at 15Five and founder of Adam Bouse Coaching. With more than 15 years of management and leadership experience, Adam is a certified Brain-based Coach through the NeuroLeadership Institute and holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership. His coaching specialties include emotional intelligence, resonant leadership, new managers, difficult conversations, and empathy

Sponsored by:

As human beings, we look for patterns and similarities and often connect with people similar to us. While this was helpful for survival long ago, today it runs counter to the diversity of experience and ideas organizations need on their teams to succeed. To counter “affinity bias,” the tendency of humans to gravitate to people similar to themselves, participants will view and discuss art and photographs to experience, describe, analyze, and interpret subjects that promote flexible, critical, and creative thinking.

The facilitator will use stimulating images with the museum-developed teaching method of Visual Thinking Strategies to promote open discussion. Research shows that “our preference for the safety of the familiar can curb creativity, undermine collaboration, and close our minds to novel ideas and new perspectives.” (Davis, 2020) By offering this training to organizational groups of 2 – 3 members, the goal is to demonstrate how ideas can be generated through neutral and open-ended questions using a new kind of team-building experience. Team members will build affinity through their shared experiences while building awareness of “in-group” and “out-group” tendencies.

Davis, Jeffrey. The Bias Against Difference. Psychology Today. June 25, 2020

Learning Objectives

1. Describe effectively new experiences through selected images
2. Build on the ideas of others
3. Use open-ended questions to generate more ideas
4. Facilitate related conversations
5. Learn how unfamiliar authentic materials generate creative and critical thinking

This program is ideal for:  individuals or groups of 2 – 3 from the same organization (staff, board members, volunteers)

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $80 non-member. $60 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Tania Said, an independent nonprofit professional, worked in museums for over 30 years and continues to consult with museums across the country. Tania’s educational philosophy relies on authentic materials, deep listening, and social learning based on decades of working to improve access to museums and education. She previously worked for the Smithsonian Institution, Ball State University, Bead Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the American Alliance of Museums. Tania serves her community through board service and volunteering with the Ross Community Center, Minnetrista, and Muncie Arts and Culture Council.

She is also the principal and owner of Tania Said Consulting, a firm that offers organizational and program development services to nonprofits and museums. She is an immigrant and new American who was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and educated in Bloomington and Muncie, Indiana; Washington, DC; Bournemouth, England; and Msida, Malta. She is proud to be an alum of Ball State University and The George Washington University. Tania lives in Muncie with her husband and son, and their two dogs. Her interests include yoga, running, reading, museums, art, and meeting new people.

Sponsored by:

What is neuroleadership and what makes it so awesome? By understanding our brains and the way they function, we can learn how to work with our physiology, not fight it. We’ll use neuroscience as a lens through which we can look at ourselves, our direct reports, our co-workers, and our organization to understand what motivates us, inhibits us, and how we can create environments that maximize our brains to help us perform at our best.

This workshop is designed to give you a basic understanding of neuroleadership and how it can be applied to the modern workplace to accomplish today’s most challenging tasks, such as developing effective leaders, enhancing creativity, increasing organizational trust, improving teamwork, understanding and overcoming cognitive biases, deepening employee engagement, and more.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the five social drivers that leaders should be aware of to improve their efficacy and performance as a leader.
2. Gain clarity about how neuroscience can be applied to leadership and organizational development to develop brain-friendly approaches that increase productivity and enhance employee engagement.
3. Develop a feeling of reassurance and peace. In this workshop, people will feel seen. Our brains are hardwired to behave in certain ways and by applying neuroscience to the workplace, we can begin to see our reactions and emotions at work as the result of “normal” brain responses.
4. Explore several practical tools that can be applied right away to work with physiology and not against it. Every single attendee will walk away from the workshop with a few small actions that can make a significant difference.

This program is ideal for:  mid to senior-level managers, HR professionals, and emerging leaders

Cost: Free for SLA Members. $80 non-member. $60 nonprofits.

Individuals who are either unemployed or connected with an employer who is unable to pay can request scholarships for any of our programs.

About Our Facilitator

Shelby Schuh is a leadership consultant and owner of Ideation Coaching and Consulting. Her consulting specialties include neuroleadership, organizational development, executive coaching, and team and group coaching. Shelby’s inspirational and empowering leadership style is rooted in a belief that we are never fully done growing and becoming, personally or professionally. She is passionate about helping others to reach their highest potential and approaches all aspects of work and life with a natural enthusiasm that inspires, energizes, and engages.

In addition to her consulting work, Shelby has over 11 years of experience leading marketing strategy, executive communications, internal branding, and creative direction at organizations spanning the financial, non-profit, and political sectors. In her “spare time” she enjoys spending time with her family, acting in local theatre, and volunteering for various non-profit boards.

Shelby graduated from DePauw University in 2004 with a BA in Creative Writing and minors in Philosophy and Women’s Studies. In 2020, she obtained her graduate certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching through the University of Texas at Dallas and achieved her ACC certification in Executive Coaching. She graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2021 with an MSLOD (Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Development).