Hawai’i CC Presents Free Coaching Workshops

A series of free workshops will be presented to the public on Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24 in Kealakekua and Hilo by Hawai’i Community College.

Each of the workshops will give attendees who work in education, workforce development, and service-oriented organizations the opportunity to learn new skills and an understanding of the mindsets of students and clients. Participants will also learn how to improve communications with the use of their new knowledge.

The following workshops will be conducted on April 23 at the University of Hawai’i Center, West Hawai’i in Kealakekua, located at 81-964 Haleki’i Street, classroom B4-R3:

• “Introduction to Student Coaching,” 9:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. This workshop will provide an overview of how the Hawai’i CC Ho’a Coaching team came to be, what academic coaching is, the elements and structure of coaching, and topics used as focal points of communication between students and the coach. Participants will gain an idea on how to incorporate coaching in different student services settings.

• “Introduction to Mindset Coaching: Understanding a Fixed Mindset and How It Relates To Negative Self-talk,” 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. In this workshop, participants will be given a brief overview of mindset information based on Carol Dweck’s work and how stress plays a key factor in mindset. Participants will engage in activities, discuss how to change inner dialogue, and brainstorm strategies to foster a growth mindset in classrooms.

• “Coaching for Calm,” 12:30 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. Using Mindset Coaching techniques, this workshop offers an understanding and hands-on experience of “stress” and how our brain, body, and mind are affected. Learn how feeling optimistic, hopeful, and confident about our ability to surmount challenges in our lives increases our overall health, vitality and ability to learn. Discover the Relaxation Response and other techniques to use for yourself and in classroom.

• “Using Active Listening and Open-Ended Questions to Foster Communication and Increase Understanding,” 1:30 p.m. to 2:25 p.m. Research suggests that we remember between 25 percent and 50 percent of what we hear. By becoming a better listener, we increase our ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process, which helps avoid conflict and decrease misunderstandings. In this workshop, effective communication will be practiced through active listening and using open-ended questions. Mastering the techniques will help improve accuracy, increase job effectiveness, ensure understanding, resolve conflicts, and above all, develop quality relationships with others.

• “Growth Mindset Goal Setting,” 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. “The secret of change is to focus all of our energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new,” according to Socrates. Based on Carol Dweck’s Growth and Fixed Mindset definitions, this workshop addresses specific strategies to utilize the Growth Mindset characteristics and Force Field analysis in goal setting and life planning.

After conducting the workshops in Kealakekua, coaches will travel to Hawai’i CC, located at 1175 Manono Street in Hilo, classroom 388-101, and present the following workshops on April 24:

• “Effective Communication Using Basic Coaching Techniques,” 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. This workshop will provide an overview on basic coaching and share methods to improve communication in the classrooms or working with students/peers one-on-one. Participants will gain a better understanding of effective communication using techniques such as active listening and open-ended questions. Participants will also gain skills through role play and interactive activities.

• “Same Situation, Different Outlook,” 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. A person’s frame of reference is a complex schema of unquestioned beliefs and values to infer meaning. Practicing reframing is a way to help us understand different points of view, thereby providing alternatives to our perceptions and creating opportunities to experience life more positively before making actual changes in our circumstances.

• “Coaching for Calm,” 12:00 p.m. to 12:55 p.m. Using Mindset Coaching techniques, this workshop offers an understanding and hands-on experience of “stress” and how our brain, body, and mind are affected. Learn how feeling optimistic, hopeful, and confident about our ability to surmount challenges in our lives increases our overall health, vitality, and ability to learn. Discover the Relaxation Response and other techniques to use for yourself and in classroom.

• “Mindset Coaching – Becoming Aware of Your Own Self-talk,” 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. “Be careful how you are talking to yourself, because you are listening,” says Lisa M. Hayes. What do the “voices” inside your head tell you when you are unsure about a task? What do they say when you are excited and overjoyed about a task? Do you sometimes feel you have no control? This workshop will explore how to become more aware of self-talk, how your body reacts to it, and what effects this has on the people around us.

• “Going for the Finish Line,” 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Do you ever wonder how our seemingly achievable dreams did not get achieved? In this workshop, attendees will learn to use Force Field analysis to identify their motivation to move forward and the factors that hold them back. Listen to a coaching sample to identify elements of SMART goals, then practice using SMART goals to remove the obstacles that hold you back. This is applicable for self-improvement and working with students.

Team members from the Ho’a Coaching Program will facilitate both the Kealakekua and Hilo workshops. The Ho’a Coaching Program was established in April 2014 and consists of Student Success Coaches from across the seven University of Hawai’i Community College campuses.

The free community workshops are being sponsored by the United States Department of Labor’s Community College and Career Training grant and Hawai’i CC.

For more information about the workshops or to sign up to attend, contact Lily Chan-Harris, Hawai’i CC student coach, by calling (808) 937-0950 or e-mailing chanharr@hawaii.edu.