The newsletter summarizes upcoming trainings focused on building collaborative relationships and communicating effectively with managers, peers, and employees. It provides tips on understanding different communication styles and motivations to ensure messages are conveyed clearly. Resources on developing teamwork and managing remote teams are also listed.

1. Welcome to the 13th issue of the Learning and Development Newsletter, focus- ing on Working Well with Others. Ever wondered how you can build collabora- tive relationships with your team members and grantees? Have you ever strug- gled with how to ask clarifying questions related to a project deadline? The L&D team supports your desire to advance this skill by offering the Communication Styles and Managing Up and Across Trainings. These training will provide you with tips and tricks on how to build collaborative relationships with your manag- ers, peers, and employees; understand what drives and motivates people, and how to best communicate to ensure you get what you need to excel in your dai- ly tasks.
What does it look like to “Work Well with Others”? It means that we build collab- orative relationship inside OSF through the understanding and development of other’s and our own ideas. It also means that we use appropriate means & tone of communication to convey messages, seek input from others to ensure that everyone involved understands the process and its relativity to their job functions.
While working with others we seek clarity in our conversations and interactions; as well as work to exceed expectations of others to make a positive impact.
Working Well with Others
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Working Well with Others Cont.
2
Tip, Tricks, and What Works
2
Resources
2
L&D Spotlight
3
News from L&D
3
Trainings...
4
Topic of the Month: Working well with others
Learning and Development Newsletter
AUGUST2014
ISSUE 13
What your colleagues are saying about
HEAT TRAINING
“Instructors were across the board fan- tastic. Incredibly use- ful even for staff who travel to non-risk areas”
“Enjoyed the course very much and appre- ciated the profession- alism and sensitivity of the trainers.”
“Extremely useful, presented in a great way with a mix of indoor and outdoor events”

2. Tips, Tricks, and What Works!
Working Well with Others Continued….
It boils down to communication. In order to communicate effectively with our colleagues it is important that we use the appropriate means of communication; such as e-mail vs in person. Once we have established the means for which we are going to communicate we must maximize the likelihood that our colleagues will understand our mes- sage. We do this by framing the message to be in line with their experiences, expectations, and style. It is important to also seek confirmation that your message was understood.
Communication requires collaboration and building collaborative working relationships with colleagues at OSF is established by having good interpersonal relationships where people feel valued, appreciated, and included in discussions. Acting as internal connectors also helps to bring people together to solve common challenges in the workplace.
When working with colleagues it is important that we seek information to further understand the points of view of others, while seeking feedback to modify our approach to solutions.
Expand your knowledge: Resources
Want to learn more? Give your cranium what its craving.
Mind Tools’ article How to Be a Good Team Player: Maximizing Your Contribution, provides examples on how to maximize your performance in a team setting.
HR Council’s article Workplaces that Work, illustrates tips and tricks on how to develop teams, understand group dynamics and gives us ways to make our team functional.
The Harvard Business Review’s video Teamwork on the Fly, describes 5 behaviors that enhance teamwork.
Greg Ciotti’s article Why Remote Teams are the Future (and How to Make Them Work) featured in Help Scout provides the ad- vantages, disadvantages, and ways on how to manage a successful remote team.
For additional reading, please see the attached Harvard Business Review article: The Hard Science of Teamwork.
PAGE 2
- Working Well with Others: Management and Staff Development (University of Portsmouth)
It is important to be aware of how your behaviors affect others.
Greet people when you come into work— by saying good morning to those around you, you are setting the tone for a pos- itive and open atmosphere.
Be approachable throughout the day—giving off a friendly persona indicates that you are interested in others and likely to be easy to deal with. Smile, start conversations, respond to questions positively and engage in other’s points of view.
Manage your mood—Everyone has a bad day now and then. If you need to calm down after something hasn't gone exact- ly to plan, take a break and compose yourself before engaging with others.
Apologize if it’s warranted—if you have made a mistake or said the wrong thing, apologize for it. Do not try to avoid any difficult or uncomfortable situation, as it will result in tensions or negative feelings.
Share knowledge—The strength of a team is usually greater than the sum of its parts. This means that your team will able to achieve more together than as individuals. If you know something worth sharing, share it with your team members and encourage them to do the same.
Offer help and advice— if you see a colleague struggling with a problem or busy workload, try to assist in some way. Just inquiring if help is needed can make all the difference to a person.
Use your position constructively— Valuing your colleagues is fundamental to good teamwork. Always take time to listen to other peoples’ views and opinions and consider them before making a decision. Fostering a culture of team work helps when it comes to sharing workloads, responsibility and rewards.
Thank colleagues for their hard work— It is always good to thank people for any work that they do for you, or that you have benefited from. If someone has gone the extra mile for you or you can see that they have put in considerable effort, be sure to offer praise and recognition.

3. News form L&D: Learn, Live, Grow, Inspire
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ISSUE 13
New Addition to the Team... Vera Talas is joining our Budapest Office as the Learning and Develop- ment Coordinator and will be supporting the organization in coordinating new and exciting training and learn- ing activities. She will also work closely with our team on talent management and the performance review pro- cess.
Vera’s drive to work in the humanitarian sector has always been a set objective in her career, as she strongly believes that we have to be the change we wish to see around us. As the Learning and Development Coordinator, she will be contributing to this vision by ensuring that staff members within the organization have all the necessary support to successfully deliver the organiza- tion’s mandate while finding creative ways to maximize their contribution.
Workday Phase II Rollout … Workday combines human resources, compensation management, talent manage- ment, performance management, time and attendance and much more, in a very user friendly and intuitive interface. Phase II is a global rollout to all OSF core office colleagues, which will enable you to enter and track your own data and information, as well as automating the annual performance review process for 2014. Starting January 2015, you will also be able to request your time off online which will give managers a global view of their teams in an easy snapshot. You’ll need to register for one session of Absence AND one session of Performance training using the links below.
If you track or approve time for OSPC, FPR, SEDF, PDS, DCP or AOSI through Time@Work you will also need to register for one session of OSPC and other entities training.
Please note: you will not be able to do your performance review or request time off without completing these mandatory train- ings.
October 27-28: New York
Absence Performance OSPC and other entities
October 29-31: Washington, D.C.
Absence Performance OSPC and other entities
November 3-7: New York
Absence Performance OSPC and other entities
November 10-14: Budapest
Absence Performance
November 17: Brussels
Absence Performance
US Programs has a series of curated conversations for every member of USP, a roughly 50 person unit. It is called: "De-Silos of the Lambs.” It is a series of brown bag discussions designed to allow U.S. Programs staff to learn from one another about the most pressing issues facing the U.S. The series is a response to U.S. Programs staff's desire to learn from the deep expertise of their fellow colleagues have within their respective fields. De-Silos has featured topics such as immigration reform and the Affordable Care Act and has an upcoming discussion focused on the New York City's policing practices. Please contact Laleh Ispahani at laleh.ispahani@opensocietyfoundations.org, for more information.
L&D Spotlight: Knowledge Sharing in US Programs
November 18-20: London
Absence Performance
November 21, 24: Barcelona
Absence Performance

4. PAGE 4
Trainings, Trainings, Trainings...
Managing Up and Across
This two-hour workshop will help you understand how to build better relationships and get the most out of those you work with at OSF. It will offer tactics on how to:
Best communicate with your manager, peers and direct reports to ensure you both get what you need, understand what drives and moti- vates people and strengthen rela- tionships across OSF.
New York - September 18 - 10:00am
New York - September 24 - 10:00am
Presentation Skills I
This interactive session goes beyond delivery techniques and focuses on the inner architecture of great presentations. It will give you strategies to win over skeptics and become a masterful presenter.
New York - October 9 - 9:30am
Extra Time/Time Management
Managing your energy, not your time, is the key to achieving your top priorities. And you’ll be able to create extra time for those things you’ve always wanted to.
New York - October 14 - 2:00pm
New York - October 17 - 2:00pm
Budapest - October 17 - 2:00pm
Virtual Team
Leading a virtual team all over the world presents its own set of challenges. This workout draws together lessons from dispersed teams across the world and pro- vides practical tools for you to overcome the distance and manage your team successfully by remote control.
Budapest - October 6 - 2:00pm
London - October 13 - 10:00am
Stress Management
The bite-size learning opportunity aims to introduce participants to the concept of how to manage stress; by creating routines to stretch and recharge our physical fuel, mental clarity and emotional resilience.
Budapest - September 5 - 2:00pm
Good Decision
It is hard to tell whether the best deci- sions are based on facts, instinct or emotion. In this training 5 decision making traps will be presented; and techniques to help.
New York -September 15 - 2:00pm
New York – September 19 - 2:00pm
“Unity is Strength…
when there is team work and collaboration
wonderful things can be achieved.”
- Mattie J.T. Stepanek
Communication Styles
We are now offering training during your retreat for 2015! If you are interested in having the Communication Styles Workshop conducted for your team, please let us know by clicking here and submitting a request.