2009 Waterloo Staff Conference

2009 WATERLOO STAFF CONFERENCE

Keynotes:


Carole Bertuzzi Luciani | Moodivation

If you are looking for an opportunity to sit back, relax and enjoy a highly energizing session ... don't miss the opening keynote. Carole promises to keep things moving as she shares her insight on work, fun and how to achieve the balance. Through interesting anecdotes and creative applications, she guarantees the learning will be painless. After all, as a Recreation grad from the U of W, would you expect any less? Be ready to feel recharged and raring to get back to work with renewed vigor. You won't want to miss it.
Mood-i-vate v.t vated, vation, vator, vating, vational

  • to revive one's sense of humour
  • to rekindle one's spirit
  • to restore one's source of energy
  • to reframe one's disposition

Carole earned an Honours BA in Recreation in 1975 from the University of Waterloo, and after years of work experience in Education, Recreation and Healthcare Public Relations, she became self-employed in 1986 as a professional speaker for her own company, CBL Presentations Inc. Invigorating and innovative presentations are Carole's specialty. Her meaningful messages are delivered with a dynamic communication style and are balanced with common sense and creative applications. As Carole sprinkles each session with her infectious brand of humour, audiences cannot help but 'get the message'! Her presentations can be described as both painless and mood-ivational.


Chris Bart | Achieving Performance Excellence Through Leadership & Mission

Become a highly effective leader instantly by asking 4 simple questions! 

The challenge for organizations committed to the highest levels of quality, innovation and customer service, is how to create, increase and maintain such ideals on a daily basis throughout their organization. While many organizations 'talk the talk', most fail in the consistency of their delivery. Statements of commitment to performance excellence can be found everywhere. But, the true worth of an organization's "values" comes from the extent to which they are religiously practiced - rather than merely professed. To make performance excellence a reality requires both leadership and a sense of mission.

Dr. Chris Bart, C.A. is one of the world's leading authorities on achieving performance excellence through leadership and mission. Based on the concepts in his Canadian business best seller (A Tale of Two Employees and the person who wanted to lead them), Dr Bart will discuss what managers can do IMMEDIATELY to increase their leadership capacity utilizing his unique "Bart Star Model".
 


David Posen | Managing Yourself During Stressful Times

We live in a time of unprecedented change. The workplace has been transformed by mergers, downsizing and globalization. Economics, politics, education and even family life are undergoing upheaval. The result is stress, worry and uncertainty for most of us. Where’s it all going to lead? How do we look after ourselves while all this turmoil swirls around us?

Stress has become an integral part of the way we live. In controlled doses, it helps us perform better. But, left unchecked, stress can leave us feeling fatigued and overwhelmed, and can lead to any number of health problems. With compassion, understanding and humor, Dr. Posen explains how to take back control of our lives and regain a healthy work-life balance.

To really know David Posen, author, speaker, physician, athlete, musician and family man, is to imagine an adventurer who regularly stops to chat with people along his travels. Befitting an adventurer, David graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1967. He then interned in Edmonton, Alberta and practiced in the Canadian Arctic and Jerusalem before settling in Oakville, Ontario in 1971. More than a decade into a highly successful family practice, David changed his game plan in the mid ‘80s to focus on stress management and lifestyle counseling. Along the way, his buoyant approach to life's challenges has helped countless people stay afloat! David has published three best selling books, Always Change a Losing Game, Staying Afloat When the Water Gets Rough and The Little Book of Stress Relief.


Lionel Laroche | Understanding the impact of Cultural Differences in Canadian Universities

The campus of most Canadian universities looks like the United Nations: It includes students, staff and faculty members from all over the world. In such a context, cultural differences often lead to misunderstandings, challenges, conflicts, rework and missed deadlines. It also creates opportunities for new learning, synergy and creativity. This keynote address examines the impact of cultural differences within the context of Canadian universities and provides tips and suggestions to minimize misunderstandings and reap the benefits associated with these differences.

Over the past 10 years, Lionel has provided cross-cultural training, coaching and consulting services to over 20,000 people in 10 different countries. He specializes in helping professionals and organizations achieve their objectives in culturally unfamiliar environments. He has written two books (Recruiting, Retaining and Promoting Culturally Different Employees and Managing Cultural Diversity in Technical Professions) and over 100 publications examining the impact of cultural differences on many professions and functions.


Dawn Fuller | Laughter, Leading, and Learning

In "Laughter, Learning and Leading", Dawn discusses the health of your organization. Happy people produce healthy systems. Healthy systems create strong and socially responsible organizations. Getting serious about humor means that organizations are focused on ways to increase morale, create community, ease stress and build more effective and productive teams.

Dawn Fuller is in demand worldwide for her Laughter, Learning and Leadership Workshops. She is a Human Resources Professional, a BarOn EQ-I Certified Assessor, an educator, a Registered Clinical Counsellor, a mother, a social advocate, a writer, a Yuk-Yuk’s-approved comedienne and an entrepreneur. Her Laugh Therapy Seminars combine her knowledge, wit and experiences into humourous and thought provoking events. As a teacher in Chicago, she found the use of humour was beneficial in helping motivate pupils and ease tension when frustration and anger escalated.

Accessibility

The University of Waterloo is committed to providing barrier-free access and equal opportunities to all individuals with disabilities. We strive to create an inclusive environment that is welcoming and supportive of everyone, regardless of their abilities. OHD encourages a scent-free environment in our in-person learning and development events.

If you require any additional accommodations or have any questions about accessibility, please connect with our OHD Events and Programs Coordinator, Krystal Mittler at krystal.mittler@uwaterloo.ca. We are committed to ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in our learning and development event. Please note that certain accommodations may require time to arrange.


The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within our Office of Indigenous Relations