Full course description
Audience: All faculty and staff at UBC Vancouver and Okanagan.
Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Time: 10:30 am – 12 pm
Location: Zoom (Once you’ve registered, you will be directed to the course Canvas page where you can find the Zoom link and download the Outlook Calendar invite.)
Important Notes:
· The session will not be recorded, but the slides will be shared.
· Closed captioning can be enabled.
Description:
How we communicate, advocate, and navigate tension in professional environments is foundational to building and sustaining a positive workplace culture. In this workshop, participants will learn how to approach challenging conversations with greater clarity, confidence, and empathy. In academic and leadership settings, where competing priorities and power dynamics can make speaking up feel difficult, developing these skills is essential.
Join Dr. Ellen Choi as she explores what gets in the way of honest dialogue, and offer practical tools to express needs, share feedback, and engage in meaningful conversations that strengthen trust rather than erode it. Participants will practice reframing difficult interactions and learn how to create conditions where their perspectives can be heard and understood.
Participants will leave with concrete strategies and a stronger sense of psychological permission to speak up in ways that are both effective and values-aligned.
Your facilitator:
Dr. Ellen Choi (she/her) is an Associate Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson). She received her PhD at the Ivey School of Business and her Masters degree at the London School of Economics. Her research examines employee mental health and well-being where she studies how min dfulness, self-compassion, and authenticity are related to how people feel and behave at work. She teaches organizational behaviour, which covers topics such as decision making, team effectiveness, and leadership. She is also an executive coach, meditation instructor, yoga teacher and co-founder of www.thefacilitatorstore.com , which offers training and coaching to promote workplace well-being.
If you have any questions, please email lauren.lee@ubc.ca .
Keywords: VRPTGY, ONCS, OE, WGIS, WGLS, INSWE, LSWG