Please Join Us for Conversations Worth Having for Library Employees
OhioNet is hosting its annual in-person Conversations Worth Having session on May 13, 2026, at the OhioNet office in Westerville, Ohio. Conversations shape our libraries, teams, and communities and influence our well-being, relationships, and future possibilities. Yet communication remains one of the top challenges for organizations, teams and relationships — especially when frustration or conflict arises.
This can show up in libraries as:
- Employee disengagement
- Dysfunctional teams, boards or committees
- Inability to give and receive feedback
- Negative attitudes, cliques, and gossip; a culture of “me”
If you’re dealing with any of these, Conversations Worth Having for Library Employees will give you the skills and tools to turn them around. You will learn and practice how to spark meaningful connections, ignite creativity, and empower library employees at all levels to make a difference.
This experiential course is built upon Berrett Kohler’s bestseller, Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement by Cheri Torres and Jackie Stavros: https://conversationsworthhaving.today/.
What You’ll Learn:
- Keep your cool when you want to explode!
- Effectively challenge assumptions and preconceptions, including yours.
- Deal with conflict quickly and effectively.
- Fuel productive and meaningful engagement.
- Communicate successfully with people who hold negative attitudes or defensive positions.
- Give and receive critical feedback in ways that promote learning and high performance.
- Ask the kind of questions that deepen understanding, strengthen connections, and inspire possibility.
- Talk to colleagues in ways that invite them to collaborate on projects and strategic outcomes.
- Listen with genuine curiosity.
- Frame any conversation, even one around a highly complex problem, to inspire creative and innovative thinking.
This training session includes:
- Six hours of live, interactive instruction from Certified Trainers in Conversations Worth Having.
- A manual, workbook journal, and book discussion guide.
- Catered lunch and refreshments.
Registration can be found here: https://www.ohionet.org/event/conversations-worth-having-for-library-employees-at-any-level-2
