Professional Edge Seminar Series
Practical, Timely, Free
Free One-Hour Webinars for the Workforce
Professional Edge offers complimentary one-hour professional development sessions that allow participants to glean relevant and actionable insight from KU’s faculty and academic programs. Based on their extensive experience in a variety of fields, the faculty present engaging content on pertinent and on-point topics. Please see the schedule below for upcoming webinars.
Customized Employer Professional Development
Organizations seeking private professional development workshops, multi‑session series, or customized curricula are encouraged to partner with the Center for Workplace Excellence (CWE).
Employers may choose from CWE’s portfolio of topics or request a customized solution tailored to their workforce needs.
Learn more about employer solutions through the Center for Workplace Excellence: contact Alex Terwilliger at 785-864-7029
Upcoming webinars
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Optimizing Authentic Feedback | October 21, 2026 | 11:00 am
Explore how to give (and receive!) authentic, constructive feedback in the workplace, for better workplace performance and satisfaction. Join Emily Vietti, Ph.D., for practical tips on giving better, more actionable feedback that can improve individual performance, strengthen team collaboration, and foster a more positive organizational culture. This webinar will also explore ideas about how to separate self from role and how to manage emotions when receiving tough feedback. Finally, you will learn how to ask the right questions to coach your supervisor into giving you better feedback. Vietti is an associate teaching professor in the Organizational Communication graduate program and Professional Studies undergraduate program. She’s also the Civic Engagement Faculty Fellow for the KU Center for Service Learning. Join the webinar and learn to become a more authentic communicator.
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The Value Equation: Why We Choose What We Choose | November 18, 2026 | 11:00 am
The term "value" is used everywhere and often, especially in a business setting. You may not use the term as much at home, but it still drives your choices - from what you purchase to whether you go to an event to which you've been invited. The evaluation of value is so tied into our thinking processes that we probably never take time to actually consider what drives that thinking. In this webinar, we will. Join John Iverson as he breaks down the value equation and helps us look introspectively at how we apply it in our lives.
Learning Objectives:
- Increase awareness of how often we evaluate (assess value).
- Understand the components of value.
- Develop and maintain awareness of the relativistic nature of how we evaluate.
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What Are You Thinking? The Importance of Mindset in Technical Leadership | December 10, 2026 | 12:00 pm
Speaker: Rick Cameron, Ph.D., PE, CPEM
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Operational Management Under Pressure: Lessons from Kansas City’s COVID‑19 Response | January 2027 | 11:00 am
Speaker: Jaysen Van Sickle