I will often get emails requesting my attention throughout each day, which isn't a problem when I'm not teaching. However, when I am teaching a class I find that setting my OOF (Out of Office) attendant helps with avoiding these interruptions. I set my OOF to respond with a message stating I'm training all week and will respond to emails during lunch and between 4-5pm. Doing this has practically eliminated any problems I've had with people saying I wasn't responding to their emails within a reasonable amount of time. This allows me to focus on outside problems outside of the classroom.

I have 19 faculty members in my team and additional 15 administrators on campus that I support. How do I manage my time effectively if I have random people running to my office because "the sky is falling" on a daily basis?

Training..... I live by the standard, "One is never too old to learn" and "Practice makes perfect".... which applies to everything in life, being it learning to bake a cake, an academical course or technical skill,....The more you do it, the better you become at it, as you will learn from your mistakes or successes, and do it better and better... Would you agree that any method of learning, being it through lecturing, CEU'S (continuing education, on-line, etc adds to a person's formal learning. If so, can you share those?

A great opportunity arised but you feel that you don't have the right skill set for it, how would you handle this?

Hi, I'm finding it very difficult to compete with my student's busy lives. They are taking three classes, working full time and trying to do 12 hours of homework a week. All this while being active young people who seem like they've never learned how to sit still or prioritize things. I tried to give them some of the strategies from this training. They seemed to listen, but time will tell. Any ideas out there?

One of the things I like to do when I'm feeling stressed it to take my thoughts elsewhere to focus on something positive or something I can look forward to. Learning something new on how to handle people or different scenarios gives me hope that things that otherwise often feel out of our control, are actually within our control. If there is a person that you are having difficulty getting along with, there are tons of resources that teach you how to communicate with people like that. In the end, I feel much more knowledgeable and ready to take control. It's all about taking initiative to be better and learn more about how to overcome your own obstacles.

If you cannot find a healthy mix with your work/life balance, should you begin looking for another job....is it worth it?

Do the mini breathing techniques work as well as the full relaxation technique because obviouly they would be easier to achieve during the workday

Consistent training helps the mind stay alert! It also keeps things interesting as employees are able to continually learn and evolve their skillsets.

I use social media daily. At times it is frustrating that I have so many channels to monitor and respond to. I have interactions daily on my blogs, my website contact form, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, texting, and several email accounts. I try to be as connected as possible with students, faculty, and the community. At the same time, Other instructors do not. Am I crazy for trying to stay current with technology trends or just overextending myself? Anyone else feel this way?

As we all know, there are good and bad stressors. In life, we must learn that we need stress as a catalyst to improve. Stress isn't always negative. If I achieve the goals set forth for me at work, then idea of not achieving the goals are considered a stressor; a stressor that keeps my bills paid none the less. Just as many of our students would like to earn an A, it takes work to do so. Therefore receiving a bad grade is a stressor to achieve the A which they want.

A lot of it was a review but it's nice to see an organization willing to remind people about the importance contained within the subject.

I thought it was a good idea to share with co workers and close friends to relieve some pressure that is built up inside,this way we can see from a different point of view.

This is a valuable topic--the most important aspect here is to establish that the content of the training has been comprehended by the trainees. To address this, and assessment is necessary, and the assessment needs to be effective. A Q&A over basic content is useful, but questions in which the knowledge is applied will provide a better tool to assess the effectiveness of the training. Questions containing scenario-based case studies will be the most useful here. I welcome all input! Thanks! Richard--

I find that I have to remind myself that a job, is just a job. When my home life suffers, everything else suffers along with it. Sometimes it is hard to remember to balance the two.

I start the day with all the topics that I want to cover for the class. Then I assign time limit for each topic. When we reach that time I would move on to the next topic. I would allocate some time at the end for further discussion on certain topics that we could not complete at the time limit zone. Is that appropriate for me to do?

Stress in life is unavoidable, but how you deal with it will determine it's ultimate effect. One of the most important things you can do with a stressful situation is to analyze it rationally and determine what productive action you CAN take, and recognize what you can't control. As an example...I am finishing a term in which I am teaching 13 classes simultaneously--this is the largest workload I've ever taken on. Prior to the beginning of the term, I felt as if this might overwhelm me, but using a systematic approach, I have limited the stress considerably. One of my major concerns was grading all the exams and quizzes for all of these classes..normally this would have been a herculean task, but I reasoned that if I changed my assessment methods for some of the courses I teach, then I could split the load between myself and my wife (who graciously helped me throughout the semester). I provided her with well written KEYS to the exams and quizzes she agreed to grade, leaving me to assess the written and online classes for that term. This reduced my stress level considerably, while allowing her to provide valuable input regarding my assessments and my student's performance. The lesson I learned, is that...if you need help--ask for it! I'd look forward to learning how the rest of the forum members deal with stress in their jobs. Thanks!

I can share a wealth of knowledge regarding this topic. I have been personally faced with the following conundrum: What does an employee do when his/her boss requests (with the threat of termination) that you do something that is unethical? The situation I'm relating occurred over 20 years ago--I was a manager in charge of a project which was failing to generate the data my supervisor wanted to see. The supervisor demanded that I produce (aka fabricate) the desired data or lose my job. My choice was clear. I took the blame for the failure of the project and quit the job. While I didn't approve of my supervisor's behavior, it was not my place to criticize my supervisor and allow others working on the project to become aware of it while potentially putting their jobs in jeopardy. This was the most difficult decision I had ever made, but it did the least harm to the least number of people. The outcome, ultimately, was that (after many years), the initial results of the project produced during my tenure were proven accurate, and, ultimately, a new approach was adapted. In a sense, I was vindicated. I welcome any input

Multi tasking can at times be less productive if you are constantly making errors you have to correct.

Some stress is normal and even useful. Stress can help if you need to work hard or react quickly. For example, it can help you win a race or finish an important job on time. But if stress happens too often or lasts too long, it can have bad effects. It can be linked to headaches, an upset stomach, back pain, and trouble sleeping. It can weaken your immune system, making it harder to fight off disease. If you already have a health problem, stress may make it worse. It can make you moody, tense, or depressed. Your relationships may suffer, and you may not do well at work or school. What can you do about stress? The good news is that you can learn ways to manage stress. To get stress under control: Find out what is causing stress in your life. Look for ways to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Learn healthy ways to relieve stress or reduce its harmful effects.