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2025 STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

Better Together: Boosting Team Communication through Self-Awareness and Feedback

Effective communication is the foundation of strong teams, and it starts with self-awareness. In this interactive session, we’ll explore how your individual communication style affects team dynamics and what you can do to improve collaboration, trust and clarity. Using the Johari Window model, participants will reflect on how openness and feedback can break down silos and help PSO teams work better together. Whether you’re coordinating programs, supporting clients, managing data, or writing stories, this session will give you practical tools to strengthen everyday communication in your role.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Assess their own communication style and how it impacts team interactions
  2. Explain the Johari Window model and its relevance to workplace communication
  3. Practice techniques for increasing openness and seeking feedback to enhance team effectiveness

Presenter:

Jason Edwards, Public Service Assistant, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, University of Georgia

Jason Edwards is a public service faculty member at the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development. He graduated with a doctorate in educational leadership from UGA and holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in health and physical education from UGA. Prior to his current role, he worked as an instructor for the Department of Kinesiology at UGA, where he taught education courses to aspiring teachers and began new educational partnerships with nearby K-12 public school districts. Edwards was named a recipient of the UGA President’s Fulfilling the Dream award in January 2023. This is a university-wide award that recognizes individuals in the UGA and Athens-Clarke County communities who have worked to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of equality and justice a reality.

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