Pre-Conference Workshops

Sunday, July 31st (Pre-Registration Required)

This year’s Pre-Conference Workshops consist of formal educational presentations on subjects to advance general and specific knowledge of TDM functions and issues, research topics, marketing or policy initiatives for professional development and advancement. All pre-conference workshops take place on Sunday ONLY. There is a fee for all workshops except for the Volunteer Leaders Workshop. That one is FREE to all members.

Earn 5 TDM-CP Credits Per Workshop

Pricing

Before July 8th:
Member Rate: $95.00
Non-Member: $115.00

After July 8th:
Member Rate: $115.00
Non-Member: $135.00

Note: If you’ve already registered, you can go in and edit your registration by following these steps:

1. Login at www.actweb.org (if you need login assistance, please reach out to Casey at cmurphy@actweb.org or 202-792-5801 x 102)
2. Visit your Profile
3. Click the Activities tab to view your ACT registration history
4. Click the pencil icon to edit your registration. You’ll see any new registration options show up on this page. Select the ones you want and then proceed to the next page to review.
5. On the last page, you’ll be able to review your new selection and submit.

9:00AM – 12:00PM

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion 101 and Understanding Implicit Bias
We live in a rapidly changing social environment and, as a result, need to continuously incorporate new language and behavior into our communication to include others.  Otherwise we may inadvertently make comments about individual differences (race, sexual orientation, gender, etc.) or behave in ways that offend other staff members or make clients feel uncomfortable.

In this training session, participants will learn the basics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and increase their awareness of unconscious assumptions/biases about different groups of people.  Participants will also learn strategies for respectfully communicating across a wide range of differences.  Course topics include:

• The many dimensions of diversity (personality, language, gender, age, race, geographic background, communication style, sexual orientation, etc.)
• How individual differences can influence communication between staff members and with clients
• How the Impact of one’s comments/behaviors on others can differ from one’s Intent
• Social messages about different groups of people
• Subtle comments / behaviors that can be perceived as disrespectful by others
• Develop a greater understanding of your own Blind Spots with online assessment
• Responding to co-worker comments that make you feel uncomfortable
• Participating responsibly in a conversation about your comment that made someone uncomfortable
• Develop you own Action Plan for increasing inclusion in your relationships

Lead by:
Catherine Popowits, Founder and President, Diversity Training & Consulting, Inc.
Kiki Dohman, Transportation Options Coordinator, Cherriots | Chair, ACT DEI Committee
David Sorrell, TDM-CP, Transportation Demand Management Administrator & Alternative/Commuter Transportation Manager, UC Berkeley Parking & Transportation Department | Co-Chair, ACT DEI Committee

Shifting Traveler Behaviors with Motivational Interviewing
How often do you feel like your outreach efforts do not inspire people to change their travel behaviors? Do you find that people listen politely to your call to action or even agree with it, but rarely follow through? The problem may not be the message, but rather how it is delivered.

In this interactive workshop, we will introduce you to motivational interviewing and provide you with tools, tips, and strategies to exercise the technique.

What is Motivational Interviewing?

Motivational Interviewing is a goal-oriented and participant-centered coaching approach used by public health professionals to help people change their behavior, such as giving up smoking or increasing physical activity. In the context of Transportation Demand Management programs, it can be used to guide someone through the process of finding a transportation solution that works for them. By identifying their path and building self-efficacy, participants feel more empowered and are more likely to make a lasting change.

Takeaways

• Understand the principles that make Motivational Interviewing effective in behavior change.
• Learn and practice tangible skills for using Motivational Interviewing in your work.
• Explore how Motivational Interviewing can be applied to TDM programs and outreach.

Lead by:
Anton Cox, Air Quality Program Manager, Capital Area Council of Governments
Kate Harrington, Membership Outreach and Engagement Manager, Movability

1:00PM – 4:00PM

Grant Writing for Beginners and Intermediary Experts
Many TDM practitioners have many bright ideas but due to limited funding, only a fraction of those ideas get implemented, and in some cases, none. However, few ever consider supplementing their budgets with external funding from grants. And even those few who consider writing for grants quickly get discouraged after some rejections. This is typically due to limited skills on writing effective grant or resource mobilization proposals in general. Grant writing is a skill that must be learned and practiced.

It has been said that there are many grant monies out there that go unused because of limited absorptive capacity. In many cases, rather than not having a need, it is typically due to poorly written grant proposals. Hence the need for skills development for effective grant writing.In this hands-on workshop, participants will develop draft grant proposals based on actual calls for grant applications. Participants will be asked to identify any calls for grant proposals on their topic of interest. The trainers will also identify current TDM related calls for proposals which some participants might be interested in. Working in groups, participants will he helped to draft the proposal which they will be encouraged to complete and submit after the workshop. Technical support will be offered during the conference period, even after the Sunday workshop.

While the workshop will review the nature and structure of grant proposals based on the generic calls, participants will be given pre-workshop assignment to identify a specific call or be provided with a current TDM related call that would specify its structure in preparation for the workshop. Below is the tentative workshop outline.

20 minutes – Introduction to Grant Writing30 minutes – Review of Sample Grant Proposals20 minutes – Deriving Emerging Components of Grant Proposals60 Minutes – Group Drafting of Respective Grant Proposals40 minutes – Group Presentation & Critique of Respective Grant Proposals10 minutes – Concluding Remarks and Way Forward

Lead by:
Francis Wambalaba, Professor, United States International University
Julie Bond, Senior Research Associate, Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida

Volunteer Leaders Workshop
This free workshop offers all ACT members currently in chapter and council leader positions hands-on training to take their leadership to the next level. After the three-hour workshop, attendees will come away with a better understanding of how they can plan for better chapter and council success. Attendees will learn details about ACT including the strategic plan; membership structure and recruitment; operational strategies; and review case studies related to chapter and council leader roles. This workshop is highly encouraged for those in current leadership positions, but those interested in future chapter and council leader positions are welcome to attend.

Lead by:
Elizabeth Denton, Membership Experience Manager, ACT
Maureen Farrell, Deputy Executive Director, GVF
David McMaster, TDM-CP, Founder/Principal, Transportation DM, LLC