Professional Staff Conference Success

Congratulations Katie Possingham, Operations Coordinator and Elizabeth Davie, Complex Human Data Hub Administrator for their success presenting at the Professional Staff Conference 2025!

Elizabeth and Katie shared with us their experience running their respective sessions, "In Your Element: Play to Your Strengths” and “Improv 101: The Art of Embracing Uncertainty”

Elizabeth Davie (left) and Katie Possingham (right)

Katie:

“After weeks of people asking us “are you ready?” and us responding “of course – it’s improv!”, the Professional Staff Conference finally arrived and Lauren Sanders (Faculty of Arts) and I were finally presenting our workshop ‘Improv 101: The Art of Embracing Uncertainty’.

Performing has always provided me with a massive dopamine boost, and presenting/facilitating falls into that bucket – so I had a fantastic time! We embraced the uncertainty of not knowing how it would work having to cap numbers and run two concurrent 20-person sessions, and did what we do best… improvised!

Our session was a super quick glimpse into some of the games and exercises designed to build and grow improv skills, with four overall aims: trusting your first instinct; getting ‘out of your head and into your body’; trusting your teammates; and failing happily. We wrapped up by discussing how we could implement these lessons into the workplace. Thirty minutes of lots of laughter later, and we were done!

The whole day was a whirlwind for me, as I was also part of the organising committee in the Logistics Stream. I spent the day wrangling lanyards and nametags, and making sure our therapy dogs found the right patch of carpet!”

Elizabeth:

“My workshop was called “In Your Element: Play to Your Strengths”. The goal was for participants to have fun, move, talk to each other and experience a flow state, being fully present in the moment and lost in what they were doing.

Outside of my role at MSPS I am a performer and a Shiatsu therapist, so I drew on these two modalities for a series of games, techniques and exercises that take you outside of your regular patterns and perspective. The workshop concludes with a chance for participants to reflect on their strengths and challenges from this different perspective.

I had the idea for this workshop a year ago and had been turning it over in the back of my mind since then, so it was exciting to present it at the conference.

I think the Professional Staff Conference is a great event, it’s social as well as professional. I love getting to meet colleagues from across the university and the opportunity it gives us to share knowledge and experience. And the therapy dogs are always a highlight.”