Autumn 2026 programme

Learning events

Workshops, seminars, career talks and community discussions run by the centre. Sessions are small, practical and free to attend. In-person events run in our Rideau Street rooms; online sessions run on Eastern Time with live captioning.

To register, email info@wiltimply.info with the session name, or telephone (613) 555-0148 during business hours. We hold a small number of places for people who register late; if a session shows as full, ask anyway.

Community workshops

Two hours, in person, capped at eighteen people. You work on your own material and leave with something finished.

Online seminars

Sixty to ninety minutes, captioned, recorded and published afterwards with the slides and notes.

Career talks

Practitioners describing how their working life actually went, followed by open questions.

Skill-building sessions

Short, focused practice on one technique, usually over a lunch hour.

Upcoming

September to December 2026

All times are Eastern. Sessions are added roughly a term ahead; if a topic you want is not listed, tell us — the programme is largely shaped by what people ask for at the support desk.

18Sep

Writing that survives a busy inbox

A working session on structuring messages so that the decision is visible in the first three lines. We cover the four shapes most workplace documents take, the arithmetic of the skim, and how to make a request that cannot be misread. Bring two real messages you found difficult to write; you will leave with both rewritten and a method you can reuse.

Facilitated by our editorial team. Suitable for any role. No preparation required beyond bringing your two messages.

Community workshopIn person2 hours18 places

Friday 18 September 2026, 1:00–3:00 PM · 240 Rideau Street, Suite 410, Ottawa · Pairs with the professional writing guide.

02Oct

Preparing for an interview you care about

Research that changes your answers, building a bank of eight stories, handling the question you least want, and the four questions worth asking a panel. The last half hour is a practice round in small breakout groups, with structured peer feedback rather than general encouragement.

Recorded and published afterwards with the slides. Live captioning provided.

Online seminar90 minutesCaptionedRecorded

Friday 2 October 2026, 12:00–1:30 PM · Online · Pairs with the interview preparation guide.

09Oct

Skill session: planning a week that holds

One technique, one hour. We do the capacity arithmetic together, fill in the weekly planner for the coming week, and talk through what to do when the plan meets a bad Tuesday. You leave with next week already planned.

Skill sessionOnline60 minutes

Friday 9 October 2026, 12:00–1:00 PM · Online · Bring the weekly planner, printed or on screen.

21Oct

Career talk: changing fields at mid-career

Three people who moved between sectors — from teaching into public service, from hospitality into logistics, and from engineering into policy — describe what transferred, what did not, how long it took and what they would do differently. Forty minutes of conversation, thirty-five of open questions from the floor and the chat.

Career talkHybrid75 minutesCaptioned

Wednesday 21 October 2026, 5:30–6:45 PM · In person and online · Pairs with the career change roadmap.

05Nov

Giving feedback before it becomes a problem

For anyone who leads people or works closely alongside them. We practise the situation-behaviour-effect pattern on real examples, rehearse opening lines aloud in pairs, and work through what to do when feedback is not accepted. Uncomfortable and, by most accounts afterwards, the most useful two hours we run.

Community workshopIn person2 hours16 places

Thursday 5 November 2026, 1:00–3:00 PM · 240 Rideau Street, Suite 410, Ottawa · Pairs with leadership fundamentals.

19Nov

Meetings that end with decisions

How the invitation designs the meeting, how to take input before opinion, and how to close in two minutes with actions everyone heard. Includes a review of a genuine recurring meeting volunteered by a participant, rebuilt live with the group.

Online seminar60 minutesCaptionedRecorded

Thursday 19 November 2026, 12:00–1:00 PM · Online · Pairs with the meeting management guide.

03Dec

Community discussion: the first year of work

An open evening discussion for people in their first or second job, and for those who supervise them. No presentation; we start from three questions and follow the room. Recent graduates, newcomers to Canada and people returning to work after time away are all particularly welcome.

Community discussionIn person90 minutesRefreshments

Thursday 3 December 2026, 5:30–7:00 PM · 240 Rideau Street, Suite 410, Ottawa · Pairs with the early career roadmap.

11Dec

Skill session: notes you will actually reread

Retrieval practice, rewriting rather than copying, and a note structure that survives a year in a drawer. Sixty minutes, with fifteen spent doing it rather than hearing about it.

Skill sessionOnline60 minutes

Friday 11 December 2026, 12:00–1:00 PM · Online · Pairs with the learning templates.

Attending

Practical information

Registration

Email or telephone the support desk. We ask for a name and, for in-person sessions, an indication of any access requirements. We do not ask for employer details, and we do not add anyone to a mailing list without an explicit request.

Cost

All sessions are free. The programme is funded through our operating grant and community partnerships, and we do not charge, upsell or use sessions to promote a paid service.

Accessibility

Our rooms are step-free with an accessible washroom on the same floor. Online sessions are captioned live. Materials are available in large print or plain text on request, and we can arrange ASL or LSQ interpretation with fifteen business days' notice.

If you cannot attend

Seminars are recorded and published with their slides and notes within a week. Workshops are not recorded, because people speak more freely when they are not being filmed; the materials are published instead.

Recent sessions

Notes and slides from these are available on request while we finish adding them to the site.

June 2026 — Delegating for the first time (workshop)
May 2026 — Reading a job posting properly (seminar)
April 2026 — Career talk: working in the public service
March 2026 — Saying no without damage (skill session)
February 2026 — Handovers, absences and coming back (workshop)

Bring a session to your organisation

We run a limited number of sessions each term for libraries, employment centres, settlement agencies, unions and post-secondary programmes across Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec, at no charge. Sessions are educational and never promotional.

Write to the support desk with your audience, approximate numbers and the topic you have in mind, and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right people for it.

Contact the support desk