Association of Food and Drug Officials

Association of Food and Drug Officials

Many perspectives, one voice, since 1896.

Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue

Start September 16, 2026

End October 14, 2026

Virtual / Live

About

Tackle Tough Talks with Confidence

Do you ever keep your opinion to yourself and then, when you can’t hold it any longer, blurt it out only to offend or upset others? Do you ever keep silent about a matter, hoping someone else shares your concern and will speak up? Attend our next Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue and learn the skills of the world’s best communicators. Gain the confidence and ability to dialogue when stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong.

Find the full agenda here.

Objectives

  1. Identify problems contributing to poor results and broken relationships.
  2. Identify how to keep composure when feeling angry, defensive, or intimidated.
  3. Discover how to consider others’ perspective and assume they have good reasons before speaking up.
  4. Choose to speak honestly and respectfully.
  5. Develop skills to rRecognize when you’re at cross-purpose and take steps to rebuild safety and return to dialogue.
  6. Discover and cultivate mutual purpose with those who hold opposing viewpoints.
  7. Identify the warning signs that indicate safety and dialogue are at risk.
  8. Determine a purpose that both parties are committed to find common ground.
  9. Construct and environment to bring people back into dialogue when they clam up or blow up.
  10. Utilize each Crucial Conversation into a course of action that leads to results.

Times

Day One: September 16, 2026, 1-3:30 p.m. ET
Day Two: September 21, 2026, 1-3:30 p.m. ET
Day Three: September 30, 2026, 1-3:30 p.m. ET
Day Four: October 7, 2026, 1-3:30 p.m. ET
Day Five: October 14, 2026, 1-3:30 p.m. ET

Who Should Attend

Manufactured Food/Retail/Produce Program Managers, Inspectors, Industry, Associations, Training Coordinators

Location

Travel

Course Length

12.5 hours across five days

Seat Limit

All attendees will earn CEU credits during this training!

Who You Will Learn From

Jennifer Hardy-Tindell
Jennifer Hardy-Tindle
AFDO
Jennifer Hardy-Tindle is the Training Director for AFDO. Her learning and development career has spanned 27 years including a Fortune 50 company working in the food safety industry. Hardy-Tindle's wealth of experience includes instructional design, coaching, performance consulting, project management, and facilitating. She is a certified coach and a licensed facilitator of Myers-Briggs, DISC, and Crucial Conversations. At AFDO, she currently facilitates the Instructional Skills Training course and personal development focused courses and sessions.

Got membership questions? Learn more at afdo.org/join!

Contact afdo@afdo.org for questions about this training.

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AFDO

The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) is a regulatory organization that connects food and medical-products safety stakeholders and impacts the regulatory environment by shaping sound, science-based rules, law, regulations, and sharing best practices that protect public health.