Building and Sustaining Trust from edX

What's inside

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, the learner will be able to:
Recognize how trust in the workplace affects business results
Analyze their role in building and sustaining trust

Identify common workplace behaviors that can build, sustain, or break trust; demonstrate behaviors that show they trust others, as well as give people the confidence to trust them
Use interaction skills to foster open communication, build and maintain trusting relationships, and repair damaged ones

At the end of this course, the learner will be able to:
Recognize how trust in the workplace affects business results
Analyze their role in building and sustaining trust
Identify common workplace behaviors that can build, sustain, or break trust; demonstrate behaviors that show they trust others, as well as give people the confidence to trust them
Use interaction skills to foster open communication, build and maintain trusting relationships, and repair damaged ones

Syllabus

Let’s Get Started: Learners introduce themselves and share the trust-building actions they identified in their Course Prep. The group discusses the challenges they read about in Course Prep, then discusses the business impact and benefits of high-trust relationships in the workplace.

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Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Focuses on practical skills, such as identifying trust-building actions and repairing damaged trust, which are essential for effective leadership

Explores the impact of trust on business results, which is a critical consideration for leaders aiming to improve organizational performance

Examines common workplace behaviors that build or break trust, which helps leaders cultivate a positive and productive work environment

Requires learners to share personal experiences of damaging or breaking trust, which may be uncomfortable for some individuals

Presented by Washington University in St. Louis, an institution recognized for its business programs and research in organizational behavior

Reviews summary

Practical frameworks for workplace trust

According to learners, this course provides actionable strategies and practical tools for understanding and improving trust in professional relationships. Students found the focus on specific concepts like Trust Builders and Trust Breakers particularly useful for identifying positive and negative behaviors. The course structure, including skill practice sessions, was noted as helpful for applying concepts. While many reviewers found the content highly relevant and immediately applicable, especially those newer to these topics, some more experienced learners felt the content could be slightly basic. Overall, the reception is largely positive for individuals seeking foundational relationship skills.

Provides a solid foundation, potentially basic.

"This course is excellent if you are new to these concepts of trust building."

"For someone with prior experience in leadership training, it might feel a bit basic or repetitive."

"It provides a solid foundation but could benefit from more advanced scenarios for experienced professionals."

Clearly defines Trust Builders and Breakers.

"The distinction between Trust Builders and Breakers is very clear and easy to grasp."

"Understanding Trust Breakers helped me identify my own pitfalls and areas for improvement."

"The course provides a clear definition of trust concepts relevant to leadership."

Includes helpful exercises and practice sessions.

"The skill practice sessions were incredibly useful for applying the concepts in a simulated environment."

"I found the activities and exercises in the course highly engaging and reinforced learning."

"Practicing the conversations helped solidify my understanding of how to use the tools effectively."

Directly helps improve professional interactions.

"This course really helped me rethink how I interact with colleagues and build rapport."

"The principles taught directly impact my ability to build trust with my team and stakeholders."

"It changed my perspective on relationship dynamics in the office and gave me confidence."

Offers actionable strategies for the workplace.

"I learned practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work."

"The concepts like Trust Builders are very actionable and easy to integrate into daily interactions."

"Provides a clear framework for improving relationships at work based on tangible actions."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Building and Sustaining Trust with these activities:

Review Communication Styles

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Familiarize yourself with different communication styles to better understand how trust is built and broken in various interactions.

Browse courses on Communication Styles

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Research different communication styles such as assertive, passive, and aggressive.
Reflect on your own communication style and identify areas for improvement.
Consider how different communication styles might impact trust in a team setting.

Read 'The Speed of Trust'

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Gain a deeper understanding of the principles and practices of building trust by reading a highly regarded book on the subject.

View Smart Trust on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'The Speed of Trust' by Stephen M.R. Covey.
Read the book, paying close attention to the key principles and strategies for building trust.
Reflect on how the concepts in the book relate to your own experiences and challenges in building trust.

Practice Active Listening

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Improve your active listening skills through peer practice, which is crucial for building empathy and trust.

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Partner with a classmate or colleague.
Take turns sharing a personal experience related to trust (either building or breaking).
Practice active listening skills while your partner is speaking, focusing on understanding their perspective.
Provide constructive feedback to each other on your listening skills.

Four other activities

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Read 'Dare to Lead'

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Explore the role of vulnerability and courage in leadership by reading a book that emphasizes these qualities.

View Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations.... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'Dare to Lead' by Brené Brown.
Read the book, focusing on the concepts of vulnerability, courage, and empathy.
Reflect on how these concepts relate to your own leadership style and how you can incorporate them into your interactions with others.

Write a Reflection on Trust Breakers

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Solidify your understanding of trust breakers by reflecting on personal experiences and analyzing their impact.

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Identify a situation where you experienced a breach of trust.
Describe the situation in detail, focusing on the actions that led to the breach.
Analyze the impact of the breach on the relationship and the overall outcome.
Reflect on what could have been done differently to prevent the breach or repair the damage.

Implement a Trust-Building Initiative

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Apply the course concepts by designing and implementing a trust-building initiative in your workplace or community.

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Identify an area where trust needs improvement in your workplace or community.
Develop a plan for a trust-building initiative, incorporating the principles and strategies learned in the course.
Implement the initiative and track its progress.
Evaluate the results and make adjustments as needed.

Mentor a Colleague on Trust Building

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Reinforce your understanding of trust-building principles by mentoring a colleague and sharing your knowledge.

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Identify a colleague who is interested in learning more about trust-building.
Meet with your colleague regularly to discuss the course concepts and share your insights.
Provide guidance and support as your colleague implements trust-building strategies in their own work.
Reflect on your own learning and growth as a result of the mentoring experience.

Career center

Learners who complete Building and Sustaining Trust will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Mediator

Mediators help people involved in a dispute to resolve conflict, and this course is particularly suited for them. Building trust between parties is essential when trying to reach an agreement. The course discussions on Trust Builders and Breakers applies directly to this field. Understanding how to repair damaged trust is a primary skill of a mediator. Mediators will also find the skill practice sessions to be extremely pertinent to their work.

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Ombudsman

An ombudsman provides impartial dispute resolution services within an organization and must build trust with all parties involved. The course's emphasis on identifying Trust Builders and Breakers is essential to their daily work. The course's focus on skill practice and repairing trust relationships is exceptionally useful for an ombudsman to resolve conflict, and create a trusting environment where all parties feel comfortable sharing concerns.

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Employee Relations Specialist

Employee Relations Specialists address workplace issues and conflicts. This role requires the ability to build and maintain trusting relationships. This course is especially relevant because it provides strategies for identifying, building, maintaining, and repairing trust. The course's focus on open communication and interaction skills to repair damaged trust can directly improve the effectiveness of an Employee Relations Specialist.

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Team Lead

Team Leads need to build strong, trusting relationships within their team, and this course is well suited for that purpose. They guide their team to achieve goals and must create a safe environment where team members can take risks, identify issues, and collaborate effectively. The course's emphasis on trust building actions, key principles, and skill practice is very relevant to the daily functions of a team lead. This course is particularly valuable for developing the ability to foster open communication, build and maintain trust, and repair damaged relationships.

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Customer Success Manager

Customer Success Managers cultivate relationships with clients and ensure they achieve success using their company's services. They must build and maintain trusting relationships with clients to retain business. This course is particularly useful for its emphasis on building relationships and recognizing trust-breaking actions. Additionally, the course's content on applying interaction skills to foster open communication and repair damaged trust are essential attributes of a Customer Success Manager.

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Project Manager

A Project Manager is responsible for leading project teams and ensuring successful project completion. Trust is vital to project success, as teams must be able to collaborate effectively and resolve conflicts. The course will help project managers understand how trust affects business results. The discussion the group has about trust's importance in the workplace provides important context. Additionally, this course's focus on the identification of Trust Builders and Breakers is critical for improving project team interactions, and the skill practice of how to repair damaged trust is highly relevant.

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Social Worker

Social workers assist individuals with various needs by building trusting relationships with clients and families. They often work with clients experiencing complex issues, so understanding how to build and repair trust is critical. This course's emphasis on understanding the impact of trust, common behaviors that build or break trust, and the use of interaction skills is highly relevant for this field. The skill practice sessions in particular will be helpful to a social worker, especially how to repair damaged trust. An advanced degree is typically required for this role.

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Organizational Development Specialist

Organizational Development Specialists focus on improving the effectiveness of an organization through various interventions, and this course may be helpful for them. They play a key role in building and sustaining trust within teams. This course, with its identification of Trust Builders and Breakers, along with skill practice in repairing damaged trust, may be helpful for this role. The course's focus on applying interaction skills to foster open communication is also very useful to improve organizational health.

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Nonprofit Program Manager

Nonprofit Program Managers oversee the planning and execution of programs that help further the mission of their organization, and this course may be useful for them. They must foster trusting relationships with volunteers, staff, and the community. This course's emphasis on how trust affects business results is critical for ensuring programs run smoothly and relationships are maintained. The course's focus on identifying Trust Builders and Breakers, and the practice of repairing damaged trust is very applicable to daily tasks.

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Executive Coach

Executive coaches assist leaders in developing their skills and achieving their goals, and this course may be useful for them. They build trusting relationships with their clients in order to help them grow. The course's emphasis on trust building actions, communication skills, and skill practice gives coaches the tools they need to address the personal needs of leaders. This course can help executive coaches better understand how trust impacts business results, and how to identify and respond to damaged trust.

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Communications Manager

A Communications Manager is responsible for developing and implementing communication strategies, and this course may be beneficial to them. This role often requires working with various teams and stakeholders, so building trust while delivering messages is key. The course's emphasis on developing interaction skills is critical to this role's success. By learning to recognize the Trust Builders and Breakers, and practicing how to repair damaged trust, this role will be empowered to lead successful workplace communication.

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Human Resources Manager

A Human Resources Manager cultivates a positive work environment and handles employee relations, and this course may be useful to them. They must build trust with employees, as well as foster trusting relationships among colleagues. The course focuses on identifying common workplace behavior that can build or break trust, which is essential for maintaining a healthy work culture. Understanding Trust Builders and Breakers, and practicing repairing trust will benefit HR managers. Their ability to foster open communication and resolve conflicts is reinforced by the course's focus on interaction skills.

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Operations Manager

Operations managers oversee the daily operations of a company or department to make sure that they run smoothly, and this course may be useful for them. This role requires strong leadership and the ability to facilitate a productive working environment. The course's emphasis on Trust Builders and Breakers can significantly help improve team dynamics and efficiency of business processes. This course may be especially helpful for developing the crucial skills of fostering cooperation among team members by using interaction skills to build trust and repair damaged trust.

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Training and Development Specialist

Training and Development Specialists design and deliver programs to enhance employee skills and performance, and this course may be useful for them. Understanding how trust impacts business results is important for creating effective training programs. The course's discussion of Trust Builders and Breakers can be directly translated into training content to improve workplace dynamics. The course's focus on interaction skills, and fostering open communication will help a training specialist design and deliver content to a diverse set of learners.

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Management Consultant

Management Consultants advise organizations on how to improve their performance, and this course may be useful for them. These professionals work with a variety of clients and teams, so the ability to quickly build trust is critical to success. The course provides the knowledge and skills to recognize how trust affects business results, and how to identify and apply Trust Builders and Breakers. They must be able to communicate and interact effectively, skills that are covered by this course, in order to build and maintain relationships with their clients.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Building and Sustaining Trust.

Smart Trust

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Provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and building trust in personal and professional relationships. It emphasizes the importance of trust as a key driver of business results and offers practical strategies for increasing trust in various contexts. The book valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their ability to build and sustain trusting relationships. It provides additional depth to the course by exploring the economic impact of trust.

Dare to Lead

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Brené Brown's 'Dare to Lead' explores the importance of vulnerability, courage, and empathy in leadership. It provides practical guidance on how to cultivate these qualities in yourself and others, which are essential for building trust and fostering strong relationships. is particularly useful for understanding the emotional aspects of trust and how to create a culture of psychological safety. It adds breadth to the course by exploring the role of vulnerability in leadership.

Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations....

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Building and Sustaining Trust

What's inside

Learning objectives

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Practical frameworks for workplace trust

Activities

Career center

Reading list

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