Rate My Professor Don Townsend

Don Townsend serves as Training Specialist in the Organisational Development section of the Human Resources Division at the University of Otago. In this capacity, he contributes to the professional growth of university staff by facilitating access to training programs, resources, and events focused on management, leadership, team dynamics, and presentation skills. His work supports the broader goal of enhancing organisational effectiveness through targeted development opportunities.

Townsend is a designated key contact for several initiatives, including the 'The First 100 Days of a Manager' training course, aimed at helping new managers establish strong foundations in their roles. He played a role in the 2022 Professional Staff Conference, listed as a contact and serving on the organising committee as part of the Learning and Development Team with members Suzy Keene, Heather Day, David Hood, and Ralph Miller; the event encouraged collaborative creation under the theme 'Let’s create something together'. He also provided the 'Top Tips for Presenting' video resource for conference participants. Furthermore, Townsend is the contact for the 'Bite-sized team learning' compendium, a practical guide of short, interactive activities for managers and teams. This includes icebreakers like 'Share a story', 'Human Billboards', 'Songs of my life', and 'My Typical Day' using the Four Quadrant Activity; workshops on team purpose, stakeholder mapping, and value creation; values exercises with a grid identifying positive and negative climate factors leading to a team values statement; team charter development outlining fair and foul behaviours; communication styles using coloured personalities; case studies on communication under pressure and conflict resolution; 'Innovation ping pong' for rapid idea generation; roles and responsibilities mapping; and 'Attitude anchors' for reflecting on positive mindsets, supported by video and bookmarks. Additionally, he has delivered seminars such as time management for the School of Surveying and contributed photography to university news features.