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If you are planning to attend the OBTC Teaching Conference for Management Educators at the University of North Caroline at Asheville, please consider attending the Interpersonal Relations Lab (known formerly as the OB T-group) as a pre-conference professional development activity. 

All attendees are enthusiastically invited, but we'd like to issue a special invitation to those who are new to OBTC and to doctoral students.  Participation is an excellent way to make connections with members of the OBTS community.  The IR Lab experience has allowed a great many members of OBTS to develop lasting friendships with colleagues who have been supportive over the years, both professionally and personally. 

What is an IR Lab?  It is facilitated experiential learning, focused on the here and now, in an unstructured small group setting. The technology it uses is that of the T-group.  Quality teaching depends on the ability to interact effectively with others, to have sufficient emotional awareness and competence to handle difficult interpersonal situations, and to create emotional intimacy - all of which are skills you can develop in the IR Lab. 

The Interpersonal Relations Lab (known formerly as the OB T-group) has been an OBTC pre-conference activity for the past 23 years.  This year's IR Lab will take place immediately prior to OBTC, from 6:00 pm on Sunday, June 2^nd, to 3:15 pm on Wednesday, June 5^th.  This T-group experience is a true bargain with an all-inclusive cost of $425, compared to NTL's T-group which costs $3450 for tuition plus the cost of hotel and meals.

T-group technology is at the foundation of organizational development and management education.  Its chief limitation lies in that it is very difficult to train persons in its effective and responsible usage.  OBTS has among its members a few who are excellent T-group facilitators and who are willing to provide this service to the IR Lab with no remuneration and out of dedication to their field.  This year we are fortunate to have sufficient facilitators to be able to hold two groups.  The facilitators will be Esther Hamilton (founder and Dean of the IR Lab), Michael London, Dale Finn, and Kenneth Pittman.

You can get more information about the T-group technology and history, view the bios of this year's facilitators, and register and pay for the Interpersonal Relations Lab at the OBTC website: www.OBTC.org.

Do not hesitate to contact the IR Lab Co-Administrator with any questions:

Vanessa Druskat                                                                    

University of New Hampshire                                       

Office: 603-862-3348                                                          

Home: 603-659-2916                                                          

vanessa.druskat@unh.edu                                            

Remember, space in the IR Lab is limited!  If you are interested, don't wait!  You are only assured of a place in the group when you have registered for the conference and completed our separate IR Lab registration process.  Please go to the conference website for specific instructions: www.OBTC.org 

See you at the IR Lab and OBTC!!!

Warm regards,