Dialogue Days brings business experience into CMU classrooms

For more than 30 years, Dialogue Days has brought alumni and business professionals into Central Michigan University classrooms to help students connect what they are learning with the realities of the workplace.

The College of Business Administration tradition returns Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, creating opportunities for students to hear firsthand perspectives on career paths and the decisions that shape them. Speakers will visit business courses throughout the two-day event, sharing lessons from their experiences and answering students’ questions.

“Dialogue Days has always been about more than networking,” Dean Chris Moberg said. “It’s about connecting students to the real people and experiences that bring business education to life.”

Because many Dialogue Days conversations take place within classes, speakers can connect their professional experiences directly to concepts students are studying. The format also introduces students to different career possibilities and demonstrates that professional paths rarely follow a single, predictable route.

Turning direction into a plan

This year’s program will feature The Clarity Plan, an interactive keynote workshop led by CMU alumnus Kevin Goddard. The workshop will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, in the Grawn Hall atrium.

During the 75-minute session, Goddard will guide students through seven questions designed to help them clarify what they want to accomplish and build a practical plan for moving forward. Participants will consider their purpose, priorities and goals before identifying the people and habits that can help them make progress.

Rather than listening to a traditional keynote, students will spend part of the workshop working with a partner and completing a participant guide. Each student will leave with the first draft of a one-page Clarity Plan and a framework for checking their progress throughout the semester.

Goddard is a 1989 CMU graduate and first-generation college alumnus with more than 30 years of experience across startups, corporate ventures and a mission-driven family office. A strategic planning consultant and executive coach, he has spent much of his career helping organizations connect a clear purpose with measurable goals. His experience includes 16 years within the Rocket Family of Companies and three years in Dan Gilbert’s family office.

The framework Goddard uses with organizational leaders has been adapted for students navigating college, career decisions and competing demands on their attention.

The workshop is designed for students at every class level, and no advance preparation is required. Participant materials, pens and light refreshments will be provided. There is no cost to attend, but registration is requested.

Register for Dialogue Days

Dialogue Days will take place Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 throughout the College of Business Administration. The Clarity Plan workshop will run from 2 to 3:15 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Grawn Hall atrium.