Here is what one person emailed me after I sent an email titled ‘Hysterical Team Video – how teams truly behave’: “I have reviewed the video. I would like to draw your attention to using this video which exploits animals. Please notice the bull has a strap that irritates him (the same is done with […]
Yesterday I wrote about a nightmarish workshop setup I walked into and had to improvise on the spot. You can read about it here if you missed it! Making lemonade from lemons… I quickly popped in an Altoid, just in case, for the people in front of me, took a deep breath and got […]
Anyone who leads workshops or provides training will relate to this recent nightmare of mine. I literally had a dream about it last night and just had to share it… Last November I had the opportunity to provide our Mindset of a Legend training to 25 HR executives from GE. This is, quite frankly, the […]
Many companies today think that email and mobile phone communications can solve all of their communications problems, but they can’t. In person meetings, conferences and activities work because they are face-to-face, which is essential for all sensitive communications. Professor Albert Mehrabian has pioneered the understanding of communications since the 1960’s. He received his Ph.D. […]
A balance between group and individual learning is the most exciting process a facilitator can create. By understanding the process of individual and group development, a facilitator can create an experience to match individual and group needs. Below is a handout for your group, based upon Tuckman’s Model, that may help them understand where they […]
This is a great tool to use in the beginning to help create a learning debrief, especially for new facilitators, to help provide some structure to the debrief. Have them fill out individually before group debrief. Three ways that we helped each other to complete the activity were: Three areas we could have worked together […]
Below is a Pie Chart that represents 100% of the entire activity and is broken into 12 separate slices. Please list below the difficult areas that your group faced and shade the areas that correspond to the degree of difficulty. If 6 key areas were identified, assign the slices according to the degree of […]
This is a series of questions you can ask people to complete prior to coming together, use as a paired activity in the beginning or simply give them a few minutes in the beginning to ponder and then share. We have used this many times when a group is first forming, in conference settings […]
Together Each Individual Achieves More Who is responsible for making this a great training session? Who is going to make this organization a place to enjoy? Who is going to make the world a better place? Who is going to hold me accountable? I am!
The Full Value Contract was introduced as a setup tool and below are some additional agreements you can use: Be present Pay attention Speak your truth Be open to outcomes Create a safe environment [hr] I will value myself and others. I will behave in a way that keeps myself and others safe. I […]
This full value contract asks you to agree to these five commitments as guidelines for group participation. Because I care about myself and my group, I agree to: Work Together: I with my group in order to achieve both my own goals and the goals of the group. I will support the group in achieving our goals. […]
Plus Delta Feedback Tool Plus Delta originated from Total Quality Management and is a Lean Six Sigma tool. The Plus Delta is a great tool to help you stay in alignment with your group over a longer period – a workshop or a retreat is great and a longer project is event better. The tool […]
Chris Argyris (1990) describes the progressive process of making observations, gathering information, making assumptions, and deciding action as being similar to climbing up on a “ladder of inference.” This concept was later used by Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Starting at the bottom of the […]
Chris Argyris Ladder of Inference describes the progressive process of making observations, gathering information, making assumptions, and deciding action as being similar to climbing up on a “ladder of inference.” This concept was later used by Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Starting at the bottom […]
The ‘Fimage Factor’ is Fear of IMAGE. If we were to summarize in a word why people wear masks, it would be FIMAGE. People spend thousands of dollars and hours every year to cultivate their personal image. This image defines them. People begin to develop this image in early adolescence and by the time they […]
Almost every one of us has a graduate degree from/in MSU – Making Stuff Up! I typically poke fun at myself and say, “I am not sure how many of you know, but I have a Ph.D. in MSU! Did you know that? Yeah, MSU – Making Stuff Up!“ We constantly make stuff up. With […]
Created by Don Miguel Ruiz, if you commit to living these agreements, it WILL change your life. It is also a great set of agreements for a group to agree to at the beginning of the day. You can use this as part of your Full Value Contract or as a standalone set of agreements. […]
The Two Wolves Legend is a great parable to help participants make a conscious decision to actively participate. An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he […]
This is a great parable to help participants make a conscious decision to actively participate. An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, […]
This is quite possibly the easiest method of participant buy-in you have in your arsenal. In front of the group simply ask: “Who feels they cannot improve <insert topic, i.e. communication> 10%?” 99.9% of the time, everyone will raise their hand. (This is not saying that the same people are not trying as hard as […]
Running a new activity can be terrifying. We know as we are trying new activities all the time and sometimes they don’t work the way I thought they would. DO NOT FEAR! We are here to help you pick and execute the perfect activity for your group that is guaranteed to be awesome. Selecting an […]
