in this issue
	Activity: Freeze! Giving Feedback - Making It Safe Empowering Team Development Big Training for Small Budgets

Activity: Freeze!

This exercise illustrates the impact of body language on our message and our ability to influence others. Divide class into pairs. Have one partner stand with their hands up, a big smile, and eyes wide - and hold that position. Then instruct them to tell about one of their most dissapointing experiences without shifting their position. Next, have the other partner sit down, slouch in the chair, and frown - and hold that position. Then instruct them to tell their partner about one of their most exciting life experiences. Debrief by asking questions such as: How difficult was it to talk about something that didn't mirror your body position? How did your ability to describe the situation change? What was it like as the listener? How convincing were they in their descriptions? Summarize by emphasizing the importance of matching your body language to your message. If you want to be taken seriously, be sure that all of the messages you send are consistent.

Giving Feedback - Making It Safe

It's tough for people to give feedback to others, even when it's their job. If you're teaching people to give feedback, try this approach. Begin the workshop by telling the group that they will be asked to give you feedback about your training approach during this training, so they should be noticing what you do well and what you can improve. Then teach several hours of the workshop as you normally would. After they have had a good opportunity to observe you as a trainer, begin the discussion about how to give feedback. Cover the key learning points. Then have them practice by meeting in pairs and agreeing on 2 pieces of feedback for you - two ways that you can improve as a trainer. Have each person deliver one piece of feedback. As they do, respond as you would like them to respond when they hear feedback. Debrief with questions about how difficult (or easy) it was, and how this relates to the feedback they must give on the job. You can accomplish three objectives with this activity: they practice giving feedback, they observe how to hear feedback, and you get some ideas for becoming a better trainer.

Empowering Team Development

We are sometimes asked to facilitate team building sessions. And it's great fun to work with teams to help them improve. The challenge is to find a way to have a lasting impact on a team when you only have 1-2 days with them. We've begun to make that happen by empowering teams to continue their development without us and creating a path to make that happen. Here's an example of how it works. In a recent team building session, we worked with a fairly new leadership team in a plant. The plant manager wanted the group to have more loyalty to the team than to their individual departments. Before the meeting, we sent each team member a copy of the book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, along with instructions to read the book and prepare to discuss it in the meeting. We had a great discussion during the team building, and they were able to see many similiarities between the team described and their current behavior. There were many other activities and discussions during the meeting, and at the end, they were motivated to continue their development and discussion about how they work as a team. We created a development path that includes several reading assignments. Every 6-8 weeks they will each receive a new book to read. That book will be discussed in an upcoming staff meeting, which is led by the plant manager. And so we continue to support their development, without creating a permanent dependence on us. Everyone wins!

Big Training for Small Budgets

Are you responsible for training in a small company? Do you find it difficult to support training needs when you don't have enough people to fill a class. Public seminars are not the only option for developing your people. Here are three ideas for developing on a budget. Idea Number 1: Establish a book club to develop skills in a specific competency. You provide the book and the meeting space, they read the book, and you facilitate a discussion meeting each month. This is low cost, requires minimal time, and reinforces the idea that they are responsible for their own development. Idea Number 2: Partner with other small companies in your area. Chances are there are others with the same challenges as you. Find 3-4 other organizations and create a learning alliance. Agree on some common training needs, get a commitment from each company for the number of seats, and divide the cost. You will be able to offer better training and will give your employees a chance to interact with people from other organizations as they learn. Idea Number 3: Consider using training as a community service. Contact local non-profit groups and offer seats in your workshops to their employees. This doesn't really cost you less, but it does support the community and, in some instances, could be considered a charitable donation. You get a full class for training, and you get extra points for community service.