Do it When you want to develop creativity
Divide participants in the group of three. Give 3 cards with famous or less famous brands to each group. It doesn’t matter what the industry is. The most important part is that they have the picture of that brand in front of them. Each group will choose just one card (one brand). Then they will have to make a story connected to that brand. Dedicated time work is 5 minutes. After that they will forward their 3 brands to the next group and receive 3 new brands from the previous group. You can stop this circling (or implementation of World Café methodology) depending on the dedicated time. Leave at least two minutes for each presentation of the created stories. Most probably the stories will be fictitious. However, I have one true story for you. It is about the beer company and its famous label. The person in the picture is famous Milosav Mitrović Losa. He was a soldier in the WWI from 1914-1918. During that war he was badly wounded and the both legs were amputated. He had a coach with two horses and whenever he wanted the beer he used that … Read more
Idea #71 Fables for the 21 century
Do it When your want to talk about desirable characteristics in your company. Aesop’s Fables or the Aesopica is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. Every fable has a story in which characters of the people are personified in animals. In addition, every fable has its morale and because of that fables are told to the children while they were building their value systems. I think that nowadays fables should be used in companies to build value system of the organizations. Divide your participants in small groups and in each group tell them to find 3 characteristics that are totally unacceptable in your organization. After that, tell them to reverse those characteristics and find 3 positive. Now, for each characteristic they have to find one animal that will represent it. After that each group just has to make its unique fable. To make it more interesting each group will make a drawing about its fable. In the end, read them all and show the morale of each fable. While preparing the workshop for my group, 3 fables came to my mind. … Read more
Idea #67 Are Salesman born or made?
Lets hear another story for sales force. The kids filed back into class Monday morning. They were very excited. Their weekend assignment was to sell something, then give a talk on productive salesmanship.
Little Mary led off: “I sold girl scout cookies and I made $30,” she said proudly, “my sales approach was to appeal to the customer’s civil spirit and I credit that approach for my obvious success.”
“Very good,” said the teacher.
Little Sally was next: “I sold magazines,” she said, “I made $45 and I explained to everyone that magazines would keep them abreast of current events.”
“Very good, Sally,” said the teacher.
Eventually, it was Little Johnny’s turn. The teacher held her breath. Little Johnny walked to the front of the classroom and dumped a box full of cash on the teacher’s desk “$2,467,” he said.
“$2,467,” cried the teacher, “what in the world were you selling?”
“Tooth brushes,” said Little Johnny. “Tooth brushes,” echoed the teacher, “how could you possibly sell enough tooth brushes to make that much money?”
“I found the busiest corner in town,” said Little Johnny. “I set up a Chip and Dip stand. I gave everybody who walked by a sample. … Read more
Idea #66 Do your Best At All Times!
Do it When you have to discuss with employees why to do their best now. An old carpenter was getting ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. The employer contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He restored to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.” What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well. So it is with us. We … Read more
Idea #55 What we have learned from donkeys
Do it When you train team building. First tell them a story: Once upon a time there were two donkeys that were tied together. They both wanted to eat off the bushes but the rope wasn’t long enough. They both really wanted to eat but they just couldn’t reach,so they just pulled and pulled hoping that the rope would stretch but it wouldn’t. Because they couldn’t reach,the donkey just sat and tried to think of a way to eat? Then one suddenly clicked and said “now that we are friends why don’t we just stand next to each other and take turns”. They decided they’d eaten all they could from the other bush, so they moved to the next one and carried on all day.
Now, ask each of them to write a list of things that he/she will do for other members of the team. The employee with the longest list will receive a prize.
Make smaller prizes for all members of the team.
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that you can help your team members in the way that is the most valuable for them. What would it be?
2. Why is that so important for … Read more
Idea #41 Where to put effort
Do it when you want to point to the participants the importance of putting effort in the right point. This is story about giant ship that has suffered engine malfunction and was tightened on the dock for engine repair. Several groups of engineers failed trying to repair the engine. Finally captain called old mechanist with lifetime experience on ships like this. For 15 minutes he was examining the full system. At the end he focused on the one pipe and started hitting it with hammer. After that engine started working properly. Captain was amused but suddenly he was stunned because mechanist asked him for 5.000 $ for his work. Then captain asked for specification of his 15 minutes service. Machinist wrote on the bill: Working on the engine 2$, diagnosing what to do 4.998 $, in total 5.000 $. Obviously, in life everything is knowing where to put the effort.
Coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that you are sitting with someone like old machinist from the previous story, but he has knowledge relevant to your career. How useful it will be for you?
2. Where will be the most useful place to talk with him?
3. How … Read more
Idea #31 Maximum training results
Do it when you are asked: “How can you guarantee that participants will accept skills from your training?” I have applied at some French company for delivering soft skills to their managers. In application form one of the questions was: “How can you guarantee that participants will accept skills from your training?” If you have any experience in training than I am sure that you have seen curve explaining that training without mentoring and coaching sessions will make maximum 10 % improvement. So I come to the following idea. I will guaranty that participants will gain any percentage that we would agree was acceptable. And after a month we will do evaluation. If participants fail, company will have to pay 3 times value of training. In that way I am 100 % sure that they will find way for coaching, mentoring, refreshing and everything that is necessary for successful learning. What are your thoughts?
Now, coaching questions for you:
1. Imagine that you have to deliver training to a very important group of managers. How would you prepare?
2. How important is that training to you?
3. Who will also benefit from it?
4. Who are you in eyes … Read more
Idea #22 Learn them to be punctual
Do it When you want to establish that people have to be punctual.
It is another story from Master ZI; I have mentioned in ideas #10 & #15.
“After 25 years in the same parish, Father was saying his farewells at his retirement dinner. One local politician had been asked to make a short speech. But he was late.
So the priest took it upon himself to fill the time, and stood up to the microphone:
“I remember the first confession I heard here 25 years ago and it worried me as to what sort of place I’d come to… That first confession remains the worst I’ve ever heard. The chap confessed that he’d stolen a TV set from a neighbor and lied to the police when questioned, successfully blaming it on a local scallywag. He said that he’d stolen money from his parents and from his employer; that he’d had affairs with several of his friends’ wives; that he’d taken hard drugs, and had slept with his sister. You can imagine what I thought… However I’m pleased to say that as the days passed I soon realized that this sad fellow was a frightful exception and that this … Read more
Idea #14 How to listen like Benjamin Disraeli?
Do it When you want to underline how important is active listening.
Here is a story concerning how important is active listening. William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, both eminent British statesmen were considered as two the smartest persons in England, in the late nineteenth century. A young journalist said that she would dine with both so she could decide which one was smarter. She has compared the two men this way: “When I dined with Mr. Gladstone, I felt as though he was the smartest man in England. But when I dined with Mr. Disraeli, I felt as though I was the smartest woman in England.”
The point being made is that Gladstone spoke but Disraeli was a good listener to the woman. That evening Disraeli made the woman the center of his universe. If you practice attentiveness to others, you’ll find it does wonders.
They will enjoy it, and so will you. You will accomplish much more.
Elements of active listening skills are:
- Maintaining eye contact
- Nodding
- Be focused to hear
- Questioning
- “Listen” to the speaker’s body language
- Paraphrasing
- Summarizing
- Empathy feedback
- Not interrupting
- Not finishing his/her sentences
- Clarifying
Questions for you:
1. What also is important for … Read more