I was facilitating  a workshop this morning for supervisors – front line, department directors and the like – on using innovation tools.  One of the objectives for the workshop was to provide this group of leaders with tools on how to cultivate ideas from staff and create a culture of innovation. A large order for a fairly complex system where the culture can be seen as “please don’t make me change.”

I introduced Edward DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats model to the group.  This method of idea evaluation allows participants to be comfortable approaching new ideas from their natural perspective (possibility, caution, historical-based, and everything in between) while creating a space for each of the perspectives to be valued.  Here’s how it works:

There are six different hats – each one has a color associated with it.  They are as follows:

White Hat – based on facts, figures and historical data

Red Hat – look at decisions based on gut reaction, intuition and emotion

Black Hat – this is the lens of skepticism and caution by highlighting the weak points in the idea

Yellow Hat - this hat keeps things going with the eyes on positivity and answering the question why this can happen

Green Hat – the creative juices flow while wearing this hat, new ideas, patterns and relationships start to form here

Blue Hat – known for the concern on process; this hat is usually worn by the facilitator or meeting chair

Any highly effective group would bring these perspectives to their evaluation discussion.  Usually what happens though is people get stuck in wearing the most comfortable hat – and keep it on all the time.  This might squelch conversation, derail, or shut people out in the decision making process. So that all perspectives can be heard – and even better decisions can be made – use this method the next time you need to evaluate an idea or decision.

Process Note:  Everyone must be wearing the SAME hat at the SAME point in the conversation.  Start by spending 5 minutes wearing the White Hat to evaluate your idea. Be sure everyone keeps this hat on during the first five minutes.  Next, switch the conversation and ask participants to put on the Red Hat.  And for the next 5 minutes use this hat to get at gut reactions, intuition and emotions around this idea or decision.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat with each of the remaining hats.

Notice the following during this process:

• how the conversation changes as people change the hat they wear
• how the energy in the rooms shifts with each switch of the hats
• which hat you are really comfortable in
• which hat drives you crazy to have to wear (and try to bring this perspective to your next meeting)

Using this might just increase involvement and engagement with your group because each person’s perspective is valued and can be heard by just changing hats.  What effect might this have for you and your team?

It’s one word that can doom any successful training effort.  I was reading through some blogs today and came across an entry on Icebreakers.  It sent chills down my spine and I just froze.  Not really the the feel I go for when starting a workshop or retreat.  It reminded me of a Train-the-Trainers workshop I facilitated last week.  The trainers were talking about Icebreakers.  I asked them “How does your staff respond to when you engage them in an icebreaker?”

They admitted, that more times than not it was a struggle and often heard a gasp as the eyes rolled around in their group members. I through out this ideas – “what might be different if you called this an exercise?”  Hmmmm…What’s the diff?

To start:

• Your group is going to go into autopilot and check out when they hear the dreaded “icebreaker”
• The EXERCISE is going to be related to the content of the training.  This is where I think icebreaking goes awry.
• I’m not going to ask you, as a participant, to do anything I hate doing as a workshop participant.  That’s a pretty good gut check for me to gauge the feasibility of any opening exercise.

One of my favorite exercises to do in the beginning of the workshop is around the learning objectives themselves.  Download the PDF Exercise for  a simple step-by-step approach to starting your next training off with a SPARK, not a deep freeze.

Do you ever pay attention to how you are listening?  More importantly, what are you listening for?

I typically start my workshops off with some sort of goal setting by the participants.  I’ll ask individuals to set a goal they have for themselves as a result of attending the session.  My intention is to have them answer the dreaded what’s in it for me question.

I have the participants write this down on a 3×5 card or a giant post-it. Something they can keep in front of them during our time together.  After they have completed this, I then follow it up with these simple instructions:

“Now, listen for this as the content of the workshop starts to unfold.”

This simple instruction can create a filter, a perspective, a point of view in which to hear everything from.  It’s the easiest – and quickest – way for me to get learning to stick for individuals and tie back into the goal they have created for themselves.

When we start to LISTEN FOR something, we start to make connections.  We also start to be engaged as learners.  As learners we start creating meaning for the content that is being shared.  It’s when learners can create context and relationship where real change in performance can occur.

So, what are you listening for today?

I was recently facilitating a FISH! for Schools session for 100 staff and educators and one person said, “this is great, but it just won’t work because we don’t have the support.” Legitimate concern from someone experiencing a change.  An obstacle. A roadblock.  You might even say resistance.

My response was, “You know what, you get to be right.”

That’s the funny thing with attitude.  We DO get to be right – each and every time.  If you believe it “won’t work” and “we don’t have support” you will undoubtedly find 59 ways between now and tomorrow to reinforce your point of view. And then, yep, you get to be right.

The same thing works if you said, “This is really easy, I can see how this fits.”  And yep, you too get to be right.  You will also find 59 ways to reinforce your belief.  That’s the crazy thing about our beliefs we will work really hard to prove ourselves right.

I’m not asking you to be pollyanna.  Just be USEFUL.  Is what you have chosen useful?  If yes – keep it.  If no, choose again.

Whichever attitude we choose to wear, there is going to be great comfort in that.  It’s like your favorite sweatshirt, it feels so good. The best thing about attitudes, is we can change it – just like that sweatshirt.

Try it out.  Today, choose to believe your day is going to really hard, rough and tough.  Just for the next couple hours, see how many times that can be reinforced.  Then just before your breaking point, CHOOSE to believe that the rest of your day is going to an absolute piece of cake, everything is going your way, and it’s really effortless.  And then, just be aware.  (a good clue is going to be watching all the traffic lights greet you with the bright glow of green!).

What will you choose?

ps…you’ll get to be right!

There are three lessons I’ve learned over the years of facilitating meetings and developments for groups:

• Plan more than I’ll ever need
• I need less than whatever I planned for
• Scrap the plan and stay in the moment!

Here’s an example of doing all three. Earlier this week I got to design and deliver a full day retreat for a group of about 15 people. The two areas they wanted to focus on for their professional development included Time Management and Change Management. Time Mgmt is an immediate red flag, couple that with a session on Change – and I saw the red flairs shooting up on this one. What else might be going on? After doing a couple consultations – sans leader –  (not by my design) I don’t think I got much closer to the core. 

Fast forward to day of retreat: About 75-minutes into the Time Mgmt session the Can o’ Emotions opened wide. Fear. Fear of job loss. Fear of not being in control. Fear of another year with the same lack of leadership.  Frustrated with people changing and ever-immediate priorities. 

Do I end the session on Time Mgmt on time, or do I stay with it?

I stayed with it.  And stood with it.

I asked others to stand with me.  Asking questions about control – what do you ultimately control? What might you be able to do with the rest? These questions got us into a 20-minute dialog on addressing what was ever present. 

Before we ended, I asked everyone in the group to write down the 2 things they wanted to accomplish in the session after lunch. I collected these to mold my content to fit their needs. I did have an hour for lunch – so anything’s possible. 

Scrap the plan and stay in the moment requires flexibility and confidence. This was something I didn’t have about 4 years ago when I was working with a group of 180 school teachers for an afternoon in-service. Get this. They didn’t know they had to attend until 20-minutes before I was to begin.  Sweet. And it was a sunny Friday in May. 

My focus was more on getting through the agenda than paying attention to what was smacking me in the face. 

Now, I have to say, I welcome the moment. It’s where the magic happens. 

What’s been your most fearless facilitation moment?