Mark Joyella recently interviewed me and wanted the scoop on coaching "toys" - the
good the bad and the ugly. We talked for quite awhile and he took a few
snippets of conversation and made a very fun and quirky little video. Check it out here
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject!
Are you orbiting a giant to do list and having trouble getting anything done? This happens to me when I get too many projects going at once - I think it's the bane of a creative person.
Because I have multiple projects going at once, I've expanded this bit of advice to help me identify the ONE THING per project and I've turned it into a visual worksheet. The worksheet helps you list a few key action steps and then narrow in on the ONE thing. You can even color in the worksheet - use colored markers and basically bring a little fun to the process - and on top of that coloring is great for reducing stress.
You can download the worksheet here; It's the Chunk It Down Worksheet ENJOY!
How many items on your to do list right now will actually move forward an important project or grow your business? What is the ONE thing you can to today?
Metaphors are a great way to engage groups or individuals in a reflective process. Whether used as an introductory icebreaker or for debriefing an activity, metaphors can take the conversation in new directions, add fun and very often create a deeper connection to the learning. Having images, words or objects on hand as prompts can make it really easy. Here's where it gets fun - prompts for metaphors are everywhere.
Here are a few ideas for your tool box
1. Look in your kitchen cabinet and pull out your spices.
You don't have to take the actual spice jars to your event, although you could. Get pictures of them or create a set of spice index cards - one spice per card; pepper, salt, garlic, parsley, paprika, sage etc.
Sample instructions to participants;
Choose a spice represents a strength you bring to your work.
Choose a spice that represents something you would like to add to your marketing plan
Once each person chooses the conversation unfolds as they describe the meaning of their chosen spice.
2. Find pictures in magazines of common objects that show up in a broad variety of styles. It doesn't matter if it's chairs or shoes or cars or flowers, collect as many as possible with as broad a range as possible. Use them with icebreaker kinds of questions, or reflective debriefing questions.
Sample questions
Choose the shoe that reflects something unique about you.
Pick a chair that represents your experience of the exercise.
3. There are lots of great places to look - your kids toy box might be a fun option. You can also buy ready made tools that act as metaphor prompts to elicit responses. Card deck types of products can often work well
Want to play? Which chair best reflects your intention for today?
Share your thoughts and your favorite metaphor prompts.
Mind-mapping
is such a great way to work with ideas it is becoming mainstream.
Most mind-mapping programs are software downloads. I have so much stuff
already on my computer I didn't want to download another program so I
went in search of an alternative and found one - Mindmeister.com
Mindmeister is completely web based and offers lots of bells and whistles depending on the package you get. You can share your mind-maps with colleagues, do real-time collaboration and create brainstorming maps together and even publish your maps for the world to see.
Oh, and yes, there is a free version that allows a limited number of
mind-maps. Worth checking out!
If you have a mind-mapping program you love, I'd love to hear about it
A client of mine, Sally (not her real name) was recently at
her wits end. She was a middle aged graduate student and in desperate need of a
job. She had been looking for months and with the difficult economy kept
running into dead ends. Needless to say
her normally cheerful, positive attitude was taking a hit and her house was
going into foreclosure. Despite the
desperation that was beginning to set in, she persevered. She kept interviewing
and putting the word out to every contact she had. Her family members were
doing the same on her behalf.
Finally she got a break! A friend of a family member got her an interview at a local high end restaurant – in fact the best restaurant in her city. Sally had experience in the food industry, made a good impression and got the job as hostess. You would think that would be the happy ending of the story, right – persistence rewarded... but it isn’t.
She came home from her first night of work, sat down and cried. She said the customer service was horrible and the staff was rude to each other and to the patrons of the restaurant. Sally felt that the atmosphere was so negative and toxic she could not possibly continue to work there, it went against everything she believed in. She called the owner the next day and resigned. When asked why, she courageously told the truth. The owner asked her to please to come in and at least have a conversation about it – she agreed.
In the conversation with the owner, Sally had the opportunity to be specific about what she saw and experienced. She described the chaos, disrespect and poor customer service. Sally was completely honest with him about what would need to change for her to work there. As it turns out, the owner knew he had a problem and didn’t know how to fix it. In Sally he saw an answer to his problem. He offered Sally a job as guest services manager. She would answer directly to him and had full authority to make policy changes related to customer service as well as hire, fire and train staff.
Sally accepted and since taking that position the work environment at the restaurant has changed dramatically. There has been a turnover in staff, the owner gets a flood of letters raving about the great customer service and Sally has gotten two raises in as many months. Sally is ecstatic, her positive energy permeates the restaurant and she is learning tons about the business from the owner – a definite plus for the MBA she is working on.
In spite of her truly desperate need for a job, Sally stuck with her values, courageously told the truth and her integrity was rewarded in a very big way. An awesome story wouldn’t you say. Sally is someone we can all learn from. What values would you take a stand on?
I get calls all the time from coaches and counselors asking which creative tools would work best for a workshop they are creating. While it often depends on the market you are targeting and the topic at hand, there are two card decks that I refer people to alot because they are so adaptable to any setting.
The first is a deck called One Hat At A Time Momentum Cards. This is my all time favorite tool for perspective shifting,
ice breaking and personal exploration in a group setting. The deck is comprised
of whimsical images of hats; a miners hat, a jesters hat, a chef’s hat, you get
the idea. Here is an example of just one way to use the deck. As facilitator, choose
4 different hats - put one in each corner of the room. Ask participants to go
stand in the corner with the hat that most reflects how they see themselves
relative to whatever topic you are discussing. Encourage discussion between
participants gathered around the same hat. Next have them go to the hat that is
most uncomfortable for them - more discussion. Ask them to explore what would be
possible from this hat. You can see the coaching possibilities.
Do you ever set an intention and then conveniently forget it? Maybe the next day around noon you think – oh yah, I was going to only look at email only twice a day or I was going to drink 8 glasses of water today. New habits, shifts in thinking or behavior take focus and frankly – reminding, to break the default grove. There are a lot of fun ways to remind yourself; wear a wrist band with a message, put up post it notes, add a reminder to your screen saver. If you are like me – any given structure lasts about 2-3 weeks and then I don’t notice it any more – I’m always on the lookout for new ways to remind and inspire myself.
The messages come in themed thought packs like self love and acceptance and motivation. Imagine having a message on our computer or white board that says “I am enough” or “live with passion” or “try something that scares you”
It’s a great concept and it’s now available in the Coaching Toys Store.
Dave Dufour – the creative genius behind the very cool idea
generation tool called watizit has just started a creativity and innovation
podcast series called Creative License. One of his first topics is on creative
brainstorming and the most common pitfall to a good session.
We all think we know how to brainstorm, right, but how well do we really keep the critic out of the brainstorming room? You know, the voice of “reason” that says yes, but; we don’t have the budget for it, it won’t work, that’s a dumb idea, yada yada yada. The truth is in a free flowing permission filled brainstorming session, not all of the ideas will be great, not all of the ideas will work and it’s OK - really! The goal is simply to generate as many ideas as possible and let ideas bounce off each other. You have no way of knowing which seemingly bad idea will trigger a flash of brilliance – An effective brainstorming session needs the good, the bad and the ugly in order to land on the great!
This is true in a group and when working alone! Get the critical part of your brain out of the room, out of your head. Let your mantra be permission, permission, permission and PLAY. Plenty of time for those valued critical skills to step in LATER.
Coach Laura Biering and I are passionate about fostering more authentic, creative expression and we know that the classic program by Julia Cameron based on her book The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, WORKS! We are launching an Artist's Way Virtual Summer Camp set to begin June 2 and run through the summer.
To introduce you to The Artist's Way we are offering a free intro/kick off call.
The Artist’s Way Virtual Summer Camp
FREE Intro/Kick Off Call
TUESDAY, May 19 or THURSDAY 21, 2009
1 pm PT, 4 pm ET
Whether you want to discover your creativity for the first time ever, recover it after not having seen it for a while, or even if you don’t think you are creative at all, you will leave this rich, informative call with great tools and momentum to move forward!
Here's what you will get from the FREE Kick Off Call:
* Two essential creativity tools you can begin using right away.
* An introduction to the connection between creativity, spirituality and authenticity.
* 10 “Rules of the Road” that will support your creative development.
* Inspiration and encouragement about what’s possible when you open to greater creativity.
* Introduction to the Artist Way Virtual Summer Camp, the 12 week program, the bonfire circles, the cabin assignments, the mail call, the fun, the challenges, the learning and the camaraderie.
We hope you will join us! Learn more here
Recent Comments