Shifting gears

 

I finally got my driving license renewed! Yay! The freedom that comes with being in control of your own path is exhilarating even if it is only to the neighbourhood market:) 

Given this long gap, I noticed today that when I shifted gears I felt a bit of a jerk. When I drive and when it is the right time for the gear to change, it just shifts so smoothly as if it was calling you out to change! 

I remember when I was learning driving, my brother in law made me really sense what was happening with the gears.....so if I stayed in a lower gear longer than needed, the car made a weird screeching sound. If I changed to a higher gear before it was needed, I felt a jerk. He told me (this was 19 years ago and I still remember!)...."Mana, listen carefully.....what is the car telling you..." 

Today as I was driving, I realised how deeply this is connected to facilitation. One of the skills we have is to sense what is the the next right move. We may come up with a very detailed step by step design and are so excited to follow it as we have planned it. But when we are there with the group...somehow its like listening to the car.....we need to sense how the group is in every phase.... is it time to stay on a bit more in that stage or are they ready to move on.....Sometimes I just know that the group is not ready to move on and they need to rumble with whatever is happening a little more (like moving to the second gear much too quickly....) And sometimes I know that the group is just calling for the next step. Sometimes the next step as I had planned it does not even make sense (like moving to second gear after the third when you have a wide open road in front of you!) 

When our design and flexibility matches the pace of the group, magic happens. Something we may not even have imagined. And this "sensing" is a lifelong homework .... 

So next time you drive, just notice how you feel? Notice your connection with the car? Listen to what the car is telling you.....and driving moves from being a technical head heavy skill to the heart/ hand art that very often makes it so much more fun! 

Expedition Gamestorming!

As the year was winding down and I began to visualise what I wanted to see in my facilitation practice, one realisation came was that I wanted to invest in my own learning. I have been following some groups for a while and I decided to spend a certain percentage of my annual income on learning experiences that appealed to me. 

Two weeks down, 6 online sessions, a board full of stickies, a stack of learning notes (mostly drawings!) and 23+ global connections later I am so happy I chose to sign up for the online "expedition" on game storming. 

Why GS for me?

• I wanted to get more comfortable with a more complicated visual platform that offers a bigger canvas for collaborative working.  
• I wanted to get better at convergence. 
• I wanted to integrate more "methods"/ "games" more consciously into my process to offer a diverse set of ways for participants to explore, innovate, discuss, decide together in an engaging way. 
• I wanted to experience what it feels like to be a participant - starting with the enthusiasm and twinkly eyes, feeling overwhelmed once you get into the process, discovering what really matters/ how to navigate, rumble through with a team, figure out what questions I needed to ask to make the learning more complete for me, and ending with a feeling of accomplishment! 

Here is my experience and takeaways -

• GS is described as a set of co-creation tools used by innovators around the world - but I found it so much beyond just the tools. I loved the thinking behind the use of those tools, the preparation that is needed behind the scenes, by the nuances around how the facilitator holds space for participants to rumble through the journey, by the many life lessons that came along....

• Readiness - The facilitator shared that in a one day workshop typically he would spend the first half in helping people feel comfortable with the format - the drawing, the messiness and fuzziness of the process, orientation about the agenda etc. In an online setting, that meant also getting comfortable with the platform (Miro), setting up our work station at home (wall for stickies, devises' set up, cards, pens, colours etc), getting to know other participants etc. There were many exercises to get us in the "mood". I loved it when David kept saying "going slow to go fast" - I used to think games would be high paced/ superficial....but I was wrong. They can be deliberate, they can make you pause and notice and be a full head/ heart/ hand experience. 

• The "meta" structure - I loved the design modelled on "open, explore, close" - 50% of the time we spent in a "future thinking workshop" which was a real application of GS tools, 25% learning supportive skills (drawing, using frameworks, design...) and 25% on the backend (pre and post work, concepts behind the skills etc). This was shared with us on day 1 and it helped orient us to what was coming. The "workshop" part was actually harder for me but I think I stretched myself more there because we were actually doing something with the tools and walked away with different learnings than the "teaching" part where I feel I will be able to know only if I have learnt it once I start using them! Mid way, they took us back to our "questions/ expectations" and asked us to mark (fist to five) how far these were answered already. In the end we filled up a board with "I used to think, now I know". 

• The "session" structure - The design of each 2-hour session was - starting with HW review in groups = context setting = backend/ supportive skills = workshop part = reflecting on takeaways in a "here, there, everywhere" format (what did you learn, where will you use it, what is the principle behind this) individually and in groups = an extra office hour of 30-40 minutes where whoever wanted to stay on could ask questions. The balance of individual work, group work and large group was just right. I stayed for every office hour and asked so many questions keeping in mind how I planned to use these learnings in my upcoming work. I loved the use of the timer for everything - it helped keep everyone on track and move forward together. I guess the exact time for each step has been developed after many expeditions and realising what is the optimum time that allows some time to process the task and do it well but not stretch it so the "intuitive" nature of thinking gets lost. 

• Seamlessness - after every session we received a beautiful follow up email with its own consistent structure (a video/ podcast that delve deeper into some aspect that was talked about, a "facilitation insight", "homework task", "integration", "noticing"). I loved the integration - it was tips around how you could use the learning in every day like to have more empathy, to notice more, to visualise the world .... The homework assignments were very interesting - notice what you do not notice; work before covid/ work after covid using a visual framework; draw 10 things you thought were true 10 years and are not now/ what you think will be true in 10 years; take a photo from 3 angles of the same thing; use a visual framework to make your poster...all these made us engage with the various templates. 

• Learning from everyone - the whole space allowed for us to learn from each other. There were coaches, facilitators who were external and internal from across the world. The facilitator when posed a question would ask the whole group how they have handled it. The breakouts were great for us to hear each other more. I was lost a few times and my team just held me through it and made me realise what is important. Seeing everyone's homework on the boards also triggered own thoughts/ insights/ feelings. I learnt a lot from every group's presentation as each brought out a different aspect of visual appeal/ structure/ joy. 

• Balance of description/ instructions vs doing - The notes section had all the detailed instructions of any task we were doing and we could refer to it ourselves anytime. The actual instructions were brief and many times we just dove in. Things got shifted around in miro, people misunderstood sometimes. But at the end of it, we got more experience in using the platform and knowing what tool does what. We learnt to ask each other for help and work together. 

• Simplicity of the exercises - I now have a expanded toolbox of activities and the logic of where and how to use them. One that stayed with me was https://www.drawtoast.com/.

• Do what you teach - perhaps this was why I loved the course so much! Everything we were taught we witnessed/ experienced. The whole thing was a visual treat. Facilitators were role modelling through out. It felt authentic, real and doable. We were nudged to draw/ use visuals as much as possible. 

• Choice - we were told upfront that we did not have to keep our videos on all the time, as that also adds to the fatigue. We could take breaks when we needed. We could use the tablet or pen/ paper for drawing. So I was looking away from the screen for most of the individual work. I turned off my video when I wanted to stretch. I pretty much was munching/ sipping something through out:) 

At the end of it I think I felt relaxed. I felt it is ok to make mistakes, it is ok not to get it right the first time, it is ok to try again and its ok to admit and share you are lost. Because someone somewhere is feeling this too! 

I think I got a lot out of this because I spent time thinking about why I want to do, how I want to use it, creating my space to work through it, asking questions to connect the dots, took detailed notes in a way I can use them later, and taking a pause today to reflect on what all happened:) 

I am going to take my internal team of colleagues through this experience and actually run a similar workshop for our team. I am sure the learning will keep unveiling with every step! 

Thank you David, Codie for this wonderful journey together! 

A special thank you to my dear friend Marike in South Africa - the gamestorming book on your window shelf caught my attention and I am glad it it:) 

"Are you ready?"

 

My son's learning space (https://aarambhwaldorf.in/) has thankfully not had any online classes the whole year. He is 9 in grade 3. Teachers worked with parents and we learnt (sometimes happily and sometimes annoyingly) to take the curriculum to kids in a joyful, purposeful way. One great thing about this was that we got a inside experience of the curriculum itself and how it is brought to the children. 

The "work" starts with a verse. Always. In fact even in a community meeting, parent meeting, class group meeting, training etc at Aarambh we always start by reading a verse. (above is a verse Ayan and I read at home before we get to "work"). 

Why read a verse before starting? I will talk about what it does it us first. When we look at the verse, it makes us pause, it gives us a minute to realise that we ended what we were doing before and are now starting something else. As we read the verse together, the words slowly sink in (in Aarambh, Ayan says the children hug themselves as they say the verse). The breath slows down and it allows us a moment to connect with why we sitting down to work and learn. 

It is quite magical. Imagine the amount of mental, emotional and physical readiness a player of a sport must engage in before he/ she steps into the ring, the court, the stadium, the field......We would not even question there how much full readiness is not just a good thing but a necessary step in significantly increasing the chance to be fully present = thereby increase chances to do the best we can = thereby increase chances of success. 

But day in day out, moment to moment, we stop something and get into something else without taking the time to be "ready" for the next thing. I looked up the meaning of "readiness"

"the state of being fully prepared for something"
"the willingness to do something"

So when you step into a call, a meeting, the kitchen, the bath, a meeting, a meal, a drink.....do you just jump in or do you take a moment to get ready? Are you really fully prepared/ willing to do it? Do you even realise you are doing it? 

As a facilitator, I am even more curious about how to help the individual/ group to get "ready" before we begin an online or offline meeting. The offline has advantages that the act of entering a new physical space, sitting down, grabbing a coffee, or a chit chat with others before the meeting actually starts - all helps in getting ready for what is about to happen. 

In an online setting, we log off a meeting and log in the next one or in the short few minutes we have catch up on laundry or some to do list or a quick shower and log into the next one. So many times, when I see people logging into a meeting, I see the looks of "oh my another one" or "phew I managed to make it in time" or "I wish I had 2 min to go make that cup of coffee or check in on my son to make sure he is ok"...... Many times its even multiple screens, multiple devices and so the work of the facilitator is doubly difficult. So I put in extra effort to get people "ready" and I make genuine requests of them so they do some things to get "ready". 

For example......

• I invite people into the room with music playing and a beautiful slide 5 min before start time. It allows people to enter, say hello...beauty of sound/ sight makes us feel good - feeling good reminds us of what we are feeling and helps us take a breath. 
• I invite them to take 2 min to take a breath and do what they need to feel ready - they can stretch, do 10 jumping jacks, get a drink, clear up their desk, light a candle, adjust their posture/ chair, go hug a loved one or whatever else would help them get ready! 

I did this yesterday and everyone immediately turned their videos off and promptly in 2 min were back looking far more relaxed than they did before, some chomping on some snacks, enjoying a coffee and one with both his kids on his shoulders!!!!! 

• I ring a bell (an actual singing bowl or https://awakeningbell.org/) for about 40 seconds inviting people to breathe with the bell and just arrive in our space. 
• One of the group members is invited in advance to bring a verse/ quote/ poem/saying that they connect with which they read out or we read together at the start.
• Sometimes I may do a "noticing" exercise to help people feel grounded - what do you see/ hear/ smell/ taste right now?
• I do a check in round with a question that is something that taps into their "whole being" - something like "how I am arriving?" (my husband when asked this quipped "with my feet"!), "what is alive for me now"?, "what made me smile today?", "what was the best part of the previous day?", "what is one nice thing someone said to me recently?"...... this question helps them pause, check in to their experience, share something personal and makes everyone connect to each other emotionally and make us all feel like humans. 

In a meeting I was hosting, a person shared she was feeling blue (we chose colours and reflected what that said about how we are arriving) and said that she had not gotten good sleep! At the end of the session, she herself felt and look far more energised. Since the group heard her in the beginning, we all tried bits to help send energy. The space allowed her to share what she was feeling and just that little act of compassion makes people become more fully present (even though her "physical" tiredness never really went away - the emotional/ mental tiredness did). 

• I invite people to share their "hopes and fears" from the meeting/ workshop etc.....either individually or  in smaller groups. Just pausing to get in touch with these and sharing them helps people feel more present and ready.  
• If I am running a training, I spend the initial minutes helping reflect on why does this topic/ course have meaning for them and what they see themselves doing differently in the future.....and as we move through the course we keep connecting with this and also towards the end. It is sort of a personal road map of how they would navigate through the experience. I may also ask them to bring with them a current problem/ project they want to see solved/ improved/ developed with the learnings from the training. Most of the times people discover answers to these questions in the training itself while we may assume they know these already! 

I also try various things to get people ready before a meeting/ call. I think a lot about the invitation and share an invite that has heart and meaning in it that tries its best to invoke the "will" of the people to join - 

• the content - why are getting together, how does this tie in with what we have doing or are about to do, why this has meaning for all of us, what is the agenda, what we can expect to experience, anything that we need to read up etc. This honours the fact that all of us work/ learn/ process things differently. So while I know very well that many people will not read what is sent earlier, I like to give a heads up to those folks who like to take time with a question or a document and would appreciate the courtesy of not being put on the spot. It also honours people's time. 
• the way it is presented - I like to start with a picture or a quote..... I like to make the design look pretty so it is pleasing to the eye. I recently tried using https://www.loom.com/ for sharing instructions in a video format and it is the first time I got so many responses for the pre meeting mail:) 

The Genuine Contact Community that I am part of has inspired my thinking/ focus on readiness. 

• Before any workshop/ training, they send out a readiness "video" that invites participants to take a pause and reflect on why they are attending this workshop, what they want to be able to do as a result of it, where do they see themselves using the learning......what their current worldview/ understanding of the topic is....what is their preferred learning style so they can maximise how well they learn and it is such a difference when you "enter" into a space with this clarity and grounding. 
• A GC trainer invites participants to get a letter signed by the participant's employer agreeing on what the participant is expected to do with the learning from the training. 

One maybe thinking, wow, this is all great, but I do not have the time to do this in every meeting every time! 

But ask yourself how many times doing spending time and getting on with it does not really get the results we want and much less the "will" of the people to work with the results later.

It is not important "what you do", what matters is that if you want a successful meeting/ training that achieves results and people want to come back to again (and you want to make the whole experience to be meaningful for yourself too), start with this question....."what can I do to help everyone including me feel ready?" 

And usually the answers will begin to come and so will the magic! 

here is a verse we have been reading before meals!