Thursday 19 February 2009

Training Session

We had training at work and it made me think of those awful 80s style training sessions where the facilitors meant well but you came out having learned nothing but lost the will to live. You know the ones I mean. It inspired this:

Training Session

Post-it notes and play-doh
Play dumb but have fun
No question is a dumb question

And there is a parking lot for thoughts that rock your boat.
Write your thoughts on the tree of objectives and expectations
Growing from the trunk of ground rules on a
Flip chart with smelly pens in a variety of fruit flavours.


Check out the emergency exits and toilets
Introduce your partner to the group in three words
Shouting above the air-con that freezes the room.
Understand who you are and what you want
With name badges and thumbs up
Allow the feelings to come into the room and the work will happen.
Bless this meeting; bless this group; bless this crap.

Gather round the brightly coloured laminated arrows:
Visuals 'to make you think'.
Call for volunteers to press blu-tac to cork boards
Split into groups for animated discussions.
Go to the activity tables where you will find
Glu-sticks and craft scissors; pipe cleaners and stress balls
Be creative with kindergarten exercises!

Polysterene cups full of seeds and scroggin.
Think of surveys done about urine traces collected from nuts
And there's no milk for the tea or coffee granules.
Stimulate yourself with brain teasers - but look up the answers
Play with the plastic hammers and rattles
And when you hear the squeaky rubber chicken,
Report back with your findings and help yourself to a prize.

Surround yourself with inspirational quotes on fluoro A4 paper
Like a cheap bargain basement market store.
'We're not here to persuade or influence; we're here to facilitate the process.
I see the role as being a conduit rather than a preacher
Or a teacher.
Let's just recap and review what we've done.
We've looked at insights and blindspots.

We've been on a collective journey towards improved understanding
Kua puta ai te mārama
Thank you for participating in our puzzle.
You've worked hard today; give yourselves a round of applause
Go well; kia kaha
Finish with a quote and a feedback form.
What did you like most about today?

The End

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So I take it you thought it was time well spent ;)

Kate Blackhurst said...

You know the kind of thing I mean! The smelly pens were, as ever, the highlight - especially now that the pink one smells of bubblegum rather than watermelon.
Kate x