Being your Best Self in a Workshop

Why bringing absolute positivity is one of the best tools in a facilitators kitbag.

Everybody has baggage they bring, including a fun and engaging workshop. Personal issues, stakeholder challenges or a smidge of nervous problem energy. It’s normal and dare I say it, healthy.

That's expected of the people coming in.  Their expectations of the person leading a workshop is that they has their act together.

This post isn’t aimed at how you can solve attendees' negativity problems. There are plenty of activities and methods you can use for that.  No, this is about how you, the facilitator, have to be positive.

So what are ways you can bring the positive? Let's see.

1. Embrace vulnerability (at the right stages)

2. Use your breaks for you.

3. Yes and…

4. Meditative methods as part of the session

Ok let’s peel back some of this emotional onion…

Embrace Vulnerability 

Brene Brown’s daring leadership book embraces being vulnerable is key to being a strong leader. Now in the confines of the workshop, you are the leader and everybody is looking to you for guidance. That’s a comforting thought isn’t it?

Try facing up for the session with a problem on your mind and bottling it up so nobody can tell. Between a forced smile or longing look out the window at puppies sneezing on a flower, attendees see something is off. 

Use this when connecting to your attendees; tell them about how you’re feeling and you build a stronger bond. Don’t overshare of course (nobody needs to know why you’re feeling down), but it can help with any awkwardness. There might be others feeling the same and will relate.

Use Your Breaks For YOU!

This is self explanatory.  When you call a break; be it 5 minutes or 30 to dine on some exemplary bologna sandwiches, use it so you can take a breath.  Get out of the room, walk out to the puppies sneezing, disconnect your brain for a few minutes.

Easy to stay in the room and focus on the next exercise or stress about moving posters for the next move. Super easy. Getting out and about, taking a walk can improve your mood but also get you reflecting on how the session is going. If it needs to change, if it needs a tune-up.

We all deserve breaks.

Yes and…

Going back to the improv days, using the “Yes, and” method is a simple but effective way to establish a positive mood. Using this gives you a shot at seeing your attendees build on each other’s positivity in a creative way. You see real personalities emerging and start off with some happy vibes.

Happy vibes are infectious and soon you’re bought in. Involve yourself in it and feed off the energy. 

You can do this at different points of the workshop (not only for the workshop start). It could even reinforce during other creative exercises to keep the positive moving.

Meditative methods in the session

I’d never thought this was a thing you could or would do. I changed my mind listening to the team at AJ&Smart talking through building a session. They decided a meditative time during the session would refocus the team and relax.

Imagine that.

Inserting a dedicated meditation where decisions are being made in real-time is brilliant. Using this as a tool can help not only the attendees, but the facilitators as well. 

Now you can also have the calm app on your phone during a break, but you get the picture.

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How you handle the room with negative voices is one thing, how you bring your best self is another and important. When you’re in the session you are the meaning of calm, the pillar of strength and the fluffy cloud of positivity.

Call us at Kenoath Consulting to see how we can help you with improving how you collaborate.