Working With Collaborative Groups: Know Yourself

New article published on Ezine.
http://bit.ly/MOUZGW

Letting Learners Lead

I just finished facilitating a class for a group of students in a graduate program with Central Michigan University. I had designed a final assessment that required them to write, in a research style paper, what they had discovered over the course of the class. It was a flexible assignment but did require them to write with academic discipline and satisfy a rubric I would use to evaluate their paper.  Somewhere mid-week, something happened to change that.

One student asked me if they could do something else to demonstrate what they had learned, besides a paper.  They reminded me that I had been teaching them about being a self-directed learner and how the education system stifles creativity, leaving many adults with little innovative energy. Being one who encourages students to challenge me and question the way we always do things, I thought, why not.  Let the student take the lead on their own final assessment.  The only stipulation I added was that they provide me with a rubric or tool to help me be objective in evaluating how well they demonstrated learning.

Here is what they produced:  Two extensive crossword puzzles; a jeopardy game; a slide show that used images to trigger the viewer to identify theories and concepts; a movie.  Other student opted for the paper but I was impressed with the novel ideas and they truly demonstrated each student’s learning.

Amazing things happen when you let the student lead.    

Workplace Learning Special – Atlanta Conference and Expo Preview: Align, Connect and Engage

Interview with myself, Sarah Glibert, and Leigh Anne Lankford about the upcoming ASTD Atlanta conference
Workplace Learning Special – Atlanta Conference and Expo Preview: Align, Connect and Engage

Getting the most out of a professional conference

What should I do to get the most out of the conference?

Dress professionally

Bring a friend or colleague

Read all you can about the presenters and sessions.  Go to their websites and blogs

Choose one session that you would not normally be interested in

Sit with people you do not know

Sit in a front seat for each session and be there early

Have a 30 second introduction of yourself.  Focus on two important things you do in your job.

Introduce yourself to anyone sitting next to you behind you and in front of you and ask them planned questions:

What brought you to the conference?

(and/or) What made you choose this session?

What have you enjoyed the most so far?

What do you do? (followed by) What is the most interesting part of your job?

Then and only then ask if you can connect with them on Linkedin (ask for a card or have them write their name on the back of yours) and give them a card.

Video clips for learning

New to technology?  Want to learn quickly about podcasts, blogs, RSS and more?  Trainers needing video clips new ideas?  Nice site to help out. Commoncraft

Calling all writers

For you aspiring writers who think you cannot get published or read, try this out.  It's a place for you to practice your trade without dear of failure. If you are a professional in education, learning, instructional design, you need a place to show your skill and tell your story. It's called Hubpages   http://bit.ly/Ke3Tvb

Maintaining Focus in Groups

There is little chance for people to get together as long as most of us want to be in the front of the bus, the back of the church, and the middle of the road” (Braude’s Treasury of Wit and Humor). How to bring individuals together in organizational groups, and expect positive outcomes, is a question whose answer lies as much in the mystery of human nature as with the science of group dynamics.  One promising approach to successful group facilitation is to act as a lens, continually refocusing the group on its origin, its development, and its hopes. It calls for facilitators to recognize the uniqueness of a group’s structure, to help the group focus on itself and its purpose, and to use leadership and facilitation skills to add credibility to the facilitator.

1. A Philosophy of Group Structure

The larger the group the less effective the outcome. If you can control the size of the group, do it. Over fifteen people are difficult to keep focused. Two, three, or five is a good size for resolving detailed technical problems, but such a small group may lack the broad base needed to produce outcomes likely to gain the consensus of the larger organization. Seven to fifteen seems to stimulate the necessary creativity. I attended one meeting where more than 30 people with diverse backgrounds attempted to prioritize a list of problems. Because the group couldn’t reach consensus, the formal leaders had to make final decisions on almost every item. The outcome was so poor they held another meeting within a month, this time with 16 people. In part because of the smaller group, they produced a better product and achieved consensus.

2. Oil and water don’t mix.

Understanding group members, their backgrounds, education, and authority are factors to consider when determining the final size of the group. Avoiding known personality conflicts and obvious differences in knowledge levels can go a long way toward helping the group remain focused on issues and problem solving rather than personal disputes on expertise. When I facilitated a meeting of logistical experts, I failed to recognize a known personality conflict between two authority figures. Members of the group aligned themselves with one or the other. The group’s purpose became blurred and they failed to achieve any of their objectives. The problem may have been prevented by selective invitation or by holding a one-on-one meeting of the two parties before the meeting, to establish ground rules for a truce.

3. Use a wide-angle lens.

Setting an agenda is often the first step for many facilitators. It is often the first misstep. True, groups may seem to wander at first, but it is part of the process of taking ownership of the meeting and its objectives. Set an agenda if the group’s purpose is focused in a narrow beam, such as deciding on loan applications. In most cases, however, agendas appear to be attempts to gain control and can meet with resistance. I watched a Quality Improvement Team facilitator discover the drawback of agendizing a group. He insisted on strict compliance with the agenda and QIT process, frustrating the group to the point that they went out of their way to deviate from the norm. The agenda stifled creativity. What should have taken two months took six, resulting in a complicated solution that was rejected outright. Some members lost faith in the quality improvement process. If you want to focus on an agenda, use a wide angle lens. Make the agenda broad and loose to help maintain focus, not restrict vision.

4. Real men don’t eat quiche.

Defining the group’s social culture is also important. This is commonly done in early stages as the group attempts to identify its task. Edgar Schein explained the dilemma confronting a group in an article entitled “Organizational Culture,” in American Psychologist. He wrote that the group must decide if it will be “...self-destructive and reconstructing versus self-enhancing.” Will the group members be expected to change, set aside, or destroy personal behaviors? Or will they be encouraged to cultivate personal differences? Reconstructing works for high task groups such as the military, where common culture and norms are important. Self- enhancing suits creative groups that require an open flow of ideas, where members can assume the core culture but retain their own norms. In all cases the group must decide its social purpose. Group structure is the complex but important first step for a facilitator to recognize and try to influence. As-with a camera, choose the long lens and all your pictures will be out of focus.

Great example of the power of a story

Great example of the power of a story

Reflecting to Avoid Mistakes

Overcome the mistakes Learning and Development professionals make.

I try to remain sensitive to how well I am managing myself as a Learning and Development professional.  It is easy to become complacent when we are busy with projects or our jobs seem secure and we are having success.  But that can be the best time to stop and reflect on where we are on our timeline and how well we are truly serving ourselves and others.  I have used this self assessment exercise before and it still works.

   

Rate yourself in the following areas

1 -poor       3 -fair      5-excellent

How well do you adequately define your unique qualities in terms of capabilities and credibility in blogs, Linkedin, or sites with professional profiles? 

How well have you precisely defined who prospective clients are, both internal and external? Key Decision Makers (KDM)?  Key Decision Influencers (KDI)?

How well do you market services and products?

How well do you focus on relationships marketing?

How well do you create and maintain successful relationships with KDMs and KDIs?

How well are you perceived as an authority in the field?  Here’s how:

·      Write!  Start with small articles for monthly newsletters for local professional groups.  Send copies of published work to other organizations.  Put articles together for publication in national journals or magazines. 

·      Speak!  Speak at local professional groups and conferences. 

·      Get involved!   Join professional organizations such as SHRM, ASTD, and ISPI.  Become an officer or get involved in activities.

How well do you write winning proposals. 

·       Build rapport with internal and external clients

·       Understand client objectives and budgets

·       Define the scope of the work.  A major cause of client dissatisfaction.  Be precise about the scope and terms of the assignment and commit it to paper.

·       Cover all work performed with an agreement.  Document the scope of work, schedules, and deliverables.

Remember to restrict available time to 50% or less on any one client.  More than this takes away flexibility to adapt to current and new clients.

Try to devote 15% of time to marketing all the time. Even if you only work inside your organization, you need to market yourself.

Always give special treatment to old clients.   Return phone calls, visit them, etc…

Finally, review your values and principles from time to time.  Are they still real?  Do you consider them in all that you do?  If you do not have any, here are some I have lived by

Be myself, sincere and truthful - No one likes to hire some who appears anxious

Respect the value of each person - Listen and consider carefully

Analyze the gaps - Look for larger problems, not symptoms

Understand the limits of my ability to change others - Don’t oversell myself

Have a plan - Change takes time

Change the people processes before you change the business processes

Set priorities and have only a few at one time

Laugh at the ridiculous