In the last eighteen months, I’ve unexpectedly found myself in three very different situations, in three very different places, helping complete strangers in distress. None of these moments lasted more than ten or fifteen minutes. But each one left me shaken, reflective, and—somehow—grateful. Here’s what happened.
Read the rest of this entry »
Sometimes, the best thing we can do is to ask for help.
I had been fretting for several months on how to move ahead on convening and facilitating more of the participation technique workshops that are dear to my heart. What would the interest be? How would I market them? Which countries and venues should I consider?
The exploratory work involved was daunting. I started some market and venue research in my spare time, but progress was slow. There was so much to do before I could even begin to announce anything.
Finally, I realized I was acting like the person (stereotypically a man, right?) who’s lost and can’t bring himself to ask for directions.
I needed to ask for help.
It was hard for me to get to the point of asking for help. Despite knowing and preaching about the power of networks to create change, I was trained to figure stuff out by myself, and I still often revert to that old mindset. My ingrained instinct is to investigate a situation by looking at possibilities, only finally moving to action once I’ve got a solid plan. Sometimes that’s a good strategy. But sometimes, I need to practice transformational tourism.
Merely looking at [or listening to] something almost never causes change. Tourism is fun, but rarely transformative.
If it was easy, you would have already achieved the change you seek.
Change comes from new habits, from acting as if, from experiencing the inevitable discomfort of becoming.
—Transformation tourism, Seth Godin
I became someone who asks for help. In 30 minutes I wrote a request for assistance on this blog and promoted it through my usual channels on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, and some Facebook event professional groups.
The results were swift and gratifying.
Within a week I had been contacted by numerous friends and colleagues, and had found several partners who were a wonderful logical fit.
Two weeks later, we began planning workshops in the United States, Canada, and Europe!
I hope I’ve learned something. I hope that next time I’ll be ready to ask for help a little sooner.
How about you? Don’t be like this guy.
Try a new habit.
Ask for help.
You may be amazed at what happens when you do.
Photo attribution: Flickr user marinadelcastell
I am looking for your help to hold workshops that I believe will significantly improve the quality of meetings.
Since 1992 I’ve been developing participation techniques that radically improve conference sessions and entire meetings. Over the last five years, I have run a variety of 3- to 8-hour workshops. Participants learn to facilitate and appreciate many of these techniques through direct experience. People love these meeting industry workshops! (References are available if you don’t know my work.)
I believe there’s a real need for extended versions of these workshops — lasting 1½ – 2½ days — to give meeting planners, facilitators, and presenters a comprehensive interactive learning experience of these simple, yet powerful and effective ways to improve learning, connection, engagement, and action outcomes at our events.
I love designing and running these workshops, and I would like to offer them anywhere in the world there’s sufficient interest. They will typically be small, between 15 to 50 people.
I am not interested in making a ton of money doing this, just covering expenses and my standard fees. The more people who attend a workshop, the less it should cost them.
So I’m looking for partners and volunteers: people and organizations who are interested and willing to help make these workshops happen.
Perhaps:
I’m open to any kind of workable relationships (yes, I will reimburse/pay for your contributions) that make these workshops possible. Although my books continue to sell well and influence event design all over the world, after 30 years I’ve learned that most people only fully understand the value of these eye-opening ways to transform meetings by experiencing them, rather than reading about them.
Would you like to make these workshops possible? Can you help? Then I’d love to work with you. Please contact me at [email protected].