Category: Impact tips

Presenting online training is tricky. Indeed, before Covid 19 forced me into the online space, big time, I believed Zoom training was a poor second to face-to-face. 2020 proved me wrong. It taught me that masterful facilitation leads to deep learning, regardless of the delivery medium.

If you’ve been disappointed or exhausted by an online program, don’t blame Zoom. Blame the facilitator. There is a real knack to keeping engagement and energy levels high online. Trainers who specialise in experiential and group work techniques seem to have an advantage over those grounded in pure presentation skills.

I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the versatility online training can provide. During my unexpected foray into online delivery, I’ve learned that small group, online sessions can very productive. Even more so than learning events delivered classroom style. Here are five surprising benefits of working online as a facilitator.

Breakout rooms are great for small groups to work in

Zoom breakout spaces are far less hectic than on-site breakouts. Provided that participants manage background noise, Zoom spaces create a more intimate and easier to manage dynamic than poorly designed training rooms. The biggest advantage Zoom has over a physical classroom is that it enables small groups to work in a far more confidential manner. More than is possible in a live training environment involving a single space with small work groups spread around it. I confess, this is my favourite discovery about working online.

Trainers are forced to be more disciplined about briefing

Whoever designed Zoom breakout spaces didn’t factor in a trainer’s need to display slideshows in breakout spaces. This forces facilitators to create separate briefing documents for all their group activities. An unexpected benefit of this, is that groups stay on focus far more effectively than when they’re working from a slide displayed at the front of the training room. During 2020, I discovered that exactly the same exercises I use face-to-face work equally well once briefing documents are converted to fit the online environment.

Names are easier for everyone to read

Name tags and place cards have their limits. As they get older, for example, many people cannot read a name tag across the room. Working online enables us to all have our names clearly displayed at all times. This subtly influences group dynamics, because it allows people with poor memories to refer to their co-learners by name. Several participants in my online programs have commented on how much difference this single aspect of Zoom delivery makes for their comfort levels.

Learner personalities are often easier to read in virtual environments

You’ve probably noticed how you get a different sense of someone when you can see their home environment behind them. Even if a learner is using a virtual background, this still creates an interesting frame for their personality. Facilitators can capitalise on this peak into people’s individuality by subtly making use of learners’ own environments during training programs.

Distant peers become closer during online delivery

The most exciting part of my 2020 online experience was delivering a sustainability program. This involved participants Zooming in from Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia. The group was small enough to enable us all to have our cameras switched on, rather than working in webinar mode. This made participants’ experiences far more real as people told their stories. The Zoom environment provided us all with a fascinating glimpse into others’ cultures and working environments. The end result was a more connected and stronger learning environment.

So who would have thought I’d be singing the praises of online delivery? Certainly not me 12 months ago. I’m grateful to the COVID-19 19 pandemic for giving me a reason to explore ways to translate effective facilitation into the online environment. After all, now I’m in this space, it will be easier to reach my goal of bringing positive psychology to 100,000 people around the world.

If you’d like to find out more about how to be an expert facilitator, not just a presenter, download my Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners now.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a trainer and coach, with a passion for unleashing the power of positive deviance in talented people. She has taught more than 50,000 people how to excel professionally. An expert in the field of Positive Psychology, Eleanor is also qualified in Social Anthropology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She specialises in helping HR and L&D practitioners to unleash the power of positive psychology in business. Her major focus in developing three key areas that support positive workplace cultures: positive mindset, proactive communication and purposeful leadership. Eleanor is the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners. Download your free copy here.

Did you know Eleanor specialises in resilience training? It’s a hot topic this year! If your team is tired or burning out as a result of Covid19 stress, book a half day session on Resilience in Turbulent Times. Read the course outline here to find out how this course will help your team bounce back.

Everyone wants to be confident, right? Yet it’s surprising how few of us understand the psychology of confidence. This means many of us believe myths about what it takes to be a thriving, confident person. Sadly, some of these myths actually erode our self-assurance. So let’s bust three very prevalent – but incorrect – assumptions about confidence right now.

Myth 1: you need high self-esteem in order to be confident

Actually, it turns out there’s something far more significant. This is your level of self-agency. “What’s that?” I hear you ask. It’s your sense of personal power, reflected in how much you believe you can change your own world. It turns out that people with high levels of self-agency are far more likely to have high levels of self-confidence than those with strong self-esteem.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that working on your self-esteem is a wasted effort. It simply suggests that in boosting your confidence, you also boost your self-agency. You benefit from improving your mindset about your capacity for meaningful action. The more that you believe you can make positive changes, the more likely you are to feel confident.

Myth 2: competence is a prerequisite for confidence

Again, this isn’t the case. Competence is your ability to do something. Confidence, on the other hand, is your belief that you can succeed. Think about this difference. Being confident means that you can overcome competence gaps. After all, having a strong conviction that you can succeed means you will be willing to learn. Thus, you will be able to boost your confidence.

It turns out that having a growth mindset is strongly correlated to willingness to learn. If you operate from the growth mindset position, you’ll see challenges and even mistakes as opportunities to learn. This will help you feel confident, as you tackle the task of mastering new skills.

Myth 3: all introverts lack confidence

There is no connection at all between confidence and introversion. Remember that introversion is a preference for drawing energy from within. This preference might lead introverts to prefer quiet settings and being alone. However, that doesn’t mean introverts lack social skills or confidence.

It’s worth remembering that extroverts and introverts behave in different ways when they lack confidence. Introverts tend to retreat from social situations. Meanwhile, extroverts may start talking more than normal. Although this might make them look confident, it doesn’t reflect true confidence. Learning this often makes introverts feel a great sense of relief. To me, this is ample evidence that comparing yourself to others doesn’t really help you understand how to genuinely be confident.

Remember that anyone can be confident, regardless of their personality preferences. However, many of us have learned to have low levels of confidence. If this is the case for you, there’s lots you can do about it.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a positive psychology trainer and coach. Her passion is teaching skills for positive thinking, proactive communication and purposeful leadership. Her clients work in academia, education, IT, engineering, finance and health. Eleanor is qualified in Social Anthropology, Positive Psychology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She’s the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners, a free resource for trainers.

I first heard about Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) in 1995. Back then, NLP courses were hard to find in Australia. However, I was intrigued and persistent. I kept searching until 1998, when I finally found a practitioner course in Sydney. Back then, I was sceptical about the transformative powers attributed to NLP. These days, I know they are triggered by the intensely personal, experiential nature of well-designed NLP programs. My practitioner certification took 20 days. Master practitioner was an additional 20 days. Several years later, I completed trainers’ trainer. Yep. That was 20 days (and two flights to London!) too.

Would I say NLP transformed my work as a trainer? Absolutely. Did it transform my personal life? Yes, indeed. These days, I unconsciously embed NLP patterns in most coaching and groupwork sessions. Looking back, I see that NLP equipped me to excel. I ‘learned heaps’ in every course I attended. But three skills still stand out as my favourites: cognitive reframing, metaphor construction and meta-model questioning techniques.

Does that all sound like a lot of jargon? Welcome to the world of NLP! The guys who created NLP seemed to have a knack for inventing serious-sounding labels. Behind the names, though, are some seriously useful techniques. Here’s a quick rundown on my favourites and how they are useful to trainers and coaches.

Cognitive reframing

The more I learn about cognitive reframing, the more firmly I believe it is the foundation for all learning. Reframing means shifting your perspective on a situation or event. It involves making new meaning and interpreting things differently. The purpose of reframing is to generate new understanding or insight. As a positive psychology trainer, for example, I often encourage learners to view challenging situations through a lens of childlike curiosity. This simple reframe helps people find new solutions to old problems – and have fun while they’re doing it!

As a rookie NLP practitioner, I was intrigued by the pragmatic approach NLP took to reframing. I learned step-by-step language patterns I could use to reduce resistance and increase learning, whilst honing my reframing skills. 25 years after learning those techniques, I continue to teach them to participants in my Learn with Eleanor Shakiba courses and retreats. Why? Because they work.

Metaphor construction

Metaphors were the reason I enrolled in my first NLP course. I’d heard NLP practitioners were exceptional storytellers. I wanted to be an exceptional storyteller, too! I soon learned this would involve mastering ‘therapeutic metaphor construction’. Hmm. What did this mean? Put simply, it involved crafting storylines and characters which would engage conscious minds whilst teaching to unconscious minds. It’s an incredibly creative process, which every trainer should master. My own passion for metaphor construction runs deep. I learned the structure for this in my NLP Practitioner course back in 1998. And I’ve never found a better way of building teaching metaphors.

Meta-model questioning

Speak to any NLP practitioner and it won’t be long before they sing the praises of ‘the meta model’. This mysterious title is actually an abbreviation. Originally, this foundation-stone of NLP was known as ‘the meta-model of language in therapy’. This is a complex, deeply structured model. For now, let’s stick to a basic definition. The meta model is a set of questions practitioners can use to shift or expand mindsets.

Why would trainers and coaches want to do this? The applications of the meta-model are limitless. For example, just this week I have used meta-model questions to:

• Draw out strengths during career coaching sessions
• Surface limiting assumptions which are preventing people solving their own problems
• Handle hecklers or people who aggressively challenge content in training sessions
• Subtly guide the thinking processes of individuals or groups
• Manage my own thinking, especially when faced with tough problems.

To me, NLP rocks. Admittedly, though, it is not an evidence-based discipline. This means it is viewed with scepticism in some circles. Why do I still suggest that trainers explore it? Because no other discipline teaches you to listen with the precision and accuracy of NLP. What NLP contributed to the world was a fascinating breakdown of the language patterns which promote change. Learning those patterns will make you a masterful facilitator and coach. Which, after all, is much better than simply being a good trainer.

Want to learn more about NLP and how it can transform your work as a trainer? Download my Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners now.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a positive psychology trainer and coach. Her passion is teaching skills for positive thinking, proactive communication and purposeful leadership. Her clients work in academia, education, IT, engineering, finance and health. Eleanor is qualified in Social Anthropology, Positive Psychology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She’s the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners a free resource for trainers.

I’m not a big fan of tourist buses, so I decided to take the local bus to Portofino. This proved to be a bad decision. The bus was overcrowded, and I was squashed into the space next to the door. My arm was trapped when the door opened resulting in a fractured elbow and risk. In some ways, my visit to the Italian hospital was even more traumatic than the accident itself. In the long months of recovery and rehab though, I learned some valuable lessons in resilience. I’ve always been fascinated by the psychology of resilience. After all, resilience is what allows us to bounce back after traumatic or negative experiences. My accident certainly gave me an opportunity to test my practical application of what I’ve learned through all my years of studying this field. Five unexpected lessons emerged from my mishap.

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