A colleague (Maree) and I went to this years Mind Body Spirit festival, and I must confess, we were there 10 mins and began to wonder what had attracted us to go.

In the past, we would attend these events with great vigour and be amazed by all the fantastic concepts there were, and generally we would walk out laden with bags of cool stuff.

This year, however, as we wandered we were wondering if we had begun to out grow the festival. We weren’t searching for meaning from tarot cards, crystals and mystical books. We discussed our view that true meaning comes from within, and all the answers are there.

So, we decided to simply wander, enjoy each others company and marvel at the colour, energy and high spirits of the people that exhibit and attend.

As we were wandering, and towards the end of our visit, we came across a stand called “The Wish”. A woman was sitting with a silk cloth, marked out with a figure 8 and some interesting symbols, stacks of beautiful cards, dice and polished stones. A game! Maree and I were instantly intrigued and were invited to sit and “play”.

We made a wish, and with a roll of the dice we were on our way through what turned out to be one of the most profound learning and transformational experiences EVER! After 5 years of NLP, several other growth courses, and thousands of dollars in books, it was 1 hour with this “game” that I uncovered some serious blockages and limiting beliefs, as well as a way to shift them.

By simply landing on a space, choosing an appropriate card, reflecting on how this card related to my wish, things that I thought I had overcome, or had been ignoring…..not sure…..began to shift. Needless to say 1 hour of play felt like a month of self discovery. Whilst it was tiring, because we were really working, as we walked away from the game Maree was able to sum up our post game state quite accurately as being “blissed out”.

I can’t tell you now whether it has been successful in helping me get my “wish”, however after being a fan of the law of attraction for some time, and being determined to live a life of abundance, I had been wondering why I wasn’t getting the kind of results that I had aspired to. This activity showed where the disbelief sat in my body, began to explore where it might have come from, but more importantly, dislodged it, and gave it momentum to shift.

I purchased The Wish and am looking for opportunities to play it with others.

In addition to my recent foray into the world of online training, I have had another technology and learning moment, courtesy of my 16 year old daughter, Emma.

She recently had to complete a Biology Assignment at school based on the digestive system. Emma’s usual homework regime is to have music blaring in her bedroom with the door closed, emerging only for another can of coke, or to go to the bathroom. This was certainly the routine for this particular piece of homework, however, what was different was that there were loud bursts of laughter coming from time to time, as well as unusual music choices (Tijuana Brass - the Spanish Flea…….what’s that about?!).

After about 6 hours of this, she emerged to show us her Biology assignment. Words are completely insufficient for this, so if you have a spare few mins you might like to go to YouTube to take a look (click here). Nothing like a proud Mum showing off her daughters brilliance!

AND…..my thoughts remain on how much technology has crept up on me in the learning space, and how much FUN Emma had doing this assignment, and how much FUN I had using the technology on my recent global project and how much FUN the participants had as well.

So, learning and fun is not a new concept. It’s something I have been focussed on for some time - hence the term “entertrainment”. Technology, learning and fun in the same space, however, this is something that I had not put together outside of the odd educational video game (eg, Dr Seuss’ ABC). Certainly not for learning really important stuff like the digestive system or change management strategies.

So - what am I trying to say….?

Technology has become so pervasive (in a positive way), that educators, trainers, speakers, facilitators (front of room professionals) really need to consider how, other than powerpoint , we can begin to use the abundance of portable technology in new and interesting ways to continue to keep the learning space relevant, engaging and FUN. The next generation of learners have come to take it for granted (it being technology), and it’s time to move with the times.

I recently had the opportunity to work on a global project, involving training 400 people at one time in some change management tools. The project involved a combination of face to face and online training. I was part of the “online” team.

I have had a belief for some time - probably based on experiences from over 10 years ago - that it is impossible to really connect with participants in an online or web based training environment. You can only do this face to face.

So - heading into this project, I was somewhat skeptical about the effect of the training, and the achievement of outcomes. I am pleased to say I was absolutely blown away, not only by the training itself (the content) but the technology….and, being mildly immodest, my ability to connect with a group via an auditory internet connection.

Some details. There were two sessions, the first of which started at 1.00am Australian time, and I had a technical support person, based in London helping me, with participants located in various cities (and time zones) across the United States. That’s interesting, just in an of itself. The whole thing finished at 6.00am Australian Time…..and I thought my days of shift work were over when I left Qantas!

Each session ran for two hours - which I reckon is the maximum time from an engagement perspective that you could have people involved. In fact - I think 90 mins would be optimal. Participants logged on via an e-mailed link, and then dialed into the telephone call. All of this (visual and auditory) is integrated together.

The session then began with a description of the technology and the tools available to participants, including: Chat, hands up button, yes and no buttons, writing/pen tool and text tool. This made the shared workspace very interactive. There are also emoticons, which became useful if someone had to step away from the session for any reason.

As the session progressed, there were a number of times when we brainstormed, asked and responded to questions, had a “show of hands”- all of which were simulated beautifully by the software. We also put groups into “breakout sessions”, which separated them from the main group, allowed them to have discussions, and then do a report back to the main group. I won’t say that that part is easy - this is why I had a technical person - but once I get the hang of it - I reckon it would be pretty straight forward.

Suffice it to say - that apart from the face to face stuff (which can be achieved if everyone has cameras on their computers), everything you typically do in a workshop could be achieved via this medium. There are some obvious exceptions - some of the “game” or “activity” based stuff might not be doable - and I think it just requires a bit more creativity.

By the end of the session, I was sold on the technology (www.webex.com) and am now looking at how I might be able to adapt some of my face to face training to make it more accessible to the world at large. Bottom line is - the technology has changed massively since my original forays into the online learning world. In a world that is mostly time poor - this is without doubt a truly effective way to reach diverse groups, without the expense of travel. Will it replace face to face training? Never! It will be a great support and addition to a suite of learning options.

And…my evidence that it went ok…..? (1) The standard “happy sheets” were still done at the end (via www.surveymonkey.com) - and I scored very high. (2) During the course of the session we simulated a “thunderous round of applause” by clicking the “hands up” button on and off in rapid succession……they all gave me a thunderous round of applause at the end!……but the real kicker…(3) Many times at the end of a face to face training, I have made such a connection with the group, or individuals within the group, that they stay afterwards and want to talk more - they simply don’t leave. I had two people stay online, and on the phone at the end of the session to talk more to me and ask about my experiences in change and using the technology. Very cool!

I’ve been doing a little thinking about the, somewhat accepted, connection between happiness and productivity. “Happy workers, make productive workers”. I’m not so sure I accept this.

I’m definitely a big believer in the possibility of creating productive workplaces, it’s just the link to happiness that I’m having trouble with.

Firstly, how do you define “happy” anyway. I checked this out in the OED, and on Wikipedia, and did a general google search on the definition of happiness and was bombarded with a range of options. Which, in some ways confirms what I had been thinking, which was, it would be virtually impossible for an organisation to define, measure and develop processes to accommodate happiness.

However, when I think back to my past life as a consultant, and the “Service Value Chain”, I’m reminded that in order to create a compelling place to work, employees need to have a positive attitude about their job and a positive attitude about the company they work for. [Note: no mention of happiness]. If this positive attitude exists, then they provide quality goods and/or services, which creates a compelling place to buy…meaning you have customers that “stay and tell”. And…. if this happens….we then have a compelling place to invest.

Now again - no mention of happiness. Am I being belligerent ? ….Maybe….

I guess, that I do enough work with organisations to know that seeking “happiness” could be the impossible, and largely ineffective dream. Seeking Positive, or Productive, or Performance based, on the other hand, could be the go.

I’m reminded also of the work of Ainsworth & Smith (1993) who put the whole thing into an equation (which my engineering and technical clients LOVE). That goes something like this:

P=Rc x C x V x Pf x Rw

Performance is a product of Role Clarity, Competence, Values, Preference Fit and Reward. I tend to think we could subsititute Productivity for Performance and it would still work. Again……no happiness.

However, I don’t want to get too “negative” here. So let me put another spin on this. How about instead of “happy” or “positive” we try words like “resourceful” or “useful”.

So, is a resourceful workplace a productive one? I my humble opinion … you betcha!

Instead of aiming for “happy employees” could aim for “resourceful employees”. Resourceful employees know what it is they should be doing, have a connection to the organisational vision, have the tools and skills to do their job, have a “fit” for the job and are rewarded appropriately. It’s likely if this is the case, my thinking is they will turn up, willingly to work…..and when asked, would probably describe themselves as “happy”.

I have passed through the invisible barrier between comfort zone and learning zone.  Life is more settled and I’m getting stuff done.A good colleague of mine (Big Dave) describes the comfort zone/learning zone by using the good old SWOT methodology.  In the comfort zone, we are generally working with our Strengths.  We need to pass through the barrier which represents our Weaknesses, in order to reach the  Opportunities that lie in the learning zone. According to Big Dave’s model, Threats live in the terror zone.I so get that now.  

Another week in at my “job” found me quite literally having a mild anxiety attack. I must confess that I am feeling rather stupid to be having such an abreaction to this project.

My working week began with a very rainy day, so I drove into the city and parked in a parking station - expecting to only be there for an hour as I needed to have some work done on my PC (yes, PC….that in itself is a challenge after become a Mac convert). On approach to the office I realised I had left my wallet at home…..*sigh*. I called Steve, who agreed to bring it into me 2 hours hence.

I went upstairs, logged in, received 3 e-mails, and arranged a meeting. On my way to the meeting, I bumped into someone I had done work with previously at this organisation. I confessed to him that I was feeling a little like a fish out of water, and feeling particularly stupid on this day as I had left my wallet at home, and because I wasn’t expecting to be in the office for more than an hour, had also left my notes and workbooks at home.

So, he gave me some invaluable advice. He said……..”here’s your first problem. You aren’t carrying anything! Whenever you leave your desk, FOR ANY REASON, you MUST carry a manilla folder with you, or at least a spiral bound note book in your arm. You need to increase the pace in which you are walking, to be very determined and brisk. You also need to rub your forehead, and adopt a bit of a frown. When you see people you know, DON’T STOP, keep walking and wave at them with a bit of a grimace on your face. This way people will think ‘gee, she is under the pump…..must be really busy’.”

This was GOLD! So, I completed my meeting, and on the way back, I adopted all the physiological changes he suggested, and by the time I got back to my desk I felt great! I felt like I had purpose. The anxious feeling I had experienced most of the morning had disappeared!

I have had a number of interesting experiences during my first week as a part time employee for the project I am working on with a large bank.

I am feeling WAAAAAY out of my comfort zone. This is ironic - don’t you think. Many of us that have our own businesses speak to people in organisations who frequently confess they would like to start their own business, but are afraid of the unknown (aka don’t want to get out of their comfort zone).

In various discussions I have, well not been disparaging, but certainly a little “better/worse” about the life of an independant contractor versus being an employee. I have a new and very healthy respect for people who live, work and thrive in large organisations.

I couldn’t even figure out how to get the hot water tap to work to make myself a cup of tea! There was a safety switch - didn’t have those in my days of working in an organisation!!!!!

It also appears that old habits die hard. It’s been well over 5 years since I worked in a corporate environment as an employee. Back then, I was someone who used to love getting in early before everyone else and having that half hour or so where I could make a cuppa, potter around and ease into my day. The other day I found myself in automatic pilot - intending to be in the office half an hour early to be there before others………I had to catch myself with a very sold “for what purpose”.

As a raving extravert - I also had a belief that busy, noisy and people filled environments suited my working and communication style. Evidently I was wrong about that too. After 5 years of my own (relatively large) space, and the freedom to work when, and with whom I like, it appears my introverted function has been practised well. I couldn’t wait to get back to my space where it was relaxed, I knew how to make a cup of tea, there was room to spread out and I didn’t feel like I had to whisper on the phone.

The upside - I have a new laptop (pc, though *sigh* - not allowed to bring my mac onto their network), they are encouraging me to work from home and have given me remote access - as there really isn’t any space for me, and it’s nice to meet new people and gather new stories.

I thought it was time that I got with the times. Seems everyone with something to say has a blog….and I certainly have something to say.

I just hope that I remember to blog frequently enough that others get value!