Training Methodology
PLANNING TRAINING:
When planning training there are some basic questions that need to be asked, such as what the participants' background is, and what they expect from the training as well as what skills and knowledge you want to pass on to them. This section of the manual will therefore look at some fundamental subjects in the planning and preparation of training.
2.1 Get to know your audience
Even if the need for training seems self-evident to the organisers, this might not be the case for the intended audience. Or, the participants might not see the need for some aspects of the training that you are planning even if they agree with the training in general.
It is important to start the process of training with the needs of the trainees clearly in focus – the identification of existing training needs might not be obvious, either in the minds of the trainees and sometimes even the trainers. The group responsible for the training need to agree at the outset the questions of “what” and “why”
. what is being covered?
. why is the training considered necessary?
It is also helpful to inform the trainees of the trainers' conclusion as to “what” and “why”, preferably in advance of the training and certainly at the outset of the course.
2.2 Some barriers to effective training
When training participants who are part of civil society groups and who are attending the training on a voluntary basis, you do not generally face some of problems of training public officials for whom the training is compulsory and who might perceive the training as some kind of threat to their professionalism. However it is important for the trainer to remember, that even if the participants are happy to listen to you, people are often unwilling to devote that extra time and energy to do things they way the trainer has suggested after the training. In a way, there is no point in telling people things that they are clearly not going to do.
It might therefore be a good idea to dedicate part of the training to identify the obstacles of putting the training into practice, and formulate suggestions how these can be dealt with.
2.3 Identifying training needs
The basic question of “what” a training session should include builds upon this discussion: the training should meet the needs of the trainees.
Needs can be distinguished from wants – needs should address the essential training requirements of both the individual trainee and the organisation, depending on background and mandate.
The importance of clarifying what a particular session or programme should involve is therefore the essential starting point. This might seem obvious but the importance of clearly establishing precisely what the training is designed to do cannot be stressed enough.
This leads us to identify four separate headings of possible training needs:
Knowledge –.
Skills –
Attitudes –
Values
.
When drafting intended learning outcomes, as precise as possible language should be used. Intended outcomes should be SMART
Specific
Manageable
Attainable
Relevant
Time specific
But is it really necessary to spend time writing down intended learning outcomes? Yes, it is very helpful for a number of reasons:
1) It helps reinforce the point that the training should be pragmatic, i.e. applicable to the trainees' needs. It should be attainable within the time available. It should also be able to be assessed to enable both the trainers and the trainees to appreciate what has been achieved.
2) It ensures that both trainers and trainees know the specific objectives of the training, as long as they are clearly specified and communicated.
3) It also helps trainers with the next step of planing training – the choice of training techniques (see below).
Writing intended learning outcomes is therefore the first stage in planning the training. Here are two examples of what it could
. Distribute the definitive programme, including the intended learning outcomes about five days before the course to trainees. Try to get trainees to think about the training the will be attending by asking them short but specific questions about their expectations etc.
. At the start of the course, highlight the intended learning outcomes and explain why these have been considered relevant.
2.4 Some key training design questions
During which hours of the day should the training be scheduled?
.
Will the trainees be expected to cover the intended learning hours solely in the training time provided in the programme?
It is common for trainers and trainees to see training as something done during training time (programme time) only. However, there can be advantages in expecting trainees, if possible, to carry out some preparatory work in advance, e.g. previewing circulated material.
How much does the audience already know?
Building upon the existing knowledge and skills is clearly desirable – and knowing your audience is therefore crucial (see further discussion above). In addition however, drawing upon the wide and varied experience of trainees during training is obviously beneficial – it encourages participation and stresses the practical relevance of the materials being presented.
3) TRAINING METHODS – CHOOSING THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNIQUES:
3.1 Why training design is important
Drafting clear aims and intended learning outcomes (see above) will be of considerable assistance to trainers in making their choice of training methods or formats. It is clear that some methods are more efficient than others in achieving particular objectives. The choice of training methods should be determined by the intended training outcomes, and the design of the actual teaching method by awareness of the variety of formats and other available resources. However, there will always be certain constraints on resources, such as trainer availability, accommodation, specific budget allocations, time available for training etc. It is important to remember these three points when deciding on training methods:
. courses should be tailored to specific audiences – always start from the perspective of the actual participants
. participation – rather than passive reception – enhances they value of training for learners as well as the satisfaction gained by trainers
. learners will be more involved in the training if they can see the relevance of the training and the opportunity to apply the training in practice
It is also important to remember that the acquisition of knowledge is different from the acquisition of skills. It is generally accepted that people learn skills
65 % by doing
25 % by seeing
10 % by hearing
Whilst on the other hand knowledge is generally acquired
75 % by seeing
15 % by hearing
10 % by doing (i.e. by experience).
3.2 Learning environments
When conducting training, it is very important to establish a good learning environment. Whatever teaching methodologies are being used, you need to ensure that the trainees feel comfortable and receptive. The following are a few issues you need to keep in mind:
3.2.1 Location
If possible, the training should be carried out away from the working place of the trainees – this will minimise the chance of work related interruptions. The trainees will find it easier to concentrate on the training that is taking place there and then.
3.2.2 Other accommodation issues
Bear in mind that physical comfort is important. You need to consider issues such as room temperature, ventilation, seating capacity and seating arrangements. For example, can everyone see the speaker and can the speaker see every member of the audience? Can everyone hear? If interpretation equipment is used, is it working properly? Are the enough rooms for “breakout” activities?
3.2.3 Issues of timing
There are a number of things you need to keep in mind when dealing with issues of timing. See above the discussion on which hours of the day the training should be scheduled for. But there are also other points that need to be considered.
Periodic breaks are necessary for revitalising the audience, but be aware that the time taken to serve coffee etc is often significantly longer than trainers estimate – it is often necessary to allocate half an hour. Remember that most people's attention span is only around 20 minutes, so try to ensure that one-hour sessions are broken up with some change of activity every 20 minutes or so (see further discussion below).
3.2.4 Making trainees feel comfortable and at ease
Some people might perceive training as a threat, and the manner in which the training is carried out needs to be prepared with some care. Many participants may be anxious about opening up in discussions as they feel they might say the “wrong” thing and be open to criticism. It is therefore important to create a comfortable working and training environment.
Perhaps it is appropriate to welcome each trainee individually when they arrive? Also, it is important that the trainers mix (language barriers permitting) with the participants during break time in a more informal setting. The use of name badges helps people identify their fellow participants.
Try to maintain a supportive climate – be sensitive to possible signs of anxiety and be ready to provide encouragement and reassurances when necessary. And remember, non-verbal as well as verbal communication will provide useful feedback to the trainers.
Keep the sessions short and provide break times. However, you also need to make sure there is enough time for discussion and time to respond to questions to help ensure that training is proceeding at the pace needed by the trainees, and not that desired by the trainers.
3.2.5 Support for the trainers
It is of course also important that the trainers have a comfortable working environment. The organisers of the training need to make sure there are things like water for the speakers etc. A representative of the organisers must be on hand in the training room during the whole of the training in case the trainer would need help with some organisational aspects, e.g. technical hitches, photocopying or last minute (small) re-arrangements of the programme.
3.2.6 Establishing ground rules
It is important that both trainees and trainers understand their rights and responsibilities with regard to the training. It is always better to make these rules clear at the beginning of the training to prevent misunderstandings later. Consider discussing that attendance throughout the course is expected – any tendency to disappear early can be addressed by circulating financial claims forms only at the very end of the training. The timetable provided is not for mere guidance – try to start and finish at the allotted times. Make sure that all mobile phones are switched off during the training – you can explain to the trainees that they can make and receive phone calls during break times.
3.3 Different training techniques
3.3.1 Presentations
Presentations are one of the most common training techniques. They can be used in a variety of situations and for a variety of tasks, e.g.;
. Lecture (from an expert in the relevant field)
. Lecture followed by open discussion, or lecture with the opportunity to intervene during the presentation (as above, but with the active involvement of the audience)
. Short presentations from panel members followed by panel discussion and with the opportunity to respond to questions from the audience (permitting a comparative or interdisciplinary approach to the topic in question)
. Short presentations from groups on allocated tasks (allowing identification of contrasting or novel approaches to the topic)
Possible drawbacks
The use of formal presentations does carry with it considerable risks, and this is true for lectures in particular. In many training situations, the use of traditional lectures is reduced and confined to circumstances where it is likely to have a real impact, for example where there is an opportunity to invite an experienced lecturer who is also an expert in the field at the very beginning or end of the course.
We need to be aware of some particular difficulties in making a presentation:
The immediacy of speech is striking – unlike a writer, a speaker cannot go back and redraft a sentence or passage.
This same applies to the listener – he cannot go back and re-read a section if he did not understand or was not paying attention.
When giving longer presentations, there are particular difficulties as most people's maximum attention span is only around 20 minutes.
Bearing this in mind, it is easy to understand the pressure on those giving formal speeches to make a good impression by saying what they mean the first time, in a manner that the audience can understand and to hold their attention throughout. When making a presentation, you need to attempt to convey the material in as engaging a manner as possible. This has implications both for what you say (for example, choosing illustrations of your points that are relevant to your audience and for the way you say it (reading out a prepared text from your papers without looking up will surely lead to the participants switching off).
The following are points which you should keep in mind with regard to the preparation and content of an oral presentation:
New trainers are surprised to discover how little they can actually say in their allotted time. You therefore need to think about selecting the most important information about a topic, how to explain it as simply as possible and to exclude anything that is irrelevant.
It goes without saying that thorough preparation of the topic is essential. Firstly, it will give you greater confidence if you know your topic well, and it will make it easier to handle any questions the participants might ask. Secondly, it will be obvious to your listeners if you do not really understand your topic, and they will cease to pay attention. In fact, having to explain something to other people is one of the best ways of ensuring that you understand it properly yourself.
You need to decide exactly what you are going to say. Here it is important to start by working out what the audience will expect from you (see section on intended learning outcomes). The composition of your audience is also important in determining how formal or informal your presentation should be.
Have a clear and logical structure, other wise your audience will get lost and lose interest. It is helpful to separate your introduction, the main body and the conclusion. In the introduction, you should tell the participants what you are going to be talking about, perhaps posing a question you intend to answer. In the main body, you should expand on your topic, breaking down the discussion into a number of sub-topics that follow logically from each other. What you say in the conclusion will depend on exactly what you are setting out to achieve. If you are simply describing something, then a summary of the main points should be enough. If you are trying to make a case for something, then you need to conclude by restating your main argument or answering the question you posed at the outset.
Once you have worked out your clear structure, you need to communicate this to your audience. This is particularly important in allowing anyone whose attention might have wondered to rejoin the presentation and still make sense of it. You might want to say, for example, “the first point I want to make is...”, “in this section I am going to talk about...”, or “in conclusion...”. Pauses between points and gestures such as holding up one finger for your first point, two for your second etc can help emphasise important links.
Timing is crucial as other people may be relying on you talking for a particular length of time and no more or less. Also, if you go on for longer than expected, your audience may begin to lose patience. The only way to really be sure that you have got the length right is to time yourself delivering it, speaking it out loud, not just reading it to yourself. When doing this, you need to bear in mind that if your presentation is being translated simultaneously you need to speak a little bit slower than normally, and if it is being translated consecutively, you obviously have to leave time for this.
And here follow some points to keep in mind when you are delivering the presentation:
The way you deliver a presentation is as, if not more, important than what you say. You therefore first need to think about the mode of delivery you are going to use. What sort of prompts? What visual aids might be useful (see further below)? Will you sit or stand up? What kind of gestures are you going to use? Will you use a fixed or roving microphone?
Some form of prompt is most often necessary. Different options are available: you can read from a pre-prepared text (although you must take care that this is a text which has been specifically drafted for oral delivery) or speak from notes, perhaps written on cue cards. The major advantage of speaking from notes is that it sounds more natural than reading a text (even a specially prepared one) and it is easier to maintain eye contact with the audience as you do not constantly have to look down on your text.
Think about how you sound when delivering your presentation. If you speak too quickly, the audience will not be able to keep up with you, but if you are too slow, you are likely to bore them. See also the note above about interpretation. The appropriate volume at which you speak will vary depending on the size of the room you are speaking in and its acoustics – it is always worth asking the audience whether they can actually hear you. If you cannot make yourself heard without shouting, you should ask for a microphone, otherwise your voice will sound strained. In order to keep the participants attention, it is also important you do not speak in a monotonous voice (see note on pre-prepared text above) but keep your voice animated.
A “checklist” for a good oral presentation:
You can record your own views or ask a colleague to help you:
. Could the speaker be heard from the back of the room?
. Was eye contact continually used to involve all of the audience?
. Were audio-visual aids used appropriately?
. Was material written on blackboards or on overhead projectors visible from all parts of the room?
. Did the lecturer make appropriate use of any handouts?
. Was the lecturer fluent verbally?
. Did the lecturer vary intonation?
. Was the material well-organised?
. Did the lecturer appear well prepared?
. Was the audience clear as to the aims and intended learning outcomes of the presentation?
. Were key points adequately signaled?
. Was the pace of the lecture appropriate to the audience?
. Was the level of the lecture appropriate for the audience?
. Were the examples apt and interesting?
. Was the interest of the audience engaged throughout?
3.3.2 Audio-visual aids
As already mentioned, visual aids can help your audience to understand the structure of your presentation and can also help in retaining their attention by introducing some variety. There are a number of different forms of audio-visual aids that can be used, e.g. overhead projectors, slide projectors, computer graphics, black/white boards, flipcharts, videos, objects or handouts. Each has its advantages and disadvantages – each has particular use depending on particular purpose. In general, however, you should only use audio-visual aids where they are appropriate, and you should keep them as simple as possible. Also, keep in mind the particular circumstances of the area where the training is taking place – if e.g. it is prone to daily power cuts you might be better off using very simple visual aids such as flipcharts and handouts, rather than something which needs a constant supply of electricity to function.
Why use audio-visual aids in presentations?
To put across a point with more effect.
To help trainees take more in – as mentioned above up to 75 % of knowledge or information is gained through sight.
To maintain interest.
To focus attention on one spot or in one place.
To break up a lecture, particularly every 20 minutes.
To help in the preparation of a talk – extensive preparation leads to a polished product.
To help keep both the speaker and the audience on track.
To aid memory by providing a summary.
To help standardise presentations involving a number of trainers at different locations.
To add variety.
How to use audio-visual aids in presentations
Use audio-visual aids economically and avoid overkill, otherwise you lose one of the main reasons in using them, i.e. to maintain the participants' interest.
Ensure that the content is relevant and that they emphasise the key issues in your presentation.
Do not put too much information into one kind of audio-visual aid at the time, otherwise you will overload the audience. If you are using slides for example, do not put down more than seven lines of five words on each slide.
Give the audience enough time to read the content of any slide, and think about preparing a handout for distribution with the content of the slide, as copying it down might be unproductive.
Make sure overhead projector slides can be seen from the back of the room. It is advisable to use at least size 24 typeface if you are typing, and the text needs to be in a dark colour.
This typeface is 24 point.
If using overhead projector slides, reveal the text gradually, otherwise the audience will not concentrate on the point you are discussing. Stand beside the projector, and remember to never turn your back on the participants, especially when talking to the class.
Number your transparencies and tag them so that you can easily separate them. Also, ensure that you stack them in an orderly manner when removing them – you may need to show some of them again to make a point clearer or to answer a question.
Flipcharts are easy to use and very helpful at times of reporting back by groups (see below). Remember to write legibly (scribble is distracting to decipher and looks unprofessional) and in capitals with big, bold letters. A rough guide to the size of lettering is:
10 people, board 2 metres away – letters 2 cm high and 30 mm thick
25 people, board 10 metres away – letters 4 cm high and 30 mm thick
50 people, board 20 metres away – letters 8 cm high and 50 mm thick
If showing a video, it is useful in advance to explain why this is being used – in other words, clarify the questions in advance of the screening to enable the trainees to gain greater value from the video. What do you expect from the audience at the end of the screening? If necessary, be ready to freeze the video to discuss a particular issues if you feel it needs to be considered there and then.
Use audio-visual resources with consideration if any of the audience has sight or hearing problems.
Also – consider the time of day: will it send people to sleep?
Never use visual aids with re-hearsing them in advance.
Preparation when using audio-visual equipment
Preparation is key to using audio-visual aids successfully – a number of things can “go wrong”. Here are some simple steps you can take to ensure your presentation runs as smoothly as possible:
Check that the overhead projector is working properly. Is it properly located and can be seen from all parts of the room? Does the light level in the room require adjusting? Try out the transparency in advance – does the overhead projectors focus properly?
If using software presentation programmes, check the compatibility of your version of the programme with the version available at the location, and ensure you know how to link up the data projector and laptop computer.
Are the flipchart pens working? Are they thick enough? Is there enough paper? Can the chart be seen by all the participants?
Check any electronic equipment such as video players in advance to make sure they work.
If logistics mean that the speaker does not operate the visual aids him/herself, ensure that the operator is synchronised with the oral delivery.
3.3.3 Interactive/participatory techniques
Not all speakers are comfortable with the idea of audience interruptions throughout their presentations by questions or interventions. Even if such participation can help maintain audience interest, timekeeping may become problematic and relevance may stray. (In such situations, remember to always respond to a questioner, even if only by explaining why you will answer the question later.) Permitting time for questions after the presentation is of course another option. However, this may fall foul of audience self-censorship – there may be a reluctance culturally to challenge guest speakers, and the immediacy of the thought that prompted the questions might be lost.
If you have invited an outside guest speaker, it is important to ensure that the opportunity for asking questions at the end of the lecture is not an empty and embarrassing period of silence. Get a group of trainees to prepare some questions in advance, by reading material prepared by the speaker.
There are, also, a number of training techniques available to the speaker to try to stimulate large group or plenary audience participation. Which technique is the most appropriate will of course depend on the topic covered and the background of the participants:
Brainstorming: Following a presentation, the audience is asked to respond with ideas which are written down on a flipchart. All ideas are recorded, there is no discussion at this stage or rejection of ideas, and the moderators task is simply to list and to stop attempts at premature discussion. After all the responses are recorded, there is subsequent discussion/analysis/categorising etc of the responses as appropriate.
“Snowballing” or “pyramiding”: Ask the audience to discuss a topic for a brief period of time, say 3-4 minutes, in pairs or in threes. Then ask the pairs/threes to discuss their conclusions for another brief period with another pair/three to identify whether there was any disagreement and if the means at arriving at the conclusion were similar etc. This exercise is then followed by a general discussion. The advantages of this technique is that it gets the discussion going in a relatively “secure” environment, as the trainees discuss in pairs and then move onto larger groups. It breaks down large and unmanageable groups and all trainees have the chance to speak. However, if using this technique remember that the trainees needs clear instructions as to what is expected of them.
Asking the audience to vote or record their agreement to a number of statements made by the speaker can help break up a formal presentation. A variation is to seek responses using three categories, “yes”, “no” and “maybe”. Here the audience could be asked for its views on a range of questions in response to knowledge, but also to their attitudes or values.
All these techniques can be used at pre-designated intervals during the presentation or at the end. It is particularly important to use them during presentations during slots when the audience is likely to doze off (e.g. after lunch or towards the end of the day).
3.3.4 Working with groups
Group work is a key method in any modern training, and is most often used to compliment plenary sessions. Or perhaps it is better to suggest that formal presentations should compliment group work?
Group work is not “time off” for the trainer – the key to successful group work is thorough planning and effective facilitating.
So what are the reasons for using small groups in training?
. Group discussion is vital in the formulation of appropriate attitudes and values
. Group discussion is the best way of obtaining the ideas and experience of others in the group
. Participants find group discussion rewarding, and therefore the training as such is more rewarding
. Group discussion allows participants the opportunity of applying knowledge
. Groups create a supportive social environment
There are of course, as with any training method, disadvantages and problems with using small group work. Whilst good group discussion is satisfying, poor group discussion can lead to frustration and drop out. Careful preparation is as always important, and so is awareness of techniques that can help ensure all participants gain as much as they can from the group discussion.
There are essentially three types of group discussion:
directed-teaching discussion group – there is one correct answer to the discussion, and the aim is to arrive at the correct answer
the non-directed discussion group – tutors and trainees know there is no one correct answer, and the aim is to open up discussion and explore the topic through getting participants to interact in the group in a positive and constructive way
the seminar-type discussion – there is no hitherto accepted correct answer, and discussion will attempt to get some constructive conclusions which may lead to some collective decision from the competing alternatives available.
The role of the trainer is crucial in each of these types. Groups often wish to be told the correct answer, what is right and what is wrong. With the directed group, any tendency the trainer might have to provide the answer to the group immediately must be avoided. In the non-directed and in the seminar groups the trainer must ensure that the work is done by the group. However, he/she should intervene regularly firstly to ensure the group knows what is expected of them, secondly to move the discussion along and thirdly to summarise the discussion and the conclusions. It is also the trainers responsibility to ensure that at some stage of the small group work ALL the members are heard.
So what can go wrong in small group work? Here are some of the things to look out for:
. The group may not be clear as to the purpose of the discussion and what is expected of them
. The task may be uninteresting or insufficiently stimulating
. Discussion materials may be of a poor quality
. The group is given too many tasks in the allotted time
. People know how to talk to others but not with others – some talk too much/too little, dominate/are dominated, get off the point, repeat themselves etc
. Groups are too large to ensure proper participation
. Choice of group members may make open discussion difficult
. Groups may get bogged down with too many references to examples drawn from personal experience
. The accommodation is poor – seating does not encourage discussion
Small group work will be successful and rewarding for both the trainer and the trainees if all the participants feel they had a chance to contribute. It is also very important that they feel they have had good leadership and that t lang="EN-GB" dir="LTR">Step 2 – Plan the group exercise
Review the task to anticipate both problems and answers, and schedule the timing of the exercise to allow for some flexibility. And very importantly – arrange seating and equipment to meet your needs, which might not necessarily be the same as the existing layout of the venue. (Obviously, you should always put the seating back as you found it after the session.) The seating arrangement will help determine the relationship between the trainer and the trainees.
Step 3 – Ensure that the group understands the tasks and the intended learning outcomes
Introduce the exercise by telling the participants why they are doing it. Also tell the group what the ground rules are, i.e. how long will the task will take, what is expected of them, including issues such as do they have to appoint a spokesperson to report back. Finally, make sure the group knows what resources are available.
Step 4 – Ensure the group understands the role of the group leader
Make sure that the members of the group understand your role as one of facilitating the discussion, not to tell them what to say. It is also the trainers job to show the members of the group they can work together to reach common objectives.
Step 5 – Use an appropriate range of well-timed and well-focused questions
To open a discussion, you can say “what do you think about...?”.
To spread participation, say “what do the members think about...?”, or “you have made a good point – would someone else like to comment?”, or “do you all agree with that point?”.
To promote movement, “time is passing – should we now move on to...?”.
To promote group discussion, say e.g. “am I right in sensing agreement on this point? We all seem agreed that...”.
To promote continuity, say e.g. “since we cannot quite agree on this point, do we all agree that we should take this point up at the plenary reporting back session? Or when we look at the topic of...”.
Step 6 – When allocating tasks to smaller groups
When working with smaller groups, ensure that the participants know who will be in each pair/team. Remember to monitor the progress of each team/pair, and step in if necessary, e.g. to encourage quiet trainees, but do nothing if you are not needed.
Step 7 – Deal with the awkward member appropriately
Sometimes there will be a group member who causes certain problems. Perhaps he/she knows it all, talks too much, does not want to participate, seeks special status, tries to trap you or has fixed views on everything. This certainly poses a challenge – however, try to respond positively to the awkward member in a supportive way. Try also to lead the individual concerned towards an awareness of the effect of the behaviour as long as this is not too painful for the individual or the group as a whole. Remember not to become too involved with the awkward member – the rest of the group are also there to learn and needs your support.
Finally, try to keep the discussion on track – summarise regularly and lead the group to positive conclusions. Never let the discussion fade away and die slowly – cut it off
Step 8 – Summarise
Always stress the relevance of the activity to the daily work of the participants. At the end of the discussion, show how different views were expressed, and how some views were supported by evidence and some were not. If relevant for the exercise you are conducting, show how there was an indication of attitude change during the course of the discussion. Finally, also show, if appropriate, how one decision or conclusion was chosen from competing alternatives.
Step 9 – Review: self-check list after group
discussion
It can sometimes be helpful to go through this check list after a group discussion:
Did you prepare adequately? And were the members prepared adequately?
Did you have a clear discussion plan and timetable in your own mind?
Did you explain the purpose of the discussion?
Did you help the members to express their views?
Did you periodically summarise the discussion's conclusions?
Did the group read the intended learning outcomes? Did the group know they had reached the intended learning outcomes?
Did you encourage further follow-up activities?
Did you check that the physical arrangements and equipment were suitable?
3.3.5 Case studies
The use of fictional or real case studies can help bring an element of practical application to the training. However writing a case study is not always easy, and care needs to be taken. The best case studies involve issues that are arguable either way, and therefore the outcome may be open to real deliberation. Writing a good case study is difficult and time consuming – it requires detailed knowledge of the relevant issues.
When writing a case study, you need to keep in mind the following:
. The scenario should be familiar to the trainees – either from personal experience or from previous training sessions.
. The scenario needs to describe the various individuals and the various factual situations with sufficient detail. However all information included in the study must be directly relevant to the issues which are being discussed.
Real case studies: This can either be a situation which is familiar to the participants or one which is new to them. The participants should be provided with a summary of the key facts, excluding any details which are not relevant to the issues which are the focus of the discussion.
The facilitator may chose to provide the trainees with the outcome of the situation and ask for a critique of this, and suggestions of what should have happened. This will be appropriate where the situation, and the outcome, are well known. The facilitator may otherwise chose to not tell the trainees the outcome and get them to suggest what should have happened (procedural steps, solutions etc).
Fictional case studies: Fictional case studies are useful tools to enable trainees to deal with highly sensitive national issues by altering the facts sufficiently to remove them from reality, whilst retaining the issues engaged by the national problem.
Either of the two methods used for real case studies is suitable for fictional studies. With some groups it can be a particularly useful exercise to require half the group to e.g. defend the alleged discriminatory behavior in the way in which national authorities, employers or other discriminators might seek to defend it. This may require very skillful facilitation by the trainers since NGO participants will be reluctant to voice these views.
3.3.6 Role-play
Role-play provides the participants with an opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills they have acquired through training in situations which seek to simulate those which exist in real life. In role-play, the participants would take the role of e.g. a man of Roma origin who claims he has been discriminated against in not having received housing, or a woman who alleges that she has lost her job because of her sexuality. Another participant would then play the role of a civil service officer at the housing authority, a lawyer representing either party, a judge at an employment tribunal or similar.
When properly done it can be extremely effective in assisting participants to emphasise with victims of discrimination and to open their eyes to prejudices which they might have themselves. Attempts are often made to use role play without fully understanding the dynamics of the methodology and the skills and techniques necessary to ensure that its use is not counter productive. It is a method that takes considerable skill to carry out effectively and requires time to learn if the trainers or trainees have not used it before. In the context of this project the time necessary to acquire and develop role play directing skills was not available to those being trained.
This chapter on methodology does not therefore cover role play techniques.
3.3.7 Reporting back sessions in plenary
Plenary sessions provide an opportunity for groups to report back to others. This is an important aspect of group work – it allows for a review of the activity, identification of different viewpoints, and an opportunity for others to share ideas. However, as always, some problems can arise.
The reporting back may throw up responses and attitudes which may be contrary to what the trainer intended. If so be careful of arriving at conclusions which you have arrived at in advance – if the temptation is to correct or otherwise reinterpret group feedback, trainees may feel that their contribution is not valued and may feel frustrated by the exercise.
Another difficulty can be ensuring that the reporting back accurately reflects the group's views, rather than the views of the spokesperson of the group. The use of a flipchart and a pen during the group deliberations and displaying the flipchart at the plenary session can help avoiding this danger.
There are three important steps in ensuring that the report back session is constructive:
Brief groups in advance that there will be a plenary reporting back session, and that each group should appoint a rapporteur whose job it will be to report on the group's conclusions.
Help each group to record accurately the group's views and conclusions, preferably by means of a flipchart. The person who puts the information/points on the flipchart should be a different member of the group from the rapporteur
Once reporting back has taken place, ensure that the trainer leading the plenary is able to stimulate discussion and critical reflection on the coherence of the views and the quality of the evidence adduced in support.
3.4 Putting the different techniques together in a programme
The final part of planning the training is to put it together – selecting training resources and techniques, co-ordinating the elements, and considering timing. In this process, the following tips might be helpful:
Discuss the draft programme with all the members of the training team and perhaps also outside experts. Made efforts to co-ordinate the different elements and contributors to ensure that overlaps are reduced (or built upon by subsequent presenters or contributors).
Well before the training course, ensure that the trainers have identified any equipment needed, e.g. OHPs, Powerpoint, flipcharts etc.
In respect of timing, always leave enough time! Both coffee breaks and substantial discussions often take longer than expected, so ensure you have some flexibility in the programme.
4) EVALUATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF FUTURE TRAINING NEEDS:
4.1 Why seek feedback?
There are a number of different reasons for ensuring that feedback is given.
The trainers need to know that their intended learning outcomes have been met, or not met, and in that case need to be able to identify future training needs. Even if the outcomes have in case been met, the feedback might be helpful for planning follow-up training. And of course, from a personal standpoint, trainers will want to know what the trainees thought of their performance as they are themselves concerned to improve as trainers.
The trainees also need assistance with identifying whether they have met the intended learning outcomes, of which they were informed at the start of the training. If these have not been met, the main responsibility for this may lie with the trainer, but the individual trainee shares a certain responsibility in trying to identify why this is the case and how the shortfall can be dealt with, e.g. through future training.
4.2 Evaluation methods
4.2.1 Giving feedback to the trainees
Giving effective feedback to the trainees is an important task for the trainer, and the principal aim is to enable the trainee to improve their performance. When giving feedback, keep in mind the following things:
. The trainee should first be given the chance to evaluate their own performance.
. The feedback should be specific, not general – try to use specific examples from the trainee's performance.
. The feedback should relate to the performance, not the trainee's personality – it should therefore be given in neutral and objective terms.
. The amount of feedback should be manageable – three or four points as a maximum.
. There should be a balance between positive comments and constructive criticism.
. Giving feedback should be a continuing process, and can be given at various stages of the training, such as after a report back session from a group or as part of audience interaction in plenary session.
. Wherever possible, the feedback should be related to the specific intended learning outcomes.
4.2.2 Giving feedback to trainers
Feedback from the trainees on the trainers performance is now an accepted and vital part of training. Not to offer the participants the chance to give feedback suggests a lack of professional interest in training.
To be effective, participants' feedback should follow these basic principles:
. Trainees should be told why the feedback is being sought, i.e. to improve the quality of future training as well as to assess the success of the training just presented.
. The feedback should be anonymous.
. Adequate time should be set aside at the end of the course to allow for feedback to be completed – never simply ask for feedback to be completed and returned in the trainee's own time.
. Questions need to be designed to elicit useful, not just standard, responses.
. The questions asked should relate both to the performance of the trainers and to the perceived relevance or success of the training.
So what kind of feedback do trainers in general need? The trainees should be asked to provide responses to questions such as:
. Their interest in the topics selected for consideration.
. The perceived relevance of the topics for the trainees professional work.
. The organisational aspects of the training such as the venue, timing etc.
. The value and quality of the materials that had been circulated.
. The quality of the contributions by the experts or trainers.
. The range, variety and suitability of the training methods adopted.
4.2.3 Examples of questions asked at the evaluation
Questions can involve a range of different types of responses, such as
Linear scale – trainees indicate their response to a series of statements, for example:
Seeking a limited number of open responses – the trainee is asked for key impressions, for example:
List the three most important things that you have learned/now will do in your job?
It is also very important to leave at the end of each set of questions, space for any further comments the trainee might wish to make. These may be elicited by means of a formula such as “any further comments?” or “do you have any suggestions for improving future training?”.
4.3 Follow-up on the results of the evaluation
Trainers can see the actual training as only one, albeit the most important, aspect of their job. The ultimate aim is to improve the capacity of individuals to understand what and how they are learning, and to review plan and take responsibility for their own learning, and for trainees to become more effective, independent and confident self-directed learners. This is, however, outside the scope of this training manual. But – trainers should be encouraged to help trainees identify and to articulate further training needs.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Personality Development
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Personality is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others. Our Personality is generally defined as the deeply ingrained and relatively enduring patterns of thought, feeling and behavior. In fact, when one refers to personality, it generally implies to all what is unique about an individual, the characteristics that makes one stand out in a crowd.
Personalities is the sum total of individual’s Psychological traits, characteristics, motives, habits, attitudes, beliefs and outlooks.
Personality determinants:
Heredity : Heredity refers to those factors that were determined at conception. Physical structure, facial attractiveness, gender, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes, energy level, and biological rhythms are characteristics that are generally considered to be either completely or substantially influenced by who your parents were, that is by their biological, physiological and inherent psychological make up.
Environment : The environmental factors that exert pressures on our personality formation are the culture in which we are raised, our early conditioning, the norms among our family, friends and social groups, and other influences that we experience. The environment to which we are exposed plays a substantial role in shaping our personalities.
Situation : A third factor, the situation, influences the effects of heredity and environment on personality. An individual’s personality although generally stable and consistent, does change in different situations. The varying demand of different situation calls forth different aspects of one’s personality. We should not therefore look upon personality patterns in isolation.
DEVELOPING POSITIVE PERSONALITY
1. Subconscious Programming :
Most of us sometimes get programmed / conditioned by a wrong messages that “ donot do that”, “don’t take the risk”, “you can not do that” you are not good in …and so on…..
You can imagine the bad effect such message can have on any person.
Fig- I : Subconscious Mind Programming
Our Conscious Mind is like a watch man. And the Subconscious Mind is a store of all the previously programmed or conditioned information / knowledge/ believes. Now programming personality means putting positive believes/ information into the store with out the knowledge of the watchman (conscious mind).
Suppose you tell yourself that “you are good at Public Speaking”. And the store has stored based on peoples comments and experience that “you are poor in communication” “you can not speak well in public”, “you don’t have an impressive body language” …..
The watch man sees your sentence and compares it with the knowledge in its store and says “this information is wrong”. The watchman throws the new information away. He does not allow the new positive information into the store. This is the fundamental difficulty in changing personality & behavior of a person.
Now the question is how and when we could programme our mind for positive personality trait with out the obstruction of watchman…
The answer is we can programme our mind for positive personality traits during the Twilight period just before sleeping and just before waking up. This is the time when the conscious mind is active enough to generate the positive traits for entering into store but inactive to judge/compare and will not obstruct to the positive traits to enter into the subconscious store house.
2. Reinforced Programming / Conscious Programming :
Autosuggestion and Repetition of the positive traits despite negative response from comparison with the store house also gives success in programming for personality traits.
Auto-suggestion is a statement made in the present tense, of the kind of person you want to be. Auto-suggestion are like a commercial about “Super You”, or “Future Super You” for yourself what you want to be or achieve. They influence both your conscious and subconscious mind in the long run shaping your personality and attitude.
Auto-suggestions are the conscious way to programme the subconscious mind for positive traits. It is the effective method of voluntary development of positive traits and attitudes.
Auto-suggestion should be mixed with emotions. All such reinforced / conscious programming which have been emotionalized (giving feeling) and mixed with applied faith, begin immediately to translate themselves into physical or real equivalent.
Auto-suggestive thoughts which are mixed with any of the feeling of emotions constitute a “psycho-magnetic” force which attracts other similar or related thoughts.
Our subconscious mind resembling a fertile garden spot, in which weeds will grow in abundance if you the seeds of more desirable crops are not sown therein. Auto-suggestion is the agency of control through which an individual can voluntarily feed his subconscious mind on thoughts of creative/ positive nature or by neglect permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find their way into the rich garden of mind. So Caution should be taken while programming your mind for positive traits only.
3. Defensive Approach :
One of this type of approach is protest or deny the negative traits at it’s very beginning of the entering in the subconscious store. And the second is to consciously avoid this type of environment or situation. In real life situation it is very difficult because it may lead to confrontation and argument or Inaction.
Another problem in this is that most of us have some negative traits previously in our store house due to our past experience and conditioning.
4. Imaginary Anchoring or Invisible Counseling Committee :
While watching a picture we anchor the Hero, placing ourselves in place of hero. Similarly we can anchor Great men in imagination and let them shape our personality.
Another is the Invisible Counseling Committee comprising of great personalities of your choice. We can counsel from these great minds at times or situation. What decision or action he would have been taken in my situation..
Winston Churchill the war time British Prime Minister was following this principle. He had his Imaginary Counseling Committee by the side of his Chamber. Many great decisions he used to take by following these principles.
You can follow the habit of reshaping your Character by trying to imitate some great personalities whose lives and life works have been most impressive to you. These personalities can be Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon Bonaparte, Albert Einstein, Shiva Khera, Napoleon Hills & Bill Gates. You can hold an imaginary council meeting with this group whom you may call “Invisible Counselor”. In these imaginary council meeting You can call on cabinet members for the knowledge You wish each to contribute
Mahatma Gandhi, desire to acquire from you the ideology of truth and Non-violence and devotion towards practicing these in every odd hours and to acquire the magnet leadership to attract millions to join in the peaceful struggle for freedom and Humanity.
Mother Teresa, desire to acquire from you the ability to provide relentless humanitarian services to the most unprivileged, poor diseased and intense spirit to serve the mankind despite all odds.
Mr. Abraham Lincoln, desire to build into my own character the keen sense of justice, the untiring spirit of patience, the sense of humor, the human understanding, and the tolerance which were your distinguishing characteristics.
Napoleon Bonaparte, desire to acquire from you, by emulation, the marvelous ability you possessed to inspire men and arouse them to greater and more determined spirit of action. Also to acquire the spirit of enduring faith, which enabled you to turn defeat into victory, and to surmount staggering obstacles.
Albert Einstein, wish to acquire from you the Scientific Bent, ever inquisitive mind, the spirit to innovate and contribute to Humanity.
Napoleon Hills, want to acquire from you the ability to nurture the human resources and to Give the society the magic formulae of success of wealth and fortune and helping people realize their true potential.
Mr. Shiva Khera, want to acquire from you the skill and understanding to motivate the people towards positive ends and to offer the world the blue print for positive and successful life.
Bill Gates, wish to acquire from you the Brilliant Intelligence, Innovation, Intense drive to succeed, persistence, personal intensity and conscientiousness dimensions
Anthony Robbins desire to acquire from you how to take control of our mental, emotional and physical and financial destiny
5. Physical Action / Body Language Approach :
In general it is the positive practice or experiencing desired traits whether the desired perfection achieved or not.
It is generally said that our personality traits control our body language. But it is a fact that the reverse is also true. This means we can change our negative traits towards positive traits by consciously practicing the body language for positive traits.
6. Domino-effect. Direct exposure to good personalities or environment :
Here the direct environment is the driving force in shaping the personalities. When one constantly remains in direct contact with great personalities will enriches his own to be the one. Similarly the organization culture and structure also many times influences ones personality. Sometimes it is the guiding principle for job satisfaction / recruitment.
Caution should be taken while programming your mind for positive traits only. Because these processes give results for negative traits also. Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler both successfully applied these principles but one positively and other negatively.
SIXTEEN PRIMARY PERSONALITY TRAITS :
1. Reserved vs Outgoing
2. Less intelligent vs More intelligent
3. Affected by feeling vs Emotionally stable
4. Submissive vs Dominant
5. Serious vs Happy to Lucky
6. Expedient vs Conscientious
7. Timid vs Venturesome
8. Tough-minded vs Sensitive
9. Trusting vs Suspicious
10. Practical vs Imaginative
11. Forthright vs Shrewd
12. Self-assured vs Apprehansive
13. Conservative vs Experimenting
14. Group dependant vs Self-sufficient
15. Uncontrolled vs Controlled
16. Relaxed vs Tense
Some of the behavioral and attitude traits as identified by Shiv Khera for positive personality building……
TRAITS FOR BUILDING POSITIVE PERSONALITY :
1. Accept Responsibility :
The price of greatness is the responsibility – Winston Churchill
“Responsibility gravitates to the person who can shoulder them.”
-- Elbert Hubbard
Society is not destroyed by the activities of the rascals, but by the inactivity of good people.
2. Show consideration:
Show consideration, courtesy, politeness and caring.
3. Think Win-Win :
4. Choose your words carefully:
The principle is your speaking must be better than silent, rather be silent.
Words spoken out of bitterness can cause irreparable damage. The way the parents speak to their children in many instances shapes their children’s destiny.
5. Never Criticize, Complain and Condemn
6. Smile and Be Kind:
Smile is the shortest distance between two people.
7. Put Positive interpretation on other people’s behavior:
We see the world not as it is, but as we are.
So when we are interpreting other people’s behavior negatively we just reflecting our own mentality to this situation. In contrast when interpret positively, chances that other people may realize its negativity and change or amend this.
8. Be a Good Listener:
Effective communication is 50% listening, 25% speaking, 15% reading and 10% writing. So when we listen carefully then 50% communication is done.
9. Be Enthusiastic:
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
--- Ralph Waldo Emersion
10. Give honest and Sincere Appreciation :
The desire to feel important is one of the gratest craving in most of the human beings and it can be a great motivator. Honest and sincere appreciation makes one feel important and promote these positive qualities in him. In contrast giving false and insincere appreciation is flattery or sycophancy which in the long run is harmful to the recipient.
11. When you make a mistake, accept it and make it easy to amend:
Mistakes are to be learned from. So accept it immediately and make change or amend easy.
12. Discuss but don’t argue:
Arguing is like fighting a losing battle. Even if one wins in the argument, the cost may be more than the worth of victory.
An Ignominious victory is a defeat itself.
13. Don’t Gossip:
Gossip may lead to slander and defamation of character. People who listen to gossip are as guilty as those who do the gossiping.
14. Turn your promises into commitment:
Commitment leads to enduring relationship through thick and thin. It shows in a person's personality and relationship.
15. Be grateful but do not expect gratitude:
16. Be dependable and practice loyalty:
An ounce of loyalty is worth more than a pound of cleverness.
Ability without dependability is of no worth.
17. Avoid bearing grudges:
Life is too small to bear grudges.
John Kennedy once said “forgive the other person but don’t forget their name.”
Means “if one cheated me once it is his fault, but if cheats me twice then it is my fault.”
Don’t be cheated regularly to forgive.
18. Practice honesty, Integrity and Sincerity:
Lies may have speed, but the truth has endurance.
Honesty, Integrity and Sincerity have more enduring effect than the opposite.
19. Practice Humility:
Confidence without humility is arrogance. Sincere Humility is the foundation of all virtues. It is a sign of greatness.
20. Be understanding and Caring :
The best way to be understood is to be understanding. And the basis of real communication is also understanding.
21. Practice courtesy on daily basis :
22. Develop a sense of humor:
Have a sense of humor and you will possess the ability to laugh at yourself. A sense of humor makes a person likeable and attractive. Some people are humor-impaired.
23. Don’t be sarcastic and put others down :
24. To have a friend be a Friend :
Mutual trust and confidence are the foundation stones of all friendship.
25. Show Empathy :
Empathy alone is a very important characteristic of positive personality. People with empathy ask themselves this question, “how would I feel if someone treated me that way?”
Personality is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others. Our Personality is generally defined as the deeply ingrained and relatively enduring patterns of thought, feeling and behavior. In fact, when one refers to personality, it generally implies to all what is unique about an individual, the characteristics that makes one stand out in a crowd.
Personalities is the sum total of individual’s Psychological traits, characteristics, motives, habits, attitudes, beliefs and outlooks.
Personality determinants:
Heredity : Heredity refers to those factors that were determined at conception. Physical structure, facial attractiveness, gender, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes, energy level, and biological rhythms are characteristics that are generally considered to be either completely or substantially influenced by who your parents were, that is by their biological, physiological and inherent psychological make up.
Environment : The environmental factors that exert pressures on our personality formation are the culture in which we are raised, our early conditioning, the norms among our family, friends and social groups, and other influences that we experience. The environment to which we are exposed plays a substantial role in shaping our personalities.
Situation : A third factor, the situation, influences the effects of heredity and environment on personality. An individual’s personality although generally stable and consistent, does change in different situations. The varying demand of different situation calls forth different aspects of one’s personality. We should not therefore look upon personality patterns in isolation.
DEVELOPING POSITIVE PERSONALITY
1. Subconscious Programming :
Most of us sometimes get programmed / conditioned by a wrong messages that “ donot do that”, “don’t take the risk”, “you can not do that” you are not good in …and so on…..
You can imagine the bad effect such message can have on any person.
Fig- I : Subconscious Mind Programming
Our Conscious Mind is like a watch man. And the Subconscious Mind is a store of all the previously programmed or conditioned information / knowledge/ believes. Now programming personality means putting positive believes/ information into the store with out the knowledge of the watchman (conscious mind).
Suppose you tell yourself that “you are good at Public Speaking”. And the store has stored based on peoples comments and experience that “you are poor in communication” “you can not speak well in public”, “you don’t have an impressive body language” …..
The watch man sees your sentence and compares it with the knowledge in its store and says “this information is wrong”. The watchman throws the new information away. He does not allow the new positive information into the store. This is the fundamental difficulty in changing personality & behavior of a person.
Now the question is how and when we could programme our mind for positive personality trait with out the obstruction of watchman…
The answer is we can programme our mind for positive personality traits during the Twilight period just before sleeping and just before waking up. This is the time when the conscious mind is active enough to generate the positive traits for entering into store but inactive to judge/compare and will not obstruct to the positive traits to enter into the subconscious store house.
2. Reinforced Programming / Conscious Programming :
Autosuggestion and Repetition of the positive traits despite negative response from comparison with the store house also gives success in programming for personality traits.
Auto-suggestion is a statement made in the present tense, of the kind of person you want to be. Auto-suggestion are like a commercial about “Super You”, or “Future Super You” for yourself what you want to be or achieve. They influence both your conscious and subconscious mind in the long run shaping your personality and attitude.
Auto-suggestions are the conscious way to programme the subconscious mind for positive traits. It is the effective method of voluntary development of positive traits and attitudes.
Auto-suggestion should be mixed with emotions. All such reinforced / conscious programming which have been emotionalized (giving feeling) and mixed with applied faith, begin immediately to translate themselves into physical or real equivalent.
Auto-suggestive thoughts which are mixed with any of the feeling of emotions constitute a “psycho-magnetic” force which attracts other similar or related thoughts.
Our subconscious mind resembling a fertile garden spot, in which weeds will grow in abundance if you the seeds of more desirable crops are not sown therein. Auto-suggestion is the agency of control through which an individual can voluntarily feed his subconscious mind on thoughts of creative/ positive nature or by neglect permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find their way into the rich garden of mind. So Caution should be taken while programming your mind for positive traits only.
3. Defensive Approach :
One of this type of approach is protest or deny the negative traits at it’s very beginning of the entering in the subconscious store. And the second is to consciously avoid this type of environment or situation. In real life situation it is very difficult because it may lead to confrontation and argument or Inaction.
Another problem in this is that most of us have some negative traits previously in our store house due to our past experience and conditioning.
4. Imaginary Anchoring or Invisible Counseling Committee :
While watching a picture we anchor the Hero, placing ourselves in place of hero. Similarly we can anchor Great men in imagination and let them shape our personality.
Another is the Invisible Counseling Committee comprising of great personalities of your choice. We can counsel from these great minds at times or situation. What decision or action he would have been taken in my situation..
Winston Churchill the war time British Prime Minister was following this principle. He had his Imaginary Counseling Committee by the side of his Chamber. Many great decisions he used to take by following these principles.
You can follow the habit of reshaping your Character by trying to imitate some great personalities whose lives and life works have been most impressive to you. These personalities can be Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon Bonaparte, Albert Einstein, Shiva Khera, Napoleon Hills & Bill Gates. You can hold an imaginary council meeting with this group whom you may call “Invisible Counselor”. In these imaginary council meeting You can call on cabinet members for the knowledge You wish each to contribute
Mahatma Gandhi, desire to acquire from you the ideology of truth and Non-violence and devotion towards practicing these in every odd hours and to acquire the magnet leadership to attract millions to join in the peaceful struggle for freedom and Humanity.
Mother Teresa, desire to acquire from you the ability to provide relentless humanitarian services to the most unprivileged, poor diseased and intense spirit to serve the mankind despite all odds.
Mr. Abraham Lincoln, desire to build into my own character the keen sense of justice, the untiring spirit of patience, the sense of humor, the human understanding, and the tolerance which were your distinguishing characteristics.
Napoleon Bonaparte, desire to acquire from you, by emulation, the marvelous ability you possessed to inspire men and arouse them to greater and more determined spirit of action. Also to acquire the spirit of enduring faith, which enabled you to turn defeat into victory, and to surmount staggering obstacles.
Albert Einstein, wish to acquire from you the Scientific Bent, ever inquisitive mind, the spirit to innovate and contribute to Humanity.
Napoleon Hills, want to acquire from you the ability to nurture the human resources and to Give the society the magic formulae of success of wealth and fortune and helping people realize their true potential.
Mr. Shiva Khera, want to acquire from you the skill and understanding to motivate the people towards positive ends and to offer the world the blue print for positive and successful life.
Bill Gates, wish to acquire from you the Brilliant Intelligence, Innovation, Intense drive to succeed, persistence, personal intensity and conscientiousness dimensions
Anthony Robbins desire to acquire from you how to take control of our mental, emotional and physical and financial destiny
5. Physical Action / Body Language Approach :
In general it is the positive practice or experiencing desired traits whether the desired perfection achieved or not.
It is generally said that our personality traits control our body language. But it is a fact that the reverse is also true. This means we can change our negative traits towards positive traits by consciously practicing the body language for positive traits.
6. Domino-effect. Direct exposure to good personalities or environment :
Here the direct environment is the driving force in shaping the personalities. When one constantly remains in direct contact with great personalities will enriches his own to be the one. Similarly the organization culture and structure also many times influences ones personality. Sometimes it is the guiding principle for job satisfaction / recruitment.
Caution should be taken while programming your mind for positive traits only. Because these processes give results for negative traits also. Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler both successfully applied these principles but one positively and other negatively.
SIXTEEN PRIMARY PERSONALITY TRAITS :
1. Reserved vs Outgoing
2. Less intelligent vs More intelligent
3. Affected by feeling vs Emotionally stable
4. Submissive vs Dominant
5. Serious vs Happy to Lucky
6. Expedient vs Conscientious
7. Timid vs Venturesome
8. Tough-minded vs Sensitive
9. Trusting vs Suspicious
10. Practical vs Imaginative
11. Forthright vs Shrewd
12. Self-assured vs Apprehansive
13. Conservative vs Experimenting
14. Group dependant vs Self-sufficient
15. Uncontrolled vs Controlled
16. Relaxed vs Tense
Some of the behavioral and attitude traits as identified by Shiv Khera for positive personality building……
TRAITS FOR BUILDING POSITIVE PERSONALITY :
1. Accept Responsibility :
The price of greatness is the responsibility – Winston Churchill
“Responsibility gravitates to the person who can shoulder them.”
-- Elbert Hubbard
Society is not destroyed by the activities of the rascals, but by the inactivity of good people.
2. Show consideration:
Show consideration, courtesy, politeness and caring.
3. Think Win-Win :
4. Choose your words carefully:
The principle is your speaking must be better than silent, rather be silent.
Words spoken out of bitterness can cause irreparable damage. The way the parents speak to their children in many instances shapes their children’s destiny.
5. Never Criticize, Complain and Condemn
6. Smile and Be Kind:
Smile is the shortest distance between two people.
7. Put Positive interpretation on other people’s behavior:
We see the world not as it is, but as we are.
So when we are interpreting other people’s behavior negatively we just reflecting our own mentality to this situation. In contrast when interpret positively, chances that other people may realize its negativity and change or amend this.
8. Be a Good Listener:
Effective communication is 50% listening, 25% speaking, 15% reading and 10% writing. So when we listen carefully then 50% communication is done.
9. Be Enthusiastic:
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
--- Ralph Waldo Emersion
10. Give honest and Sincere Appreciation :
The desire to feel important is one of the gratest craving in most of the human beings and it can be a great motivator. Honest and sincere appreciation makes one feel important and promote these positive qualities in him. In contrast giving false and insincere appreciation is flattery or sycophancy which in the long run is harmful to the recipient.
11. When you make a mistake, accept it and make it easy to amend:
Mistakes are to be learned from. So accept it immediately and make change or amend easy.
12. Discuss but don’t argue:
Arguing is like fighting a losing battle. Even if one wins in the argument, the cost may be more than the worth of victory.
An Ignominious victory is a defeat itself.
13. Don’t Gossip:
Gossip may lead to slander and defamation of character. People who listen to gossip are as guilty as those who do the gossiping.
14. Turn your promises into commitment:
Commitment leads to enduring relationship through thick and thin. It shows in a person's personality and relationship.
15. Be grateful but do not expect gratitude:
16. Be dependable and practice loyalty:
An ounce of loyalty is worth more than a pound of cleverness.
Ability without dependability is of no worth.
17. Avoid bearing grudges:
Life is too small to bear grudges.
John Kennedy once said “forgive the other person but don’t forget their name.”
Means “if one cheated me once it is his fault, but if cheats me twice then it is my fault.”
Don’t be cheated regularly to forgive.
18. Practice honesty, Integrity and Sincerity:
Lies may have speed, but the truth has endurance.
Honesty, Integrity and Sincerity have more enduring effect than the opposite.
19. Practice Humility:
Confidence without humility is arrogance. Sincere Humility is the foundation of all virtues. It is a sign of greatness.
20. Be understanding and Caring :
The best way to be understood is to be understanding. And the basis of real communication is also understanding.
21. Practice courtesy on daily basis :
22. Develop a sense of humor:
Have a sense of humor and you will possess the ability to laugh at yourself. A sense of humor makes a person likeable and attractive. Some people are humor-impaired.
23. Don’t be sarcastic and put others down :
24. To have a friend be a Friend :
Mutual trust and confidence are the foundation stones of all friendship.
25. Show Empathy :
Empathy alone is a very important characteristic of positive personality. People with empathy ask themselves this question, “how would I feel if someone treated me that way?”
Ten ways to find your spirituality
TenWaysToFindYourSpirituality
1. Take A Walk In The Wilderness. For me, there’s nothing better than getting out and communing with nature, away from the noises and distractions of the busy world (and your busy life). Find a tranquil spot that you can share with the birds and squirrels and you will find yourself.
2. Exercise The Mind And Body. To achieve balance in my life, I need for my mind and body and spirit to be aligned. What better way to strengthen one than by working on the others. Working up a sweat, for me, is a natural spiritual high; as is working a crossword puzzle. Work the mind and body, and the spirit will come around.
3. Reach Out And Touch Someone. When was the last time you received a hug? Or initiated one? Hopefully it was as recently as today. Physical contact with another human being (or even a dog or cat, to a lesser extent) is not only spiritually uplifting, but an essential necessity for happiness and spiritual wholeness.
4. Be Kind. One of my favorite adages is: Do onto others as you would want them to do onto you. Good vibes are contagious. What goes around comes around. Spread joy and you will be joyous. A smile goes a lot farther than a snarl. Random acts of kindness should be second nature for us all. Think about it.
5. Live In The Moment. I am a planner, a multitasker, a busy guy with lots of irons in the fire. I often have to force myself to slow down, take a breath, stop and enjoy what is happening in the here and now, and not what needs to be done in the then and when. Enjoy the ride, the process, the journey…the moment.
6. Keep Busy. An idle mind is the devil’s playground. While it is good to live in the moment, it is also very good to have lots to do. That doesn’t mean to never chill out, take a vacation or relax. It just means to have some hobbies, a few vocations, careers, goals, things to do. Every day, as much as your schedule permits. The more the merrier, as long as they are positive endeavors that add to your personal resume as a complete, happy, fulfilled person.
7. Give Of Yourself. When I help someone less fortunate than myself it makes me feel good--and it should! There’s nothing wrong with feeling good when you’ve done a good deed. Just don’t make that the main motivation for doing it. Do it because to not do it would be as unnatural as not eating, or bathing.
8. Hang Up The Phone! Living with all of the amazing innovations in this technological age is something I never would have dreamed of twenty years ago. But too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing. I spend way too many hours in front of my computer out of the necessity of having to earn a living and passion for this website, but I shut it off as often as I can. You should too. Toss the cell, pull the plug on that ipod, stop texting, switch the TV off, and find a quiet spot to reflect, think, meditate…live. You will be happy you did.
9. Keep The Faith. Believe in yourself as much as your higher power. Go to your place of worship and sing the praises of your faith. Share your feelings with those like-minded people and your spirits will soar. No matter what floats your boat or makes you happy, faith is a good thing; it is the foundation of spirituality.
10. Stay Positive. These days the news, at times, can bring you down, test your spirit, your happiness. But the good thing is: we can choose to be happy, to be positive. Why would anyone choose otherwise? Even when times seem darkest, when life is at its worst, opting to be positive, to see the glass as half full, is still a personal choice. Choose to be positive and good things will not only follow, but it will be one giant step toward finding your spirituality.
1. Take A Walk In The Wilderness. For me, there’s nothing better than getting out and communing with nature, away from the noises and distractions of the busy world (and your busy life). Find a tranquil spot that you can share with the birds and squirrels and you will find yourself.
2. Exercise The Mind And Body. To achieve balance in my life, I need for my mind and body and spirit to be aligned. What better way to strengthen one than by working on the others. Working up a sweat, for me, is a natural spiritual high; as is working a crossword puzzle. Work the mind and body, and the spirit will come around.
3. Reach Out And Touch Someone. When was the last time you received a hug? Or initiated one? Hopefully it was as recently as today. Physical contact with another human being (or even a dog or cat, to a lesser extent) is not only spiritually uplifting, but an essential necessity for happiness and spiritual wholeness.
4. Be Kind. One of my favorite adages is: Do onto others as you would want them to do onto you. Good vibes are contagious. What goes around comes around. Spread joy and you will be joyous. A smile goes a lot farther than a snarl. Random acts of kindness should be second nature for us all. Think about it.
5. Live In The Moment. I am a planner, a multitasker, a busy guy with lots of irons in the fire. I often have to force myself to slow down, take a breath, stop and enjoy what is happening in the here and now, and not what needs to be done in the then and when. Enjoy the ride, the process, the journey…the moment.
6. Keep Busy. An idle mind is the devil’s playground. While it is good to live in the moment, it is also very good to have lots to do. That doesn’t mean to never chill out, take a vacation or relax. It just means to have some hobbies, a few vocations, careers, goals, things to do. Every day, as much as your schedule permits. The more the merrier, as long as they are positive endeavors that add to your personal resume as a complete, happy, fulfilled person.
7. Give Of Yourself. When I help someone less fortunate than myself it makes me feel good--and it should! There’s nothing wrong with feeling good when you’ve done a good deed. Just don’t make that the main motivation for doing it. Do it because to not do it would be as unnatural as not eating, or bathing.
8. Hang Up The Phone! Living with all of the amazing innovations in this technological age is something I never would have dreamed of twenty years ago. But too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing. I spend way too many hours in front of my computer out of the necessity of having to earn a living and passion for this website, but I shut it off as often as I can. You should too. Toss the cell, pull the plug on that ipod, stop texting, switch the TV off, and find a quiet spot to reflect, think, meditate…live. You will be happy you did.
9. Keep The Faith. Believe in yourself as much as your higher power. Go to your place of worship and sing the praises of your faith. Share your feelings with those like-minded people and your spirits will soar. No matter what floats your boat or makes you happy, faith is a good thing; it is the foundation of spirituality.
10. Stay Positive. These days the news, at times, can bring you down, test your spirit, your happiness. But the good thing is: we can choose to be happy, to be positive. Why would anyone choose otherwise? Even when times seem darkest, when life is at its worst, opting to be positive, to see the glass as half full, is still a personal choice. Choose to be positive and good things will not only follow, but it will be one giant step toward finding your spirituality.
Goal setting
Goal Setting. Find Direction. Live Your Life Your Way.
Goal Setting.
Find Direction. Live Your Life Your Way.
Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn this vision of the future into reality.
The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You'll also quickly spot the distractions that would otherwise lure you from your course.
More than this, properly-set goals can be incredibly motivating, and as you get into the habit of setting and achieving goals, you'll find that your self-confidence builds fast.
Achieving More With Focus
Goal setting techniques are used by top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields. They give you long-term vision and short-term motivation. They focus your acquisition of knowledge and help you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life.
By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You can see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. By setting goals, you will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your ability and competence in achieving the goals that you have set.
Starting to Set Personal Goals
Goals are set on a number of different levels: First you create your "big picture" of what you want to do with your life, and decide what large-scale goals you want to achieve. Second, you break these down into the smaller and smaller targets that you must hit so that you reach your lifetime goals. Finally, once you have your plan, you start working to achieve it.
We start this process with your Lifetime Goals, and work down to the things you can do today to start moving towards them.
Your Lifetime Goals
The first step in setting personal goals is to consider what you want to achieve in your lifetime (or by a time at least, say, 10 years in the future) as setting Lifetime Goals gives you the overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of your decision making.
To give a broad, balanced coverage of all important areas in your life, try to set goals in some of these categories (or in categories of your own, where these are important to you):
• Artistic:
Do you want to achieve any artistic goals? If so, what?
Attitude:
Is any part of your mindset holding you back? Is there any part of the way that you behave that upsets you? If so, set a goal to improve your behavior or find a solution to the problem.
Career:
What level do you want to reach in your career?
Education:
Is there any knowledge you want to acquire in particular? What information and skills will you need to achieve other goals?
Family:
Do you want to be a parent? If so, how are you going to be a good parent? How do you want to be seen by a partner or by members of your extended family?
Financial:
How much do you want to earn by what stage?
Physical:
Are there any athletic goals you want to achieve, or do you want good health deep into old age? What steps are you going to take to achieve this?
Pleasure:
How do you want to enjoy yourself? - you should ensure that some of your life is for you!
Public Service:
Do you want to make the world a better place? If so, how?
Spend some time brainstorming these, and then select one goal in each category that best reflects what you want to do. Then consider trimming again so that you have a small number of really significant goals on which you can focus.
As you do this, make sure that the goals that you have set are ones that you genuinely want to achieve, not ones that your parents, family, or employers might want (if you have a partner, you probably want to consider what he or she wants, however make sure you also remain true to yourself!)
Starting to Achieve Your Lifetime Goals
Once you have set your lifetime goals, set a 25 year plan of smaller goals that you should complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan. Then set a 5 year plan, 1 year plan, 6 month plan, and 1 month plan of progressively smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime goals. Each of these should be based on the previous plan.
Then create a daily to-do list of things that you should do today to work towards your lifetime goals. At an early stage these goals may be to read books and gather information on the achievement of your goals. This will help you to improve the quality and realism of your goal setting.
Finally review your plans, and make sure that they fit the way in which you want to live your life.
Staying on Course
Once you have decided your first set of plans, keep the process going by reviewing and updating your to-do list on a daily basis. Periodically review the longer term plans, and modify them to reflect your changing priorities and experience.
Goal Setting Tips
The following broad guidelines will help you to set effective goals:
• State each goal as a positive statement: Express your goals positively - 'Execute this technique well' is a much better goal than 'Don't make this stupid mistake.'
• Be precise: Set a precise goal, putting in dates, times and amounts so that you can measure achievement. If you do this, you will know exactly when you have achieved the goal, and can take complete satisfaction from having achieved it.
• Set priorities: When you have several goals, give each a priority. This helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many goals, and helps to direct your attention to the most important ones.
• Write goals down: This crystallizes them and gives them more force.
• Keep operational goals small: Keep the low-level goals you are working towards small and achievable. If a goal is too large, then it can seem that you are not making progress towards it. Keeping goals small and incremental gives more opportunities for reward. Derive today's goals from larger ones.
• Set performance goals, not outcome goals: You should take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible. There is nothing more dispiriting than failing to achieve a personal goal for reasons beyond your control. In business, these could be bad business environments or unexpected effects of government policy. In sport, for example, these reasons could include poor judging, bad weather, injury, or just plain bad luck. If you base your goals on personal performance, then you can keep control over the achievement of your goals and draw satisfaction from them.
Set realistic goals: It is important to set goals that you can achieve. All sorts of people (employers, parents, media, society) can set unrealistic goals for you. They will often do this in ignorance of your own desires and ambitions. Alternatively you may set goals that are too high, because you may not appreciate either the obstacles in the way or understand quite how much skill you need to develop to achieve a particular level of performance.
SMART Goals:
A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART mnemonic. While there are plenty of variants, SMART usually stands for:
S Specific
M Measurable
A Attainable
R Relevant
T Time-bound
For example, instead of having “to sail around the world” as a goal, it is more powerful to say “To have completed my trip around the world by December 31, 2015.” Obviously, this will only be attainable if a lot of preparation has been completed beforehand!
Achieving Goals
When you have achieved a goal, take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of having done so. Absorb the implications of the goal achievement, and observe the progress you have made towards other goals. If the goal was a significant one, reward yourself appropriately.
With the experience of having achieved this goal, review the rest of your goal plans:
If you achieved the goal too easily, make your next goals harder.
If the goal took a dispiriting length of time to achieve, make the next goals a little easier.
If you learned something that would lead you to change other goals, do so.
If you noticed a deficit in your skills despite achieving the goal, decide whether to set goals to fix this.
Failure to meet goals does not matter much, as long as you learn from it. Feed lessons learned back into your goal setting program.
Remember too that your goals will change as time goes on. Adjust them regularly to reflect growth in your knowledge and experience, and if goals do not hold any attraction any longer, then let them go.
Key points:
Goal setting is an important method of:
Deciding what is important for you to achieve in your life;
Separating what is important from what is irrelevant, or a distraction;
Motivating yourself; and
Building your self-confidence, based on successful achievement of goals.
If you don't already set goals, do so, starting now. As you make this technique part of your life, you'll find your career accelerating, and you'll wonder how you did without it!
Goal Setting.
Find Direction. Live Your Life Your Way.
Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn this vision of the future into reality.
The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You'll also quickly spot the distractions that would otherwise lure you from your course.
More than this, properly-set goals can be incredibly motivating, and as you get into the habit of setting and achieving goals, you'll find that your self-confidence builds fast.
Achieving More With Focus
Goal setting techniques are used by top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields. They give you long-term vision and short-term motivation. They focus your acquisition of knowledge and help you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life.
By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You can see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. By setting goals, you will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your ability and competence in achieving the goals that you have set.
Starting to Set Personal Goals
Goals are set on a number of different levels: First you create your "big picture" of what you want to do with your life, and decide what large-scale goals you want to achieve. Second, you break these down into the smaller and smaller targets that you must hit so that you reach your lifetime goals. Finally, once you have your plan, you start working to achieve it.
We start this process with your Lifetime Goals, and work down to the things you can do today to start moving towards them.
Your Lifetime Goals
The first step in setting personal goals is to consider what you want to achieve in your lifetime (or by a time at least, say, 10 years in the future) as setting Lifetime Goals gives you the overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of your decision making.
To give a broad, balanced coverage of all important areas in your life, try to set goals in some of these categories (or in categories of your own, where these are important to you):
• Artistic:
Do you want to achieve any artistic goals? If so, what?
Attitude:
Is any part of your mindset holding you back? Is there any part of the way that you behave that upsets you? If so, set a goal to improve your behavior or find a solution to the problem.
Career:
What level do you want to reach in your career?
Education:
Is there any knowledge you want to acquire in particular? What information and skills will you need to achieve other goals?
Family:
Do you want to be a parent? If so, how are you going to be a good parent? How do you want to be seen by a partner or by members of your extended family?
Financial:
How much do you want to earn by what stage?
Physical:
Are there any athletic goals you want to achieve, or do you want good health deep into old age? What steps are you going to take to achieve this?
Pleasure:
How do you want to enjoy yourself? - you should ensure that some of your life is for you!
Public Service:
Do you want to make the world a better place? If so, how?
Spend some time brainstorming these, and then select one goal in each category that best reflects what you want to do. Then consider trimming again so that you have a small number of really significant goals on which you can focus.
As you do this, make sure that the goals that you have set are ones that you genuinely want to achieve, not ones that your parents, family, or employers might want (if you have a partner, you probably want to consider what he or she wants, however make sure you also remain true to yourself!)
Starting to Achieve Your Lifetime Goals
Once you have set your lifetime goals, set a 25 year plan of smaller goals that you should complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan. Then set a 5 year plan, 1 year plan, 6 month plan, and 1 month plan of progressively smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime goals. Each of these should be based on the previous plan.
Then create a daily to-do list of things that you should do today to work towards your lifetime goals. At an early stage these goals may be to read books and gather information on the achievement of your goals. This will help you to improve the quality and realism of your goal setting.
Finally review your plans, and make sure that they fit the way in which you want to live your life.
Staying on Course
Once you have decided your first set of plans, keep the process going by reviewing and updating your to-do list on a daily basis. Periodically review the longer term plans, and modify them to reflect your changing priorities and experience.
Goal Setting Tips
The following broad guidelines will help you to set effective goals:
• State each goal as a positive statement: Express your goals positively - 'Execute this technique well' is a much better goal than 'Don't make this stupid mistake.'
• Be precise: Set a precise goal, putting in dates, times and amounts so that you can measure achievement. If you do this, you will know exactly when you have achieved the goal, and can take complete satisfaction from having achieved it.
• Set priorities: When you have several goals, give each a priority. This helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many goals, and helps to direct your attention to the most important ones.
• Write goals down: This crystallizes them and gives them more force.
• Keep operational goals small: Keep the low-level goals you are working towards small and achievable. If a goal is too large, then it can seem that you are not making progress towards it. Keeping goals small and incremental gives more opportunities for reward. Derive today's goals from larger ones.
• Set performance goals, not outcome goals: You should take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible. There is nothing more dispiriting than failing to achieve a personal goal for reasons beyond your control. In business, these could be bad business environments or unexpected effects of government policy. In sport, for example, these reasons could include poor judging, bad weather, injury, or just plain bad luck. If you base your goals on personal performance, then you can keep control over the achievement of your goals and draw satisfaction from them.
Set realistic goals: It is important to set goals that you can achieve. All sorts of people (employers, parents, media, society) can set unrealistic goals for you. They will often do this in ignorance of your own desires and ambitions. Alternatively you may set goals that are too high, because you may not appreciate either the obstacles in the way or understand quite how much skill you need to develop to achieve a particular level of performance.
SMART Goals:
A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART mnemonic. While there are plenty of variants, SMART usually stands for:
S Specific
M Measurable
A Attainable
R Relevant
T Time-bound
For example, instead of having “to sail around the world” as a goal, it is more powerful to say “To have completed my trip around the world by December 31, 2015.” Obviously, this will only be attainable if a lot of preparation has been completed beforehand!
Achieving Goals
When you have achieved a goal, take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of having done so. Absorb the implications of the goal achievement, and observe the progress you have made towards other goals. If the goal was a significant one, reward yourself appropriately.
With the experience of having achieved this goal, review the rest of your goal plans:
If you achieved the goal too easily, make your next goals harder.
If the goal took a dispiriting length of time to achieve, make the next goals a little easier.
If you learned something that would lead you to change other goals, do so.
If you noticed a deficit in your skills despite achieving the goal, decide whether to set goals to fix this.
Failure to meet goals does not matter much, as long as you learn from it. Feed lessons learned back into your goal setting program.
Remember too that your goals will change as time goes on. Adjust them regularly to reflect growth in your knowledge and experience, and if goals do not hold any attraction any longer, then let them go.
Key points:
Goal setting is an important method of:
Deciding what is important for you to achieve in your life;
Separating what is important from what is irrelevant, or a distraction;
Motivating yourself; and
Building your self-confidence, based on successful achievement of goals.
If you don't already set goals, do so, starting now. As you make this technique part of your life, you'll find your career accelerating, and you'll wonder how you did without it!
Listening
Ernest Hemingway once said "When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." How true that is. How many times has someone asked you how you were, but doesn't take the time to listen to your response? They may cut you off, start talking about themselves, or walk away. If you're like most people, this behavior probably leaves a sour taste in your mouth. People want to be heard and listened to; they want to feel like someone cares.
Be honest with yourself. Do you exhibit the same behaviors that you dislike, or do you make every attempt to hear and listen to those around you? If you find that your listening skills are poor or need tweaking, this article provides tips on how to be a better listener.
1. Make a commitment to improve your listening skills. It is important to note that listening is not a skill with which we are born. We have to learn how to develop good listening skills, and continuously practice what we learn. There are classes and books dedicated to helping individuals learn and perfect their listening skills.
2. Talk less and listen more. Most people like to talk, especially about themselves. As such, work on talking less and listening more. When listening to someone, you might want to jump in and offer an opinion or suggestion; however, make every effort not to do so. Give him the opportunity to be fully heard. In your mind, repeat every word he says, immediately after he has said it. This will help you keep your own thoughts at bay, as you will be listening only to the speaker's words.
3. Whether you are listening to a friend, co-worker, or employee, give them your undivided attention. Make sure there are no distractions (e.g., phones, computers, TVs) that would interfere with your giving full attention to the speaker. If the distractions are unavoidable, try to separate yourself from them to the best of your ability.
4. Display objectivity when listening to others. Set aside your own thoughts, judgments, and experiences. Act as if you don't have any attachment to what is being said.
5. When listening to people with different viewpoints, put yourself in their shoes. Although you may not agree with them, it might help you to better understand their perspective. Try to find a common ground; areas in which you both agree.
6. Wait until a person has finished speaking before you respond. If you are formulating a response while the person is speaking, you are not truly listening to him.
7. In order to communicate that the individual has been heard, summarize or paraphrase what he just said to confirm that you heard him correctly.
8. When listening to someone, takes notes, if needed, to remember important points.
9. As you listen to people, pay attention to how they are conveying their message. Are they loud? Are they speaking quickly? Which words do they use to express what they are feeling? What is the tone of their voice? Their tone generally reflects their emotions; how they are feeling about the issue. When people are angry, upset, or passionate about an issue, the volume of their voice increases, and the tone changes. When they are excited, they may talk faster. When they are depressed, they may talk slow, and the tone of their voice may be sad or devoid of any emotion.
10. When listening to others, also observe their nonverbal behaviors, as sometimes the individual's words and non-verbal behaviors will be contradictory. Are their arms and/or legs crossed? Are they looking directly at you or avoiding eye contact? Is their body turned away from you? Typically, these are signs that the person is "closed" from having a conversation; he may be embarrassed, or trying to avoid a confrontation, or simply doesn't want to talk. Conversely, if the individual is smiling, looking directly at you, and has a relaxed stance, he is open to dialogue.
Listening is one of the greatest gifts you can give to another person. By improving your listening skills, you will be a better friend, colleague, or supervisor. People will naturally gravitate towards you, and appreciate you. The above tips will help, but it your responsibility to continuously work on improving your listening skills. It may take time and effort, but the rewards will be worth it.
Be honest with yourself. Do you exhibit the same behaviors that you dislike, or do you make every attempt to hear and listen to those around you? If you find that your listening skills are poor or need tweaking, this article provides tips on how to be a better listener.
1. Make a commitment to improve your listening skills. It is important to note that listening is not a skill with which we are born. We have to learn how to develop good listening skills, and continuously practice what we learn. There are classes and books dedicated to helping individuals learn and perfect their listening skills.
2. Talk less and listen more. Most people like to talk, especially about themselves. As such, work on talking less and listening more. When listening to someone, you might want to jump in and offer an opinion or suggestion; however, make every effort not to do so. Give him the opportunity to be fully heard. In your mind, repeat every word he says, immediately after he has said it. This will help you keep your own thoughts at bay, as you will be listening only to the speaker's words.
3. Whether you are listening to a friend, co-worker, or employee, give them your undivided attention. Make sure there are no distractions (e.g., phones, computers, TVs) that would interfere with your giving full attention to the speaker. If the distractions are unavoidable, try to separate yourself from them to the best of your ability.
4. Display objectivity when listening to others. Set aside your own thoughts, judgments, and experiences. Act as if you don't have any attachment to what is being said.
5. When listening to people with different viewpoints, put yourself in their shoes. Although you may not agree with them, it might help you to better understand their perspective. Try to find a common ground; areas in which you both agree.
6. Wait until a person has finished speaking before you respond. If you are formulating a response while the person is speaking, you are not truly listening to him.
7. In order to communicate that the individual has been heard, summarize or paraphrase what he just said to confirm that you heard him correctly.
8. When listening to someone, takes notes, if needed, to remember important points.
9. As you listen to people, pay attention to how they are conveying their message. Are they loud? Are they speaking quickly? Which words do they use to express what they are feeling? What is the tone of their voice? Their tone generally reflects their emotions; how they are feeling about the issue. When people are angry, upset, or passionate about an issue, the volume of their voice increases, and the tone changes. When they are excited, they may talk faster. When they are depressed, they may talk slow, and the tone of their voice may be sad or devoid of any emotion.
10. When listening to others, also observe their nonverbal behaviors, as sometimes the individual's words and non-verbal behaviors will be contradictory. Are their arms and/or legs crossed? Are they looking directly at you or avoiding eye contact? Is their body turned away from you? Typically, these are signs that the person is "closed" from having a conversation; he may be embarrassed, or trying to avoid a confrontation, or simply doesn't want to talk. Conversely, if the individual is smiling, looking directly at you, and has a relaxed stance, he is open to dialogue.
Listening is one of the greatest gifts you can give to another person. By improving your listening skills, you will be a better friend, colleague, or supervisor. People will naturally gravitate towards you, and appreciate you. The above tips will help, but it your responsibility to continuously work on improving your listening skills. It may take time and effort, but the rewards will be worth it.
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