Free Writing

This was the final reflection session of 3 and this one was all about getting in touch with your subconscious thoughts. This technique is used by writers to clear writers block and for collecting initial thoughts on a topic e.g when first given a topic for a new training. The technique involves writing solidly for a set period of time, to see what flows - no stopping to check or read work, or even taking the pen off the paper! Some folk benefit from a period of relaxation or moving to a quiet area.

You can use a stimulus - we tried it with items from newspapers to get initial thoughts going - no reason why you couldn't start off with some GG UK resources or activities.  

The Girl Guide Officers' Training School (GGOTS)

 

 

Page 65 from the above "Girl Guide Album"

I picked up this book from Amazon for £3 plus shipping, it bills itself as a "brief pictorial review of Guiding from 1910-1985 drawn from newspapers, books, song sheets, photographs and a wealth of other material." 1985 was the year I started my guiding career and I was really struck how little change there had been in the first 75 years of Girl Guiding; and just how fast the pace of chance has been in the last 30 years. 

 

Page 65 featured above shows a Girl Guide Officers' Training Camp in 1917 at Windy Sayles, Boxmoor, home of Mrs Agatha Blyth who was the pioneer of Guide Training. When Mrs Blyth resigned in 1918 the school became part of HQ, by then there were other Training Schools in different parts of the country. The start of Training in GG UK?

 

If you get chance to look through a copy do so as you will be amazed how much you recognise still from today's guiding.

 



Pacechangers, Icebreakers & Energisers

I had to dig this out this week for a colleague - it was originally compiled by the Midlands Trainer Support Group back in 2003 but I have dipped in and out many times over the years. The ones that go down the best are the sweets ones "Yes and No" (p11) and "Smarties" (p17). I recently promoted at my Trainers Support Group and at the next meeting a former Midlands trainer turned up with some to sell so they are still around. I paid £2.50, and yes you probably could trawl up a lot of these ideas on the internet but it is useful to have them all in one place so you can dip in and out. I've made some notes on the inside cover as to how to adapt one of the most popular ones.

 

58 Trainings delivered since 2000

I had a count up of all my paper training plans since I started printing them off in 2000 and was amazed to find there were 58 in the file so that averages around 4 a year - not bad considering other life events in the same time frame included 2 children and a couple of house moves!

Glad I started a paper file as quite often I want to develop bits from previous trainings or improve on something I have already tried before. I save in MS word with the name of the County the training was requested by, and the date of the training. I discovered a while ago putting the title/theme isn't a great help as topics tend to cycle round on a fairly frequent basis and therefore to search on the topic brings up several different trainings.

 By holding the paper copies I can keep the notes or annotations I made sometimes during, or immediately after the training, all together along with my self evaluation (they tend to be hand written as I try to do them as soon as I get home with a cuppa before going to bed). Having a paper file means I can quickly flick through to find the training I want to adapt; I have had cause to look back on these notes sometimes even a few years after the training was delivered. The content, policy, legislation move on but the techniques can be adapted to suit the audience needs.

Do other trainers use other techniques to keep track? Are there any lessons we should learn for the Trainers Qualification renewal process? 

Should we be training on overcoming Uncoscious Bias?

Unconscious Bias shows that we all tend to favour those that look, think and behave like ourselves. This week I had the opportunity to attend a course looking at these micro behaviours that certainly provided me with food for thought. Research shows there are an equal number of unconscious bias instances (even just a more vigorous greeting to one colleague over another) that occur as those classed as more explicit discrimination - which is amazing.

The trainer suggested in order to counter unconscious bias we all have to identify & question our own bias. The key is to identify things you have in common then value the difference between you and the other individual. The rest of the advice was stock training techniques e.g active listening, positive body language, eye contact, and acknowledging participants input and build on their ideas.

Can you recognise any unconscious bias in your trainings, mentoring or tutoring?

Interesting that increasingly trainings I attend have learning outcomes rather than objectives - it provides a good opportunity to observe other trainers at work. In this instance I would say there was maybe a bit too much humour. However I got the message of the training and it was enjoyable.

Three Gifts Reflection

I was introduced to this for the first time this week and it strikes me as being a really useful technique for a trainers toolkit. The technique is to think of 3 things at the end of the day that went well, focus on the positives not the negatives and write them down - writing them down helps to focus on the events. Doesn't have to be big things but small positive things that happened during the training.

The key is to not only think about the good things, but to enjoy the good feelings that those things have brought you. Take time to revel in them!

Studies have found the technique to lastingly increase happiness and decrease negative thoughts - it all relates to neuroplasticity if you want to look up more information.

Why not use a trainers evaluation form to write your 3 things down on? 

Evaluation stickers

Wilkinsons £1 a pack

Discovered these at Wilkinsons they are ideal for doing evaluation and participation activities with the girls and leaders. Mix with another pack of plain coloured stickers for the "other" side of the vote or get the girls to use the smiley faces to show how they feel about the options on offer. Think they are a candidate for adding to the trainers and leaders bag.