I owe my interest to become a good facilitator to my Ayala Young Leaders Secretariat Days, where I met inspiring Ayala facilitators, such as Mario Deriquito (now a Dep Ed undersecretary) and Simon Mossesgeld (Tatay Monch to AYLC alumni , an independent leadership consultant). The two were to become my our wedding Ninongs, too :-)
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I don't exactly do much facilitation in my current job, but I do get some "air time" when we train bank account officers on how to do sustainable energy finance. I'd like to say that I handle the "people and behavior" part of sustainable banking! I saw the FED (Facilitator Enhancement Day) 2014 ad and figured that a Franklin Covey training can help me enhance my training and public speaking skills. I was able to go courtesy of my company, IFC.
The whole day training was held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel last Feb 20, and was mostly attended by Franklin Covey facilitators. Franklin Covey Co. was founded by Stephen Covey, the author behind the bestseller, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." The company has since developed leadership trainings with the 7 Habits as the central theme. I have never attended a 7 Habits training so I was a bit worried about how I'd catch on during FED. I guess it was not a prerequisite, but I bet the day will even be more enriching for people who have the 7 Habits background!
There were over 200 attendees for FED, and we mostly worked in small groups. There were no opportunities to practice public speaking, but I still found the session helpful. Indeed, it was a day of renewal! I hope I get the chance to take the 7 Habits training one day.
Here are my top 10 takeaways from the training: Note that I might have not captured the lessons word for word, since these just came from my own notes!
1. Do something better each time. Always aim to improve.
2. When addressing your audience, keep them within your "wingspan's"" view. Keep eye contact and refrain from turning your back on them.
3. Aim to be "liked" by the audience. Your First 1st impression starts with the way you communicate with them prior to the session (your preliminary materials, etc). The Second 1st impression will be from the way you look or how they see you when you first show up. The Third 1st impression is established by your introduction. When they arrive at the venue, always be set and ready to go.
4. Honor time. Reward people who are on time by being on time.
5. Manage risks! Always have a back up plan just in case something goes wrong. "A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn." - Helen Keller
6. Remember, your audience will have to trust their INSTINCTS first (is it safe? will it eat me?), then FEELINGS/ EMOTIONS (do I like this person?), and only then can we appeal to RATIONAL thought.
7. When given a dress code, play it safe by dressing one level up.
8. In creating Visuals, avoid too much distractions because people have trouble multitasking.
9. When telling stories as part of training: It has to be short, has to have a point, and relevant to the topic. Follow this pattern: SITUATION- COMPLICATION - RESOLUTION.
10. Make lessons learned during training sustainable by applying them to your life or work!
All attendees also took home a training booklet, some handouts, a set of cards listing the common body language mistakes, a desk calendar, and a certificate.
The session also helped me craft my "Facilitator Contribution Statement" - which I would describe as sort of a "renewal of vows" as a facilitator. Mine goes:
" I am committed to continue to design new, exciting, innovative, and interesting ways to share stories that inspire and motivate participants to make the most of their skills and talent!"
It was a refreshing experience, with useful takeaways that I can definitely use to improve my facilitation skills! Good to share the tips to fellow trainers in the office.
FED 2014 Manila was made possible by The Center for Leadership and Change, Inc. Learn more about other trainings at www.franklincoveyphilippines.com. Thanks to the session facilitators Ms. Teresa Balili-Mendoza, Mr. Teresito S. David, Ms. Christine Javier, and Mr. Mennen Aracid.
The whole day training was held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel last Feb 20, and was mostly attended by Franklin Covey facilitators. Franklin Covey Co. was founded by Stephen Covey, the author behind the bestseller, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." The company has since developed leadership trainings with the 7 Habits as the central theme. I have never attended a 7 Habits training so I was a bit worried about how I'd catch on during FED. I guess it was not a prerequisite, but I bet the day will even be more enriching for people who have the 7 Habits background!
There were over 200 attendees for FED, and we mostly worked in small groups. There were no opportunities to practice public speaking, but I still found the session helpful. Indeed, it was a day of renewal! I hope I get the chance to take the 7 Habits training one day.
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| Saw former Ayala group colleagues Enot Misa and Ruel Ardena! Ruel is also one of my "model facis" :-) |
1. Do something better each time. Always aim to improve.
2. When addressing your audience, keep them within your "wingspan's"" view. Keep eye contact and refrain from turning your back on them.
3. Aim to be "liked" by the audience. Your First 1st impression starts with the way you communicate with them prior to the session (your preliminary materials, etc). The Second 1st impression will be from the way you look or how they see you when you first show up. The Third 1st impression is established by your introduction. When they arrive at the venue, always be set and ready to go.
4. Honor time. Reward people who are on time by being on time.
5. Manage risks! Always have a back up plan just in case something goes wrong. "A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn." - Helen Keller
6. Remember, your audience will have to trust their INSTINCTS first (is it safe? will it eat me?), then FEELINGS/ EMOTIONS (do I like this person?), and only then can we appeal to RATIONAL thought.
7. When given a dress code, play it safe by dressing one level up.
8. In creating Visuals, avoid too much distractions because people have trouble multitasking.
9. When telling stories as part of training: It has to be short, has to have a point, and relevant to the topic. Follow this pattern: SITUATION- COMPLICATION - RESOLUTION.
10. Make lessons learned during training sustainable by applying them to your life or work!
All attendees also took home a training booklet, some handouts, a set of cards listing the common body language mistakes, a desk calendar, and a certificate.
The session also helped me craft my "Facilitator Contribution Statement" - which I would describe as sort of a "renewal of vows" as a facilitator. Mine goes:
" I am committed to continue to design new, exciting, innovative, and interesting ways to share stories that inspire and motivate participants to make the most of their skills and talent!"
It was a refreshing experience, with useful takeaways that I can definitely use to improve my facilitation skills! Good to share the tips to fellow trainers in the office.
FED 2014 Manila was made possible by The Center for Leadership and Change, Inc. Learn more about other trainings at www.franklincoveyphilippines.com. Thanks to the session facilitators Ms. Teresa Balili-Mendoza, Mr. Teresito S. David, Ms. Christine Javier, and Mr. Mennen Aracid.
