There have been many interesting ideas and insights raised in this thread.
Having been very busy for the past few months I have only been able to
scan many of the messages in this wonderful list. This has an advantage
since rather than reply to things immediately ideas have had longer to
rattle around before finding their way into a reply.
I have been struck by many strong feelings about icebreakers, and began to
wonder if I had led a very closeted life, and was this a UK view and if I
spent more time in the USA I would have had a different experience?. I had
not had to suffer some of these intrusive icebreakers, and felt fairly
confident that I did not impose them on others. However I have talked to
people recently who describe 'events' where little regard seems to have
been given to participants that appall me. Tutors, trainers, facilitators
seeming to have no concern for where they take people or what effect it
might have, long and short term.
I like to think that I always take care to operate within agreed limits,
to seek regular feedback to ensure I do not inadvertently overstep
acceptable lines.
AND, different courses, workshops AND people have different acceptable
lines that we should not overstep. What is acceptable on one course is not
appropriate on another.
I have just returned from a workshop where it was important for people to
find out a little about each other, so we used a very conventional 'talk
to your partner and then introduce them' No special objectives, no
pressure to get personal information beyond a request that they enquire
what 'they would like to get from the workshop'
On another week long workshop, where the agenda is explicitly improving
personal performance, where joining instructions indicate that
participants will have high levels of responsibility for what we do, we
leave a large chunk of silence at the beginning to encourage the
participants to explore what they want. This is much more stretching and
challenging and I believe fits the workshop objectives appropriately.
>From this thread I have reinforced my own belief that concern for
individuals is they key starting point, that the circumstance and nature
of the course informs a level of appropriateness and we must continually
be aware of how easy it can be [from a self indulgent point of view] to go
beyond what is needed.
I am grateful to this list for providing different points of view, some
that delight me, others surprise me, some make we wonder where the ideas
come from. They all enable me to learn. Thank you.
Ian Saunders
Transition Partnerships - Harnessing change for business advantage
tpians@cix.co.uk
http://www.transitionp.co.uk
--tpians@cix.co.uk (Ian Saunders)
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>