Time to Show Up
My classes attract people who are focused on adding value to their lives. To the higher level thinkers who attend, I can say that the intent includes adding value to those they encounter. Two contrasting classes occurred recently that were great examples of these intents and much can be learned by contrasting the two.
The course I held was one on creating and maintaining bonds with others. The name of the class is really unimportant since many topics I facilitate have the same end in mind. At the very beginning of this specific class I did my usual asking of questions as to whom the attendees were, what they occupied their time with, where they currently live among other "get acquainted" questions. Everyone gets a chance to share and we go all around the group until complete.
Just as I usually do at the end of this type of introduction, I share with the group that it's really important to listen carefully to those who share. If we don't, we might miss an opportunity to gather information that might assist in creating the very bonds we seek.
I go on and stress some strong points. What most people do is share their personal or professional history. It is information intended to create a bond of sorts with the intent of creating connections with others. It is in essence the beginnings of what could become friendships or partnerships.
I then go on to share the relevance of listening carefully. Many people don't realize that on average, each person you encounter is a sphere of influence with about 250 potential contacts. That means for even a small class of perhaps five people, we are talking about 1250 potential contacts. That's a lot of people.
To do a reality check on who was paying attention, and perhaps to rattle a few of the attendees who were not quite totally present, I asked the group who would like share some information they heard about others in the room. In this recent class, not one person could do this. In fact, the sad point that the body language of the attendees made was that they were both un-engaged in the topic and irritated that I would ask them to be engaged in it. Again, let me reiterate that we are talking about a class intended to help the attendees create "friendships."
It was obvious to me that the very thing that these members sought was not what they were willing to invest in. Ironic!?
Now contrast this situation with one that followed it not one month later where the same setup was created for essentially the same topic. The class took on the challenge and really got some interesting responses. Eyes lit up and smiles occurred between the sharing. The people attending were truly engaged and the bonding that went on was evident to all.
So, what was it that made these two groups so different? Good question. If you're ready for the truth, this information is life changing!
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Do you find this concept "provoking?" Care to read more? Want to take action that will "provoke your success?" This and fifty-seven more chapters designed to provoke your success can be found here.
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Coach John S. Nagy is CEO and Lead Business Coach for Coaching for Success. Inc., a Business Coaching Service specifically designed for top level decision makers dedicated to peak performance in all facets of their activities. He's hired to focus them continuously in activities that bring higher returns on their resource use. His programs are for the seriously committed. This means having his clients work "ON" their businesses, not just "IN" it. He's a published author and a multi-degree professional with a nationwide client base. Coach Nagy can be reached through his E-mail address at his website at http://www.coach.net and by calling 813-949-0718.
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Copyright © 1999-2007 John S. Nagy
