For most of us, playing and having fun in the work environment is associated with not being serious, not being ambitious, not caring for our work and our goals, like if we play and have fun, it means we are not operating at our full potential.
I say it’s not true. I believe we can Play in service of Performance, not instead of Performance, like bringing fun and pleasure in sport enables to release the pressure, play more relaxed, trust one’s skills, and unleash one’s potential.
This is why I have created a playful training workshop using juggling as a metaphor and mean to convey different ideas and have participants self-reflect on what it means for them.
In Play For Performance – A Juggling and Coaching Experience, every word is very important:
- Play enables to practice in a safe environment. It enables participants to be more relaxed and open up, counter intuitively enabling deeper and more intimate work. It is also unique way to (re)Engage, Inspire and Bond people, especially after a long time of virtual work.
- Performance: the aim of this workshop is not only to have fun and do some team building, it is also an opportunity to dive into serious things and what needs to change to increase the individual and collective performance.
- Juggling is such a wonderful metaphor for Life, from the image of having to juggle multiple things at once and feeling overwhelmed, to developing a growth mindset where we can learn and master anything with commitment, practice and guidance, from learning to be free to drop balls and fail on the way to mastery/performance to exploring our interactions with others when pair juggling.
- Coaching is a partnership in a creative and though provoking process that enables the client’s to optimize their personal and professional potential. More than teaching the participants, the approach is to have them reflect on themselves individually and as a team, and see what is important for them to take away and to work on. Coaching also creates a safe space to explore, practice, learn, with permission and at the participants’ pace, and creates deeper relationships. Everyone will get different insights and the team will leave more bonded
- Experience: this is more than a classical training, this is an experience. We literally juggle, using our body and as any experiential learning, it enables to disconnect from our brain, get access to more insights, more possibilities, and anchor the learning at a deeper level. Participants will remember this workshop forever.
THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF WORK:
During this 4h workshop, we get to address the following (can be adapted if necessary):
- Inspire a Growth Mindset vs a Fixed Mindset, gain Confidence in performing at the next level
- Identify the leadership qualities needed to perform at a higher level
- Create a Safe environment to Fail and Learn from it, take more calculated risks to unleash one’s potential
- Develop the potential for more understanding of others, more collaboration and co-creation, building trust and getting in sync with others.
THE RESULTS:
- Participants all get different and significant insights which have them shift their relationship to their work and their relationships with their teammates, reports, managers, clients.
- The team leaves more bonded, with deeper relationship and a better ability to have transparent, truthful and sometimes difficult conversations
- Some declarations and commitments are made as to how to anchor the learning into practice and actions, in order to improve the overall performance, individually and as a team
- Bonus: Some participants actually leave the workshop knowing how to juggle, some want to continue on their own, and will soon be able to impress their friends, kids, grand kids 😊
WHO IS IT FOR?
This workshop if for:
- Leaders who want to have their team self-reflect and grow, individually and collectively in service of a higher performance
- New teams which are learning to work together
- Teams who might be dysfunctional or lacking trust and communication and would like some support
- Managers who are looking for a fun way to bond their team together after the long time spent virtually because of Covid
- Anyone with whom this concept resonates and would like to explore more customized way of partnering
WHAT THEY SAY
On 1 to 10, how would you rate the “Play for Performance” workshop?
- 10. It was the one of the best training I had (Martin)
- 10. The whole experience had a real wow effect (Vanda)
The average rating based on the different feedback surveys is 9.2/10.
What was your biggest take away?
- Ideas on my personal improvement as a manager. It made me feel very real, not like playing a game but feeling it as real experience (Kirill – Manager)
- Learning the other people’s attitude (Jakub – Manager)
- In a lifetime you have dropped more balls than any of us and that’s what makes you so much better now. It really spoke to me as a new starter and helps me with my confidence early (Rene)
- Trainings/coaching can be actual fun! I do not want to see any more of PowerPoint soft skills trainings ever. I guess it was not just individual take away, but the whole afternoon helped to stick the team together once more (Vanda – Manager.)
What (or what part) did you like most?
- Intimate conversations with my colleagues, as we don’t know each other that much yet (Katarina)
- I liked the open discussion with my colleagues, I feel like I learned a lot about their views and feelings and I think it made us a stronger team (Caitlin)
- The group talks, sharing of the feelings, juggling. The connection between juggling and real work is close. (Martin – Manager)
- Asking for real actions to change and not leave only in theory (Dolores)
What suggestions for improvement do you have?
- I always find opportunity to improve something. This is the first time I struggle. Perfect in every way. Thank you Evan ! Would attend next year again if we get a chance ! (Rene)
Are you Ready to Play?
Reach out and let’s explore how this workshop can support you and your team. The workshop is usually 4h long and can be tailored to your needs and constraints
Evan Bernache 