50 Activities for Developing People Skills

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50 Activities for

Developing People Skills

Jacqueline Stewart and David Couper

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© Jacqueline Stewart and David Couper, 1993, 2004

The materials that appear in this book, other than those quoted from prior sources, may

be reproduced for educational/training activities. There is no requirement to obtain

special permission for such uses. We do, however, ask that the following statement

appear on all reproductions:

Reproduced from 50 Activities for Developing People Skills, by

Jacqueline Stewart and David Couper, Amherst, MA: HRD

Press, 1993.

This permission statement is limited to reproduction of materials for educational or

training events. Systematic or large-scale reproduction or distribution—or inclusion of

items in publications for sale—may be carried out only with prior written permission from

the publisher.

Published in the United States by HRD Press

22 Amherst Road

Amherst, MA 01002

In association with Connaught Training

ISBN 0-87425-241-5

Production services by Jean Miller

Cover design by Eileen Klockars

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iii

Preface... vii

Index of Activities ...

ix

Activities Classified by Running Time...

xi

Activities Classified by Training Method ... xiii

The Activities...

1

1. Action

Plan ... 3

Completed by the participant at the end of the course

2. Advice or Information? ...

5 Discussing the difference between advice and information

3. Alphabet

of

Feelings... 9

Discussing

feelings

4. Analyzing

Meetings ... 11

Working out how much time is spent on different elements in a meeting

5. Answer My Question ... 15

Helping participants find out more about each other

6. Appraisal ... 19

A case study on appraisal

7. Breaking the Barrier ... 25

Exploring blocks in communication, especially relevant to counseling

8. Controlling Body Language ... 29

The importance of using body language to emphasize what you say

9. Customer Service Analysis... 31

A force-field analysis to discuss customer service

10. Delegation—I... 43

Case study on delegation

11. Delegation—II... 49

Case study on delegation

12. Dib Dob Dabble ... 55

To inject energy into and revive the pace of video review sessions

13. Discipline ... 57

A case study of a disciplinary interview

14. Don’t Label Me ... 63

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iv

15. Farewell... 65

Participants make positive comments about the other participants

16.

59 Seconds ... 67

Focusing on the necessity to plan a presentation

17. Giving

Feedback ... 69

How to give constructive feedback

18. How Free Are You?... 71

How free are employees to express themselves?

19. Internal Communication Analysis ... 77

Force-field analysis to show the importance of good internal communication

20. Interview

Me ... 91

Enabling participants to get to know each other better

21. The

Lineup ... 93

Enabling participants to get to know each other better

22. Listening

Transfer... 95

Listening and then transferring that information to a written form

23. Making

Contact ...

105 Clarifying the importance of making eye contact and creating a

comfortable

counseling

environment

24. Maptalk...

111 Enabling participants to find out where other participants live and work

25. Negotiation ...

113 A case study on negotiation

26. Negotiation

Skills...

123 A questionnaire to start a discussion on negotiation

27. No

Jargon...

129 Focusing on the use of jargon

28. Only One Question... 133

What have you always wanted to ask?

29. Personal Needs Analysis... 135

A self-assessment of the participant’s personal development plans

30. Power and Influence... 147

Power and influence in jobs

31. Prejudice ...

155 Discussing

prejudice

32. Reflecting ...

157 Reflecting on what someone has said and showing understanding

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33. Qualities of a Counselor ... 163

What makes a good counselor?

34. Selection...

165 A case study of a selection interview

35. Spelling

Out...

173 Taking

messages

accurately

36. Stereotypes ...

179 Perceptions of job titles and types of people

37. Summarizing Skills – I ... 183

Group listening and summarizing

38. Summarizing Skills – II ... 193

Listening and summarizing in pairs

39. Teamwork

Squares ...

197 Highlights the importance of teamwork

40. Transactional

Analysis ...

203 Identifying different T.A. roles

41. Values ...

209 Exploring “I want to be”

42. What Animal Are You? ... 213

Participants find out more about each other’s personality

43. What Are You Really Saying? ... 217

Used in a counseling training session

44. What Shall We Talk About?... 219

What are acceptable topics of conversation?

45. What’s Up, Doc? ... 225

Probing for more information using a doctor/patient scenario

46. When Are You Assertive? ... 229

Finding out the extent of a participant’s assertiveness

47. Who Are You Aiming At?... 237

Focusing on your audience

48. Whodunit? ...

247 Using the detective story format to practice communication

49. “Yes,

but…” ...

263 Using alternative ways of saying yes and no

50. Yes or No ... 265

Assertiveness

training

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vii

Preface

Each of the fifty activities in this manual relates to some aspect of human

interaction. Their focus is on the use of these skills in the workplace, although many are

entirely transferable to private life. In some training situations, this may give the trainer

added “ammunition” for justifying the goals, objectives, and methods used.

The transfer or application of training from the classroom into the workplace is a

general concern for trainers who do not have follow-up sessions or on-the-job meetings

with previous training course participants. Using a personal action plan at the end of any

sessions is, therefore, strongly recommended, as a reminder and possible motivator for

the individuals concerned.

A particularly useful form of a personal action plan is the letter. In this case, the

individual writes it, makes a photocopy, and places it in a self-addressed envelope. The

trainer collects the sealed envelopes and, after an agreed-upon period of time, sends

them back through the mail or interoffice mail. When the participants receive their

letters, they will, first of all, be surprised, and then they will remember the training

course. They will also be able to judge their own progress toward achievement of their

action plans and be motivated to continue. A note at the bottom of the plan could remind

them to review the plan, set new goals and objectives, and implement decisions within

specific time frames.

We would like to thank all the participants and trainers who have either taken part in

these activities or provided the inspiration.

Jacqueline Stewart

David Couper

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ix

Index of Activities

A c tiv ity # Activity Title _Page # A sserti veness A pprai sal Course A ssessm ent Custom er S ervi ce C ounseling D elegat ion Di sci pl in e Finisher Int er vie w ing Icebreaker/ R evi ver List ening M eeti ng S ki ll s N egot iat ion N onverbal C o m m unicat ion P ersonal Devel opm ent P ercepti on Planning Pow er and Inf luence P resentati ons T eam w o rk Verbal C o m m unicat ion 1 Action Plan 3 _• _• _• 2 Advice or Information 5 • • • • 3 Alphabet of Feelings 9 _• _• _• _• _• _• 4 Analyzing Meetings 11 _• _• _• _• 5 Answer My Question 15 • • • 6 Appraisal 19 _• _•

7 Breaking the Barrier 25 _• _• _• _•

8 Controlling Body Language 29 _• _• _• _• _•

9 Customer Service Analysis 31 • • • •

10 Delegation – I 43 _• _•

11 Delegation – II 49 _• _•

12 Dib Dob Dabble 55 •

13 Discipline 57 • • • •

14 Don’t Label Me 63 _• _• _• _•

15 Farewell 65 _• _• _• _•

16 59 Seconds 67 • • • •

17 Giving Feedback 69 _• _• _• _• _•

18 How Free Are You? 71 _• _• _• _•

19 Internal Communication Analysis 77 • • • 20 Interview Me 91 _• _• _• _• 21 The Lineup 93 • • • 22 Listening Transfer 95 _• _• _• _• _• 23 Making Contact 105 _• _• _• 24 Maptalk 111 • • • 25 Negotiation 113 • • • • 26 Negotiation Skills 123 _• _• _• _• 27 No Jargon 129 _• _• _•

28 Only One Question 133 • •

29 Personal Needs Analysis 135 _• _• _•

30 Power and Influence 147 _• _• _• _• _• _•

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A c tiv ity # Activity Title _Page # A sserti veness A pprai sal Course A ssessm ent Custom er S ervi ce C ounseling D elegat ion Di sci pl in e Finisher Int er vie w ing Icebreaker/ R evi ver List ening M eeti ng S ki ll s N egot iat ion N onverbal C o m m unicat ion P ersonal Devel opm ent P ercepti on Planning Pow er and Inf luence P resentati ons T eam w o rk Verbal C o m m unicat ion 32 Reflecting 157 • • • • • • 33 Qualities of a Counselor 163 _• _• _• _• 34 Selection 165 _• _• _• _• _• 35 Spelling Out 173 • • • • 36 Stereotype 179 • • 37 Summarizing Skills – I 183 _• _• _• 38 Summarizing Skills – II 193 _• _• _• _• _• 39 Teamwork Squares 197 • • • • 40 Transactional Analysis 203 _• _• _• _• _• _• 41 Values 209 _• _• _• _•

42 What Animal Are You? 213 • • • • •

43 What Are You Really Saying? 217 _• _• _• _• _• _• _• _•

44 What Shall We Talk About? 219 _• _• _• _• _•

45 What’s Up, Doc? 225 _• _• _• _• _•

46 When Are You Assertive? 229 • • • •

47 Who Are You Aiming At? 237 _• _• _• _• _• _•

48 Whodunit? 247 _• _• _• _• _• _• _• _•

49 “Yes, but…” 263 • • • • •

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xi

Activities Classified by

Running Time

Up to 30 minutes…

1 Action

Plan

4 Analyzing

Meetings

5 Answer My Question

7 Breaking the Barrier

12 Dib Dob Dabble

15 Farewell

17 Giving

Feedback

21 The

Lineup

24 Maptalk

35 Spelling

Out

39 Teamwork

Squares

45 What’s Up, Doc?

49 “Yes,

but…”

50 Yes or No

Between 30 minutes and 1 hour…

2 Advice or Information?

3 Alphabet of Feelings

4 Analyzing

Meetings

6 Appraisal

11 Delegation – II

13 Discipline

14 Don’t Label Me

18 How Free Are You?

22 Listening

Transfer

23 Making

Contact

25 Negotiation

26 Negotiation

Skills

27 No

Jargon

29 Personal Needs Analysis

30 Power and Influence

31 Prejudice

32 Reflecting

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36 Stereotype

37 Summarizing Skills – I

38 Summarizing Skills – II

40 Transactional

Analysis

41 Values

42 What Animal Are You?

43 What Are You Really Saying?

44 What Shall We Talk About?

46 When Are You Assertive?

Between 1 hour and 2 hours …

8 Controlling Body Language

9 Customer-Service

Analysis

10 Delegation – I

16 69

Seconds

19 Internal Communication Analysis

20 Interview

Me

28 Only One Question

34 Selection

41 Values

47 Who Are You Aiming At?

48 Whodunit?

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xiii

Activities Classified by

Training Method

Individual Exercises

1 Action

Plan

26 Negotiation

Skills

29 Personal Needs Analysis

30 Power and Influence

40 Transactional

Analysis

41 Values

42 What Animal Are You?

46 When Are You Assertive?

Pairs Exercises

14 Don’t Label Me

16 59

Seconds

20 Interview

Me

27 No

Jargon

32 Reflecting

37 Summarizing Skills – I

38 Summarizing Skills – II

49 “Yes,

but…”

Subgroups

2 Advice or Information

3 Alphabet of Feelings

4 Analyzing

Feelings

6 Appraisal

9 Customer-Service

Analysis

10 Delegation – I

11 Delegation – II

13 Discipline

15 Farewell

18 How Free Are You?

19 Internal Communication Analysis

22 Listening

Transfer

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xiv

25 Negotiation

28 Only One Question

31 Prejudice

33 Qualities of a Counselor

34 Selection

35 Spelling

Out

39 Teamwork

Squares

43 What Are You Really Saying?

44 What Shall We Talk About?

45 What’s Up, Doc?

48 Whodunit?

50 Yes or No

Case Studies

6 Appraisal

10 Delegation – I

11 Delegation – II

13 Discipline

25 Negotiation

34 Selection

Role Plays

8 Controlling Body Language

14 Don’t Label Me

16 59

Seconds

22 Listening

Transfer

23 Making

Contact

27 No

Jargon

45 What’s Up, Doc?

Competitions

39 Teamwork

Squares

47 Who Are You Aiming At?

48 Whodunit?

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Physical Activities

5 Answer My Question

7 Breaking the Barrier

12 Dib Dob Dabble

21 The

Lineup

24 Maptalk

28 Only One Question

35 Spelling

Out

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3 Action Plan

1

Description:

This activity provides a format for measuring future achievements as a result of a training course.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to measure their use of the information and skills they have learned during the course after they return to work.

Group Size:

Maximum of 15 participants.

Time:

Approximately 20 minutes.

Materials Required:

One copy of Exercise 1.1 for each participant.

Background:

It is important that participants apply the knowledge and skills they have learned during a course after they return to their jobs. Having some established goals enables the participant to measure how effective training has been and to make sure that the transfer of learning has been achieved.

Method:

1. Use either Exercise 1.1 or a specific action plan format of your own, based on the same pattern, and hand a copy to each participant.

2. Ask participants to complete this individually. 3. Monitor their progress.

Conclusion:

Ask for individual examples from Exercise 1.1 or the other action plans for a discussion.

Additional Guidance:

Monitor the participants carefully to ensure that they do not develop an action plan with impossible goals.

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Exercise 1.1

4 Exercise 1.1:

Action Plan

Goal:

Over the next three months, I will: Objective 1:

Objective 2:

Objective 3:

Goal:

Over the next six months, I will: Objective 1:

Objective 2:

Objective 3:

Goal:

Over the next year, I will: Objective 1:

Objective 2:

Objective 3:

Signed: Date:

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5 Advice or Information?

2

Description:

This activity serves to clarify how counseling differs from other helping behaviors.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Explain the difference between counseling and giving advice or

information.

• Match these behaviors to everyday management situations.

Group Size:

Time:

Approximately 1 hour:

• 10 minutes for the introduction

• 30 minutes for the subgroup work

• 20 minutes for the conclusion

Materials Required:

• One copy of Exercise 2.1 for each participant

• Meeting rooms equipped with flipchart and markers

Background:

The word “counseling” is being increasingly used in management and is considered to be one of the neglected roles of a manager. This has given rise to some confusion as to its real meaning. This activity gives everyone a chance to participate, to air their views, and to arrive at a common understanding of when it is appropriate to use a counseling approach and when it is better to offer advice or information.

Method:

1. Ask participants for a show of hands from those who have attended a course on counseling or who have studied the subject. Note any positive responses to this and be sure to refer to those participants and make them feel valued by eliciting comments from them from time to time.

2. Tell participants to write down the difference between counseling and giving advice or information.

3. Distribute copies of Exercise 2.1 and ask participants to apply their definitions to the questionnaire. For each of the

circumstances described, they have to choose which course of action they would take.

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6

2 _{Advice or Information? (continued)}

4. After 10 minutes, divide the group into subgroups of three or four people each. Assign them two tasks: first, to discuss and agree on their definitions; and second, to review their answers to the questionnaire, discuss each one, and arrive at a group response.

5. After 25 minutes, call all the subgroups back into the main training room and ask a representative of each to present their findings.

6. Make sure that the other subgroups feel free to question, praise, or disagree in order to promote a free exchange of views.

Conclusion:

There are no completely right and wrong answers to this activity, as there is always an element of “it depends” (other circumstances of which we may not be aware). However, participants might stop and think carefully in the future before taking a particular course of action. The notes below are provided for general guidance.

Follow up by asking participants to identify for the group a situation in which they might use counseling skills in their own jobs, and then a situation in which they would offer advice.

Additional Guidance:

A counselor’s function is not to solve another person’s problems, but rather to help the individual find his or her own solution and to take responsibility for it. This means really listening and being receptive to that person, repeating what has been understood and not being judgmental or offering advice.

If a problem is caused by a lack of a specific piece of knowledge or information, then give it. If, however, you are not in such a position, refer the individual to someone who is.

We often offer advice when we “befriend” someone. When advice turns out to be wrong, the giver may get the blame, so beware of saying “If I were you…,” because you are not that person!

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Exercise 2.1

Reproduced from 50 Activities for Developing People Skills

Jacqueline Stewart and David Couper. HRD Press, Inc., Amherst, Massachusetts

7 Exercise 2.1:

Advice or Information?

Place a checkmark in one of the three columns to show what you would do in each case.

SITUATION COUNSEL ADVISE GIVE

INFO.

1. Staff member is repeatedly late 2. Friend borrows money

3. Subordinate is disorganized 4. New employee makes mistakes 5. Partner is unhappy with own job 6. Colleague has legal problems

7. Staff member is drinking too much alcohol at lunch 8. Colleague is having affair at work

9. Boss is getting divorced 10. Secretary is chatting too much 11. Friend needs a decorator

12. Union representative wants to give up 13. New supervisor doubts own abilities

14. Colleague’s child is having trouble in school 15. Graduate looks disgruntled

16. Nephew is choosing between college and working for a year

17. Neighbor is buying new lawn mower 18. Colleague is getting married

19. Salesperson must select new car 20. Staff member is bereaved

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9 Alphabet of Feelings

3

Description:

This activity is designed to focus attention on the way feelings are expressed in a counseling situation.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will have identified and evaluated at least 26 ways of expressing feelings.

Group Size:

Time:

Approximately 1 hour:

• 10 minutes for the introduction and individual work

Materials Required:

• Paper and pens or pencils for participants

Background:

When a manager uses counseling skills, it is often necessary to feed back the emotional message that is being expressed by the counselee. In everyday life, expressing the exact degree of an emotion is not critical, but in a counseling situation, the ability to identify exactly how a counselee feels helps the counselor assist the individual in accepting, understanding, and confronting his or her problem.

Method:

1. Introduce the activity and hand out paper and pens or pencils. Ask participants first to write down all the letters of the alphabet in a column on a sheet of paper. Then tell them they have to find words beginning with each letter of the alphabet that describe feelings or emotions.

2. Allow 10 minutes for this. While the participants are working, prepare the flipchart (two if you have them) with the alphabet running down the left-hand side and two vertical columns headed Positive and Negative.

3. After 10 minutes, have participants take turns contributing some-thing from their list. At the same time, ask them to decide if it is a positive or a negative feeling and add it to the relevant column you have prepared on the flipchart.

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3 _{Alphabet of Feelings (continued)}

4. Divide the participants into two subgroups and allocate the positive list to one and the negative list to the other. If possible, one subgroup can move into a separate conference room. Each group is to examine their list, discuss what each feeling

represents to them, and arrange them in order of intensity. 5. After 30 minutes, call both subgroups back into the main training

room and ask for a representative of each group to report back, one at a time, on their discussion.

6. Make sure that participants contribute their own feelings. Highlight the importance of being able to call upon a wide vocabulary in order to accurately capture the counselee’s exact degree of emotion.

Additional Guidance:

During the conclusion, there may be very emotional responses to the meaning of some words. This can be used to illustrate how words are interpreted according to our own family background and changes in current usage in society as a whole. A counselor should have access to as wide a range of these descriptive words as possible.

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11 Analyzing Meetings

4

Description:

This activity is designed to identify how to make meetings more effective.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Analyze the effectiveness of a meeting.

• Act upon that analysis.

Group Size:

Maximum of 15 participants in groups of four to five.

Time:

Materials Required:

• Flipchart and pens for each group for conclusion

• Meeting rooms

Background:

Many meetings are unplanned and unstructured. Even those that have an agenda often fail to achieve their objectives. As a result, participants consider the meeting ineffective and a waste of time and energy.

To improve the quality of future meetings, it is necessary to know what happens now. In theory, meetings are designed to discuss a number of points and come to conclusions. In most meetings, however, there will be social talk, discussion of matters that are not on the agenda, and so on.

This activity helps participants analyze what really happens in meetings so that they can understand how best to improve them.

Method:

1. Introduce the topic by asking questions such as:

• How often do they meet?

• Who are they meeting with?

• How long does the meeting last?

• What is achieved?

2. Hand out Exercise 4.1. Ask the participants to think of a recent meeting they participated in and complete the worksheet individually, based on their experience. Give them 10 to 15 minutes.

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12

4 _{Analyzing Meetings (continued)}

3. Divide the group into subgroups of four or five participants. 4. Ask participants to discuss and compare their answers, and then

to record any common factors or elements that are unexpected (or possibly inappropriate) in the context of a meeting (for example, the meeting was held up for 15 minutes while a senior manager took a phone call).

5. Ask the subgroups to report back on their findings.

6. Finally, ask the group for suggestions for improving the quality of meetings (for example, allocating time on each topic equally, so that topics at the end of the agenda are given as much consid-eration as topics at the beginning).

Additional Guidance:

This activity can be very useful for highlighting areas of weakness in meetings. These weaknesses, however, may be attributed to indi-viduals and personalities. Monitor the conclusion so that the com-ments are objective and that the suggested improvecom-ments are achievable within the context of the organization.

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Exercise 4.1

13 Exercise 4.1:

Meetings Worksheet

Think of a recent meeting you participated in and complete this worksheet based on that experience. Estimate the time spent on each agenda item.

Topics on the agenda (were they discussed fully?):

Topics discussed but not on the agenda (in what depth were they discussed?):

Topics that should have been on the agenda and discussed:

Social topics:

Coffee/food/etc.:

Time-wasters (faulty equipment, people late, etc.):

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15 Answer My Question

5

Description:

This activity is designed to be used as an icebreaker at the beginning of a course.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will have talked to all the other participants and shared some personal information with each.

Group Size:

Time:

Maximum of 30 minutes.

Materials Required:

Background:

Workshop participants are often asked to find out a variety of information from one other participant. This helps them get to know one person well, but they learn nothing about anyone else. This activity gives participants a chance to talk to everyone.

Method:

1. Ask participants to stand up.

2. Hand out a copy of Exercise 5.1 to each participant.

3. Give each participant a number that corresponds with a question on the sheet. For example, Bill Roach is given question number 3: “What is your favorite sport?”

4. Instruct participants to find someone to whom they will ask this question, and to continue asking that same question to the rest of the group until they have asked everyone the same question. They should write the participants’ names and answers on the sheet. (For example, Bill will ask all the other participants the question about a sport.)

5. With the participants still standing, ask participants, individually, to summarize what they found out about the people in the group.

Additional Guidance:

The final stage can take considerable time; if time is limited, only ask certain participants for summaries.

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Exercise 5.1

16 Exercise 5.1:

Questions

1. Where do you work? 2. Where do you live?

3. What is your favorite sport?

4. What is your favorite TV program? 5. Where did you go on vacation last year? 6. Do you have a spouse or partner? 7. How many languages can you speak? 8. What food do you like best?

9. What are your hobbies? 10. Where were you born? 11. What is your favorite color? 12. What is your astrological sign?

13. What would you do if you won a million dollars? 14. What kind of music do you like?

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Exercise 5.1

17 Exercise 5.1:

Answers

Question:

1. Name: Answer: 2. Name: Answer: 3. Name: Answer: 4. Name: Answer: 5. Name: Answer: 6. Name: Answer: 7. Name: Answer: 8. Name: Answer: 9. Name: Answer: 10. Name: Answer:

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Exercise 5.1

18 Exercise 5.1:

Answers (continued)

11. Name: Answer: 12. Name: Answer: 13. Name: Answer: 14. Name: Answer: 15. Name: Answer:

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19 Appraisal

6

Description:

This activity is a discussion of the problems of appraisal.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to apply the organization’s appraisal policy to real-life situations.

Group Size:

Time:

Approximately 1 hour.

Materials Required:

• Meeting rooms

• Flipchart and markers

Background:

Most organizations will have an appraisal system to meet one or more of the following objectives:

1. Assess the individual’s work in terms of positives and negatives, with suggestions for improvements. This should be an honest, mutual development session.

2. Look forward to new career opportunities and challenges. 3. Catalog an individual’s skills.

4. Decide on pay increases.

However, appraisals should not be linked to pay increases to the extent that the individual will not want to be honest about his or her strengths and weaknesses.

The person giving the appraisal should be clear about expectations.

Method:

1. Distribute a copy of Exercise 6.1 to each of the participants. 2. Ask them to read the case study and individually decide what

they would advise the manager to do and why. It will be helpful if they take notes at this stage.

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20

6 _{Appraisal (continued)}

4. Tell them to compare and discuss their answers with the other participants in the subgroup and to reach an agreement on the answers.

5. Ask the subgroups to come back together. Invite the groups to report back their advice to the manager. Record useful points on a flipchart.

6. Hand out a copy of the answer sheet to each participant. Compare and discuss.

Additional Guidance:

The suggested answers are only a guideline. An organization might have quite a different view on how to handle these situations.

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Exercise 6.1

21 Exercise 6.1:

Case Study

The manager of the Marlin Grove, which is part of an international hotel chain, has to conduct performance appraisals of the staff.

You are asked to decide:

1. What strengths and weaknesses you identify for each staff member; 2. What the individual should do as a result of these points;

3. What career advice you should give them.

A. Diana Moreton—Manager Trainee: Diana is a 23-year-old graduate from the local

college, fluent in French and Spanish. She is in charge of all bookings and supervises the staff. She is quick, eager, and hard-working. Although she has not been in the job very long, she does not get along as well as she should with the rest of the staff. She has very high standards and expects the same in everyone else.

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

• Career advice:

B. Paul Anthony—Head Chef: Paul is a 27-year-old who worked his way up to head chef at

the Marlin Grove. He is an excellent cook and is very imaginative; the restaurant has won several awards and is always booked. He can be rather erratic in the way he deals with his staff. Sometimes he expects them to take the initiative, and other times he only lets them carry out the most mundane tasks. He fondly recalls living and working in London.

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

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Exercise 6.1

22 Exercise 6.1:

Case Study (continued)

C. Margo McCrae—Head Housekeeper: Margo is a 55-year-old who started as a

chambermaid at the Marlin Grove and worked her way up. She is a capable worker, looking after her staff and making sure that the bedrooms are well-kept. She does not look for new ideas, and is happy carrying on in her own way.

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

• Career advice:

D. Guido Adolpho—Head Waiter: Guido is a 45-year-old who has worked in many of the

best New York hotels. He bought a restaurant nearby, but unfortunately it failed and he had to get another job. He and his family decided to stay in the area, and he was hired by the Marlin Grove. He is a true professional; everything in the restaurant is perfect. But he can be rather formal and pompous. The restaurant is frequented by people on vacation and is unlike the types of restaurants he has worked in.

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

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Exercise 6.1

23 Exercise 6.1:

Possible Advice

A. Diana Moreton—Manager Trainee

• Strength: quick, hardworking, perfectionist

• Weakness: people skills, too demanding (?)

• Career advice: interpersonal skills training, long term—a position in Europe

B. Paul Anthony—Head Chef

• Strength: creative; talented

• Weakness: delegation

• Career advice: training course on delegating responsibility; clear job descriptions for

his staff; long term—possible job in London

C. Margo McCrae—Head Housekeeper

• Strength: competent; efficient; good with team

• Weakness: stuck in her ways

• Career advice: give her responsibility for training someone who may one day be her

successor

D. Guido Adolpho—Head Waiter

• Strength: excellent skills

• Weakness: not satisfying the needs of these customers; used to business clients, not

vacationers who want a less formal atmosphere

• Career advice: counseling to help him accept the change in the demands of his job;

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25 Breaking the Barrier

7

Description:

This activity provides a model for counseling support.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to establish a support system for a counseling situation.

Group Size:

Time:

Materials Required:

None, but an open space needs to be cleared.

Background:

Counseling at the workplace is, in many ways, similar to the counseling that takes place through non-profit organizations and agencies. The difference is that there is no support structure in the workplace. It can be very distressing and potentially dangerous for the counselor and the counselee if there is no support. A counselor either takes on their counselee’s problems and maintains trust and confidentiality, or passes along the counselee’s problem to a colleague. By breaking confidence, the counselor can lose the trust of the counselee.

This activity asks participants to think about support but does not give them an answer; they will need to perceive what support could be arranged based on their particular situation and organizational culture.

Method:

1. Ask three participants to link hands and form a barrier (shown as asterisks below), dividing the open space.

Barrier * * *

2. Select another two participants as counselor and counselee. On one side of the barrier place one participant, and on the other side place the other participant.

Counselor Barrier Counselee * * * * *

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26

7 _{Breaking the Barrier (continued)}

3. Explain to the group:

a. The side the counselee is on represents “bad feelings”— layoffs, alcohol problems, family problems, money difficulties, etc. The counselor’s side is “good feelings.” Counselor Barrier Counselee * * * * * Good feelings Bad feelings

b. The counselor can break through the barrier because he or she is strong. Once the counselor has gone through, however, he or she cannot return; he or she is not strong enough to break back through.

Counselor Barrier Counselee * *> * <* * Good feelings Bad feelings Counselor Barrier Counselee * * * * Bad feelings

c. Once the counselor goes through the barrier, the feelings of the counselee can take over, bringing the counselor down, too. Barrier Counselor * * * * Counselee * Good feelings Bad feelings

4. Tell the group that they must now decide how to solve the problem and then demonstrate it. They will need to stand up and discuss it as a group, experimenting with different solutions. They can move any of the participants except the three making up the barrier.

5. Monitor the group as they work. They may come up with many creative answers. The only solution, however, is to form a “human chain” from the “good” side to the “bad” side, so that the counselor can get back to the “good” side.

Support Support Support Counselor Counselee * * *> * <* * * * Good feelings Bad feelings

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27

7 _{Breaking the Barrier (continued)}

There is also the opportunity for the counselee to be brought over to the good side, although it should be pointed out that once the counselee lets go of the chain, he or she may not be strong enough to stay on the good side.

Support Support Support Counselor Counselee Barrier * * * * * * * * Good feelings Bad feelings

Conclusion:

Once the model has been established, the participants should

decide on the way they can apply it to their own organization’s counseling support.

Additional Guidance:

You may need to direct the group to the solution. Do not let the activity go on indefinitely if the group has not thought of the answer. An example of a chain for a supervisor who is counseling a staff member could be:

1. Colleague who is also a supervisor 2. The manager of the department 3. The personnel officer

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29 Controlling Body Language

8

Description:

This activity demonstrates how body language can be used to reinforce the spoken message.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to use gestures to emphasize what is being said.

Group Size:

Time:

Between 1½ hours to 2 hours.

Materials Required:

• Video recording equipment and playback facility (if available)

• Notepaper and pens or pencils for participants

Background:

Used effectively, body language can greatly improve a presentation; used incorrectly, it can ruin the impact and destroy the meaning. This activity shows why body language should be used carefully and needs to be thought out in the same way you would plan the use of any other visual aid.

Method:

1. Identify what kind of presentations the participants give. 2. Ask each participant to prepare a two-minute presentation. 3. Invite the first participant to give his or her presentation without

using body language. The individual needs to imagine that if any part of his or her body moves, he or she will get an electric shock!

4. Note any body language (even though participants are told not to use any body language, there will still be examples, such as winding of watches, swaying, standing on one foot, and so on) and then point them out to the participant. Stress that these can become very annoying to the audience and can distract from the message of the presentation. If you are using video, it is useful to play back the recording to show the participant their body language.

5. Ask the rest of the group to give their presentations in the same way.

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30

8 _{Controlling Body Language (continued)}

6. Now ask for suggestions on how the participants should use body language in presentations (for example, counting off five points, “gesturing” the size of an object being described, or pointing to a chart or to an overhead projector slide). If you are using video, it is helpful to play back the performances, asking for examples of effective body language as each presentation is made.

Conclusion:

Review the “good” body language noted in the participants’ presentations, listing examples on the flipchart.

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31 Customer Service Analysis

9

Description:

This activity helps participants identify the “blocks” that may be preventing customer service from being effective. A similar approach is used in Activity 19.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will have identified ways of improving customer service in their organization.

Group Size:

Time:

A minimum of 1 hour, but more time may be allocated if it is an issue that needs resolving within the organization.

Materials Required:

• One copy of Exercises 9.1 through 9.3 for each participant

• Meeting rooms equipped with flipcharts

Background:

There is a general assumption that to improve customer service, all one needs to do is to explain new strategies or procedures to the staff. However, customer service will only improve if, in addition to the new procedures, there is nothing holding it back.

It is useful to analyze the situation and identify what the positive and negative forces are, in order to determine the actions needed for successful implementation. After all, it may be that current procedures or strategies would work well if only a restraining influence were removed. A force-field analysis enables the participants to map the situation for themselves and suggest a resolution.

Method:

1. Introduce the topic of customer service and ask for participants’ views on the current situation in their organization. Accept all views without comment or judgment, but note the main points on the flipchart for future reference.

2. Explain the principle of force-field analysis on the flipchart, using the example given in the Trainer’s Notes.

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32

9 _{Customer Service Analysis (continued)}

3. Distribute copies of Exercises 9.1 and 9.2 to the participants. Then divide them into subgroups no larger than four people in each. Assign the tasks of:

a. Analyzing the current situation by completing Exercise 9.1. b. Transferring the findings onto the force-field diagram in

Exercise 9.2.

Emphasize that they must take into account not only the systems, but also the staff and themselves.

4. After 45 minutes, call the subgroups back into the main room and ask each to present their analysis. There will be some differences (and no doubt some similarities) among the groups. It is important that these differences are brought out into the open and discussed at length.

5. The subgroups they meet for a second time to decide what actions are necessary to make the improvements they seek in customer service, using copies of Exercise 9.3 to record their decisions.

6. After 30 minutes, call all the subgroups back into the main room and ask a representative of each group to present their

suggested action plan.

Conclusion:

1. Encourage full and frank discussion so that the final plan can be communicated to the people it will affect and who will need to implement it.

2. Refer to the original flipchart sheet and compare participants’ initial comments with the solutions they have now identified. Highlight how their new solutions have a greater chance of succeeding.

Additional Guidance:

Force-field analysis is a systematic way of arriving at a decision or an action that will achieve its desired effect. Often a decision will not be implemented because of the way in which it has been imposed on others, causing them to resist the change. When potential for resistance has been considered from the outset, implementation of a new customer service strategy will be more effective.

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Trainer’s Notes

33 Force-Field Analysis: Example

Situation

Customers complain that the phone is answered in an unprofessional manner.

Management Solution

To issue a standardized script for answering the phone correctly.

Analysis of Forces Acting on Telephone Reception Staff

Negative Forces Rating/10

a. Staff won’t like using someone else’s words 9

b. Staff won’t want to sound false and stilted 8

c. When it’s busy, staff will forget to use the script 5

d. It makes no difference to them what the customers think 6

Positive Forces

a. The customers will be happier 6

b. The company will have more business and be more profitable 3

c. The managers want it done this way 5

d. It is increasingly normal business practice 5

Plotting these on the diagram in Figure 1 illustrates that the new telephone script is likely to fail because there are more perceived forces against it than in its favor. Actions are needed there-fore to counteract the negatives, rather than to reinforce the positive.

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Trainer’s Notes

34 Sample Force-Field Analysis: Figure 1

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 (a)

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Positive Forces

Negative Forces

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Trainer’s Notes

35 Examples of Possible Actions

1. Provide training sessions so that the staff understands why there is a need for change. 2. Ask them what they think the script should say.

3. Give them practice performing role plays, so they can feel at ease and confident with the new script.

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Exercise 9.1

37 Exercise 9.1:

Force-Field Analysis

Situation: Current Solution: Who is Affected:

Negative Forces Rating/10

a. b. c. d. e. Positive Forces a. b. c. d. e.

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Exercise 9.2

39 Exercise 9.2:

Force-Field Diagram

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 Positive Forces

Negative Forces

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Exercise 9.3

41 Exercise 9.3:

Reducing Negative Forces: Action Plan

1.

2.

3.

4.

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43 Delegation – I

10

Description:

This activity provides a focus for identifying good delegation skills.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will have identified the eight steps to effective delegation.

Group Size:

Time:

Approximately 1½ hours:

• 15 minutes for the introduction and individual work

Materials Required:

• One copy of Exercise 10.1 and Handout 10.2 for each participant

Background:

Delegation is central to good management, but it is a personal skill that is all too easy to ignore. In this activity, a case study provides a hypothetical situation. This provokes discussion and leads the participants to identify the steps of effective delegation for themselves.

Method:

1. Introduce the subject of delegation and explain the objective. Distribute a copy of Exercise 10.1 to each participant. Ask them to read it carefully and write down any comments they have on the delegation skills of the Director of Training who issued the memo.

2. After 15 minutes, divide the group into subgroups of three to five participants. Assign the subgroups to separate rooms, if

available. Brief them on the task of discussing their individual responses to the case study in order to arrive at a proposed series of steps leading to effective delegation. Each subgroup should choose a spokesperson who will present those steps to the whole group at the end of the allocated 45 minutes. The spokesperson should record the steps on the flipchart.

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44

10 _{Delegation – I (continued)}

3. Circulate among the various subgroups to hear what is being said. Note any comments you wish to raise during the

concluding discussion.

4. After 45 minutes, call everyone back to the main training room and ask a representative of each subgroup to take turns

presenting their findings. Do not comment too much at this stage but question anything that is vague, unclear, or bizarre.

5. When all the presentations are complete, present an overview, making reference to the best points of each. Finally, summarize using the steps outlined in Handout 10.1.

6. Distribute copies of Handout 10.1 to each participant.

7. Ask each participant to name one aspect of their own delegation that they intend to improve.

Additional Guidance:

You could suggest that participants write their personal action plan in their calendars two months ahead. When they reach that day in their calendar, it will be a reminder to them and also help them to evaluate whether or not they have made any improvements.

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Exercise 10.1

45 Exercise 10.1:

Case Study: Delegation – I

To: All Staff

From: George Robson

Director, Training Department

Subject: New management course

Date: November 12, 2003

Now that the “Time Management and Systems Courses” are completed, we are able to start on this course (which was proposed by the board in January, for completion by December).

The Board has discussed the needs as they see them. Briefly, it is a top priority. I will not burden you with the details of the strategic reasons for the training, but it is so vital that I will take the lead in the project. I have made the following provisions for the development of this new course.

There are four elements, and the workload will be divided as follows:

1. Communication 3 hours of training Mark

2. Accounting 6 hours of training Nina

3. Marketing and Sales 4 hours of training Arthur

4. HR Issues 1 hour of training Margo

Note: The HR department will not be responsible for Unit 4, as it was in previous courses. It is

felt that the development should be kept within our department.

I will adopt a “hands on” approach and will conduct reviews of your work. This means that you should be ready to give me a progress report at any time. The project time frame does not allow for formal project-review meetings.

The deadline is tight, but barring any illness or lack of resources, it is achievable. I will, of course, personally pick up any excess work, thereby providing a contingency.

Any delays will be regarded as very serious. They will jeopardize not only the future of the company, but also your own career in the department.

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Exercise 10.1

46 Exercise 10.1:

Staff Profiles

Mark: Senior Trainer

Mark usually runs senior management courses on the principles of accounting and finance. He is out of the office for three weeks in every four.

Nina: Training Officer

Nina usually runs presentation skills and communication skills courses from January through September. She has written a number of textbooks.

Arthur: Sales Trainer

Arthur organizes all of the sales training, using outside consultants. He is on vacation for the first three weeks of December.

Margo: Training Officer

Margo is a part-time member of the department who mainly organizes the administration of the courses. She sometimes runs one-day word processing courses.

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Handout 10.1

47 The Eight Steps of Delegation

1. Plan on delegating your work as soon as the need is clear—don’t delay. 2. Select who you will delegate to, based on:

• Experience

• Need to learn

• Current workload

• Work distribution in the team

• Knowledge

• Creativity

• Reliability

• Attention to detail

3. Give a full briefing of the work to be delegated, and include all relevant information: why this must be done, how its priority compares with other work in progress, and any limitations on resources.

4. Agree to regular meetings to review the delegated work. These meetings are important, so put them in your calendar and don’t find reasons to avoid them. Remember, delegation is about managing the work, not doing it yourself or avoiding it altogether.

5. Let your staff proceed uninterrupted, but make it clear that you are available and willing to be a sounding board if they need one.

6. Make sure that the time frame you have agreed on provides latitude for you to adjust or add to the work before it leaves your desk.

7. Have a final meeting to examine how the project progressed. Identify new strengths and possible training needs.

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49 Delegation – II

11

Description:

This activity provides a forum for the discussion of delegation.

Objective:

By the end of this activity, participants will have discussed some of the challenges of delegation.

Group Size:

Time:

Approximately 1 hour.

Materials Required:

• Meeting rooms

Background:

Inadequate or poor delegation is a problem that can destroy an organization. Managers who do not delegate run the risk of “burn-out,” and make expensive errors because of overload and stress. Failure to delegate may, at the same time, demotivate junior staff.

Method:

1. Hand out a copy of Exercise 11.1 to each participant. 2. Ask the participants to read Exercise 11.1 and individually

decide what they would advise the manager to do and why. Tell them to take notes at this stage and give them 10 minutes. 3. Divide the participants into subgroups of three or four and

allocate each subgroup a separate room.

4. Tell the members of each subgroup to compare and discuss their answers with each other to obtain a group answer. This should take 25 minutes.

5. Ask the subgroups to return to the main training room.

6. Ask for comments from a representative from each subgroup. Record them on a flipchart, if this is useful.

7. Distribute the answer sheet, if appropriate. 8. Discuss and compare.

Additional Guidance:

There are no “correct” answers. It is more important that participants question their reasons for delegating. It may be useful to conclude with a definition of delegation.

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Exercise 11.1

51 Exercise 11.1:

Case Study

Drumwells is a gourmet food store that sells meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables, as well as bakery items, cakes, and prepared meals.

Stock control is vital in this operation: There cannot be excessive waste, but customers should be able to buy what they want. Drumwells is expensive because everything is always of the highest quality.

The manager employs people, three of whom are described below:

• Floor supervisor: ten years’ experience in the store; excellent worker on day-to-day

matters; doesn’t always see commercial opportunities.

• Checkout clerk: started six months ago; no problems; trustworthy and reliable.

• Saturday-only employee: student at the local college; quick; intelligent; sometimes late

arriving to work, and takes long breaks.

It is Saturday, and the manager has several tasks to complete. Decide what should be delegated and to whom.

1. Take count of the regular stock of perishable foods with a “sell-by” date of today. Anything left over will be thrown out.

2. Escort one of the investors around the store.

3. Restock luxury items, such as Nova Scotia salmon and peaches in brandy. 4. Arrange a retirement party for one of the warehouse staff.

5. Carry out a random stock check to uncover any pilfering. 6. Count the cash on hand.

7. Call the police after a shoplifter has been caught.

8. Check that the store is ready for an upcoming visit by the Health Department. 9. Decide where the new range of organic products should be displayed.

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50 Activities for Developing People Skills