 Welcome to the Colour; Noun April Newsletter Spring has come to our corner of the UK in its usual fashion. At a certain point the hedges that have been bare for months suddenly acquire a green hue, daffodils and crocuses pop up and the sun shines. This is the point where Howard forgets to apply sunscreen for the first time, and, just as he remembers, the temperature plummets and it snows. You would think he would be used to it by now, but it’s an annual event, like Christmas. This spring feels different though. This time last year we were having conversations – using a then much under-used tool called Zoom – with other friends in the business about “how long do you think this will last?” The optimism of “late summer” or “September” morphed into “beginning of 2021”. In conclusion, the answer to that question is undoubtedly “much too long” … and yet, it feels like things are slowly changing. Events and meetings are being talked about and people can start to make plans to reconnect their teams after a long period of remote working. This newsletter is going to focus on that feeling of positivity and offer a few thoughts about what you can do.  That "first day back at school" feeling We all have routines. When was the last time you completely changed your hairstyle or how you get ready for bed? Routines are comforting, but sometimes their origins lie in long-forgotten imperatives or motives. The world of work is the same. “It’s always been like that…” But it doesn’t have to be. Nobody has been through this kind of forced dislocation from routine in decades and the number of debates and polls on LinkedIn about how many days people want to work from home in the future indicates how they are beginning to reimagine the workplace and their role within it. Despite that, as social animals who often have to collaborate on complex projects, there is still an imperative to have a focal point where our efforts can be co-ordinated. The question is, what can you do differently, now that there has been a pause in the routines, rhythms and tropes of work? The scope is limitless, from changing working hours and practices to full-blown structural reform, but the window to make adjustments before the old ways creep back is small. We have a lot of experience of working with teams and how they interact, so whether you want to examine how people communicate, revamp your processes, introduce your new idea or question your whole business hierarchy and structure, don’t hesitate to get in touch!  I’m new here. Can you help? It’s always an interesting time when you start a new job or take on a new role. First impressions are important and can set the tone for all future interactions. We once had dealings with someone who never recovered from turning up at his new posting wearing brown brogues and smart jeans who greeted his already sceptical engineering team by saying “Hi dudes!” We’re not in the business of offering wardrobe advice or the correct way to address people, but if you have switched roles or jobs in the past year you might want to think about what you want to achieve, how you want to be perceived and what tone you want to set for those around you. The one piece of advice we would offer is that sidling onto the stage with a half-hearted “hello”, attempting to be approachable over an awkward workplace buffet lunch or kicking off your tenure with a PowerPoint presentation introducing you and your key ambitions in the role is hardly the most dynamic way of announcing your arrival. Everybody always starts a new role with the best intentions and frequently they come in with new ideas that they think will make a massive difference, but, equally frequently, their enthusiasm or ability to engage others with their vision is not converted into meaningful action. We have lots of tips to help you get your message across, but here is one that we will give you for free, all wrapped up in one word. Context. People love context. Context is real. It’s immutable. It’s easy to talk about. For instance, I could bang on for hours about the environmental challenges that are facing the world at the moment. I could produce figures for carbon emissions, graphs demonstrating temperature rises, statistics for how many tons of plastic are being dumped in the ocean every day. It is much more comfortable to stay in that realm of context rather than attempt to inspire people to change their activities or behaviour. Unfortunately, the same is true with people who want to engage people with the flagship initiative that will kick off their new post. They kill people with the context of why the change is needed, without moving swiftly on to what they want to do and how people can be part of that change. If you have taken up a new post at a time when the only contact you have had with your team has been over Zoom, you might want to start thinking now about how you can make a real difference by inspiring people in the right way at the right time.  I would, if I could, but I can’t… can I? If you are planning a company get together or an away day, whether it’s to reconnect people or to launch your new business plan you might, like many people, be keen to avoid what is known as “Conference 101” – the standard fare of coffee-welcome address-presentation-presentation-lunch-presentation-presentation-wrap up-finish that far too many people envisage when they talk about such events. The problem is, with Conference 101 you know what you are getting. It might be desperately dull, but it’s safe… which brings us to the next topic in our run-through of event planning: permission. Our latest blog looks at how to make your return to live events special. Read the full article here.  Colour; Noun at the Miss Jones PA Summit We are very excited to have been asked to host a session at the Miss Jones PA Virtual Summit next week. It runs over two days on the 29th and 30th and features workshops, speakers and exhibitors to help people in professional services to connect, network and develop their skills. We will be running a session introducing people to the benefits of using Applied Improvisation to confront limiting beliefs, see opportunities in challenging situations and give an insight into what true collaboration looks like for teams and individuals. Tickets can be purchased here: https://pheedloop.com/EVEZZRALRLJLL/site/home That's all for now!
Keep your eyes peeled for more thoughts and ideas around events, engagement and team development in the coming weeks... And if you're looking to shake up your return to live events this summer, get in touch!
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 If you are planning a company get together or an away day, whether it’s to reconnect people or to launch your new business plan you might, like many people, be keen to avoid what is known as “Conference 101” – the standard fare of coffee-welcome address-presentation-presentation-lunch-presentation-presentation-wrap up-finish that far too many people envisage when they talk about such events.
The problem is, with Conference 101 you know what you are getting. It might be desperately dull, but it’s safe… which brings us to the next topic in our run-through of event planning: permission. Years of experience have taught us to recognise the hunted expression in the eyes of someone who has been tasked with planning an event. There are a million-and-one things to do - from invitations, to venue sourcing, to catering, to agenda creation, to supervision of content from your speakers – and that leaves precious little time to think about that most difficult of subjects: how can I make this event special? Let’s not ignore the fact that putting on an event requires some serious financial outlay. Venues, food and accommodation are not cheap, and if you are taking your workforce off the day job for an extended period of time there is an attendant pressure to produce something that represents a good Return on Investment. Perhaps there is something to be said for “safe, but dull” after all… We don’t think so. As we say on the front page of our website, “we’re sick of boring conferences, and we think you should be too.” Your people deserve something better than the expected, the standard, the run-of-the-mill don’t they? But how can you do that on top of everything else? What you need is permission. That doesn’t immediately mean the green light from your superiors to spend a fortune on lavish effects and dramatic venues – although we’ve seen plenty of them being used in lieu of actual human engagement – but rather permission to dream. Some time ago, the Disney Corporation had a rule whereby the people who created the stories and imagined the films were insulated from the accountants and the practical people by a special buffer group that acted as a go-between. The reason for this is that if you have a fantastic idea that has cold water poured upon it by people who can’t see your vision you will never be able to give full expression to your idea. We see the same in some organisations and our role is to help you find a way to make your idea work somehow. That’s not to say we can work miracles or arrange for Take That to reform and perform in the breaks at your conference, but we can take the essence of an idea, develop it with you, and find a way to make it work. It comes from our commitment to the principles of improvisation: to build something you have to find a way to add to what is offered… to say “yes, and…” In other words, to give you permission to imagine something different. We can’t convince a sceptical holder of the purse-strings that your idea is a good one or the right one, but what we can do is take the kernel of your idea and help you shape it into a form that is more likely to gain approval, and then help you execute it so no one has to put up with another boring conference.  "There is no control, only relationships."
As people start to imagine how the workplace will be as they come back from the enforced hiatus of the past year it might be time to consider how you relate to your colleagues. Often, when we are asked to work with a team to help them collaborate and communicate in better ways, it is obvious that the problems lie in the strange dance that we all do around the individuals with whom we sometimes spend more time with than members of our family. Here are three thoughts that might help you to get the most out of your co-workers and minimise the stresses and tensions of the workplace. 1) See the good things, instead of the bad. Nobody’s perfect. We are all annoying in our own way, but we find ways to forgive ourselves. Extend that courtesy to your co-workers. Instead of focusing on the irritating things that they do, focus on their positive qualities – what you appreciate about them. There is a Taoist story of the man who complains to a philosopher about a cherry tree in his town: “It is so old that it no longer bears fruit, and it is so bent that if I chopped it down I would be unable to make anything from the wood. What use is it?” The philosopher replies, “It’s uselessness is why it is useful. No one will ever cut it down to use the wood, it’s foliage will never be shredded as people try to harvest its fruit, so people will always be able to rest in its shade on a hot day.” Everyone has good qualities if you look for them and everyone sees the world in their own unique way. Embrace different viewpoints to gain a more nuanced picture of the world. The introvert who sits and listens quietly in a room full of extroverts might see things that the majority cannot. Make space for them, accommodate their difference and embrace their divergent view of the situation. 2) Listen without feeling the need to judge or advise. Sometimes people just need to vent. On a basic, profane level, it has been proved that swearing when you hurt yourself, such as accidently bumping your head or hitting your thumb with a hammer, actually helps you cope with the pain better than if you keep quiet. This need to let things out extends to emotional pain too. There’s a strong causal link between Powerlessness, Fear and Anger. If you feel you have no power in a situation, things are done to you – you have no agency to affect them. If you are powerless it is very easy to be afraid. People who are afraid often become angry. If someone needs to let off steam, let them do just that. Don’t openly agree with them as that might offer justification to their emotional state, but by the same token, don’t judge what they are saying or offer advice. Your judgement or counselling is not going to help their feelings of being “done to”. If the person is a customer, complaining about something you have, or have not done, there is one guaranteed way to make things worse with just six little words: “Can I just stop you there?” That phrase, delivered mid-rant, is a cast iron way to give the complainant more energy to carry on. Instead, see them and their complaint like a balloon that is deflating. However angry you might be, in the absence of somebody arguing, justifying, excusing or explaining a position, it is almost impossible to maintain a sustained, high level of righteous indignation. Listen to – don’t just “hear” – their grievance (and to understand the difference check out this link), and then find a way to address their concerns. 3) Lower your expectations. It’s better to not expect too much and be presently surprised, rather than set your standards so high that you are setting the stage for disappointment and resentment. We’re all fighting our own battles every day. No one knows what is happening in someone else’s life, and no one can say, definitively, that a task is “easy” or “hard”. What one person can accomplish easily might be incredibly difficult for another… but we all have our own personal skills that we bring to the table. Above all, refrain from the toxic business obsession with developing people into “complete, whole, fully-rounded, multi-skilled individuals.” If you will forgive me a sporting analogy, Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer in the world is predominantly left-footed. For every touch he makes with his right foot he will make ten with his left, yet no coach takes him on one side and makes him do a course in being right-footed. The grim reality is that if Mr Messi worked in many organisations, not only would his annual appraisal highlight his underuse of his right foot, but he would be pushed in the direction of e-learning modules and workplace training initiatives to improve his skills as a goalkeeper or make him a better defender. Instead, all his teammates and the coaches and managers he plays for know that he has two roles: to make goals and to score goals. If he can do that with a ten-to-one preference for his left foot, so be it. If you would like some help to get your return to the workplace off to a great start, get in touch. It might be a perfect opportunity to set in place new, long-lasting protocols that will improve everyone’s experience. |
