3 things that matter when I’m running a workshop or coaching session
Curveballs come along at any time. Yesterday it was the rain. So instead of a 30 minute walk & talk to the venue I’d planned, my story-coaching client and I headed to the National Theatre: a London institution on the South Bank.
The downpour put paid to my plan to kick off with the walk, my preferred way to get the creative juices flowing. It meant the other venue was no longer within reach. So the atrium of the NT it was.
When running any kind of session, I always super-prepare. Yet nothing can stop the weather.
These are the three most important considerations when I’m running a workshop or coaching session:
Agile mindset
Place
Tools
The agile mindset: a detailed running order is essential; but it’s also important to tune in to what the participant(s) need at that time and improvising on the spot. Being inflexible and sticking to the script doesn’t give me that. I need to be prepared that things might go off-piste, and be ready to work through an alternative option.
Which leads to point 2 and why I hosted the session at the NT: and the importance of place or setting. I much prefer spaces which lift the spirits, are thoughtfully designed or have charm and/or energy over sterile, cookie cutter environments. That’s why I often like to get out and about on the streets of London. Online sessions are run from my attic work space, which I always ensure is clutter-free before a session, and where a few plants and good lighting make all the difference.
Tools are about identifying the right slides, sets of cards and worksheets. In a presentation, I like clean, text-lite, image-centric slides. For one-to-one or group work I often use cards with statements, images or questions on: these are great for a warm-up activity or to see what people already know about storytelling. I also structure my sessions using blank cards.
On its website, the National Theatre states, as one of its missions, that “we share unforgettable stories with audiences around the world.” An ideal place to run my Power of Storytelling coaching session yesterday. Not such a curveball after all!