Training - Claire Antrobus

Making feedback more fruitful

by clairesan | Feb 15, 2022 | Blog, Momentum, Resource, Review, Tool, Training

Feedback can often feel like a spoonful of cod liver oil – you know it’s meant to be good for you, but we don’t relish it. And it can be hard to hear when you mainly hear about the things that are going wrong. You might wish someone also made time to tell you what’s going right? You’re doing your best after all….

And how often are you giving feedback to others? Research tells us that receiving regular (weekly), useful, feedback is one of the key factors for working at our best. Yet I often find people receive far less than this.

Giving useful feedback is a key responsibility of all managers and an important skill for those of us who work with others. Below I’ve outlined a few principles about what good feedback looks like from research into productivity and staff performance. I hope these are useful whether you’re wanting more useful feedback for yourself or wanting to improve the feedback you offer others.

Let’s focus on useful feedback: rather than ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ feedback

Feedback should be useful and constructive – whether it concerns what is working well or what is not working well. ‘Feedback’ is simply information which enables a system or process to adapt. If ‘feedback’ doesn’t enable learning and improvement then it isn’t feedback – it’s criticism (generalised negative comments) or praise (generalised positive comments). Criticism has no place in the respectful and productive workplace. Praise is less useful than feedback, and arguably also has its downsides.

But we need to get the ratio right: we need to hear five times as much about what works than what doesn’t. Feedback about what works is the fertiliser prepares the ground to receive the tougher-to-hear feedback about problems. So don’t neglect the fertiliser!

Ensure it’s useful

How can you know what feedback is useful? Simply ask – would you value some feedback? What would you like feedback on? What format works best for you – written, a chat after the event etc?

Providing useful feedback takes time: make sure you’re using your time well by focussing on the areas where feedback is most helpful. If someone already knows there’s a problem with X, it’s pointless or maybe even demotivating to be told it again. If they’ve asked for you to look at Y, they are more likely to be receptive to what you have to say about that.

BOOST performance with feedback

There are a few similar models around, but I really like this BOOST model from Andi Roberts (which I’ve slightly adapted) not least as it starts with balanced: reminding us of the ratio in favour of what works. The other aspect of balanced is that we invite feedback as well as offering it. If you’re in a position of power then others might take some encouragement to offer feedback. You can help by avoiding being defensive and showing you’re listening by acting on what you hear.

Ownership is important too – we might avoid speaking directly for fear of offending but being clear is critical. And this cuts both ways – we need to feel feedback is sincere, so that’s going to require us to take time to observe and notice what others are doing well so we can let them know directly.

Providing useful feedback is an essential skill for any manager, and we cover feedback skills and practice on a number of the courses I run in-house for organisations and as open online courses. Get in touch if you’re interested in finding out more about training. And let me know how you get on with the BOOST model.

Be more curious

by clairesan | Feb 15, 2022 | Blog, Stuckness, Training, Uncategorized

Things not going quite right with someone you’re working with but you’re not sure how to broach the topic? Worried about upsetting someone, but feeling increasingly frustrated by their behaviour or assumptions?

Too often we allow things that are not working to continue unchecked for fear of damaging our professional relationships – and yet the longer we leave things, the harder they are to resolve.

Conversations that feel hard to initiate are sometimes referred to as ‘difficult conversations’ but they need not be hard. With a shift in how we’re looking at them and a couple of simple tools we can get things back on track. And if we practise having these conversations more often, before issues get harder to discuss, then we can save ourselves a lot of time and trouble.

Stop calling them ‘difficult’ conversations

If we go into a conversation thinking it’s going to be difficult then it’s often a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead of assuming the other person is in the wrong, and that this will be awkward to discuss, it’s far easier and successful if we approach these as curious conversations.

Rather than assuming the other person is at fault, try staying curious about what the problem is and how it could work better.

Stay ‘curious’

There’s lots of great guidance about effective communication, and I’m a big fan of Marshall Rosenberg’s Non Violent Communication approach from which I’ve extracted some of the key principles into a mnemonic that spells CURIOUS:

Notice context comes first. If we want to resolve the issue we need to avoid the other feeling attacked or blamed, or they are likely to become defensive. If we’ve demonstrated a constructive intention clearly at the outset a (e.g. ‘I’m concerned how X went and I’d like us to think about how we can ensure next time there’s a Plan B in place. When is a good time for you to discuss this?’) we’re less likely to trigger a defensive reaction.

Also don’t skip owning your response. Too often we feel awkwardness about clearly outlining what the issue is for us for fear of upsetting someone. But stating clearly what the impact was on you – what need wasn’t met and how you felt – will help the other understand why this issue is important to you. Without this information there is a risk they might not fully understand why their behaviour is a problem for you and be less willing to change.

Prepare a 3-step conversation

It is useful to think through carefully what we want to say about the impact of the issue on us, and what we’d like to request to be different in future so we can be really clear and avoid inflammatory language that might cloud the issue.

I suggest thinking about a conversation in 3 stages can be helpful:

I don’t recommend that you script the conversation in advance, but a few notes about the key points you want to make and questions you might ask to open up and explore can be helpful.

And don’t forget to wrap up the conversation with some actions: what are you agreeing to? What will each of you do or do differently in future? How and when might you check in that things are working better?

I hope you find these tools useful – if you try them out let me know how you get on. And feel free to share them, please just acknowledge the source and don’t seek to profit from them. Interested to find out more? I run a couple of courses which cover communication skills and styles, difficult conversations and how to give useful feedback – get in touch if you’d like to find out more.

New opportunity: Virtual Action Learning Spring 2022

by clairesan | Nov 23, 2021 | Blog, Facilitation, Services, Training, Uncategorized

Virtual Action Learning offers a cost and time effective way to develop your skills and improve your impact at work. In Action Learning, a small group of peers come together regularly, for a finite period of time initially, to support one another to work through their work challenges and reflect on their learning. Using simple group coaching techniques, Action Learning enables fresh thinking and builds confidence.

When recent studies have shown reflective practice – at the heart of Action Learning – can improve performance by 23%, the real question is how can you afford not to do it?

No previous experience is necessary – in our first session we’ll cover what Action Learning is, how it works and you’ll have an opportunity to try it out and meet the rest of the group.

Participants will be asked to sign up to the principles of action learning, which include working in a non-judgmental, supportive and confidential learning space, and to attend a minimum of five of the six sessions. In return we offer you:

A three-hour introductory training session covering the foundations of Action Learning and opportunity to practice the core skills of active listening and open questions.
A PDF Action Learning handbook to support you during and beyond the sessions.
Five 2hr follow-on monthly Action Learning sessions via Zoom.
Support from a highly experienced Action Learning facilitator/ trainer, including advice and resources about how to set up your own set after this series.
Access to a regular safe and creative space to think through your own challenges in a reflective and solutions-focussed way
Opportunity to practice and develop your reflective learning techniques and coaching skills to improve your own and others’ performance
A supportive community of practice working together over a six-month period
Pay What You Can rate for anyone earning less than UK average wage (or self-employed equivalent).

If, after the first session, you decide Action Learning is not for you then you are under no obligation to continue and will just be charged £25 for the intro session.

By the end of the sixth session the group can decide to complete its work together – or may choose to carry on independently, self-facilitating using the skills and experience you will have developed.

Previous sets have included people with a wide range of experience from across the cultural and wider non-profit sector including self-employed coaches, creative consultants and producers and those working inside organisations in a variety of roles.

The workshop will be facilitated by me – Claire Antrobus. I’ve been involved with Action Learning as a trained facilitator and participant for over a decade.

“Action Learning really is a gift – when work and life become chaotic, difficult or disrupted – having structured support, time and space to reflect and share, warmth and connections has made a significant difference. It has really developed my active listening skills and given my working practices a reboot. I’ve created new and lasting connections and I’ve learned so much from the other people in the group.” [current set member]

Practicalities

Intro session: 2-5pm Wednesday 26 January

Set meeting dates: 3-5pm on Tuesdays 1 March; 5 April; 3 May; 7 June & 5 July

Cost: £175 (or PWYC for those on less than UK average wage or self-employed equivalent)

To book your place or discuss whether this is for you please contact Claire directly.

Back to reality? When is it worth the cost of running events in person?

by clairesan | Sep 7, 2021 | Blog, Facilitation, Training

Can’t wait to be back in the room with others at conferences and training events? Or are you hoping the professional events that have been moved online in the past 18 months will continue online?

Currently, due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, event organisers are having to make the difficult call whether to risk planning conferences and workshops ‘in real life’ (IRL). Some are experimenting with blended IRL/ online events – I’ve just been involved in one of these so more on than later.

But even when the pandemic is over, I doubt we will ever go back to all professional events and courses happening online.

Online events are often quicker and easier to organise and more accessible. The financial, time and environment costs are usually lower. So why would we consider going back to IRL courses, when can we justify the cost and when will IRL formats better achieve our objectives?

Safety questions aside, I’ve been having lots of conversations recently with clients and fellow facilitators about when it’s best to work together IRL and when online is a better option.

Below I’ve jotted down a few suggestions about what works well online and what I’ve found works better IRL:

When would you ideally do things f2f?

Early in relationships or projects. If there are new members of a team then the informal opportunities afforded by IRL can support the ‘getting to know you’ stage.

Peer-learning and networking: when making new or deepening existing connections is important then the informal spaces of IRL events are hard to recreate online.

Sensitive or personal topics: training sessions which involve developing self-awareness or sharing of personal stories. When participants need to feel high levels of trust in the group and psychological safety then IRL spaces can be more productive.

‘Tricky’ situations: if participants might not be very enthusiastic (ie mandatory training) or have reservations about the event. Being physically in the room together enables trainers/ facilitators to better observe body language as well as affording opportunities for more informal 1-2-1 engagement.

When can online work particularly well?

Shorter courses: the ‘cost’ of travelling to a half-day session makes less sense than travelling to longer sessions. Content which can be delivered in 2-3 hours works really well online, assuming it is well designed.

Regular sessions: if a group already works regularly together then it can be easy to work well online. A board of Trustees might consider having its annual strategy awayday IRL but its regular quarterly meetings online, for example.

Geographically diverse teams/ groups: online sessions have made bringing together teams and ad hoc groups for conversations easy. In the past few months I’ve facilitated a number of events with international participants which would never have been possible IRL.

Highly structured peer-learning, e.g. Action Learning sets, existing networks. My own long-standing AL set moved seamlessly online in March 2020. Many other AL sets had worked online long before CV19. Working online can keep the time and financial cost of participation low: often the biggest barriers to participation in the past.

Technical content – some content lends itself better to online delivery than other topics. Technical information, theories, case studies can all work well online.

It’s not black and white. Lots of sessions can work well in either format, but there are definitely some things which are easier to do IRL and others which seem to work equally well if not better online.

These are just my observations – I’d love to hear other perspectives so do get in touch to share your own views and experiences…

How to be a great manager and team leader

by clairesan | Jul 23, 2021 | Blog, Training

Do you want to enable others to perform at their best?

Would you like your team to share a vision and enjoy high levels of commitment and creativity?

Do you wish you had some practical tools and skills to build ambition, support learning and achieve great results?

These two new courses have been designed for you…

Isabel Mortimer and Claire Antrobus are coaches who work with individuals, teams and organisations to enable them to achieve great results, develop people and performance and work collaboratively. We have designed these two one-day courses to offer you the opportunity to explore the coaching tools and skills we think are most helpful in managing individuals and teams.

Our emphasis in on practical, simple and effective tools that can be used immediately in the workplace. Courses are accompanied by a course workbook including background information and further resources.

Isabel is an experienced performance coach, focussed on getting positive results for clients. She specialises in leadership development, cultural change, and enabling positive team dynamics. She works with a portfolio of coaching and leadership programmes and has supported cultural exchange and team development work across a range of high profile organisations. She is a fellow of the prestigious Clore Leadership Programme and is employed by The Clore Leadership Programme to help support fellows in developing as transformational leaders.

Claire helps individuals learn to change via coaching, facilitation and training focused on creating high performance. She has over 25 years’ experience in the creative, education and cultural sectors and currently designs and delivers training on developing teams, creating change and leadership for Clore Leadership Programme, HEY Confident Futures, engage’s Extend leadership programme and Leeds Arts University.

How to be a great manager – 10 March, 9:30-4:30, online

If you want to enable great performance, the ability to create productive working relationships with clear roles, responsibilities and boundaries is key. A great manager believes in your potential and creates opportunities for you to improve and develop, offering feedback and support. Whether you’re new to
line-management or looking to refine how your work with others, this course offers you some practical tools and skills to become the kind of manager you’d love to have yourself!

We’ll help you reflect your strengths and style as a line-manager, to identify what you find challenging, and also share some tools, skills and research that can help you get the best performance from yourself and others. As developing skills takes practice, we’ll also create opportunities to you to connect with others on the course and continue to develop your skills together after our session.

Topics we’ll cover include:

How to have more productive conversations
How can we set up working relationship to be more successful
The art of Active Listening
The benefits and techniques of different leadership styles
How to ask great questions

£125 standard price/ £105 early bird – book now to reserve your place.

How to be a great team leader – 31 March, 9:30-4:30, online

We spend most of our time working with others, rather than alone. With the rapid pace of change over the past 18 months, and with many teams increasing working remotely and flexibly, the challenge of creating high performing teams has never been more urgent or important.

Coaching enables us to perform at our best by creating a high trust and high challenge culture, supported by clear goals, high levels of commitment and regular honest reflection and adjustment. This one-day workshop introduces simple practical tools and techniques to enable you to create a coaching-based culture of high performance in your team or organisation.