Hello one and all,
Today I’m going to share my thoughts about my recent Respect and Inclusion session with staff from Staffordshire County Council. What I find wonderfully uplifting is when the staff recognise how much work I’ve put into creating the training. ‘It’s Just Banter’ 2022 contains:
• Small group activity
• Discussions
• Working in pairs to examine thoughts and feelings
• Training films – which really made the learners laugh!
• Games
• And the list goes on…
Time and again I’m told that I’ve created a safe environment to discuss difficult topics. I’m allowing people the time to express their thoughts and feelings without fear of reprisals. It is very difficult to challenge firmly held beliefs if learners feel their words and actions will be used against them. I always create respectful learning environments, where people feel they can be open and honest.
Throughout the training we identity our own beliefs and how easy it is to stereotype groups. We have all picked up stereotypical images of certain groups as we have grown up. It is important to identify these and to recognise that they are not our burden to bear. These thoughts and opinions were put in place at a time in our lives when we were pretty powerless, we were children. We were young and impressionable. These anachronistic beliefs are often unconscious and when we face up to the reality and re-examine our beliefs that’s when we change and grow.
Something I’m always hammering home is the notion that we often tell people, “You can’t say that!” We stop the conversation dead. Instead, what we need to do is a little bit of compassionate inquiry… Learn how people came to those conclusions. Shine a light on their opinions and explore with them, ‘Where have you had that belief from?” “How come you came to that conclusion?”
It's about respectfully challenging perceptions and attitudes.
Throughout the day we address the so-called Culture Wars ™ and the rise of social media. The pros and the cons of life in 2022, because you know in reality – we are living in a pretty amazing time in history. It’s fascinating to hear the views of so many people. At times people agree and they disagree and that’s great! The fact of the matter is everyone learns from each other.
Feedback was 100% positive with some very enthusiastic feedback comments.
“Great training, very focused on attendee’s participation. Informative and useful slides for reference. Great way to get a person to think about perceptions and how they differ. Everyone was encouraged to join in and be part of the training. Cameras remained on which I feel encourages engagement. Really good, thought-provoking day.”
Sarah
“Thank you Steven, the training was very engaging and informative. It was done in such a way as to really make you think particularly around stereo-typing.”
Tracy
“Steven, you were really engaging and knowledgeable. You created a safe environment to discuss potentially sensitive issues and views. I learnt a lot. Thank you.”
Hayley
“This is the best course I have attended in a very long time – Steven is an exceptional trainer – managing to get everyone involved in a manner that it is not intimidating or threatening (as you would expect given the course content.) Thank you it is not easy to keep a group engaged for a whole day via Zoom. I have many years of experience but the course has enabled me time to stop, think and reflect on my practice – helping me to understand the emotions behind some of the behaviours (particularly enjoyed this afternoon’s sessions re Shame and Loneliness and would really like to think about this is more depth and the ways in which we can support people with this). The way in which Steven uses his own personal experience is helpful as it makes the whole training more relatable – some trainers struggle to strike a balance between knowledge, experience and ego – but this was just right. I have not completed any of Steven’s training before (and can always find a reason why I’m too busy with the day to day tasks to complete training) but this has reignited my interest and I look forward to attending more of the courses Steven presents. Keep up this positive working relationship Staffordshire 😊.”
Janet
“I enjoyed the training and it taught me a lot about the various forms of discrimination. Steven was an interactive trainer, and maintained a good pace, with suitably timed breaks and activities. Will look out for further courses to attend.”
Kate
“I really enjoyed this training; it kept me focused and interested throughout the day and I didn’t feel tempted to check my emails or do any other work as I was engaged in what I was learning about.”
Marie
“I understood the objectives after receiving the handouts and completing the course. I did however book the course title ‘it’s banter mate’ and expected (presumed?) that this course would cover workplace banter and how to deal with colleagues offended by poor language etc within the working environment rather than discrimination. That said, it has been a really good course and I have learned a lot from Steven’s knowledge and experience. Many thanks!”
Gill
“I have enjoyed the course and taken a lot away from it to reflect upon and to embed within my practice. Steven kept the course at a good pace and kept my interest throughout using a variety of learning styles. I liked the personal anecdotes, as this helps bring the topic to life with real life examples. I would recommend this training to others, thank you!”
Emma
“Informative course. Would be interested to do the managing difficult conversations.”
Jen
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