A snapshot from 'How to Lead Lively Workshops'

I thought you might like to know how we got on at the weekend with my 'How to Lead Lively Workshops' workshop. Brilliant! Fantastic! Wonderful! As you can tell I'm very pleased with how it went. So were the participants:

'enjoyed the weekend immensely', 'a genuine eye-opener' , 'stretching my creativity', 'well worth the investment' , 'Just right for anyone who wants to run workshops which are experiential and interactive.'....

I'll be leading more so please get in touch if you'd be interested in attending a future workshop here, or in your region, organisation or network.

The photo shows four participants in buddy pairs talking over their own workshop and seminar designs. We were heading back to our venue along a track above Penmaenmawr after a downpour stopped us just before we reached two ancient stone circles that stand on the mountainside (Note hood and umbrella). It was so good getting out for a 'coaching walk' during a workshop. There's sound reasons for doing that.

Walking and talking together, as I'm sure we all know by thinking back over years of deep and meaningfuls, is a powerful way of developing our thoughts. Here are some sound reasons for 'coaching walks':

• There are the intrinsic metaphors of moving forward, getting somewhere, being on the right track ........
• There's the fresh air and the exercise so that the brain has plenty of oxygen for thinking at its best.
• There's the coordination of the left and right sides of the brain for allowing analytical and creative thinking to work together, especially if you swing your arms, left arm with right leg, right arm left leg and so on, so that it's a cross-over exercise. I've added using Nordic walking poles to my walking, partly for that reason.
• And of course there's the inspiration of the scenery and seeing things from different perspectives.

When we got back to the venue the participants took turns to lead the group through activities they were designing for their own workshops and it was a valuable learning experience for us all.

Thinking about a good walk?

Comments

[Claire Walter]

It is interesting that your would incorporate Nordic Walking into your workshop to bring the creative and analytical thought processes together.

I will add a link to your post from my Nordic Walking blog (http://nordic-walking-usa.blogspot.com).

[Judy Barber]

How interesting Claire, thank you for linking and posting! I took my Nordic walking poles on that walk, but didn’t mention why I was using them to the workshop participants who were very busy with their conversations – though I have thought vaguely about incorporating Nordic Walking into a workshop some time in the future. Nordic Walking is pretty new in the UK and I’ve so far only seen one other person in my area walking with two poles. Hmm, thank you, you’ve given me a whole new set of thoughts for a future workshop!! And a big smile! I went for a little stroll through your blog and it is great! Very inspiring to me in my new hobby. Thank you.