After our previous online workshop with Inkmason in May about Team Collaboration, our second module in this Team Development Series was delivered today with the same group of talented and energetic designers, who were all located in their Beijing Head Office this time.
This workshop focused on presenting ideas confidently. Given the broad nature of the topic, we decided to begin with the basics – why you need to present and how to structure your ideas.
The concept is simple: to build confidence, you need to believe in your beliefs. Simon Sinek's Golden Circle is my all-time favourite for uncovering your WHY as your core value. Instead of simply presenting a slide deck with words and fancy graphics, delve into the core value of your idea. Why do you need to share the idea? How does it relate to your work and beliefs? How does it relate to your organization and brand? Why is it important to you and others? What impact will it have? Answering these questions provides a strong foundation to support your idea, from which your confidence can grow.
Next, we challenged their ideas using the critical thinking process to determine their validity. Since developing critical thinking skills is also a broad topic, we engaged in a game inspired by True Confessions called "A Truth or a Lie." This activity quickly became their favorite. We prepared four short stories, each sounding ridiculously unbelievable. Each time, they selected one of the four stories, and I would read it aloud. Team members took turns asking questions – any questions that could help them discern whether the story was true or false. Making decisions through questioning was the main learning point in developing critical thinking skills, and this simple yet incredibly fun game was a perfect fit.
We covered a few more topics in this workshop, including the principles of presenting ideas, managing negative self-talk, and online presentation tips. These were all important elements to help us present and speak confidently in front of others.
It's all about practice, practice, and practice. Therefore, each participant was scheduled for an individual 30-minute coaching session to practice their presentation skills one week after the workshop. This provided a very practical learning opportunity to enhance their presentation abilities.
This on-site virtual workshop gave us a very different training experience. Even though it was a virtual workshop, we designed the day to make the most of the office space similar to an offline event, to encourage the team interact with each other actively and to physically move around in the office. The team really enjoyed meeting all members in one office and appreciated the in-person discussion.
Thank you again for this fun and enlightening learning experience. I enjoyed very much working with this team and our amazing co-facilitator Karen. You are the best! We look forward to meeting you all in one of your offices in the near future.