Participation Training

Although I'm sure my family and friends are getting tired of me pointing out every single "adult education" activity that they participate in, I can't help but be astonished at the fact that we are constantly being exposed to and learning new things througout our lives.  I for one am THRILLED that I never stop learning.  In fact, I almost dread the day that I finally finish my formal education and won't be taking classes any more.  Ahh, now that I think about it, I'm never going to stop learning informally, and probably not formally either.  In fact I took part in a learning experience this weekend that I just HAVE to tell you about ...

Have you ever been in a meeting where you spent 2 hours talking about nothing, accomplishing nothing and then left feeling like you had just been robbed of 2 hours of your life?  So have I!  it is so frustrating to see the need for change, want to see it happen, but just being disappointed that it isn’t going to happen.

This past weekend I took part in a 3 day course called Participation Training and I can honestly say … Meetings and group projects don’t have to be this way! There is a better way that takes the leadership concept of power and lordship out of the equation and puts in its place the concept of shared leadership.  Through this idea of shared leadership you build an environment where all group members are co-responsible for performing the leadership behaviors, as well as co-responsible for the success or failure of the group to reach its goals.  While this open minded idea of leadership may seem foreign to some of you I encourage you to read up on it.  I never would have fully understood its concepts or its power to change the entire dynamic of a meeting if I hadn’t taken part in it personally.  Do yourself and your organization a favor and do some research on Participation Training.  If you really want to learn from the best, purchase Participation Training for Adult Education by Paul Bergevin (available at Amazon.com)  You won’t regret it!