How can it be that almost sixty professional organizers and coaches were invigorated and motivated at the end of a post conference workshop on Motivational Coaching?  As I drove the 500 miles home the morning after I contemplated this question regarding the success of the 6 hour Post-Con offering that my colleague Denslow Brown and I gave the Sunday after the close of the ICD 2014 Conference in Nashville. Here are some thoughts on what made for a successful day in Nashville.  I invite others to share their thoughts too!

The People

ICD subscribers are very interested in the topic of motivation and this sunday group in particular was deeply invested.  Once we warmed up with a rousing chorus of 'Happy Birthday' (Denslow's!), the participants embraced each portion of the class with enthusiasm and attention.  When it came time to practice the coaching skills, every participant summoned the courage to step into the role as coach and embrace the learning process.   We thought it may be ambitious to manage 20 coaching triads over an hour of coaching practice but each group was extremely motivated and supportive of each other.

The Content

Participants walked away with a nice combination of information, tools and skills to immediately apply with their clients. We really wanted to be sure we did not overwhelm the participants with lots of motivation and change theory.  The information was a mix of coaching process, my AEC model for change and some neuroscience to support change and motivation.

The Format

How do you feel at the end of a rewarding conference?  Tired would be an understatement.  We were asking individuals to commit to an additional day of learning after 4 intense days of conference.  We wanted to be sure that the day was engaging and interactive.  We offered a balanced mix of information, discussion and application with 2 rich demos and the coaching practice mentioned above.  We also looked at applying these concepts to special populations like ADHD, students and seniors.  We got great feedback on the interactive format.

Denslow and Cam

We don't often get to present together in person but when we do we have a lot of fun.

So a few questions for you.

What was the best part for you?

What elements are you using in your own practice?

How are you working differently with your clients now?