- Things 3 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Training Program
- Things 3 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Training Techniques
- Things 3 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Training Pdf
How does it help to regulate a workflow and why especially managers are in need of creating the personal task management system that works for them? We have the answers. According to the latest research published in 'The Wall Street Journal', the work routine of the manager takes more than just sitting down at the desk. Email & Schedule Management Tasks One of the biggest time-suckers in the land of entrepreneurship is email. Before I actively took it upon myself to remove myself from my business and become a Virtual CEO (listen to the full story in episode 16 of my podcast), I was trapped in Outlook for up to 7-hours a day. Task Management. Introduction to Task Management In any aspect of our lives, we are faced with multiple tasks everyday.Sometimes we experience headaches just by figuring out which tasks to tackle first, especially if we cannot seem to correctly determine which ones are more important than the others.
I recently conducted a webcast for people planning to seek their first management position in the near future. During the registration process, I asked participants the following questions:
- What concerns do you have about making the move to management?
- What barriers do you feel are preventing you from making the move to management?
- What questions would you like the presenter to address?
5 Task Management Tips for Personal Trainers When I decided to become a personal trainer I didn't think it'd be a hard job to do, only to realise the opposite after a few months in buisness. I thought it would be training clients all day and loads of high fiving. Training tips will help you do just that. Catch people doing things right and then let them know that they are doing things right. Use feedback to stay informed about what other people are doing in your area of responsibility and authority. Have regular, focused meetings regarding the.
When I read through the over 200 responses, I found common themes among the concerns of those desiring to make the move into management. They asked questions such as:
- How do I delegate effectively?
- Will I be able to handle the extra responsibility?
- How do I coach my employees?
The reality is that we all have concerns when it comes to taking on a new position. Fortunately, a great training program can have considerable influence on the performance of a new hire, especially when it comes to new managers.
Are you planning to implement a new manager training program in the near future, or do you already have one but need to improve it? Here are three topics you will want to make sure you include, as they are among the top challenges new managers face:
Time Management
Often, one of the biggest challenges that new managers face is the realization that their day will be filled with unexpected interruptions, meetings and other obligations that they did not have when they were an individual contributor. To be an effective manager, they must have excellent time management skills to be able to accomplish everything on their to-do list.
Training Tip: Have new managers practice filling out their calendar and allocating appropriate timeframes to complete certain tasks. Although the time estimates may not be accurate, this activity will get them in the right mindset of carefully planning their day. Give participants some effective planning strategies to put them on the right track.
Effective Delegation
When individual contributors move into management positions, they quickly realize that they cannot be involved in day-to-day tactical tasks and also focus on building and leading a team effectively. Delegation is a critical skill that leaders must emphasize to be successful. Being an effective delegator involves trusting employees, communicating effectively and occasionally being a good teacher.
Training Tip: In many cases, managers will need to pass their knowledge on to employees and will need to do it in a way that is clear and concise. In a new manager training class, have participants practice teaching each other a skill at which they are proficient. Share some basic principles on learning transfer and the fundamentals of being a good teacher.
Giving Feedback
Everyone makes mistakes, but it isn't the manager's job to make the employee feel even worse than they already do about missing the mark. Rather, it is their responsibility to provide constructive feedback so that the employee can learn from their mistakes. Most importantly, it is the manager's responsibility to ask the question, 'What can I do to make you more successful?' New managers must become experts at giving feedback in a way that builds the employee up rather than bringing them down.
Training Tip: Have employees in a new manager training class role-play giving feedback to one another. One easy activity is to have employees partner and critique each other's outfits. They will have an opportunity to have fun while practicing constructive criticism. Equip them with some communication strategies and tips on giving feedback.
New managers will learn 80 percent of what they need to know while they are on the job. However, training classes are a great opportunity to empower them with the necessary tools to tackle the most difficult situations. Be sure to include these topics in your next manager training class so that your newest leaders can feel ready to succeed in their new and exciting role.
Icebreakers were initially part of the dating game. It made sense; two people meeting for the first time and the whole situation rife with nervousness. However, the term 'icebreaker' became so popular at one point that it eventually transitioned into the professional world. This article will help you to find the best icebreakers for meetings.
Today, we see different companies looking to learn different icebreakers for meetings & training seminars. Icebreaker techniques are popular for a variety of reasons. My personal favorite is that they loosen up the atmosphere to a degree where everyone feels comfortable. Secondly, icebreakers for meetings are also effective because they hone interpersonal and communication skills.
Pro Tip: Signup to the Best Meeting Management Software for FREE. Join nTask today, risk-free to manage your meetings, resources, and making you more productive!
Many organizations work on their employees' communication skills by scheduling training sessions on the subject of icebreakers for meetings. These companies do so because they are relying on their employees to segue their conversations into a winning argument. Other reasons are sales and productivity-related.
The point is that these activities have now become the norm. If you are part of such a company or let's say an Agile work environment, then you are already aware of how icebreaker activities go. If you haven't been familiar with these activities, other than knowing their meaning, then this article will help you to great lengths.
Check this out:
6 Team Building Exercises and Games to Foster Creative Thinking
A typical icebreaker training session in a company can span over different activities. Each section focuses on a specific skill. For instance, if the trainer is looking to polish a group's communication skills, he or she might suggest ‘One Word Icebreakers' activity. This could also lead to a Q n' A session where the trainer asks something and the respondent has to answer immediately in one word only.
They can ask, 'How do you feel when you are in a room full of strangers during a seminar?' Since the answer is based on one word only, it helps to pinpoint the focus area that needs work. Many employees use the word 'nervous.' Nervousness hails from stage fear and public speaking anxiety. They are temporary issues and can be fixed with the help of different tactics. Also, practice will make you perfect in the long run.
Since I am an Agile project manager, I have been part of different companies where icebreakers for meetings & training seminars were held. Some of them were good; others could have gone better. I decided to do a write up on the subject matter by highlighting my favorite icebreakers for meetings & training seminars throughout the past few years.
I hope you will benefit from them in one way or another.
Source: MindToolsVideos.comTable of Contents
Best 14 Icebreakers for Meetings:
- The One Word Activity
- Finding Common Grounds
- Low-Stress Icebreakers
- Meet and Greet Icebreakers
- Lunch Based Icebreakers
- Introduction interviews
- Prepare the Questions
- Find the Person
- Question Ball
- Penny
- Pop Quiz
- Would you Rather
- Five of Anything
- The Good and The Bad
Here are the best icebreakers for meetings that can help you out in training and seminars.
The one-word icebreaker activity is very common. Since I already mentioned it earlier in this write-up, the idea is to encourage others to answer a question in one word only. Well, they could use two words but that should be the extent of it.
No matter how popular a one-word icebreaker is, there are some grey areas that you need to stay away from. Do not ask opinionated questions or personal questions. Since it is hard for respondents to answer using one word, the situation can get awkward in no time. For example, do not ask 'How do you feel when Mr. X walks into the room.' The questions should be open-ended enough to lead to intuitive answers which everyone can build upon.
Divide participants into different groups. Tell them that they need to answer a series of questions in one word – something that would be the best description etc. These types of icebreakers spark healthy conversations and lead to different modes of interaction.
These icebreakers for meetings & training seminars is another personal favorite of mine. This activity is pretty much similar to the aforementioned activity, but the difference is the actual sequence of events. You start by dividing your organization's team members into different groups.
Each group gets 10 – 15 minutes where they chit chat with one another and come up with a list of ten words that describes the group's team members. After the session, one person responsible for representing his group gets up and reads out those words. The idea of the ‘finding common grounds' icebreaker is to harness a frank culture where everyone gets to laugh and learn about other people in the company.
Often, there is a Silo mentality in offices where apart from traditional ‘Hellos' and ‘Hi's' people don't talk much. As a result, there is a communication gap that widens over time. This icebreaker is exactly meant to nip such issues in the bud.
Overall, it is a fun way of getting to know your fellow employees, what their interests are, and vice versa. Do it, and you will probably learn a few things about certain people in the company who seemed 'too smug' to begin with. Share the results to see which group did better and why.
Low-stress icebreakers are part of stress-relieving rituals. Usually, companies warm up their teams with a dose of laughter and fun. Just like the aforementioned activities, low-stress icebreakers are where the organization is divided into different groups.
Each group constitutes a mix of senior and junior members. This is done deliberately because due to the hierarchical structure of any company, junior employees feel hesitant around seniors. Each group shares their favorite activities, such as; vacations, pets, casual outdoor ventures, and stories.
This helps everyone to share their side of personal lives. It is the stuff that makes us human after all. Such icebreakers are not very common. But wherever they are exhibited, organizations flourish by tenfold.
Meetings are one of the most looked forward to and a dreaded component of any organization. Especially when there is a hint of foreign delegates and stakeholders joining in, the atmosphere is usually rife with tension.
There are numerous techniques that help ease up such an atmosphere before any meeting. The best strategy is to go through different icebreakers for meetings ahead of any scheduled event. As a result, team members will have already practiced and they will feel comfortable with any number of meetings.
Meet and greet icebreakers focus on a team-building experience. What's more important is that if the meetings are sales-oriented, the team members are trained to focus on building a relationship with the client. If you have ever seen ‘The Office' season, you know that Michael spends a long time getting to know his clients.
In one of the episodes, he went out with Jan to meet a stakeholder at a restaurant. While Mike was chitchatting up this guy, they talked about favorite food, hobbies, and many other things. As a result, the client felt comfortable dealing with ‘Dunder Mifflin'. Jan didn't seem so impressed in the beginning, but she eventually knew what Mike was up to. It was a win-win situation for both parties.
This is what meets and greets icebreakers are meant for.
There are a couple of icebreakers for meetings and training seminars where participants are taught about opening up over a lunch based meeting. Let's get it straight, you break bread with someone; no matter what their caste or background is, you are automatically building a relationship with them.
Things 3 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Training Program
You can share a meal with your stakeholders. Before scheduling a meeting, sneak in the possibility of having lunch. Ask them what their favorite food is, and get started from there. Your team members and stakeholders will open up on their own. Lunch meetings and icebreakers are like a miracle. They don't require a lot of preparation. As soon as people start eating, they end up talking to one another.
Food brings in a lot of possibilities of making new connections, getting to know other people from other departments and companies – so on and so forth. You can also plan potluck lunches, Thanksgiving Luncheons and such other stuff for special upcoming occasions. Even if these types of icebreakers are not meant to be followed as training material, they offer everyone an opportunity to open up.
Also, for employers, it is an opportunity for gaining recognition. A few days ago, I was on a Conan O' Brien marathon and I found out that they have a very dynamic organization culture. TBC is sent food as a token of appreciation from fans and partners all over. Conan's workers gather over lunches; they break bread and bond with one another over an informal setup.
Basically, this activity is a simple way for participants in the team or a seminar to get to know their neighbors. The way it works is that the participants are put in pairs so they can interview each other. This takes the edge off and the rules of the awkward obligatory introduction round can be altered.
The duration of this activity depends on the host or the person conducting the meeting or the conference. Usually, the duration of this activity is five minutes. Because that's enough time to get to know about 'just on the top of their head' introduction, passions, or professional experience. Popcalendar 1 7 7.
When the duration is complete, conduct the introduction round but this time the people sitting next to each other will introduce their neighbor and not themselves. The introductions will sound something like this:
This is Josh; he is an excellent Coder. He created his first program at the age of 7. He is now working as a Team lead for our company's new AI project. He also loves swimming.
This is an excellent technique because it definitely takes the edge off and makes the introductions a lot less stiff while helping the people connect easily.
Q&A sessions are occasionally a drag. There are no new or interesting questions and the team just drones on and on about the same stuff. Shio 1 2 0 – a challenging platformer game. This routine can be changed.
Preparing the Questions for the A&A sessions acts as a double win because it will get all of the participants talking while fueling up your Q&A.
Low-stress icebreakers are part of stress-relieving rituals. Usually, companies warm up their teams with a dose of laughter and fun. Just like the aforementioned activities, low-stress icebreakers are where the organization is divided into different groups.
Each group constitutes a mix of senior and junior members. This is done deliberately because due to the hierarchical structure of any company, junior employees feel hesitant around seniors. Each group shares their favorite activities, such as; vacations, pets, casual outdoor ventures, and stories.
This helps everyone to share their side of personal lives. It is the stuff that makes us human after all. Such icebreakers are not very common. But wherever they are exhibited, organizations flourish by tenfold.
Meetings are one of the most looked forward to and a dreaded component of any organization. Especially when there is a hint of foreign delegates and stakeholders joining in, the atmosphere is usually rife with tension.
There are numerous techniques that help ease up such an atmosphere before any meeting. The best strategy is to go through different icebreakers for meetings ahead of any scheduled event. As a result, team members will have already practiced and they will feel comfortable with any number of meetings.
Meet and greet icebreakers focus on a team-building experience. What's more important is that if the meetings are sales-oriented, the team members are trained to focus on building a relationship with the client. If you have ever seen ‘The Office' season, you know that Michael spends a long time getting to know his clients.
In one of the episodes, he went out with Jan to meet a stakeholder at a restaurant. While Mike was chitchatting up this guy, they talked about favorite food, hobbies, and many other things. As a result, the client felt comfortable dealing with ‘Dunder Mifflin'. Jan didn't seem so impressed in the beginning, but she eventually knew what Mike was up to. It was a win-win situation for both parties.
This is what meets and greets icebreakers are meant for.
There are a couple of icebreakers for meetings and training seminars where participants are taught about opening up over a lunch based meeting. Let's get it straight, you break bread with someone; no matter what their caste or background is, you are automatically building a relationship with them.
Things 3 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Training Program
You can share a meal with your stakeholders. Before scheduling a meeting, sneak in the possibility of having lunch. Ask them what their favorite food is, and get started from there. Your team members and stakeholders will open up on their own. Lunch meetings and icebreakers are like a miracle. They don't require a lot of preparation. As soon as people start eating, they end up talking to one another.
Food brings in a lot of possibilities of making new connections, getting to know other people from other departments and companies – so on and so forth. You can also plan potluck lunches, Thanksgiving Luncheons and such other stuff for special upcoming occasions. Even if these types of icebreakers are not meant to be followed as training material, they offer everyone an opportunity to open up.
Also, for employers, it is an opportunity for gaining recognition. A few days ago, I was on a Conan O' Brien marathon and I found out that they have a very dynamic organization culture. TBC is sent food as a token of appreciation from fans and partners all over. Conan's workers gather over lunches; they break bread and bond with one another over an informal setup.
Basically, this activity is a simple way for participants in the team or a seminar to get to know their neighbors. The way it works is that the participants are put in pairs so they can interview each other. This takes the edge off and the rules of the awkward obligatory introduction round can be altered.
The duration of this activity depends on the host or the person conducting the meeting or the conference. Usually, the duration of this activity is five minutes. Because that's enough time to get to know about 'just on the top of their head' introduction, passions, or professional experience. Popcalendar 1 7 7.
When the duration is complete, conduct the introduction round but this time the people sitting next to each other will introduce their neighbor and not themselves. The introductions will sound something like this:
This is Josh; he is an excellent Coder. He created his first program at the age of 7. He is now working as a Team lead for our company's new AI project. He also loves swimming.
This is an excellent technique because it definitely takes the edge off and makes the introductions a lot less stiff while helping the people connect easily.
Q&A sessions are occasionally a drag. There are no new or interesting questions and the team just drones on and on about the same stuff. Shio 1 2 0 – a challenging platformer game. This routine can be changed.
Preparing the Questions for the A&A sessions acts as a double win because it will get all of the participants talking while fueling up your Q&A.
It's a simple yet effective icebreaker. The way it works is that the band leader will divide the room into small parts of twos or threes depending on the size of the population in the room and have them come up with interesting questions. When the activity is completed then the person conducting the whole shebang will instruct the members to collectively decide the best questions in the queue.
The next step is asking the participants to submit their winning questions and when that's done, they will be the ones to review the questions and upvote the ones that they find the most interesting.
The speakers or the honored panelists will then answer all of the questions with the highest support from the audience because the questions came from them and not some predefined agenda set by the company. Window manager 1 0 4 download free.
Read this blog:
25 Best Meeting Management Software
This technique is more targeted towards seminars where there are a lot of people. Find the Person is an amazing technique/game that will help the bandleader to endorse networking at the event.
The way it works is that all of the participants are given a nametag of another delegate. They are asked to search and find that person in the room. When they do, they should find as much as they can about that person. Then that delegate has to introduce the person whose nametag they were given at the start.
It's an amazing networking exercise that is quite different from the norm and helps the delegates meet new people and get to know them.
Question ball is an amazing icebreaker for meetings and seminars. The way it works is that the host will take a big beach ball and write different questions on it that are fun and punchy. The questions can be like:
- What has been your biggest professional win to date?
- What sort of hidden talents do you possess?
- If you could be any Avenger one day, which one would it be?
Then the bandleader will toss the ball in the audience and tell the delegates to throw it around. The person who gets the ball would answer the question their right index finger landed on truthfully. Then they will pass the ball onwards to the next person. The more creative and interesting the questions, the better.
The Penny icebreaker technique is so amazing that even the introverts will come out of their shell and play.
The way it works is that the host will place a handful of pennies or any type of coins on every table. The attendees are told to pick one randomly from the bunch. Next, the attendees are asked to introduce each other one by one by stating information like their name, the company they work for, their role in said company, and the year embossed on the penny they picked.
After that, they would tell a story regarding anything interesting that happened to them that year. They can also share any information with the others regarding something that made this year exceptional. See? Quick and informative.
To get the entire team in the right mindset, you could consider putting a short pop quiz on your discussion board.
If the goal is to just encourage bonding, your quiz can be more lively and fun. For example, match the 80's song with the lyrics.'
If it's a company event, for example, instead you may ask 'When did our company go live?'.
Things 3 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Training Techniques
'Would you rather' is an excellent Icebreaker for Meetings & Training Seminars.
I personally love playing this game as introverts only play this game online but are less forthcoming in a public setting.
Here are a few questions to get you started?
- Would you rather eat pizza or burgers for the rest of your life?
- Would you rather watch a movie or go on a hike?
- Would you rather have a horrible long term memory or short term memory?
Things 3 5 – Elegant Personal Task Management Training Pdf
Don't be scared to make it fun as long as you know your attendee's cultural lines.
If you have been part of icebreakers for meetings & training seminars in the past, do share your experiences through the comments section below. Don't forget to bookmark this post because we will be adding a few extensions to our icebreakers list.
Good luck and have fun connecting with others in intuitive ways.
One of the most fun icebreakers is ‘five of anything'. It takes only 5-15 minutes, depending on the size of the group
It is pretty straightforward and does not require a lot of thinking. As the name suggests, participants just have to name 5 of anything.
Here is how you should carry it out:
- Divide the participants into teams.
- Give one topic to each team. Do it randomly.
- Ask the participants to write 5 things related to that topic. For example, five books, five movies, five quotes, etc.
- Ask all teams to share the answers with everyone in the room.
This small activity lends a great perspective into different variables associated with the workforce. Employees can get to know about each other more during this icebreaker for meetings than a month of working together.
All excellent icebreakers for meetings & Training seminars have one thing in common and that is providing some insights to your colleagues while being a fun activity. Five of anything is perfect for both.
Another great icebreaker for meetings and training seminars is The Good and the Bad. Some say that this is the most insightful icebreaker.
Let us show you why.
This fun icebreaker is all about finding the silver lining in bad situations. It is a pretty difficult thing to do but its benefits far outweigh the effort and time required for it.
Here's what you need to do:
- Divide the participants into pairs
- Ask every pair to come up with a bad experience both in personal and professional life.
A pro tip: Start with professional incidents and move towards personal. People do not start sharing personal experiences just like that.
This powerful icebreaker for meetings promotes empathy for your fellow workers. It also encourages employees to stay optimistic.
Overall, ‘The Good and the Bad' is an overly optimistic activity, which is a cool thing. I know, you must be thinking it should have rhymed with Clint Eastwood's ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'.
But then again, if we were to add the ‘Ugly' part of situations to this real-life team icebreaker activity, it would take a nosedive into pessimism!
Also Read:
- The 21 Best Free Productivity Apps of 2020
- The 23 Best To-do List Apps of 2020 for Personal Task Management
- 10 Essential Project Management Skills for Project Managers of 2020
- Getting Things Done (GTD) Method and 14 Best GTD Apps & Tools
- Top 19 Time Tracking Software to Improve Team Productivity
- 27 Best Task Management Software for Startups in 2020
- 36 Best Free Productivity Apps of 2020
- 31 Best To-do List Apps of 2020 for Personal Task Management
- 22 Best Free Project Management Tools for Agile Teams in 2020
- Managing Virtual Teams: Challenges, Tips & Virtual Team Management Tools
- 47 Best Team Work Quotes To Celebrate Collaboration & Motivation
Tags
change managementOther Related Articles
- Product