NLP Week 9 26th November 2008

Entitled
The Heroes Journey, what inspires you and your attitudes?

Paired off (only 9 in class again so was with tutor) and talked about something that was similar in nature.

I spoke about getting the Golden Grail of the FHEA (Fellow in Higher Education Academy), which involved many years of battling areas of knowledge that I lacked and also having people come alongside to support me. The journey was made through changes in tactics were needed at times and a good mentor in the form of my wife/professional development staff, online manager and head of dept. The stepping stones were HAY Job scheme evaluation in 2005 which turned me from a simple ‘gofer’ technician into a hybrid technical/academic ‘per excellence’. This transformation felt like after that, I just needed to force myself through the paper work, and grind the application out like modelled clay. The end result was 3 years later in July 2008 but waiting for the right moment required many different attributes, skills and talents.

We also looked at what inspires us. Stories, people’s challenges and life itself! I am inspired by those around me that are battling through hard times and endurance, but don’t mention the Tough Guy race! I suppose I am inspired by my wife again because she had to make a big sacrifice to be in this country with me. I sometimes don’t realise how much it cost her in many ways. Therefore I am inspired to do great things that would make her proud of me. I often look for inspirational stories on the web or in books that can change one’s own attitude to life.

Attitudes was interesting and next discussed. We looked at what our personal vision was, our values, our greatest gifts to the world, and what gift you would give yourself. Reflecting on one’s life in an old people’s home what would one regret? Not watched enough TV? Hardly! Probably consider all the achievement I had accomplished and whether I had missed out on part of another better life. I doubt I would have regrets only ‘unfinished business’. Looking at values imagine at the funeral what would be said about you? He always was busy, with a happy cheeky smile. Also very silly when allowed to tell ridiculous jokes, clowning around, very dynamic and daring with regards to all sports and absolutely loyal to his family. Sounds like an impressive mix? Regarding greatest gifts, a wonderful caring husband, attentive parent full of compassion, honesty and empathy with those around him. Everyone mattered to him, no problem was too little or hard to sort out. Greatest gift, giving himself to good deeds and charities.

Tuesday 25th November 2008

Back to work after a day off. I was really busy actually.
Need to start my stress managent assessment but after checking my stress levels think do I really need to try and reduce the 'anxious' moment one occasional finds!!!

In the end managed to create both an EXCEL Spreadsheet and a WORD doc which will serve as templates for my stress and work activities log. No more on this at the moment as I have things to do. Remember to prioritise tasks - who does that I wonder?

Okay some web links perhaps?

http://www.businessballs.com/stressmanagement.htm

http://www.stressmanagement.co.uk/

http://www.isma.org.uk/site/isma/content-folder/home

http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/tt/t-articl/stress.htm

http://www.mantex.co.uk/books/exams03.htm

Time to Reflect 21st November 2008

Week 8 at work and also week 8 on NLP course at a local Leicester College and also halfway through the second module of the Get Fit for Life Programme at Loughborough College .

On my to do list is

1. Planning a stress management programme to impliment over 2 weeks.
2. Recap on NLP must include recorded examples of completing the Learning Aims of the course which are:
(a) Think in Outcomes (what do I want? When do I know I have it/achieve/goal?)
(b) Have rapport - pace and lead (walk in other's shoes, see their model of the world, have good NVC and mirror)
(c) Reframe a negative and create new choices (change attitude to problems)
(d) Notice experience with senses (all 5 of them) Preference? Visual?
(e) Create a mind/body state and take action (when lacking in resources, ask what you need to get into the right 'state' and use anchors, resources (positive, modelling) and step into this new state.

My outcomes from the NLP course was to :-

1. apply new knowledge to my coaching sessions, my counselling work and my befriending of those affected by cancer. Also improve my self confidence in public speaking situations, like in large class sizes and church readings;
2. develop effective strategies which included positive action and clearer thinking in challenging sitautions; and,
3. looking for new experiences to develop oneself more fully (read more inspirational stories, progress on other courses - Get Fit for Life as an example).

NLP Week 8 nearly there now 19th November

Arrived a bit later than usually as needed to do a bit round the house to tidy up. But decided when I arrived in the college car park I spent 5 mins just deep breathing and collecting my thoughts. A nice piece of classical music and thinking pleasant thoughts amongst which was the recollection of a nice comment made by a couple from the church saying 'you have really made a difference being here'.

The class was now down to 9. As before we have different exercises to undertake. First was to remember what we did the previous week and reflect on it. Mentioned the latest work incident that caused me to think and strategise a different response to what I would have done. Looked at things we either do really well or badly. I mentioned that I do ironing badly (only trousers and shirts though), but cooking very well. Also I do foreign languages very poorly but my ability to keep fit very well. What strategies do we use is an essential part of NLP. I think that I do cooking well because I enjoy the creative side of the preparation and having the ability to mix ingredients together and provide a nice meal for the family/friends. Now with languages part of my brain doesn't engage and I give up, or sometimes have moments when I say 'come on, give it some real effort' which is why I find it so easy to do running in constrast. May be I need to learn languages while I am running?

Motivational side of using 'reactive' (being pushed) or 'proactive' (pushing oneself) to do something is also discussed. I am quite motivated when I wake up and get to work then the climate changes depending on which way the wind id blowing in the dept. I try and keep up to date with issues, concerns, times of commitments but I am also distracted with tasks as I try and juggle many things together. I am therefore 'aware' of the problem and also now I am response (able) to make a change if I decide to. I have good intentions but they are dependent on my ability to keep focused on the task at hand.

Stress Management Part 2 of Fit for Life Course

Help I am technician/academic prop/hybrid member of staff....!!!
Also fire marshal, project manager and many more things, oh the pastoral role for students too. then why get stressed at all? Well I have had some uncomfortable expereiences that make this part of the Get Fit for Life Course interesting and appropriate.

Read on.

Stress at work shouldn't happen but it does. Ones own way of doing things doesn't always correspondance with others (think of Lost - The Others!). I think three times in the space of six months some challenging (okay sressful) incidences have occurred in my 'comfort zone' not 'war zone' as I like to describe the situation sometimes.

First time was simply a member of staff berating about the lack of response to their faulty PC. Nothing that could be done, but the level of anger expressed caused some anxious moments in my mind. Why? Perhaps 'losing it big time' is the only choice but it is not mine. So that was one case of over reacting to a situation that (a) I had little control over and (b) was not worth the 'pure sweat' of emotionality displayed in the office.

Second time a conflict in tems of my role in a particular task. This time I was not made anxious, I was made to look stupid which I really won't accept. The task was simple but the level of dialogue expressed made me feel belittled and foolish, I won't have that either. End result was that I got in a mess when I should have just accepted that may I was myself 'over reacing' to the task. This was another example of the person not using NVC correctly or myself able to fight back.

Third time in another person's office. This was the worse to date. It was unprovoked and uncalled for, and I had another senior person with me. A light ticking off of a member of staff for a possible serious accident was met with total negativity and none compliance. Each time the other senior person made a suggestion it was revoked and I was at the end starting to feel this could get a lot worse. When the senior person left I was looked at with eyes like daggers and shouted at very uncomfortably. I retorted saying I was on their side and looking for a positive outcome and simply told to 'get out'. I had to reflect on this situation very carefully and decided to write a note to myself of the said incident and also to contact the senior person to say how I felt. Within about 5 mins I had a good chat with a 'very' senior staff member and they said they would make sure that the incident was tackled forewith. Thereafter I received an email apology and feel slightly better, but know that stressful people with 'barking' are not necessarily 'biting' and should not really fear them.

Recognition by the Higher Education Academy

On Tuesday 17th November 2008 received letter in post saying I had been accepted into the Higher Education Academy (HEA) - based in York, UK.

Story
Around four years ago in 2004 I wanted to join the HEA as an Associate Practitioner (that is someone that is involved with supporting teaching and learning at a Higher Education Institute - HEI). I thought the best approach was to undertake a process being run by Professional Development (PD) at Loughborough University called 'the Associate Pathway'. This involved attending a number of seminars and workshops in PD and was designed for new teaching staff.

My background as having a degree in Human Psychology, involved with teaching support, and membership of the British Psychological Society seemed a good indicator if I could sustain the amount of work needed for this 'pathway'. Unfortunately the amount of time and effort with the pathway and the assessments that were needed meant I was encouraged to proceed through another route called 'the individual route'. This was a long document 18 page that was broken down into six key aeas of teaching support and student learning that was if anything as challenging as the 'associate pathway' itself. I started to 'work on it' bit by bit as I thought through how best to provide evidence for the 'associate' status I sought.

Therefore I undertook a number of side related courses to enhance my skill base which included, Introduction to Counselling Skills at Leicester University (2005), the Open Network College Macmillan Cancer Support Certificate (2006-7) which included communication skills, purpose of feedback, healthy life-style and wellbeing modules and then the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) award of 'Coaching in the Workplace' (2008).

Also I attended as many internal/external PD courses that were offered and undertook a number of internal and external web based on-line surveys that impinged in my work areas (e.g. 'Resources and courses for staff and students' (2006) was cited at the Teesside University in the summer of 2006 (for the Association of Technical Staffs in Psychology - ATSiP) as a reason for my nomination and recognition by HEA as the first ever National Technician/Demonstrator Award which is now an annual award given to those technical staff that are providing excellence in terms of teaching and learning support in their departments at HEIs.

Next?
Well by 2007 I thought I had enough documentation to fulfil the Associate Practitioner Status. I spoke with a member of staff in PD and she said 'I had more than enough' and pointed out I should be able to go for 'Fellow' Status. At first I thought 'no way' but little by little I started to put information into the questions that I had thought were not originally possible. Even then I doubted I had 'the right stuff' as they say.

However, as I knew that to fulfil the next higher criteria I had to be really 'full on' with the information; I sought to write up my responses to each section with cited evidence/references and constructive well thought out answers. Then around June 2008 I knew that the categories that had fazed me previously were really just another 'bar' to jump higher and I was highly satisfied with the result.

One final talk with PD and to find suitable referees to support the application I put the application form in the post July 17th 2008. A long wait ensured and 4 months later after a HEA peer group panel meeting was told I had the coveted Fellow status. (See postscript later for differences in criteria of Associate/Fellow Status)

Feelings?
Well its been so long I thought it was not going to hit me, but it did. I had to inform everyone involved in the process and have now FHEA (Fellow Higher Education Academy) after my BSc.

Also my other ATSiP members have been interested in what does it mean?

1. Accreditation to the HEA is like a gold standard - peer reviewed, strict criteria for entry, accepted by other HEIs as something highly regarded

2. Enhances ones' CV as it shows that you have sought continual professional development and been successful.

3. Perhaps the first time a technical member of staff has received this recognition.

4. This FHEA is a statement, reflective assessment, directional pointer, almost a dissertation that can summarise the work experiences I have experienced over the 21 years I have been at Loughborough University. is there more? Oh yes watch this space!!!!

Postscript

Recognition Criteria of HEA The Professional Recognition Scheme is aligned with the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education (UK PSF). The UK PSF consists of three Standard Descriptors (SD):

SD1: Demonstrates an understanding of the student learning experience through engagement with at least two of the six areas of activity, appropriate core knowledge and professional values; the ability to engage in practices related to those areas of activity; the ability to incorporate research, scholarship and/or professional practice into those activities = Associate Status

SD2: Demonstrates an understanding of the student learning experience through engagement with all areas of activity, core knowledge and professional values; the ability to engage in practices related to all areas of activity; the ability to incorporate research, scholarship and/or professional practice into those activities = Fellow Status

SD3: Supports and promotes student learning in all areas of activity, core knowledge and professional values through mentoring and leading individuals and/or teams; incorporates research, scholarship and/or professional practice into those activities = Senior Fellow Status The Standard Descriptors are underpinned by the following areas of activity, core knowledge and professional values.

Areas of activity

1. Design and planning of learning activities and/or programmes of study
2. Teaching and/or supporting student learning
3. Assessment and giving feedback to learners
4. Developing effective environments and student support and guidance
5. Integration of scholarship, research and professional activities with teaching and supporting learning
6. Evaluation of practice and continuing professional development Core knowledge Knowledge and understanding of:
1. The subject material
2. Appropriate methods for teaching and learning in the subject area and at the level of the academic programme
3. How students learn, both generally and in the subject
4. The use of appropriate learning technologies
5. Methods for evaluating the effectiveness of teaching
6. The implications of quality assurance and enhancement for professional practice

Professional values
1. Respect for individual learners
2. Commitment to incorporating the process and outcomes of relevant research, scholarship and/or professional practice
3. Commitment to the development of learning communities
4. Commitment to encouraging participation in higher education, acknowledging diversity and promoting equality of opportunity
5. Commitment to continuing professional development and evaluation of their own practice Associate:

Individuals who have demonstrated they have met SD1 may apply for Associate status.

Fellow: Individuals who have demonstrated they have met SD2 may apply for Fellow status.

Senior Fellow: Senior Fellow status recognises outstanding achievement in teaching and enhancing the student learning experience, combined with scholarship and academic leadership, in line with SD3.

The Academy’s criteria for the application of SD3 are:

1. Lead colleagues by personal example
2. Facilitate and influence networks of colleagues
3. Impact positively beyond your institution, at national and international level, within your discipline or more generally
4. Make a sustained contribution and positive impact to the student learning experience
5. Champion learning and teaching in HE

NLP 7th Week 12th November

This week the eleven of us looked at BELIEFS. We had a chance to listen to tape to see how it affected us in terms of our beliefs about ourselves. the exercise really opened up into different areas of experience like visiting the dentist, fear of flying, phobias that people had (being put down for example). I thought through some of my worse fears and beliefs and they triggered off a certain flight from Cancun to Mexico City in 2006 when the plane was hit by some object and dived for about 10-20 secs until the pilot regained control. Also fear of the dentist was high as I am anxious about the neddle and drill and bad experiences once more. beliefs can be self fulfilling prophecies and statement like 'ought' 'should' 'must' can really cause damage in our lives. Face the fear and do it anyway is a good way to tackle things that 'bother' us. I have thought about giving presentations to a new class and feeling cool and calmy and not able to focus properly. I need to get a 'state' that I can use to do the talk. I think by using anchors (I liked what Chris Moon called 'foundation stone') and also role modelling techniques I can do it! Others fear which were mentioned focused on work relationships and how to 'change' the mindset in which we operate. One useful technique I now use is to imagine what I would like to happen (see it through my eyes) and then email te person making sure I copy in relevant staff who are kept in a loop of knowing outcomes and issues.

Dying the Hard Bit - 10th November 2008

The last few weeks have been quite challenging for some people around me. I was told through the grapevine a gentleman I knew on the Macmillan Cancer Support Course had passed away after a fight with Oesophagus cancer. He was only 61 and the last few months he knew that chemotherapy was not longer viable. At work we lost a member of staff (aged 58) through cancer and the send off for her was huge and really emotional for many. Although the death was expected the sudden demise of her affected people around the department where I work. Some staff actually talked about their own funeral preparations afterwards (one quoted 'always look on the bight side of life' story from Monty Python). Then without even time to think a heart attack took a guy we knew down the road at 61 years old and in good health it seemed a cruel blow to the family. The whole process brought me back to mum who died in 1993 and just passed her 90th birthday (1st Nov how poignant is that - all saints day, day of dead) which reminded me that time doesn't bury the person, or dismiss them from the subconscious either. Dealing with those around me at the end of their life is a real privilege and far from being scared of the person dying on you or being emotional affected a deep sense of being close to God and knowing one's own value with the person, being in touch with their mind/body/soul is a rewarding and humbling experience. As I work within both those with stable and less stable conditions the value of 'time' can not be stressed enough. In the end time will catch up with us all, and how we use our time is down to what we feel is important, essential and meaningful.

PS Attended a Humanistic Funeral on 18th Nov at Loughborough Cremantorium which was quite different to a Religious send off. A chance to understand a different way of saying good bye without the concerns of whether a person was spiritually led or not. I found the tributes warm and sincere but it lacked the real emotional affect of a CofE service. L had the morals without the religion. Reflected that I must get my own funeral service sorted as it better to know what one would like rather than what was assumed.

NLP 6th Week 5th November

Counted 11 tonight so we got back two from last week.
Started with 'how are we doings?' I think its obvious how we are doing. But is it?
Being in STATE means all the while checking things out. Anyway started with a trance state being intrdoced to see if we could down a few levels, like on an escalator to reach our inner self. Felt a bit weird, but hey I did Reiki so it should be esay. Sounds of Fireworks outside all around slightly distracting. Process is 'trancing in' and 'trancing out' using ambiguous language to challenge the conscious mind. Demoed a technique with Paxman versus a Milton Poet exchange to show the difference in approach.
Next we have an exercise using a vignette of a 50's lady working last 8 years of her life to get a pension for retirement with no enjoyment from work at all. How to make her aware of changing the situation? We picked a reflective approach whereby the person has a dream of finishing work but having the news of a disabling condition blighting her life. The awareness that eights years could mean she has a poor quality of life is a springboard to challenging her attitude with work by investigating retiring earlier, being more involved with organising parties and not focusing on work in the same way.
Also looked at how stories or metaphors are used to challenge behaviour. I reflected I used this a lot with my palliative patients and those affected by cancer to sideway chunk meaning in a dialogue. How we use language at work was talked about like 'its a battle' 'fight for your corner' and to alter this dynamic with a more calmer sideways chunking metaphor like gardening 'growing well' 'nurturing the situation'. I reflected I did this in coaching with the words like 'inside this bubble' 'protecting' and 'shelter'. Tried to change the meta lanaguage in the office when confronted with a generalisations rule like 'all students live in a messy room' I said 'what no exceptions to that?' I also noticed that I was keeping an eye on how the 'eye' movements changed in a dialogue situation to visually see the person was VISUAL and not me thinking it was so!!! Later I was to use metaphor sideways chunking with students having diffoculty understanding statistics. I used the layered cake and car engine approach to describe elements of stats and how the big picture (Cake, car) is really made up of sub units. So in stats I said son't sweat the small detail go for the general pattern (get the right spanner to fit the part!).

NLP 5th Week 29th October 2008

Well it had to happen. The mid term break and only 9 people return. Tutor wonders if it something he said or didn't say?
Anyway this week we take stock of the NLP technqiues we have been told about and put into practice. We had to form into 2 groups and develop a plan to role play a person who was called No Mates Andy. A person that has poor communication skills, didn't like other people, attitude problem and seemed little in the area of resourcefulnes. I played Andy and gave a good performance of an insular person with no friends and dulifully involved in their work. The people in the class used different approaches to try and change my opinion, attitude, awareness of the work situation. Different voices (I am your fairy godmother, or French accent, I am ze attitude changer). The short role play made one think about how we make change happen and perhaps useful in my coaching work and in general areas of life.