WHO IS NUMBER ONE IN THE OFFICE

Working in Groups

All of us have had the experience of going to the movies and seeing a film that got us laughing, crying, frightened or feeling good. Later on we rented the video to watch it again, this time our experience was not as intense. I believe the reason was, we were surrounded by others at the theater and when one person starts to cry or laugh, we all start getting the feelings. Something happens in a group that doesn’t happen in a one on one, a sharing of feelings.

Working in groups is more cost effective. At one session I worked with 50 Customers / recipients for eight hours. I influenced participant s in one day. It would have taken me 400 hours, if I done it one on one. Case loads are so large that most people get to spend approximately one or two hours a month to influence their customers.

The second reason that I believe groups work better is that you get to share different experiences. In a one-on-one situation, I may share with a participant that he/she is not alone and others are in the same boat. In a group the participant gets to experience that he/she is not alone. In addition there is something special that happens in the group, people start talking to one another and feeding on one another’s motivation. You can see faster changes in a person in groups.

Here are seven criteria that make a group work best.

1. Size does matter. The larger the group the more energy you get. Less then 12 people can sometimes go in the opposite direction.

2. Groups should be challenging. Activities should make the participants think and give new insight to their issues.

3. Groups should have an emotional sense to them. Participants should leave the session feeling good and wanting to come back. I use comedy to get people to laugh at what they were upset over, others are great storytellers.

4. Groups should not get too intellectual. Finding a job for most people is about fear, depression and losing hope. (The next time you get depressed write a résumé J.) We need to spend time with the participant on regaining hope first. Lots of testimony from former participants, “there is life after unemployment.” This could be done in person or on video. Next time a customer comes in to let you know they got a job, get the tape recorder out.

5. Groups need to be positive. No whining. Some people think that if people let out their issues they will feel better. If a class starts out negative they will usually get worse. This should be the constant thought: What are the possibilities for a better future from this problem? What do you want to do about the problem to improve your life?

6. First impressions are lasting. Use your best jokes, stories in the beginning to get their attention. Stay away from “you will only get out of this what you put in” …stuff. Start out with a big bang. Maybe a quick video that has a good message about hope.

7. The environment should be warm and friendly. Greetings from staff and maybe some refreshments.

If you have anything that works for you in a group let me know and I will pass it on. What ways do you start your group and what activities work the best.

RESPONSES

It's important that the group know who you, the facilitator, are and why you are there. So, it is always good to introduce yourself and give them some background on your personal and professional lives. Then, to ensure the group is a more intimate one, make sure the people introduce themselves. If it's 12 or less, everyone can give a small intro to the entire group. If this is the case, the facilitator should make sure that the intro is limited to two or three minutes. It would be best if the facilitator specified the intro subjects and based them on the reason the group is meeting. So, if the group is a job search group, then participants can talk about their last job or two, what job they are seeking and whether or not they are making a career transition. If the group is much larger, then people can pair up and introduce themselves to each other. The main thing is to make sure the people in the group at least know someone else there. Hopefully there will be exercises as the group progresses that will allow the participants to widen their familiarity with others in the group. Len Gomberg CA

It is good to hear from you. I don't normally work in groups but when I have the refreshment idea is good and the sharing of ideas in the room is great both at the session and afterwards. Please have a wonderful week. I am sure it is beautiful there. Today it is 10 below zero. Bye. June

Sorry not a group gal. I like groups for social activities but when it comes to work I like working alone. I'm not appreciative of teams that I am placed on. I prefer to select my own. Been on to many committees that were long drawn out affairs. I do appreciate the ideas of others. I prefer to solicit them. Tanya

Thanks for your weekly e-mails. This week e-mail is of interest to me because of the population I work with and the kind of work I do. I am an Employment Counselor. As such my agency (Dept. Of Labor) relies on groups for it's services. We have groups meeting for various workshops, I.e. resume writing, interviewing, job search, motivation, skills analysis, etc. With a reduced staff, groups are the only way the agency can still provide the services customers have grown to expect. Benefits of working with a group varies depending on the population and the objective.

However, the following can be said for most groups.

(1) Customers usually feel "not alone anymore".

(2) Customers usually can learn from one another.

(3) Sharing of information.

(4) Peer pressure to analyze oneself

(5) Customers usually become more motivated.

In one of the groups I facilitate, (Job search workshop) I notice that customers are more willing to share their fears and frustrations with the job search process when they realize they are not alone. They also learn from one another in that they share job openings and seems more willing to net-work. In addition, they are more accepting of criticism if the criticism is from a peer.

I too prefer group training to one-on-one. I find that each group is different, with its own personality. One of the most important things I try to do is to make the learner feel comfortable right from the start. As we all know, the best training sessions are the ones where everyone actively participates, and by doing away with the intimidation that a class setting can bring we will help everyone open up and enjoy themselves more (especially me) Gary

Great stuff. I do believe Groups are good, however if the person facilitating the group doesn't know their stuff then the group will suffer. Kisthopher

Good morning Paul, As I have just finished up with a small group of 20 View customers for Judy on current parenting issues, the topic of group sessions caught my attention. I went into this group only to be met with crossed arms and hostile glances. Come to find out thankfully, the previous speaker had become angry at the group and had actually thrown at chair during the session. We were able to talk about this for some time and then able to continue. I asked the group to arrange their chairs in a circle which helped them look and talk with each other. It is important to find out where the group is at from the beginning or they would not have listened to anything I had to say. The power of using humor can not be overstated. I started out by showing the group a picture of my 13 year old and husband together and taking bids on who could have them. I then by a show of hands obtained the ages of the parent's children in the group so I would know where to focus and shook hands with the ones with teenagers and stated "I'm sorry". I made up a packet of very informative handouts for the group to look at and discuss. I let the group have a lot of dialogue as to what they wanted to talk about. I then stayed and ate Pizza with the group with the discussions still continuing! In closing I asked each member to briefly relay to the group one thing that had gotten their interest during the discussion. All in all I feel the session went well and am now looking for ways to improve as Judy now states this is one of my permanent duties. Thank you for letting me respond and I welcome any comments. Nikki Younce.

When we have group we always start by introducing ourselves and telling a little bit about ourselves. I find that when you are in group you can learn a lot about the people you are having the group with. They seem to open up more and be friendlier when discussing their views and things that are important to them. When we first get started we each have some joke that will make you laugh or a funny story. Then it seems it opens up everyone in the room and they are more comfortable. Well need to get busy glad you are doing great. Norma B

Actually like the groups of 10-12 (not being as much the ham that you are) because they tend to NOT talk amongst themselves as much and I think they sort of feel like I am focusing on them personally when something comes up. I always set time limits on certain parts of the group meetings, like, "At 10:15 sharp we will break for a leg stretch." or "We have three things to cover in the next hour so if you have a personal issue that you would like to discuss with me, please see me at the break."

With clients who have lots of issues and who are "high talkers" I find that they tend to take over the group and focus on themselves ONLY, which can be damaging to those who are finally coming out of their shyness and might have spoken, but don't if someone else is taking the floor all the time. I usually start my sessions with something like, "This is a three hours session with two breaks. If we all want to share our life history, problems, etc., then we will have to come back tomorrow and maybe the next day, so please let's focus on the workshop information and I will make sure I meet with each and every one of you individually if you need me." Paul, I realize that isn't something YOU can do because you have huge groups, but for most of us, our client load is manageable enough to be able to make that commitment.

I too bring lots of humor in to the workshops, and try to only give success stories rather than doom and gloom failure stories. I think the doom and gloom stories only enhance the "no one will ever hire ME either" attitude that has a tendency to prevail. I always pass out three or four pages of comic strips about job search like Frank and Ernest and Wizard of Id.

ginger

I agree that group work is very valuable. As a former Work Search trainer I used some exercises that worked pretty well. Jesus said, "As a man (woman) thinketh in his heart, so he is". So many times when we see clients they are in a state of despair. Their efforts at life and work have failed. They are swallowing what little pride they have left and submitting to government intervention in to their personal lives. Many aren't even living on the bottom rungs of Maslow's hierarchy of human needs. They don't even have the basic needs of shelter and food met.

The first thing I did in group, was level the playing field. As many of our parents learned during the Great Depression, we are all one paycheck one accident away from the "welfare line". Having survived a long-term domestic violent relationship I shared the steps I took to rebuild my life. We have all been uncertain about the future at one time or another. Share your personal pain and triumphs and instill hope for a brighter future. This will allow the group to be open to sharing their own experiences with each other. Some good friendships develop when people see their common thread.

Another exercise that worked well was having clients look at the messages they received from their family of origin and the society they grew up in. This lead to great interaction (especially between men and women) and led to increased awareness of how we respond on and off the job. It can also bring real awareness of some of the negative messages we unnecessarily carrying from the past, and how they impact our daily living. For example I was raised in a home where "Children should be seen and not heard". This lead to many years of stuffing my feelings and fear of expressing myself. Now I am a trainer and what I have to say helps others, but before I recognized that message from my youth and "put away that childish thing" I could barely walk into a room.

And finally, I love to share passages from Og Mandino's "The Greatest Miracle in the World". It is a wonderful book about how we are all born with a purpose and a plan. The group always responds positively to this. No matter what the past - they can plan and succeed once they identify in themselves and others the good they bring to the world around them. I end this with the group writing down observations of others within the class. It's a really cool way to let others see their strengths from another point of view. Often they find qualities in themselves that they would never recognize before the exercise. Loretta S

As for working in groups, that is important for people to learn how to work with others. A way to learn about others, and yourself. It is a way to build leaders out of followers, and leaders can learn to listen more.

No matter what business you are in, you are going to deal with people, a group of some size, so it is important to know how to work with others. Skills: To give and take and teach as well as learn!

Thanks, Patti

I have a small office staff - 8 people. Since we have been having a recruiting problem I decided to include everyone form the payroll clerk to the employment specialists in a brain storming session. It was fantastic. We wrote each idea on a post it and stuck it on the conference room wall. The group generated 60 ideas. If just my employment specialists and I (who normally do this) sat down we probably would have come up with maybe 25 and the same 25 we always do. We now have 35 new ideas. Barbara VA