#1 Nadine Powrie on Role Plays

A lot of people tell me that they don’t really like role plays. It puts them off. I get that.

I was a Modern Languages teacher earlier on in my career. I would spend hours designing role plays for my students to practise their speaking and listening skills. They became fluent in using the language because we would practise in each lesson. The secret? They were using the vocabulary, grammar, intonation…so not only did they improve their fluency (longer conversations) but they also improved their accent. They became more confident, more motivated. This meant that they got top grades at their exams, were able to study languages at Uni and got chosen for career jobs, often with higher pay because they had that little extra that others did not have.

• You learn by making mistakes
• You learn by practising and repeating
• You learn by watching other people talking
• You learn by being given feedback

Practice makes perfect. One more thing! The other secret is to make sure that you get plenty opportunities to work in pairs, trios and bigger groups. Variety is the spice of life.

#2 Nadine Powrie on Learning Styles

Are you:

• Visual: You prefer using images, photos, pictures, mind maps, diagrams, graphs.

• Auditory: You like sound, rhythm, music.

• Verbal: You enjoy using words both in your speech and in your writing skills. You like reciting, reading out loud and extended writing.

• Kinesthetic: You learn by ‘doing’, using your body, hands and sense of touch.

• Logical: You like using reasoning, systems, patterns, numbers and equations.

• Nature lover: You love experiences, observing the world around you, and capturing the best information or knowledge through experimentation.

• Interpersonal: You prefer to learn in groups and with other people.

• Intrapersonal: You enjoy working alone and through self -study. 

Your learning style influences you more than what you think. it changes how you internally represent experiences, how you recall information and what words you choose. As a former Languages teacher, I differentiate the activities that I prepare for my clients when I run my Masterclasses. You have a choice. In the end, you all arrive at the same destination but the road you take is different and it’s ok!

What’s your learning style?

#3 Nadine Powrie on the impact of colours

Colour is an important part of an infant’s or child’s world. How does colour perception develop? Studies at the Surrey Baby Lab at the University of Surrey have investigated colour perception and cognition across development. When colours are presented in pairs, babies tend to look for the longest amount of time at blue, red, purple and orange and the shortest amount of time at brown.

Did you know that:

• Western adults will show a preference for blue hues and a dislike of greenish yellows.
• Brown and grey are the least attractive colours.
• Lawyers learn how to colour-code early on in law school, using red highlighters for the holdings of a case, green for general law, yellow for facts, and other colours to fill out the IRAC system (Issue, Rule, Application, and Conclusion used for hypothetical question in law school and bar exams).

This is why I always use specific colours in my Masterclass depending on the activities that we do. I see colours as a mean to help you learn faster.

Colours stimulate the creative side of your brain, help you visually separate and recall distinct themes of what you’re working through.

#4 Nadine Powrie on the importance of the learning environment

When you enter the training room, do you tend to look at:

• Physical learning environment: chairs, desks, lights… What’s in the room?
• Layout of the room: circular tables, rows…Where are you going to sit?
• Environmental stimuli: room temperature, noise, comfort…How comfortable are you?
• The presence and application of technology… Is your wifi working? Anything else?

Did you know that research shows that learning appears to be affected adversely by inadequate light, extreme temperatures, and loud noises?

When I visited Cisco a few years ago, in San Jose, California, I was told that the setting of the room would remember your preference for the room temperature and light and would adjust them when you came for a meeting. Great, isn’t it? When I run my Masterclasses, it’s all about how I can create environments that facilitate collaborative activities. I learnt a great deal from being of a team who design a new school in Sheffield and from Cisco and so this is why I carefully select the venue for each of my Masterclasses.

Have you ever had to have a difficult conversation with a colleague about underperforming, absence or workload?

If yes, I want to work with you.

I bet it wasn’t an easy conversation. And there are probably things you wish you’d done differently. If this sounds familiar, you need to join my Masterclass on ‘Coaching for Managing Difficult Conversations‘ on Thursday 28th March at Wallacespace near St Pancras, London.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Deep neuroscience research on how you can connect with your colleagues and how you can use it to have better conversations about difficult topics.
• Common mistakes everyone makes going into difficult conversations and how you can avoid them.
• The six pillars of conversation (Goal setting, Feedback and Feedforward, Check-ins, Reward, Career, Exit) and how you can become a confident communicator.

You will carry out a range of exercises from masterminding with peers all the way through to role plays and simulations (based on real-life scenarios) to make sure you get the best possible outcome and that you are able to use the skills that you have learnt.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR PLACE

I am proud that all my Masterclasses have been accredited by the Institute of Internal Communications (IoIC). This means you can claim your 6 hours CPD training.

My ‘Coaching for Managing Difficult Conversations Masterclass’ is for you if:

– You are a leader who wants a confidential space to reflect and to share challenges and ideas– You would like to become more confident at mastering difficult conversations

– You are ready to focus on your goals and grow faster than ever in 2019!

My ‘Coaching for Managing Difficult Conversations Masterclass isn’t for you’ if:
– You are not open to learning new ways of resolving potential conflict
– You are not ready to commit to developing yourself and your team(s).

Want to join us? DM me if you’ve got any questions or email me.

Any questions? Let’s talk. Book a slot on my online calendar.

*** p.s. There are only 3 places left

Thanks for reading my blog.