manual de instrucciones

Ego —  What is it? What is its function?

1. Self-defense mechanism: fight or flight.
2. Attempts to take the best possible decision for our own comfort and physical integrity,
   according to the effort performed.
3. By default, the ego looks for stability, preservation, NO RISKS, no creativity.

DIFFERENT approaches to the SAME situation. Each person IS different

Mode (1) — face to face

1. PLUS: personal relationships, casual encounters, easier to express oneself, bonds in different areas…
2. MINUS: Much more costly in time, money, personal sacrifice; also environmentally.
3. Unless highly profitable, both for the individuals and for the group, it will be hard to repeat such a meeting.
4. It’s important to assess the efficiency vs. the cost, and looking at the pluses and minuses of having meetings in this mode vs. other alternatives.

Mode (2) — online

1. PLUS:
   • All at once, or whenever one is able. 
   • Being away but as if very close. 
   • Shared documents. 
   • Shorter meetings focused
     in one or a few items at a time. 
   • Available highly productive tools,
     such as small groups, shared screen… 
   • Less expensive, and less cumbersome (logistics, housing, food…),
     less demanding to the individuals.
2. MINUS:
   • It also has an environmental cost, although lower.
   • Some computer literacy is needes, as well as good social abilities.
3. Online meetings should be very productive; if not, they end up fading away.
4. It’s important to assess its efficiency, and looking at the pluses and minuses of having meetings in this mode vs. face to face

Ability to focus — Attention span – 45-50 minutes

1. 1.Why is it necessary? Increased involvement, creativity, listening, proposals, support, productivity…
2. 2.In LESS THAN ONE HOUR, our attention decreases, however interested we may be.
   Our mind becomes less able to interact with others, the body needs a break (toilet, please :-D),
   we may start to get bored…
   And as a result it becomes more difficult to focus on the analysis or the project.
3. 3.Attention, as any other resource, is something we can manage. If we know how.

How to manage attentiveness and keep it high

1. Decreasing duration of meetings, and adding short breaks.
2. Using tools that do not requiere too much attention or listening to a speaker, but movement and participation.
3. Alternating deep subjects with lighter ones.
4. Having meetings for just one important matter with tools that help keep the attention
   (more individual thinking, more participation, no debate or thinking mix…).

1. As interested as I may be in any subject, there is a limit.
   For instance, we’re all interested in this training,
   and that’s why be spend 2 or 3 hours every day here together.
   But we’re probably not ready to devote 10 hours straight to it!
2. It is therefore a limited (or very limited) resource,
   that we need to manage.
3. It is usually limited by the place where we meet itself,
   by the time of the day at which we meet,
   and always by the attention span of the attendants.

A time that suits all of us?

1. IN SYNCHRONY: All of us at the same time.
   Very difficult that we are all available at the same time.
   When we are, only for a very short time.
2. NOT IN SYNCHRONY: Each one at his/her own time.
   Internet allows us to work on ONLINE documents where we can share our thoughts in a structured WAY.
   Each one puts as much time as s/he can, whenever s/he can.

Observing and being conscious of what happens around us to have a better understanding.

1. Start with one minute of silence.
2. Be conscious of your breathing (slow, deep).
3. Listen twice as much as you speak.
4. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. (Stephen Covey)
5. Empathy: What has lead ME to think this way? What has lead HIM/HER to think this way?

Building Blocks of Communication
Motivation to communicate with each other. Maslow Pyramid.

1. Helping the others.
2. Feeling good with what I do.
3. Pushing an exciting, worthwhile project.
4. Joining people I feel great with.
5. ‘Personal motivations’… of the others.
   • You and I happen to have two different points of view.
   • When I give you my ‘objective’ ARGUMENTS,
     I’ll remove your ignorance and
     I’m sure you will certainly agree.
   • If not, I’ll then give you ‘objective’ DATA
      and you will then agree, for sure.
   • If you still don’t…
     Aha!!!
     You’re not being reasonable,
     and you’re denying my ‘objective’ arguments and information!!!
     You must have a HIDDEN AGENDA!!!
   • 5.And we ALL think this way! 😳 :-DDD

Starting point in communication

1. Are we having a discussion just for the pleasure of spending time together or…
2. .…because we have a common project or purpose?
3. If #2, we better consider the blocks with which we build a kind of communication…
4. …that may have a positive impact in our lives or our purposes.