manual de instrucciones

1. It would seem there are many building blocks in communication…
2. …but once we are aware of them and how they work…
3. …it’s very easy to take them into account and to manage them for the benefit of the project.
4. Just by being aware of this, we have already walked HALF THE WAY.

1. 80-90% Preparing, preparing, preparing.
   Only the rest is the execution.
2. If we want to get along, be useful, and last as a group, we need to take all these factors into accountactores.
3. POSITIVE:
   IT CAN BE DONE; WE JUST NEED TO PREPARE.
4. WE NEED TO SPEND AT LEAST TWICE AS MUCH TIME PREPARING THAN ACTUALLY MEETING.
5. For a one-hour meeting, we’ll need two or three ours of preparation..
   That if we want that the results are worth the effort.
   And if we value more the project than our ego.

1. 1.Classical debate is one of these tools (argument / counter argument). Let’’s say it’s the hammer.
2. And a hammer is a very good tool …
3. … but not always, and not for any work.
4. There are other tools for other purposes, with a different set of advantages and disadvantages.

¿What are our goals to learn of building peace in a practical and friendly way?

• to increase the digital literacy of the organisation
• to create effective and friendly work teams
• to enjoy peace we have to build it first

aim of this meeting: building PEACE

• by BRINGING TOGETHER people from different countries and cultures …
• … to share with them some PRACTICAL listening and team work TOOLS …
• … so they can IMPLEMENT them in their countries and work groups …
• … or at least they LEARN how they work…

we have already been communicating in a «different way»

• in www.intelligentteams.org (not running now). Its information in this current web.
• online forms sent by e-mail
• important information in the site: axioms

Introduce myself in front of a big group of people (more than six persons)? Nooooo!! Why not?

• I’m shy (or I speak too much :-D)
• I don’t speak English so well
• I will not remember all of you
• we are 54 people and it will take one hour or more!!!
• No lo hacemos 1 a grupo grande porque …
• … esa forma le da mucha importancia al ego y a la dialéctica, herramientas que nosotros tratamos de gestionar de otra forma.
• … supone de 2 a 5 minutos por persona. Si multiplicas, sale demasiado tiempo, un recurso escaso, porque va unido a la atención, algo también escaso. Sólo admisible para grupos de hasta 6 personas, máximo 10-12 (que luego se dividirá en dos grupos de seis personas).
• … la atención mental se agota rápido y nos aburrimos.
• … al cabo de poco tiempo no nos acordamos de nada de lo que han dicho.
• … hay personas que somos tímidas y no nos gusta esa forma de presentación.
• … hay mejores herramientas para conseguir:
pasarlo bien, romper el hielo entre nosotros, conseguir puntos de contacto, hacerlo incluso en menos tiempo.

any of the tools we will be practicing here …

• should be easy, pleasant and practical for the user
• should be hands-on and experiential (emotional), not just theoretical
• should give us the result it was created for (or at least 60 to 80%); not just for fun or to add variety…
• Si digo que soy tímido en la relación personal (parte visible)
 es que me da terror otras cosas (parte NO visible).
• Vamos a intentar evitar lo que no nos gusta
y concentrarnos en lo que queremos.
• La práctica y la vivencia personal enseña más que cualquier teoría. “No me expliques más que ya lo he comprendido”.
• Objetivo de toda dinámica. Salir de ella …
• … con la sensación de haber conseguido el objetivo en su mayoría (de un 60-70% para arriba).
La dinámica es un medio, no un fin.
No nos reunimos para reunirnos. Nos reunimos para algo.
• … las personas participantes deben terminar pensando “así si que vengo a trabajar: me lo paso bien y consigo lo que quiero”.

when we move into smaller groups …

• we move around to join our groups, which has a relaxing effect
• we listen more effectively and the discussion is more friendly
• we increase participation and creativity
• discussion will take 20-30-60 minutes, instead of 2 or 3 hours

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, not adaptation to new enviroments (warning!!!)

1. Pluses:
   1. We take calculated risks.
   2. It encourages us to work in groups
      to obtain social relevance.
2. Minuses:
   1. It’s the number one enemy of good leadership.
   2. While it gives a feeling of being protected,
      it is detrimental on ourselves,
      and throws people off.
3. What can we do with the ego?
   It won’t go away, but at least we can “turn it down.”
   Difficult,we know. Most of people don’t see themselves.
   One idea: very small groups. More than six, it is a suicide to your project.

Ego — How to manage it and make sure it becomes beneficial?

1. At the individual level:
   1. Take him/her a little away from his/her comfort zone, so s/he expands that area.
   2. Observation, meditation,
      awareness (speak nice, listen two or three).
   3. The group or organisation should help the person that is not aware of the effects of his/her ego.
      It may be a bit painful short term.
2. At group level:
   1. Use group tools so the ego
      doesn’t feel threatened and overreact.
   2. Divide into smaller groups (4 or 5 people).
   3. Separate people according to their thinking type.

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.