Team Skills and NLPMeta-programs and what makes us think (and act) differently

Team Skills Warm Up: Marshmallow Challenge

Team Skills Competition The Marshmallow Challenge• Each team has the same material1. 20 sticks of spaghetti

2. One marshmallow

3. One meter of tape

4. One meter of string

Team Skills Competition The Marshmallow ChallengeEach team of 4 to 5 people has the same goal

• Within 18 minutes construct the tallest possible freestanding structure with the material provided

• Measurements are from the base of the table to the top of the marshmallow

• The Marshmallow must be placed whole at the top of your structure and it must not bend or break

• Any QUESTIONS?

What lessons can teams take from the Marshmallow Challenge?• The website www.marshmallowchallenge.com has some great

background and a TED talk on the challenge

• The some of the lessons identified by the creator are … Marshmallow Challenge.pdf

• Let’s focus on how we as team members can better facilitate with our team and improve our performance…

Meta-programs (Another NLP Meta)

• Meta-programs refer to the approximately sixty different mental functions identified by NLP founders and experts

• These mental functions influence our behavior including:– How we make decisions– How we communicate– And how we treat our team members

• Today we will look at eight useful Meta-programs that we see and experience everyday

Some questions to get us started…

• Imagine you are going to buy a used car… What would be important to you?

• What’s important to you about a holiday?

Some more questions…

• What is the relationship between the coins on the screen?

Even more questions…

• What is the relationship between these three boxes?

2 “How Do You Know” Questions…

• How do you know when you have done a good job?

• How do you when you have cooked a nice meal?

2 More “How Do You Know” Questions…

• How do you know when someone else is good at what they do?

• How do you know if a computer program works really well?

Working in pairs (两个人 ) share your answers and decide…1. Direction FilterToward: “I want a fast car with lots of space”Away From: “I just don’t want it to be too expensive”Mixture: “I want a holiday that’s sunny but not too crowded”

2. Relationship FilterSame: “the coins are round, metal, and all usable in Europe”Difference: “The were all different colors, sizes, and values”Mixture: “They were all the same shape but different sizes”

Working in pairs (两个人 ) share your answers and decide…

3. Frame of ReferenceInternal: “I feel satisfied” or “it tastes great”External: “My boss tells me I’ve done a good job” “Everyone smiles”Balanced: “I’ve met my standards and my colleagues agree”

4. Convincer Representation FilterSee: “I see results”Hear: “The client tells me that they are satisfied”Feel: “It just felt right”Read/Ad: “I read through their work and it makes sense”

Question about your “Action Filter”

• Imagine that you were give a new computer program that you had to learn… What would you do?

Affiliation/ Work Preference Filter

• Think about two specific one-time events at work when you were really happy and satisfied. Describe both events…

Primary Interest Filter

• Think about a time you went to your favorite restaurant… Describe it…

• Talk about a time you did your favorite free time activity…

Chunk Size Filter

• If we were going to work on a project together (like the marshmallow challenge) what would you need to know first, second, third etc…

• Describe your home to someone who has never been there

Working in pairs (两个人 ) share your answers and decide…1. Action FilterActive: “I would load it up and have a play with it”Reflective: “I would read the manual carefully, then begin”Both: “I would read the intro, begin and go back if I got stuck”

2. Affiliation/Work PreferenceIndependent: “I was writing a fantastic report”Team Player: “We all pulled together to make the event happen”Management Player: “I got everyone together and allocated work”(Does the answer also concern: things, systems, or people?)

Working in pairs (两个人 ) share your answers and decide…3. Primary Interest FilterPeople: “All my friends were there”Place: “It was beautifully decorated”Things: “The food/wine was fantastic”Activity: “Everyone started singing”Time: “It was John’s Birthday/ It was the world cup…”

4. Chunk Size FilterSpecific: “I’d need to know exactly when, where, and how”Global: “What project is it? What is the goal?”Specific to Global: “How much will I be paid? What is the project for?”Global to Specific: “What is the purpose of the project? What is it connected to? What’s the deadline? What action do we need to take?”

How can we apply this to team work?

• Direction Filter?

• Relationship Filter?

• Frame of reference filter?

• Convincer Representation Filter?

• Action Filter?

• Affiliation / Work Preference Filter?

• Primary Interest Filter?

• Chunk Size Filter?