What are some intense situations you’ve faced over the last year? How have you handled them? Were these situations that you’d been prepared for? Were you trained for them in some way?
As part of my repertoire of facilitation and coaching, I often lead groups at an outdoor challenge course, offering team building experiences and high ropes activities for executive teams, organizations, and school groups. The programs are incredibly fun, while also creating a chance for people to step outside their comfort zone, try new things, and reflect on how that can help them take some next steps elsewhere in their life, both individually and as a team.
Once the challenge course element is set up (for which facilitators are well trained) and the climber is harnessed and attached fully (for which we are also well trained), the risk for the climber is almost entirely in their head. For the most part, when someone freezes or panics during a climb, the key is no different than when any situation seems overwhelming and huge: take a few deep breaths and think about the smallest next action they can take (do “the next right thing“). It’s extremely rare that someone gets so stuck that someone else needs to go up and rescue them; rare enough that I’ve never seen it happen. When that does happen – as in the case I heard from a colleague recently of a student fainting while high up on an activity – the climber is always well-supported but needs help to come down. This can be an intense situation for the staff, because it involves adding ropes and creating a new system for the secondary climber. Considering how rarely it happens, it can raise adrenaline levels for the most seasoned of facilitators.
But the advice for facilitators is similar to the advice for climbers: take deep breaths, and think about next steps. But beyond that, some facilitators switch into an automatic process, whether intentionally or not, whereby they a) Rely on their training, and b) Articulate their next steps. In other words, they have another adult face them, and they say what they’re doing as they’re doing it. “I’m checking the buckles on my harness,” “I’m attaching the belay rope in a figure-eight formation,” etc. In these instances, they’re not expecting that the person facing them knows more than them; they’re using them as a sounding board so they can say everything out loud and have it heard. By saying it out loud, the facilitator can feel more confident that they’re following their training, and/or give themselves – and the other person – a chance to notice missing steps or things that don’t look right. And it gives the person who is in an intense situation the chance to feel partnership, not isolation.
Following this two-step process in intense situations might feel unnecessary, but when we’re facing an intense situation, isn’t it helpful to rely on the steps we know to help us succeed? How do you think this process might be helpful for you in the workplace this week?
This Week’s Tips:
- When feeling overwhelmed by the size of the project in front of you: 1) Take deep breaths; 2) Think about the smallest next action you can take; and 3) Take that action. Repeat as necessary.
- When facing an intense situation: 1) Rely on your training; and 2) Articulate your next steps as you’re doing them. Ideally, this would be with a trusted colleague, friend, or partner. If nothing else, talk to a pet, or even a plant (zinnias make great listeners!); articulating your next steps out loud gives you a chance to hear them and notice anything that doesn’t sound right.
Try these out this week, and let us know how it goes! We’d love to hear from you.
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Building Bridges Leadership 