The Collaboration Code

1. Stop, Drop & Roll
Tool: SDR – Reflect and Redirect
Duration: 90 minutes
If you grew up in the ’80s or ’90s, you probably remember the “Stop, Drop, and Roll” fire safety campaign. When a person’s clothing catches on fire, action must be instinctive and immediate. Without the imminent danger of a fire, we often find ourselves in situations where emotions are running high and we have no time to think. We share a powerful approach to stop, drop and roll that will stop your thoughts from spiraling and prevent your worst impulses from running the show. Practical tool to explore with learners.

2. From the Inside – Increasing Empathy
Tool: Empathy Map
Duration: 90 minutes
We have evolved and survived as people by being connected. Empathy drives human connection. Recognising and responding to other people’s emotions is both a skill and a choice. Our practical Empathy Map gives you a one pager process to unpack. We explore the red flag that blocks our capacity for empathy and consider ways to respond. The Empathy Map can be used with learners.

3. Escape The Drama Triangle
Tool: Empowerment Triangle
Duration: 90 minutes
How do you break the drama triangle? First you have to know what it is. Chances are you have played this power game involving three different roles and you don’t even know it. Sometimes we can get trapped in unconscious and unhelpful roles that keeps us stuck in the triangle. It is easy to slip into this triangle when faced with challenging parents. Find out what your preferred role in the triangle is, and how to escape the drama. Participants will unpack a “poor me” scenario at work, and find a point of leverage to flip the triangle. Great exercise to share with learners.

4. Narratives That Shape Us
Tool: Pool of Meaning
Duration: 90 minutes
“Nothing in this world is good or bad, but thinking makes it so”. This famous line from William Shakespeare rings true when we explore the narratives that shape our reality. Between perception and emotion is the story we tell ourselves about what is happening. To reduce conflict and deepen the pool of meaning we must confront the clever stories we tell ourselves that allow us to feel good about behaving badly. In this session we will use Joseph Grenny’s tool to craft a new and more effective story.

5. Snakes and Ladders – Perspective Taking
Tool: Ladder of Inference
Duration: 90 mins
In today’s fast-moving world, we are always under pressure to act now, rather than spend time reasoning things through. We can quickly find ourselves climbing up a ladder to interesting conclusions. We offer you a fantastic tool to make visible the thinking steps to prevent you from sliding down the snakes. We use The Ladder of Inference to unpack a recent thinking process to illustrate how quickly we climb up the rungs of the ladder, and how to use this to be more effective in collaborating with others. The online game can be played by groups of four learners.

6. Tools For Talking Culture 
Tool: The Talking Stick
Duration: 180 minutes

A great team building event. A mystery box is delivered two weeks before the session and each group is given a set of instructions. Participants will come to the session with their prepared sticks. These sticks represent the school culture. Presentations will unpack key elements of the existing culture and the role staff play in creating it. What if you did the same exercise with learners? Would they say the same? Why not try it? This powerful snapshot opens deep conversations around school culture, while using Stephen Covey’s Talking Stick. Every classroom could benefit from one of these.