A fresh approach to personal development
Group learning online – an experiential approach with imaginative, creative feedback.
I’m Johnnie Moore
I love helping people work better together. I’m optimistic about everyone’s capacity to discover new ways to collaborate and grow. We all have it in us.
A Jaffa Group on Difficult Conversations
We all run into those difficult people in our lives. The ones who stop us in our tracks. Maybe you’re dealing with a blusterer or a bluffer. Or perhaps someone with what feels like a blackbelt in passive aggression. They may show up at our work or in our families or among our friends.
What if we could find a better way to respond? One that’s more satisfying, and doesn’t threaten the earth swallowing us up. And what if in doing so we develop a greater sense of our presence, something that might enhance our lives in other, unexpected ways?
I’ll share Groundhog, a powerful process for exploring more creative ways to have those challenging conversations. In a small group we’ll get to experience multiple ways of being more effective when dealing with difficult people. You’ll also experience enough in the workshop to use the method yourself when working with groups.
Small group learning: maximum of four participants in each session
Join us...
The workshop runs online for 120 mins with a 20 minute break in the middle.
Thursday December 1st 08.00 UK 19.00 Sydney
Cost: £200. (Includes VAT for UK participants). Maximum four participants. Places are non-refundable but you can send another person in your place.
A fresh approach to coaching – in small groups of committed participants
Good groups share ideas and advice. Great groups create spaces where each member can grow as an individual and perform more fluently with others.
These are tough times, we could all use more help. Jaffa Groups will be a space to work on personal challenges in a supportive atmosphere. We’ll cultivate the little acts of bravery that help us surprise ourselves. There’ll be an emphasis on experimenting with new ways of behaving. We will act our way into new ways of thinking, rather than the other way round.
A spirit of rehearsal
We’ll have the spirit of good theatrical rehearsals which are about exploring possibilities rather than just following someone else’s plan. We experience our challenges in a more energetic and imaginative way. The stage director Sam Mendes once said of rehearsal space, “there are no right or wrong decisions in this room, just interesting and less interesting ones.” That’s an interesting way to approach learning together.
Our work will be nourishing and a bit unexpected. It’s professional development, Jim, but not as you know it.
Deliberately developmental
One thing I want to do is draw on Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey’s idea of being deliberately developmental – encapsulated in the idea that struggles are treated as opportunities for growth rather than deficiencies
Easy to say, more challenging to do. So many HR processes can use the language of growth but when you read the 360s and all the rest there’s usually a massive subtext of compliance, not exploration.
In a group of volunteers who are peers, it’s possible to have a different kind of contract with each other. We can be more open about our struggles. We can resist the urge to fix each other. We can dream more interesting dreams and find different ways to struggle together.
Guarantee of dissatisfaction
People often respond to discord not by exploring ways to reconnect, but by various kinds of avoidance or aggression.
The best groups come to life when they’re able to explore dissatisfaction more boldly. When something isn’t working, or we’re not comfortable, the person who names it can create a launchpad for some exciting learning. This is how we create truly supportive space for each other.
