In challenging times it can seem harder than ever to move things forward. Investors postpone decisions, customers delay signing that contract and even apparently obvious good ideas get blocked. This resistance is frustrating, time consuming and often apparently illogical.

It’s easy to get demoralised, but it helps when you realise that resistance is normal, and there are well proven techniques for moving things forward. This practical, interactive and inspiring workshop will give you new insights and practical tips to help you get your ideas adopted.

This workshop is particularly aimed at creative people, entrepreneurs, technical and business development staff.

The objective of this workshop is for participants to:

·         Learn how to adapt your approach to suit your target’s personality

·         Understand the different approaches to use in the four stages of resistance

·         Explore how to use these skills to help advance your ideas

Pre-work:

All participants are asked to bring:

·         Examples of ideas you are currently trying to get adopted

·         A set of the notes or the handout for a recent presentation you’ve given where you were trying to get an idea adopted or influence a decision (you will not need to disclose these notes to others).

Agenda:

09:30                Introductions

09:45                Understanding Personality Difference

How innovators can use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator to influence people more successfully. Small group exercises, planning individual influencing strategies for key individuals.

11:00                Break

11:15                Understanding resistance

The four stages of resistance. (Stage 1: Blind). Individual exercise, followed by discussion and examples.

12:30                Lunch

13:30                Understanding resistance

(Stage 2: Frozen) Introduction to Schein’s ‘unfreezing’ technique, followed by an exercise applying it to examples brought by participants.

14:45                Break

15:00                Understanding resistance

(Stage 3: Interested) Elevator pitch exercise. How do you excite people without revealing confidential information? What do you do if they demand proof you haven’t got yet?

16:15                Understanding resistance

                        (Stage 4: Integrated) How does the new become normal?

16:30                Final reflection and feedback

16:45                Workshop end

All participants will be provided with a copy of ‘How to get your ideas adopted (and change the world)’ by Anne Miller – www.annemiller.info

Notes:

The exercises and discussions of this workshop will provide a valuable opportunity for you to get new and creative insight on real and current issues facing you, whether getting backers for an entrepreneurial business idea, dealing with your boss, getting your organisation interested in exploiting your invention or exploring new ways to develop your business. To allow these to be discussed freely, as discussions, issues and ideas disclosed within this workshop should be treated as confidential by participants. Nevertheless, participants are responsible for how much they choose to disclose, and to whom.

Presenter: Anne Miller

Anne Miller is an authority on creativity and innovation.

She is director of The Creativity Partnership, providing consulting, workshops and management training for some of Europe’s most successful organisations. These include Bayer, Ernst & Young, the NHS, P&G, Rolls Royce, Sainsbury’s and Smith & Nephew. Her work includes management training, culture change programmes, workshops and innovation events.

She has a degree in engineering, over 20 years experience in R&D and 39 patents for products ranging from power tools to medical products, many of which are now in production. These include the controller for Braun’s cordless gas powered hair styler, power tools for Bosch, Bayer’s DEX blood glucose meter and the manufacturing system for the Femidom (the female condom).

In 1988 she was one of the founders of the UK’s leading independent technology innovation organisation, TTP Group Plc, before setting up The Creativity Partnership in 2000 – www.tcp-uk.co.uk

She has written numerous articles on creativity and innovation. Her acclaimed book ‘How to get your ideas adopted (and change the world)’ was published by Marshall Cavendish in 2009. See www.annemiller.info (all participants will be provided with a copy).

Cost:    Members - 1.5 units, £225 +VAT

            Non-members - £337.50 +VAT

To register please email our Training Co-ordinator on registrations@thelearningcollaboration.com