Be Playful and Draw on the Wall

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Cat

Although I’m not sure if my mother would have approved, I would have loved to draw happy faces all over the wall.

Today, I train how to draw mindmaps and do graphic facilitation on the walls at Apositiva in Portland. Corporations call me in to work with teams in these visual processes, such as Intel Corp, The Standard, Tri-Met, and others.  It certainly makes the meeting or training more interesting!

In coaching, my clients come for a session and we work out what they want on the wall. I’d like to show you some of them, but they are generally personal or corporate secrets, and so it stays on their walls.

If you’d like to see how it can work for you in coaching you on a challenge or to work with an idea you can contact me to meet me here in Portland, or I can meet you online in Google, Fuze (where it’s recorded), and other online forums. Let me know how I can assist you to be playful and draw on the wall!

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Belly Wisdom

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Cat

How do you feel when you are giving a presentation? Maybe you are an online trainer and only give in person presentations rarely, so you are not as concerned. However, trainers need to care for their body not only for appearance, but also for energy and brain power. It’s belly wisdom.

Weight carried around the belly is like a spare tire that weighs your physical and mental person down. Let’s go into the belly for some wisdom.

What you put into your body becomes you tomorrow. This means that we want to be wise about the foods and nonfoods we put into the belly.

You probably know that natural veggies, fruits and proteins are the best fuel, so use your mind and set that program in place. You can find lots of great recipes online, and some of the wisest recipes are Paleo and Gluten-free.

Oh, no, you say, I can’t cook with that stuff!  Wait! Before you stress over not being able to do this, let me tell you that there are lots of recipes for these recipes and it is a popular topic on line, too.

A few years ago, I led a weekend workshop called Resplendent Lives for Women in Oregon. We had a lovely week-end and lots of great food. Pancakes, breads, pasta, cookies, cakes, and everything you might imagine to put on a couple pounds over a couple days. I felt heavier and my brain felt fogged.

When I returned home I read an article on the book “Wheat Belly” by Dr. William Davis, which talked about how wheat affected your physical body with heart issues, but also made your brain fuzzy. This was enough for me to try it for a couple weeks. We can do anything for a couple weeks.

After three weeks, I dropped 12 pounds (and I wasn’t overweight) and could think much more clearly!  When I tried having a normal piece of wheat bread I discovered that it made me very unfocussed for about two hours!  I did not have Celiac Disease, but I am wheat sensitive.

You can do more research if you wish and find many benefits to changing your diet. It’s belly wisdom!

How To Begin Body Focus

Many people are not happy about the size of various parts of their body, but they don’t know how to proceed to handle the problem. One popular place of complaint is the “belly.” Guys want a “6-pack”? If so, let’s take a tip from some actors. So, let’s simply get focused.

  • Calendar – choose event or time when you want to be in shape (i.e. Summer/June 1, 2018)
  • Regimen – Type of exercise (i.e. biking, carb control, yoga, etc.) and best time to do activity.
  • Sacrifice – What will you give up? (i.e. Buffets, pasta, wheat). Go ahead, make it something you know you will simply take off your list.
  • Results – Decide what end result you want (6-pack, looser clothes, etc.)
  • Visualize – Relax and dream about when you are in the size and shape of health.

Visions of Health

When you get a sense of what you want and see it in your “conscious” mind, then close your eyes and envision a new you. Work backward in time in your mind and envision the journey of new behaviors, such as walks, drinking lots of water, enjoying a gluten-free meal, and laughing. Yes, it needs to feel happy and joyful! All this wonderful stuff moves into your “unconscious” mind with regular practice AND practice makes perfect!

Lesson:  You are so much more than you know. Beginning is easy when you have the image and visions running inside your mind. Continuing each and every day you can put this belly wisdom inside and see the results outside. Enjoy your body, mind, and life.

Want Training to Grow?

Contact Cat Wilson for Life Balance Coaching at 503-816-5104.

Posted in Coaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Meltdown: What Do Coaches Do on Off Days?

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Cat

Meltdown: What Do Coaches Do on Off Days?

Having a bad day? Wondering who to talk to?  Link up with a compassionate colleague who listens when you need to be heard.

Many clients find that listening is exactly the “fix” they are seeking, as they need to be heard. But what happens when you are the coach who does the listening and you need someone to listen to you? After all, everyone has a down day when they need a pat on the back or an open ear.

Tips: Chin Ups for the Coach

Here are five (5) simple tips for Coaches and Guides having a “Melt-down”:

1)  Find a coach who can be a good listener to you, choosing a person that you are not coaching. It changes the dynamic when  you reverse roles. Seek someone who specializes in a different area than you, so you can recommend each other.

2) Plan ahead. What stops you? What keeps you going? Take the time on a good day to write an “In Emergency Break Glass” plan. Do movies help you on a bad day? A walk in nature? How about chicken soup (for the soul). Make an emergency plan and reach for it when you need it. Fill a box of goodies like a box of special tea, new book, movie tickets, or even a couple $20 bills for play money.

3) Get away. Go for a long drive and stop in some unusual place. I like to go off on a venture a couple times a year just to get new perspective. This is what vacations are for, and it’s common for a busy person to forget or disregard the need to get away.

4) Hold this thought:  “It’s all good.”  “It’s all good.” Something good comes out of everything, whether it is a lesson or a new idea.

5) Smile. Stick a pencil or pen across your mouth to push your lips back. Hey! It works. It’s been scientifically proven that just by sitting up straight and smiling and looking up that your disposition can  improve. Remember a FUN STATE and visit that moment.

MORE IDEAS

  • Talk to your pet
  • Hot cup of tea
  • Dance a silly jig
  • Listen to music
  • Smell vanilla or peppermint
  • Rub nice lotion on your hands
  • Visit a sweet memory
  • Write a “thank you” to someone

By the way, “Thank you for visiting Synergyone Training.” (smile)

Posted in Coaching | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Do We Do What We Do?

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Cat

Why Do We Do What We Do?

Do you think that you have the power of always doing the right thing all the time? Yet, when you  have a cold or feel exhausted from a day of wrestling with a computer program, or get hit with one of those “challenges” that life hands out so generously, do you slip and loose your cool or make mistakes?

It’s bound to happen to anyone sometime. But if we knew when we regularly slipped or were triggered, we could respond better.  If we know we could be better, then how can we do better?

May I go back in time and tell you a story?  In 2001, I met my Life Partner. At the time, I worked for Corporations developing training programs for leaders, professionals, and technical staff and he worked in his own little venue, helping people learn more on the psychology platform. It was easy for us to connect because we both loved helping others motivate themselves and shift to a higher level of being. He gave classes using a tool that I had used over the years, Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP). I knew this communication and empowering tool was useful, but I really gained an appreciation in seeing this man who practiced it on a regular basis.

Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) is the art and science of Human Excellence. It’s used by professionals in business, medicine, and in life to experience a better life. One popular use is “rapport” when  you are meeting people in their “model of the world.” Communicating successfully makes it possible to achieve what you want and need, and meet the expectations of your family and clients. NLP is a fast form of cognitive behavior therapy based on a set of presuppositions. helps you see and understand where another is coming from and how to respond so you are both on the same page. It helps you get things done. NLP also helps us moderate old ideas that hung around with misunderstandings from another time.  Time-line Therapy developed by Tadd James in 1995 helps the unconscious realize, change and reset to living with a happier mindset. Using step-by-step techniques it helps you bring changes unconsciously so you can reframe your experiences and stop being reactive to present situations based on the past. You go beyond the old set point. You establish a new one.

I joined my Life Partner in his venue, and stepped in tune with practicing NLP by training others. It’s one thing to learn something, like reading a book. But it’s another thing to put it into action on a regular basis, and I can tell you that this is what made the difference for me. We are generative beings, always changing. So it’s a tool you can use for yourself for self development and improvement.

Have you heard about the man who got lost on his way to the concert, and saw a maintenance worker sweeping, sweeping, sweeping. “Excuse me, Sir. Can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?”  Without breaking a beat in his activity, the worker said, “Practice, practice, practice!”

You can learn a tool like NLP, and it takes regular use and practice. The more you find “triggers” that set you off and “manage” them, the better and easier you will “unconsciously respond” when you need. Take the time to practice, practice, practice.

If you want some coaching using NLP, Call Cat for an appointment at 503-816-5104.

 

Posted in Coaching, Self-Help, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Mixing with Co-Trainers

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Cat

Mixing with Co-Trainers

Years ago I developed training programs for Intel.  It was my first opportunity to work with a Mentor who also had an educational focus in professional training, and my beginning with mixing and working with co-traininers.

Jeanie Wentworth and I met and discussed how to bring training to a higher level and one way we wanted to present material was with engineers, managers, technicians and leaders working together to give both sides of the process and experience.

Since our programs were being developed for “co-trainers” to present, she encouraged me to find some books that talked about how people worked together when they trained together, so we could add tips. Her suggestion led me on a search that elicited not a single resource back in 2001.

There were books about training, games in training, and many various topics, but nothing covered tips and tricks to help people to present together. Jeanie suggested that I put together a publication on what I had learned in my own experience and give our trainers the benefit of my tips and then she added her years of experience.  It really made a difference. Unless you work at Intel you can’t access that document, but I can certainly share a small crop of ideas to grow your experience.

Cat Wilson’s Co-Trainer Tips

  1. Meet ahead of time and agree on the objectives of the course.
  2. Be clear in who presents each learning process and what will be covered.
  3. Time your training, and use a timing device that both people agree to stick to. When it goes off, the sound is sufficient. Setting it for a 5-minute question period is good for class.
  4. Make time for stories. Present a situation where the training was useful and turn to your co-trainer and ask for their story.  Be sure that you are both in agreement and prepared to share stories, and then watch the time. People who are passionate and learned something bring authenticity to the room and everyone loves a story! It makes learning memorable.
  5. Have a Plan, but be Flexible.  You may need to cover a certain among of material over time, but be flexible in case something happens and you need to shorten or lengthen your day.
  6. Creativity and Fun are important avenues to your participants. Be playful with your Co-Instructor and friendly together in the classroom, and jump in when asked to bring something useful or interesting. Smile and look at the other presenter when you are being filmed; watch the news and you’ll see how newscasters do it.
  7. Leave relationship stuff outside. If you and your co-trainer are in a relationship together, as many authors and trainers are, save your affection for after class. Smiles, a touch on the arm is okay, but keep the rest out of view of your students for the sake of professionalism. In the same reference, if you are in disagreement with your “other” leave it outside and “put on a professional” frame. There’s no room for relationship issues in a training where people are coming for a positive experience. (Take 10 deep breaths.)
  8. Do what you do best. If you have a sense of humor, use it tactfully. If you are creative, add that to the training to spice it up. My partner has an amazing use of humor. I clip funny stuff and write my experiences down with useful lessons that can make people laugh.
  9. Park questions. Material beyond the course will come up in questions. If someone asks a complicated question and it’s going to take time away from the audience, “park” the question and offer to talk with the person later. Parking a question means writing it down on a small section of the chart or on your e-tablet or i-pad and then covering it before the end of the day with a response of some kind.
  10. Answer what you know, but if you don’t know, be honest. Tell the participant who asks a question that you will check your sources and get back to them or give them a place where they can research on their own. Be fair to yourself. If you know you won’t have time, try to give them resources and let them continue on topic.

Remember the Class?

Your best workshops and training classes will be the ones where people felt you were available and happy to be there.

They will remember how instructors made them feel, so do include warm up exercises to create a safe space to learn and share in your room. Check your ego at the door and feel balanced with your co-instructor, even if one of you has a bigger title or more letters after your name.  The learning environment is best when you are totally present and not hung up over unnecessary games or worries in who is what.  Just do the best and work with your Co-Trainer with the intention to make it the BEST experience for your group.

Want more tips?

Contact me and we’ll “co” a mindmap!

Posted in Coaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mind Over Money and Time to Prosper

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Cat

Mind Over Money

How Do You Feel It?

What happens in the emotions when it comes to money? Behavioral economists believe when it comes to money the human mind responds irrationally. They are using other information which is crazy to use. Yet, how often do you find yourself acting irrationally when it comes to money?  Why do we do when we know better ideas that would give us a prosperous mind? NOVA (Aired April 26, 2010 on PBS) did an interesting program with interviews from University of Chicago called Mind Over Money.  In one experiment people were asked if they had a choice of receiving $100 in a year or $102 in a year and a day … which would they choose. It’s surprising to see how responses at a Chicago shopping mall turned out!  (Watch the video for the answer.)  (Spoiler… read end of article.)

Lions, Tigers and Bears – Oh My!

Your mindset is created within a set of beliefs. Where do the beliefs come from?  Parents, teachers, experiences and decisions, and a series of experiences in particular context…  are just some places where beliefs are born.  So, how do you undo the damage and set yourself up for more prosperous thinking for mind, body and spirit?  You need to step out of your model and re-define how you are becoming you and make positive changes so you can create and get the experience you truly want.

There’s a competitive nature that makes people get emotional and may push us to make irrational decisions. The “default” of how you set your decisions, even based on your parent’s or other people’s model for healthy living may be on the wrong settings for your happiness. Question: How do we re-set the default?

In Portland, Oregon, Rich Aanrich of Apositiva Institute teaches “Time to Prosper” where people can explore, re-define, and set new response to live with a mind that can prosper.

Here are some tips for a stronger mind:

  1. Make the decision that you can be better.
  2. Review habits and notice which ones are serving you.
  3. Notice your emotions in situations.
  4. Create a new vision of you.
  5. Re-define new beliefs to support your vision.

Adjusting how you use your mind by thinking on a higher level.

Spoiler for Video

Ok, so you haven’t looked at the NOVA / PBS video. Here’s what happened in a Chicago shopping mall.  People were asked if they’d prefer $100 in a year or $102 in a year and a day. Most people said $102 in a year and a day.  When asked if they would want $100 today or $102 in two days, they said they would take the $100 today. Hmmm…  Why would they make this choice when they could get more money and before said they would wait another day after a year? Now, you need to watch the video to learn the answer and get the rest. You can also click on the link to read the manuscript of the show.

Outcome

Are you experiencing what you plan or getting an unexpected outcome? Realize that your unconscious mind is working to bring you the results based on the ingredients of your experiences and responses and what you actively believe and say out loud (i.e. I’m broke, it’s killing me, I’ll never make it). Creating a mind/body that prospers is about more than money; it is a joyful and happy and healthy mindset. Be the highest and best possible you!

Posted in Coaching, Self-Help | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Inspiration

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Cat

Inspiration

It’s almost midnight and my “muse” will be here any minute! Let’s get everything ready. Once they show up time goes really, really fast!

Pens (lots of colors), BIG paper, computer. Tape for sticking paper on walls. Spicy cinnamon, bubbling boiling water with aroma of vanilla wafting into room, gentle guitar music by Allen Matthews, perpetual piano melodies by Rene Michelle. Ahhh.

My inner essence of being is lighting up. Just a bit of Chocolate (with sea salt and spicy, crunchy stuff, too) and ice cream. Light… need light. Open blinds so light comes in… better yet! Plug in the colored cheery holiday lights (love to keep them up over dreary winter). Mmmmmm. Bring sun inside. Move beyond Portland, Oregon clouds. Feeling HAPPY!

Chimes are blowing outside… this means that a muse is close. Let’s see, what else? Hot tea with honey. (chime) Breathe deeply (smelling cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate). Listen … lovely melodies floating through room with layers of careful keys in gentle perpetual pieces. My hand reaches for a pen… it begins to move… a dance begins… meaning mixes melody with wonderful wild whimsy. Happiness is what happy does.

Choosing pen carefully, “muse” merrily meanders across surface, singing softly and gently to meaningful music. Hours pass. Graphic giggles. Emerging from pen comes a snout, eyebrows and a bit of rough scraggly hair, seaweed extending. Hand is tired. Creativity done for now. Miraculous muse musters. Gone. On the wall is a happy reminder of the  muse of a graphic facilitator who leaves a reminder. Be happy.

Mindmaps on display at Apositiva Institute in Portland, Oregon.

For info on mindmapping classes coming up click Mindmap with Cat.

 

Posted in Coaching, Self-Help | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Training Looks So Easy!

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Cat

Training Looks So Easy

You go to a class, your instructor is funny, prepared, and you totally get the material you came to learn! What a great occupation! Training.  It looks so easy, that you consider creating your own workshop. Anybody could do that! Then you begin…

Surprise! Creating workshops and training programs takes more than what you can imagine. Let’s give a few pointers, and I’ll be here for more ideas when you want them.

  • What is the gap in learning you are aiming to fill?
  • Have you defined the objectives and how those objectives will be met?
  • Who is your audience; how do you present your workshop to meet their needs?
  • Where will you hold your workshop?
  • Will this location have the right aesthetic conditions, facilities, space, quietness, and parking?
  • How accessible is it to handicapped participants?
  • What materials will you use?
  • Can you use a game or active process to help participants get the learning?
  • When will you hold your training, and how much preparation will you need?
  • How will you market your workshop?

These are just some of the beginning points to cover.  If you hold the training in your own location, you may have tasks to do involving management of the location.

Training is a wonderful way to bring others up to speed in attitude, skills, and sharpening the saw. When you want to train, speak with an experienced trainer who can coach you to create a successful event. Contact Cat for training and development at 503-816-5104.

Posted in Coaching | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Visual Recording for Fun, Effectiveness, and Profit

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Cat

Cat Wilson visually records a group in a Prosper Workshop in Portland, Oregon.

Enhance Training

How you present your material can change the way people experience your training. Creating an environment where people feel involved will encourage amazing brainstorming and creativity!  How does a Trainer great such synergy? Visual Recording, Mindmapping, or Clustering. What are each of these and how do they work?

Visual Recording and Mindmapping are similar. Above you can see Cat Wilson recording a colorful display of information during a class of adults working on belief change. She follows a process and a flow of information. You may notice that it looks like she’s writing on the wall (a habit she picked up when she was 2 years old). Paper is can be sticky on back or taped in a row, so the stream of thought is followed from the discussion in the room.

Mindmapping

Mindmapping is similar to Visual Recording, although it may not necessarily use “models” in a systems manner. Here you see Cat giving a class on Mindmapping vs. List-making. Typically meeting members used black pens on vertical sheets of white chart paper and make long lists for gathering meeting data. Mindmapping utilizes horizontal papers and 3+ colors (black is used for outlining or organizing afterwards).  A general idea starts  in the middle and lines branch out like a “cell” or “tree” figure. Mindmapping uses lots of pictures and colorful images and is great for solving problems, creating a book outline, and apparently Boeing uses it to build airplanes.

Clusters are groupings of words added as a group comes up with ideas. Here you see where a group added words representing values.

Clustering

Clustering captures ideas as they are flowing in a team, group, or meeting. Imagine that you are in a room with several participants and wanting them all to bring their skills and abilities to the table. You ask them to come up with several ideas, the come up to the wall and share them by writing them down with several colors. The colors stimulate the right side of the brain and imagination, so that the energy and stimulation in the meeting keeps the air highly active.

Who could benefit from using these three devices? Creatives, Writers, Trainers, Doctors, Professionals, Moms, Kids, Teachers, and I’m not sure about Football players, but I think they already use some sort of visual play explanation which gives them a sense of active movement, too.

If you want a demonstration or more information on Visual Recording, Mindmapping, or Clustering, contact Cat Wilson in Portland, Oregon. After about 20 years, she has a wide collection and a fun spirit that will open your sense to creating a higher and better experience in your live. Call 503.816.5104.

Posted in Coaching, Self-Help, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Synergistic!

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Cat

Salads are Synergistic

Definitions bring more understanding, and it’s nice knowing where a word came from originally. So, let’s notice the word “synergy.” It originally comes from a Greek word synergos and synergism was originally used for combining substances together to get a better result.

Salads are a beautiful synergism.

Have you ever considered having a combination of various lettuce types, vegetables, and berries mixed together. Great food combination and your body combines those ingredients in your organs for a healthy energetic response. Lunch and dinner may have a salad. Why not try it for breakfast?

Be synergistic. You’ll be more.

 

Posted in Coaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment