WAM Graduate Recruitment Fair 2006 - Motivation Skills Workshop material

Written by PernKandola

MOTIVATION SKILLS WORKSHOP

This information can also be downloaded in word format by clicking the link at the end of this document.

Know yourself, develop yourself:

your strengths

In order to get where you want to in life it is important to know yourself in terms of where your core strengths are. What are you good at? What comes easily to you? What do people praise you for? In a work setting, strengths are related to so-called ‘competencies’. Competencies are descriptions of the abilities, knowledge and attitudes necessary to perform well in a job. Different jobs require different competencies.

To help you to think of your strengths and competencies, you can use the list of strengths and competencies on the next page. Please work in pairs and ‘interview’ the other person (5 min each) by using the following questions: (you can use the list to help you)

1. To start, how would your best friends, partner or family describe your strengths/ talents?

2. Think back of a key achievement. What was the achievement? What did you do to make this happen? What strengths did you have to use to make it happen? (Use the list to help you think about this)

3. Are there things that come so easily to you, that you find it difficult to see them as strengths? Things about which you find it hard to understand others might have difficulty with these?

4. Now that we have talked about our strengths, pick one area in which you would like to develop

I would like to develop:

5. Discuss in pairs what action you can take today to develop yourself in this area. Agree on a positive action. Make sure this is realistic and attainable!! It is better to pick something small and do it, than to have a complex action that you will not do!!

It can be anything: talking to an employer, practise a job interview or presentation, writing up your CV after this fair, ringing Ahead for information, buying a newspaper to look at the job section, planning a social activity or making an action plan for what you want to achieve in the next month.

Today I will take the following action to develop myself:

Well done! Make sure you have talked through what exactly you will do and when. Reward yourself when you’ve completed your action. If it didn’t work out, don’t give up but just try again (use your ABC model). Then set another achievable action for yourself. That way you keep pushing yourself towards what you want to achieve.

Personal Strengths

· Optimistic

· Courageous

· Sensitive

· Open

· Idealistic

· Modest

· Enthusiastic

· Disciplined

· interested

· Responsive

· Confident

· Goal oriented

· Self assured

· Intelligent

· Friendly

· Sense of humour

· Spontaneous

· Respectful

· Good listener

· Tactful

· Helpful.

· Caring.

· Serious.

· Influencing.

· Persuasive.

· Good communicator.

· Flexible.

· Resilient.

· Tolerant.

· Trust worthy.

· Reliable.

· Dedicated.

· Good Planner.

· Time management.

· Orderly.

· Practical.

· Sensible.

· Determined.

· Independent.

· Calm.

· Diligent.

· Well organised.

· Creative.

· Problem solver.

· Written skills.

· Conscientious.

· Accurate.

· Observant.

· Logical.

· Discerning.

· Eye for detail.

· Inspiring.

· Artistic.

· Honest.

· Patient.

· Responsible.

· Disciplined.

· Versatile.

· Energetic.

· Playful.

· Motivating.

Add any other strengths and skills you have:

Competencies often used by employers:

· Team Orientation.

· Communication.

· People management.

· Flexibility.

· Customer focus.

· Result orientation.

· Problem solving.

· Planning and Organising.

· Technical skills.

· Commitment.

· Leadership.

· Business awareness.

· Responsibility.

· Adaptability.

· Decision-making.

· Self-development.

· Enabling change.

· Developing others.

· Impact and Influence.

· Initiative.

· Quality focus.

· Listening.

· Self control.

· Enthusiasm.

· Integrity/behaving ethically.

· Valuing differences.

· Interpersonal Skills.

· Strategic Orientation.

· Creativity.

· Self-Confidence.

· Assertiveness

· Information management.

· Organisational Awareness

· Financial awareness.

· Continuous Improvement.

Develop yourself: asking for feedback

Asking for feedback is an important part of self-management. You should always ask for feedback after a job interview, even if you were successful, it’s good to know what you did well. Keep the following in mind when you ask for constructive feedback:

1. Prepare:

a. Think about how you thought it went- what in your opinion went well and where do you think you could have done better?

b. Prepare what and how you want to ask about. Always ask for feedback on something you can change. Make sure the person has time to talk to you and won’t rush you through it. Thank them for taking the time to talk to you.

c. Explain why getting feedback is important to you: to learn from the experience and to do even better next time.

2. Start by asking: What were the skills/ behaviours / competencies you were looking for? (Especially relevant when you’ve done an interview or assessment centre).

3. Then ask: In your view, what did I do well? Get them to focus on the positives first -What went well? Listen carefully and ask for clarification if you don’t understand what’s said.

4. Ask for examples! Especially when:

a. You get a general answer – for example: ‘You did fine’ – Ask: Can you give an example of what I did well? Or, When you say I wasn’t decisive enough, what exactly did I do or say or not say that gave you that impression?

b. The feedback giver is focusing on your personality and not on behaviour. For example: ‘you came across as a nervous person’. Ask: what exactly did I do that gave you that impression (focus back on behaviour).

5. What could I have done better?

Again, make sure you ask them to be specific and ask for examples! Also, ask for clarification if you don’t understand what is being said.

6. To finish the conversation you could ask: Do you have any tips or advice on how to do better at (e.g.) the interview next time?

Keep in mind: asking for feedback shows you are serious about yourself and your development. Most people will respect you for asking feedback!

Know yourself, manage yourself: the ABC-DE Model

Our beliefs are thoughts about how the world operates. They are the rules we live by and determine how we perceive the world. Beliefs filter our experiences. We have beliefs about other people, about ourselves, about our relationships, about what is possible and what we are capable of.

The ABC-DE model is based on the idea that we can control our thoughts and beliefs. We can analyse our thought patterns and how useful they are to us in reaching our goals. If our beliefs are not helpful or make us feel bad, we can substitute a more positive thought. Let’s practice this.

In pairs, take turns to ask each other about a recent event that left you with a negative feeling. Discuss this in terms of the ABC model first, and then move on to the D-E part of the model; dispute the belief or thought and find a more appropriate thought to replace it.

A. Activating event: What was the situation? What happened – describe this objectively:

B. Beliefs: What did you think in advance, during or after the situation? Write down literally what went through your head:

C. Consequence: What was your emotional response? How did you feel? What did you do as a consequence?

D. Dispute the way you thought about the situation. Do a reality check. Did you make a thinking error? Were you blowing things out of proportion? Was what you were saying to yourself helping you to reach your goals? Was it true? Was it realistic? What was the evidence?

E. Effective new approach. What would be a more positive, new approach to this situation? What can you say to yourself to make you feel better and move on?

Well done! Analysing your thoughts can be quite difficult. If you practice often, you will find it will get easier. You’ll get better at challenging, calming down or comforting your ‘inner critic’. Don’t forget to ask your friends to help you with the ‘reality check’.

Now that you’ve replaced the ‘irrational belief’, you can re-focus your energies on your goals in life again.

Click here to download the Motivation Skills workshop materials in Microsoft Word format.

Created on Mon Feb 27 11:39:42 -0500 2006
Last Edited on Mon Feb 27 11:39:42 -0500 2006