I Matter
“If you can’t change the people, change the people.”
This expression is often used to justify getting rid of employees. Rather than changing your people, first, provide them with an opportunity to change themselves!
It’s a Process
Change is a Verb
Change is not an event; it is a process. Moreover, change is a verb! If we don’t change, nothing changes. People can change their mindset, their behaviour, and their attitudes. They just need to know how! A self-aware person is a better employee. “I Matter” provides employees with the tools they need to become active participants in a changed workplace.
Based on Trevor Waller’s book, “Twenty-two Lessons for Now”, “I Matter” is an experiential, personal development journey. In a series of carefully-constructed sessions, participants will begin to see that their internal dialogue (‘self-talk’) is the primary factor responsible for how they are constructing their reality. When they begin to take responsibility for the messages that they are giving themselves, they begin to take responsibility for the messages they are giving others. The key to a changed workplace lies in having emotionally intelligent employees who understand how to communicate assertively. This is not, however, a course in the theory of emotional intelligence. Rather, the course provides participants with practical tools, including how to listen effectively, and how to give and receive feedback. We link the training to the daily functions of the business, with the objective being to shift employees from undesired to desired behaviour.
“If it wasn’t for Trevor encouraging us and telling us that it all starts in the mind, then I don’t think I would be where I am today … he really made me look at things differently.”
I Matter
Course Structure
The course is structured in such a way that participants get to practise what they have learned during the breaks between sessions. Sessions are constructed to provide participants with ample time to share openly, with the spin-off effects for your workplace becoming a place where change begins to happen naturally!
“I Matter has given me the opportunity to take back my life and to live again.”
Session One: Who Are You?
Beginning the change process
How are you thinking about yourself?
This session focuses on ‘thinking about thinking’ and introduces the concept of mindfulness (present moment awareness). Understanding self-talk, while being mindful of the context, is the beginning of the change process.
Session Two: New Eyes
Towards a brand new mindset
‘What are you seeing?’ and, more importantly, ‘What are you not seeing?’
This session tackles perceptions and beliefs, both of which combine to make up your ‘paradigms’ (ways of looking the world). Once you shift your paradigms, everything begins to change!
Session Three: Mindful Listening
The demand side of communication
What type of listener are you?
Healthy relationships require healthy communication. Improved communication starts with improved listening.This session examines the skill of mindful listening and will completely change the way you communicate!
Session Four: Assertion
The supply side of communication
How do you say what you mean and mean what you say?
This session looks at the four communication styles, focucing on assertive communication – the healthiest one. You will also have plenty of time to practise both listening and speaking.
Session Five : The Power of I
Giving and getting feedback
Life is speaking to us all the time. What is it saying and are you listening?
This session will show you how to give effective feedback and receive it in a non-defensive way. We will also touch on the thorny issue of ‘culture’, a critical factor in interpersonal relationships in South Africa.
Session Six: Your Best Self
Boundaries, baggage, and telling a new story
What are your relationships telling you?
This session focuses on relationship-building and gives you an opportunity to rid yourself of some baggage and begin setting new intentions.
“Two weeks after my dad’s passing, I want you to know how grateful I am for the tools I got in ‘I Matter’ … I feel an inner calm that I have not had for a long time.”
