• Strengthen connection and relationships
• Learn more about individual strengths of team members
• Offer help to each other
• Normalise offering and asking for help, and as a result of all of the above …
• Increase individual and team performance

You can find “I give …; I wish …” at insium’s extension website here.

Facilitating Dare To LeadTM (DTL) innovatively …

At insium, we pride ourselves on using innovative learning methods that are purposeful, impactful and memorable, leading to deep reflective experiences and enriched self-awareness. 

In additional to more traditional learning methods, we have incorporated innovative methods and exercises into DTL, such as:

• Appreciative inquiry and open space technology
• Art
• Story-telling
• Play
• Improvisation
• The Helping Hands Program
• Oblique Inspiration Cards
• Equine-facilitated learning

these are all designed to deepen our exploration of courage 

Curiously (or not) exploring courage requires courage. Are you courageous enough to take this one step further and surround your team with innovative methods (which require even more courage) to become daring leaders? I would love to have this discussion with you.

Immersing ourselves in improvisation to develop Empathic Listening

Furthering our innovative learning methods, we have developed a workshop in which we use improvisation exercises to explore and develop the critical skill of empathic listening.  

In this workshop, we explore:

• Listening as an attitude and a skill
• Whole body listening – that is, using our ears, eyes, mind, heart – to provide our undivided attention
• Each of the 5 attributes of empathy as identified by nursing scholar Theresa Wiseman, Dr. Kristin Neff, and Dr. Brené Brown:
• Perspective taking (Tag Team Monologue)
• Staying out of judgement (Movement Evolution; Robin Hood) 
• Recognising feelings (Emotional Rollercoaster)
• Communicating emotions (Reflecting Emotion)
• Mindfulness (First Word, Last Word) 

Participants practise each attribute using improvisation exercises such as those offered above in the parentheses above; each of these exercises requires both empathy and listening.

Participants are surprised and delighted to realise that – whilst improvising and playing – they have been practising empathic listening the whole time!

Celebrating Friends – A Few Guest Blogs

2023 marks the 40th anniversary of Year 12 for me. This also means that I have known some of my dearest and closest friends since the beginning of 1978.

I am so lucky to have grown, learned, loved and laughed with so many strong, courageous girls throughout school. I am so lucky to continue to grow, learn, love and laugh (a lot) with these same girls who are now strong, courageous women.

In celebrating this milestone, I thought it only fitting to celebrate my school friends. So I asked if they might like to share their stories of courage.

I am grateful that a number of them said “yes.” Please join me in reading their stories here. I know that you will be inspired to courage on reading, and I hope that these stories fill your heart just as they have mine. 

To my beautiful friends – whether you have chosen to share your stories or otherwise – you are all courageous and inspiring. I have learnt much from you. 

Be the courage you wish to see in the world,

Dina

(@CourageChick)