Brainstorm session is a powerful tool often used in design meetings. It makes meetings productive by addressing some very common human trait: diving into the pros and cons before tabling all possibilities; arguing about the faults of someones’ suggestions in favor of your own; defending (or attacking) ideas that is different than yours. To properly do a brainstorming session, you need a facilitator that jots down each idea at a high level and defer detailed discussion until the brainstorming round is over. The act of jotting down any ideas, workable or not, is the power of acknowledgement – that “I hear you” and “there may be merits to what you are saying” without discrediting anybody or anything. Furthermore, people won’t feel they have to defend and make any idea perfect before speaking outloud which further facilitate creativity.
As coaches, we have to be able to see both “glass half full” and “glass half empty”. “Glass half full” is the ability to see the achievements to date and “glass half empty” is your ability to see possibilities and opportunities. I have heard of parents right at the end of a game said to their child, “…if you didn’t miss that last goal..”. This can be the most discouraging thing you can do to your child (or to yourself)! Acknowledging the effort is the first mandatory step – there is always another day to talk about how to get better.
Discussion that slowly escalate into heated opposing arguments are often caused by both parties’ inability to acknowledge what they have heard or how their point of view are similar. Words like “I think we both agree to the long term vision (or the definition of the problem), what we still need to hash out is HOW to address it in the near term?” or “Yes, I hear what you are saying….” or “I understand your good intentions but it is difficult for me to feel it because of how you said it..”, etc.. can sometimes have a surprisingly calming effect to the other party. Finding common grounds is part of the art of negotiation.
Trigger point theraphy stimulates sensitive points in your body so that your brain recognize and trigger self-healing. All too often, we try to ignore certain injuries, physical or mental, and in brushing it aside, you never get to heal properly. Something that is not handled properly often re-exhibit itself over and over again. Acknowledging (and treating) the physical and emotional wounds is a mandatory first step towards healing.
Exercise
Relate acknowledgement as a concept applicable to our push-hand drill.