We did it. Well, actually...they did it themselves. They - the participants of our most recent Vibrant Communication and Training course for FHI country office staff - managed to bring "vibrant" to life. As you can read on Dani's blog, it was a slow start. A tough challenge. But something "shifted" in the room, and on Day 2 of the training everything became much easier and fun.
On the morning of Day 4, I asked the participants to write a poem about their reflections on the past three days. I think everyone was surprised at the depth and beauty of every single poem. At one point, I couldn't contain myself and the tears started flowing...not only because of the poems, but by the overwhelming feeling of awe at the ability of people to bring "vibrant facilitation" to life in their own words.
It just blew me away. I hope to share some of those poems here later...with the permission of the authors, of course.
At the closing of the training, participants were asked to write something for their secret friends. Some chose to write a poem, others opted not to. I used my poem to give constructive feedback to my secret friend. And he was very appreciative of it. I felt good about writing it too.
I found that choosing to write a poem made me think of the feeling behind each word, so it would not turn into something negative or critical. But empowering and constructive. I hope my secret friend doesn't mind my sharing it here - in a slightly different form, but the sentiment remains the same, as I do not have a copy of the original...
Like the morning sun
bright...without blinding
softly... warming up the day
I think
I saw the real you
today
Continue to shine like the sun
bright... just enough to allow others
to find their own way
warm... just enough to make them
feel comfortable and cared for
energizing... just enough to empower them
to make their own decisions
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