Walking the Talk An interactive "train the trainer" experience in facilitating interactive learning Learn improv techniques to revitalize your "inner" leader and put you in the master's class of group facilitators, trainers, and leaders

When...
March 15th-18th, 2006, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm daily.

I attended Sue Walden's 4-Day Train the Trainer and wanted to tell you about my experience. This wonderful, insightful seminar helped me become even more aware of my impact. Using videotape and group feedback, I was able to see where I accomplished my desired impact and when I'd get in my own way. It was fun, delightful and very beneficial. This class helped me be more aware of when I show up in my strength.

Sue provided lots of materials from her extensive experience in improv work and I walked away feeling it was well worth my time. Sue is a Pro and a bright light in the industry. Feel free to call or email me if you want more information or encouragement to attend.
--Marti Bolton, (503) 694-6165, martib@centurytel.net--

Do you encounter any of these problems when working with groups?

1. Do you take your work with groups way too seriously? So seriously that sometimes you get uptight and afraid about what might happen. In this class, you'll learn and practice tools that will help you relax and have a lot more fun with your groups.
2. Are you afraid of encountering the unexpected? Learn simple strategies that will help you to be more open and flexible to the specific and dynamic needs of your groups.
3. Are you bothered when participants try to take the group off on a tangent? Be able to connect whatever people share to the group purpose or theme.
4. Do you have a tough time being "present" with your groups, trying to juggle all that needs to be done? Learn and practice strategies that will let you take a breath and get comfortable being "in the moment" with your groups..
5. Do you ever fear that you'll "lose your place" in your workshop? In this class, you'll learn exactly what to do in that circumstance.
6. Is "speaker's block" a problem? You'll learn a tool so that you never have speaker's block again.
7. Do you sometimes question your creative abilities? Discover reservoirs of creativity within you that you didn't know existed.
8. Do you often feel like you're doing this group leadership thing all alone? Come collaborate and learn from a community of your peers, all passionate about empowering groups.

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then read on. You'll find help overcoming these issues and more in this dynamic 4-day workshop.

The Improvisational Facilitator Workshop...
The inner attitudes of facilitators, trainers, and leaders is the key to their success with groups. However, very few trainings address the development of those inner qualities that can make a good leader great. In this workshop, you'll learn, practice, and receive video feedback on powerful, practical improv techniques you'll put to work with your group of fellow students. Through this experience, you'll not only learn to apply improv skills to solve the problems listed above, but you'll get real clear about how you affect others positively and negatively as a group leader.

This dynamic workshop, led by master trainer, Sue Walden, is for anyone who facilitates, manages, teaches, mediates, coaches, counsels, directs any group. This highly interactive workshop provides an experiential approach using very novel exercises to help you build the skills to create an environment for participation; one that encourages openness and risk-taking for you and groups.

When...
March 15th-18th, 2006, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm daily.


Improvisational Facilitator Training Agenda...
Here's what you'll be learning and doing during the course...

• Crucial core skills for working with groups of any size. Do you tend to fall into lecture mode for fear of losing control? Facilitating experiential learning is a lot different that lecture-format learning. There is less control because there are more surprises; and this only increases with greater numbers of people involved. In this workshop, we'll practice the skills of presence, openness, and flexibility and how to use them to consistently embrace the big picture (the learning) while flowing with what happens in the room.
  
  
• Environmental dynamics that set the stage for interactive learning. It can be tough to get strangers to trust one another enough to take the risks required to learn new behaviors. Come to know the environmental dynamics that set the stage for interactive learning. Learn to manage and adjust the many factors that contribute or detract from an environment that encourages experimentation and exploration.
  
  
• Verbal and non-verbal communications skills. Our unconscious behaviors get in our way without our consent! Whatever we're thinking and/or feeling "leaks" out in our non-verbal behaviors, our tone of voice, and our choice of words. The more aware we are of our unconscious behaviors, both the ones that work for us and those that don't, the more "at choice" we become in the message that's received.
  
  
• Giving and receiving objective, constructive and encouraging feedback. Do you have a hard time giving and receiving objective, constructive and encouraging feedback? Negative feedback only increases inhibition. We use the "Positive Feedback Model" to guide our feedback sessions. We focus on "what works" so that we can continue to grow in that direction. You'll learn and practice this model throughout the workshop so that it becomes second nature.
  
  
• Video-feedback of facilitating group exercises. Wouldn't you love to know how you really "show up" in your groups? Participants get daily practice in leading activities that are video-taped and debriefed for an objective view of your unconscious competencies. The truth is, we all are coming across much better than we are thinking. Wouldn't you like to see that and know it in your gut?
  
  
• Generous number of energizers, exercises and resources. How would you like to feel comfortable facilitating, and even designing, your own experiential exercises? You'll receive extensive resources and practice in conducting and "tweaking" energizers and interactive exercises throughout this workshop.
  
  
• Special Treat: Your attendance includes a ticket to see "Sue & Friends," Sue's one-woman [sorta] improv show on Sunday, March 19th.
  
  

Sue Walden's Train the Trainer workshop gave me an invaluable opportunity to try out leading some exercises, get immediate feedback from Sue and the other participants on my impact, and see myself improving everyday (on video!) That was well worth the price of admission!
-- Marj Plumb, (415) 492-8692 marjplumb@aol.com--

Pricing...
The full cost of training/access is $850 and this is the last time Sue will not be offering the training at this price again as she plans to raise the fee to $1,200 on future offerings of this program.

Registration...

Contact Sue Walden at 415-863-9500 or sue@improvworks.org to discuss your goals, your objectives and to register. To hold your spot, send a $100.00 non-refundable deposit by check or money order made out to ImprovWorks, 1801 Franklin St. Suite 404, San Francisco, CA 94109. Limited space. Early Registration Discount: Price is only $808 if you register by March 4th.

I took the Train the Trainer program with Sue Walden and my skills in leading grew exponentially, as well as increasing the number of icebreakers and other exercises available to me. The class got my creative juices going and I even created some of my own exercises.
-- Chris Pepper-Wong, (702) 562-0886 coachchris@aol.com--


Your instructor

Sue Walden. Sue Walden is the Founder and Director of ImprovWorks, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building Life Skills through Improvisation. Her experience includes a BA in Education and 26 years of teaching, performing and adapting and widely applying the techniques of improvisation. She approaches improv training as a powerful and joyful way to peel away constraints, restraints and inhibitions, allowing the naturally expressive, collaborative and creative self to emerge.

Sue is a skilled teacher in ImprovWorks' public workshop program, a dynamic corporate facilitator, an engaging speaker, an author (Working with Groups to Enhance Relationships, Whole Person Assoc.), the delightful "Playmeister" of both the public and corporate Recess! programs, the director and a regular performer with San Francisco's longest-running improvisational theater company, "Flash Family". She has been a member of the Specialty Staff for the year-long Co-Active Leadership Program since its inception eight years ago.

Her current passion is training trainers and consulting on how to design powerful experiential workshops. Sue promises that, in any of her programs, while the learning may be challenging, it will also be fun!

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