Interpersonal Communication

Workshop on Leadership Skills and Team Work

Apart from gaining internet skills, one of the essential objectives of the project was to teach Seniors how to be good leaders and how to make the best of team work.

On the fourth day of the workshop Senior on the Web we invited Ewa Waleczko from Alexander Mann Solutions to coach the participants on leadership skills and team work.

On this page we present you a short description of the exercises that Ewa Waleczko conducted with the group, as well some impression of the participants, photos and a video from the final exercise “Royal Ball”. Below you will find the power point presentation of our coach with useful tips and remarks she used during the presentation.

The workshop consisted of two parts: in the first part the focus was laid on the basics regarding group work, team work and leadership skills, while in the second part, the participants were occupied with methods of self-presentation combined with filming the results. At the end of each exercise there was a time for analysing the events, drawing conclusions and adding some theory.

Enjoyable, funny, so interesting how so different people can work so creative, so inspiring! Thank you everybody! - Mariana Băran on the blog SeniorWeb.

PART ONE

Exercise 1 “Good morning”

Aim & Description: Sitting in the circle participants introduce themselves and get to know each other closer or from a different perspective, choosing one of the items like toys or gadgets provided by the coach placed in the middle of the circle.

Duration: 15-20 minutes

Exercise 2 “My portrait”

Aim & Description: As introduction to the subject of the workshop, participants, were divided into three groups performing simple arts and craft and depicted areas of activities they had in common and presented them to other groups after completing the task.

Duration: 45 minutes

Exercise 3 „Our common property”

Aim & Description: In this exercise the participants could experience group work and the factors that determine their success. The role of the leader and of other team members was highlighted, as well as getting know the characteristics of the effective leader and principles of effective cooperation. The participants were working in two groups and their task was to depict their common material or immaterial property and present it to the other group.

Duration: 90 minutes

Exercise 4: “Bolton and Bolton Personality Types”

Aim & Description: The participants filled out a form with the purpose of checking their personality type regarding their leadership potential: the way they see each other and how the others could perceive them. The exercise was based on the model created by Robert Bolton and Dorothy Bolton and presented four different personality types – Analyticals, Drivers, Amiables and Expressives.

Duration: 30 minutes

"Dears, all was positive. What was strange for me was the general opinion about the Leader. All partecipiants said that to work in team is important to have a leader. I don’t thing the same: I thing that a good team have to find a democratic way to work together. It is possible… Finally, the Senior Web Group is fantastic. Everyone is very different, but the feeling is the best!" - Franca Franco on the blog "SeniorWeb"

PART TWO

Exercise 5: „Who is here”

Aim: Here the focus was laid on how to make a good impression and the role it plays in self-presentation.

Duration: 30 minutes

Exercise 6: “Royal Ball”

Aim & Description: This final exercise during the workshop was the greatest fun! All participants created one group which got a task to plan, organize and conduct a royal ball making use of the arts and crafts items given by the trainer and the potential of the team. The preparation of the event compromised finding the leader of the group, who assigned the tasks and together planned the course of events. The preparation stage and the party were filmed by the trainer so the strengths and weaknesses of each members’ self-presentation could have been analysed shortly after completing the task.

Duration: 90 minutes

Our last team building project “The Royal Ball” involved 12 of us. Everbody was well motivated and we got the project completed well within time and had great fun achieving it! I was elected “leader” and with Magda as secretary we quickly outlined the main points to achieve and everybody got stuck into their tasks. I think everybody was very happy with the outcome. It proved that when we all pull together in a common purpose we can achieve a lot! - Paddy Early on the blog SeniorWeb.

First time I experienced what the team building actually means. Doing play “The Royal party” twelve of us was for me something new and useful. It shows how group of different people from diferrent countries can do something new together. The lesson of this story for me is: there must be the leader, who is leading the team!!!!!!! - Vlasta Ivić on the blog SeniorWeb.

And this is how the Royal Ball looked like …

Video coming soon