“How I feel about and behave toward myself is the basic determinant of most of my behaviour’’ – Will Schutz

FIRO® is a key component of our facilitator training modules and one of the most commented on pieces of theory and practice that we offer. Participants find the model provides deep insight into the emotions that drive each of us, helping us to better understand our own performance and the group dynamics that form a context for our work as group facilitators.

This one-day workshop will provide a thorough grounding in the model, as well as practical application for your role as a facilitator, leader, or coach.

Making a clear link between personal and professional development, the workshop will explore personal drive and take you deeper into the question ‘who am I as a facilitator?’.

In turn, personal reflection tends to yield valuable insight into group dynamics and opens new strategies for handling group and team effectiveness.

Will Schutz, author of The Human Element, described his work as profound simplicity. Researched over decades, he proposes that effective relationships are founded on the emotional skill of being aware, and the ability to state what we are aware of.  For Schutz, awareness is categorised across three core interpersonal needs: inclusion, control, and openness.

In this one-day workshop we will explore these needs through the lens of human behaviour, feeling, and self-concept.

Schutz’s moves us away from leadership jargon that often sanitises our understanding of group dynamics. Instead, he uses simple yet intense words that guide us to consider the feelings at play in the life of groups and interpersonal relationships. The model invites us to consider feelings of significance, competence, and likeability, and whether a sense of lack effects self-confidence. Feeling then is the ground in which facilitators operate, navigating imposter syndrome, people-pleasing, and rejection.

The FIRO® method quickly points to the power of truth-telling to move beyond surface behaviours to the heart of the matter and towards positive dynamics. FIRO tools and concepts give facilitators a language to more sharply confront the emotional realities of groups, and our own inner worlds.

We anticipate that this Learning Day will,

• Increase confidence in personal facilitator style
• Deepen understanding of interpersonal and group dynamics
• Build confidence to introduce FIRO models into your own workshops
• Review the theoretical and philosophical ground your facilitation

The workshop will be participatory, and we will use FIRO® B, F, and S self-test questionnaires to guide our conversations. Do come ready to participate in what will be a rich learning experience.