Know-how By Mark Wagner

EmotionCards - conversational pacemakers

Client: Car dealership

Target group: Company management

Initial situation:

A one-and-a-half day strategy retreat, attended by the company’s branch managers and heads of department, focusing on strategy development over the coming months. There had been a few changes to roles, such as new managers in the branches and re-alocation of responsibilities. It was time to take stock and reflect openly on where things were going. As I had already worked with the group on a number of occasions, I didn’t want to do a classic introductions round. I needed a new way to start the retreat. I wanted to establish rapport with the group but also wanted to find a “launch pad” into the theme of “feedback.” Because the group of managers met every Wednesday anyway, another goal of mine was to break them out of their weekly routine. I decided to use EmotionCards as a “frame” for the session.

Part 1 – Kickoff

Staging

I laid out sets 1 and 2 of the EmotionCards on two tables. Then I got the participants to form groups of 3. Using the flipchart, I gave them the job of selecting one photo card for each of the follow- ing questions:

How am I dealing with the current state of play? Choose a photo card!

Where do I want to go? Select the second photo card!

How do I want to get there? How will I get from photo card 1 to photo card 2? Choose the third photo card!

 

How it went

The group really had fun choosing the cards. In their small groups, each group member was given time to explain their cards to the others. At the end, the two listeners gave feedback on what they had heard. The following questions were used as prompts for the feedback giver: What did I notice or perceive? What questions are still open? The whole activity took a total of 45 minutes, with the group members each given 15 minutes to express their perspective.

 

Highlights

EIt never fails to fascinate me how easy it is for participants to take a card and be able to intuitively talk about it. And that’s how it worked this time. The kickoff exercise had a catalyzing effect on the group, making everyone more relaxed, open, and curious about the next steps. If the group had done the exercise without cards, the whole thing would have been merely a rote, intellectual exercise. The EmotionCards truly open doors when it comes to expressing feelings.

Part 2 – End of the strategy retreat

Staging

W Once again, I laid the EmotionCards out on the table. This time, I got the participants to form new groups of 4. The aim was for three people out of each group to give the fourth person feedback us- ing the EmotionCards, selecting two photo cards for the other person:

First photo card – Strengths: What do I notice more about you? What really stands out?

Second photo card – Wishes: What do I want for you? What would I like to give you?

How it went

Again, the group had no difficulty finding the most appropriate cards. The cards also provided excellent support for this more demanding feedback task, and this helped bring the retreat to a very positive close.

SysTeam seeing through the customer’s eyes

Client: Well-known automobile manufacturer
Target group: Senior sales representatives with extensive experience in car sales
Point in the seminar: Point in the 2nd seminar
Process outcome:Energizer and kickoff to the day, linking the experiences of the first day to the metaphor
Content goal: Sensitive and strategic way of approaching requests for recommendations; motivating customers to make recommendations

Initial situation

As part of a seminar entitled “Recommendations – The direct way to new customers,” I frequently use SysTeam as a metaphor for approaching the very awkward topic of “requesting recommendations.” Clients do not want to jeopardize their business relationships and frequently don’t even know who they should recom- mend. In my metaphor, the “speaker” is the sales person who requests a recommendation and the “grabber” is the customer (the recommen- dation giver) to whom the sales person has already successfully sold a car. It soon becomes apparent that linguistic precision coupled with empathy and rapport is needed. As a sales person, I need to help the recommendation giver find recommendations for me.

Preparation

Post-its are used to label the figurines: “sports club,” “co-workers,” “customer’s family,” “best friend,” and so on.

Staging

“Your aim is to take the figurines off the board. There are two roles. Firstly, one of you is the ‘grabber’. The grabber’s eyes are blindfolded and his job is to remove figurines from the table. Second- ly, there is the ‘speaker’. He guides the ‘grabber’ using verbal instruc- tions. They (the trainer points to the figurines) are the customers who you want recommendations for. Which one do I grab first? ... ”

Transferring the SysTEAM interaction metaphor to the learner’s “real” world:

 

SysTeam“Real” world
Figurines on the board Target customers and customer groups
Blindfolded = uncertainty Customer wants to help but doesn’t know how.
Although the board is in balance, there is a risk that it will topple over. This means you have to work with sensitivity. Asking for recommendations needs to be handled with utmost tact and sensitivity.
The speaker “shepherds” the grabber, giving him information about where the figurines are, and what the next steps will be. Sales person handles the customer’s uncertainty with sensitivity and maintains good rapport with him.
Clear instructions: “Move left!” Using questions to specifically focus on a group or a person
Board topples. Bad, insensitive and imprecise approach; recommendation lost.
Strategic weakness of the group: the group first goes for the easy figurines and hits a dead end. Now that’s what I call one-off business!
Better strategy: go for a larger figurine! Corporate client, i.e., more cars
And so on. And so on.

What do the senior sales representatives learn here?

I need a good strategy!
Know your customer: When I get to know my customer better, he tells me about his “social system.” I then dig deeper and write down the names he gives me.
I need to broach the subject of recommendations with the cus- tomer.
Ways in which I could say this are, for example, “As you know, I live from recommendations and would really appreciate it if you could recommend someone to me. Which of your friends and acquaintances might be interested in buying a car from me? Who comes to mind? Are we talking more about someone you know privately or someone from your business life? What would be the best way to get in contact with this person?

Multi-sensory learning

Like all of the METALOG® tools, EmotionCards and SysTEAM achieve something that few other forms of training can: the ability to quickly tap into my customers’ visual and tactile senses, and utilize them for the learning process. I am so happy every time to see how, when I tailor the activity precisely to the needs of my customers, I can achieve deep and long-lasting learning, confident in the knowledge that my work is not just useful, but also great fun.

Staging

is the METALOG® term for the process of setting up an exercise or activity. It is crucial to “set the scene” in order to create an appropriate atmosphere that will lead to a successful outcome for your learning project (Editor’s note).

 

Mark has worked for over 15 years as a freelance trainer specializing in sales training, team building and leadership development. His company, Bera- terbasis, focuses on serving clients in the airline and automotive industries. He has been a passionate user of METALOG© training tools for many years.