The VIA combination of seminars and coaching enables you to focus on your personal, professional, and organisational values, choices, and results. You identify what you, your people, and your organisation do best and you learn how you can do even more of that even more effectively.
Now here are the answers to the usual seven questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, and How Much.
WHO
You, a few other people, and me. We keep the group small so that we can work intensely and have plenty of time for each person to share.
I’m Walt Hopkins. For many years, I have been developing models and approaches that are particularly effective for achieving the goals of this process—and I continually improve the process based on feedback from participants. Because each group of individuals is unique, I adapt the basic design to meet the needs of you and the other people in your group.
You need this process if you need time to slow down and focus on what is really important. You need this process if your position in your organisation is depriving you of useful feedback. You need this process if you want to be as effective as you can be in your personal, professional, and organisational life.
WHAT
Values Influence Action. This learning sequence weaves together several strands of my work over the past 35 years. You could just do the Values seminar, or you could just do the Influencing for Results course, or you could just arrange for personal or team coaching.
What you get in this unique blend of all three is the chance to put your values into action with the ongoing support of a group of colleagues as you alternate between learning and applying your learning back at work.
This learning sequence looks at three important questions: Who am I? What do
I want? How do I get it?
During the Values seminar, we focus on identifying values, creating a
passionate purpose, and getting feedback on how you put your values into
action. You make choices about what to do more of and what to do less of in
your personal and professional life. You increase the range of your choices
in the processes of solving problems, building teams, and working with
groups. You get intensive feedback from your colleagues on the impact of
your approach to people and to situations.
In the first Action phase, you apply your learnings back at work while getting virtual coaching from your colleagues and me. You also prepare for the Influence seminar by assessing your current skills and getting feedback from colleagues.
During the Influence seminar, we focus on assessing your current
influence skills, exploring and practising new skills, and learning how to
apply your skills in actual situations. We also look at how to go beyond
influencing into the process of building relationships and developing
partnerships. We use videotape and intensive feedback to give you more
choices about how you interact with other people.
In the second Action phase, you apply your new learnings back at work while continuing to get virtual coaching from your colleagues and me.
When the group is ready, we co-create the Action seminar, which may be face-to-face or virtual or both. At this point, we work on whatever issues have emerged for you and the other participants. We focus on intensive coaching to get you the results you want.
In the third Action phase, you apply your new learnings back at work while continuing to get virtual coaching from your colleagues and me.
For specific details of what happens each day and the skills you focus on each day, see the HOW section below.
WHEN
See the calendar for upcoming dates.
WHERE
Harburn House, near Edinburgh: We work in this restored country estate surrounded by thousands of acres in which we can walk through the forest and beside the ponds. We have the place to ourselves. This intensive course requires your full attention all day and all evening, so we all live together while we are learning together.
OR
Oraj, Croatia: We work in a remote restored farmhouse on a hill with a magnificent view of the seas, where we have the privacy and the space we need. This intensive course requires your full attention all day and all evening, so we all live together while we are learning together.
WHY
Why do this?
• You want to focus on your personal purpose in the next stage of your life and work.
• You want to learn how to put your values into action.
• You want to refine your skills that make things happen.
• You want to focus on what is most important to you and to your organization.
• You want to make choices about what to do more of and what to do less of in your personal and professional life.
• You want intensive feedback—both supportive and challenging—from your peers.
• You want to develop your influencing skills so that you can get results even when you don’t have (or don’t want to use) positional power.
As a previous participant said in answer to my question, "Why do you want this kind of course?"
"To reflect. To face myself. To receive feedback from 'strangers' with no legacy relationship and other 'secret' agenda. To meet new people and to learn from their experiences."
HOW
The VIA sequence is highly challenging. You will have intense intrapersonal, interpersonal, and group-level interactions that confront your current values and actions as you develop new ways to put your values in action. We will work in a remote retreat setting away from any distractions. This is an opportunity to have a life-changing experience.
During this learning process we use a range of learning approaches, including: Presentations; individual reflection; creative expression; one-to-one coaching; team coaching; circle feedback; learning support teams; video assessment; bodywork and brainwork; intensive video-based coaching on interpersonal skills; and video-based rehearsals for key situations.
Although I present various models during the process, you spend much of your time in intensive work alone, in pairs, and in trios.
PLEASE NOTE: These seminars require your full attention throughout the day and evening. Do not attend if you are under extreme personal or professional stress that will distract you. Although there are breaks and outdoor exercises, the seminar essentially runs from early morning to late evening each day.
Here is an outline of what happens each day, followed by a summary of the skills we focus on learning each day:
Week One: the Values seminar
Day ONE Focus on ME
Who am I, What do I value, How do I act
Create my Website; Begin my Learnings Journal; Objectives; Johari Window; Circle Session; Listening;
Active Valuing through Appreciative Inquiry
Day TWO Focus on YOU
Who are you, What do you value, How do you act
Learnings Journal; Culture Visa; My Personal Preferences; My Interpersonal Behaviour; Trust; Intelligences;
Values in Action and Passionate Purpose
Day THREE Focus on US
Who are we, What do we value, How do we act?
Learnings Journal; Decisions; Organization Culture; Personal Purpose and Organizational Purpose;
Process Roles; Ideal Island
Day FOUR Focus on FEEDBACK
How do I see myself, How do you see me
Learnings Journal; Coaching; Feedback on my Values in Action and Passionate Purpose;
Day FIVE Focus on SUPPORT
How can I help you, How can you help me
Learnings Journal; Sources of support; Learning Teams; Continuing the journey; Serious Dreaming
First ACTION Phase
between week one and week two
Focus on SUPPORT
How can I help you, How can you help me
Stay in touch with my Learning Team (via phone or email) to support and challenge each other
Continue to get coaching from people in my Learning Team on issues at work and outside work
Add more people to my Learning Team
Focus on FEEDBACK
How do I see myself, How do you see me
Continue using my Learnings Journal to keep myself alert to how I am living my values in action
Continue getting feedback on my latest version of my
Values in Action and my Passionate Purpose
Get feedback from my Learning Team on how I am living my values in pursuit of my purpose
Focus on ASSESSING
What do I do well, What could I do better
Prepare for my second week by identifying people in my life and work to meet for feedback sessions using the
Results Record as a basis for discussion
Prepare a specific Learning Project—an actual, upcoming, influence situation in which I need to convince
one specific person to do one specific thing
Week Two: the Influence seminar
Day ONE Focus on ASSESSING
What do I do well, What could I do better
Create my Website; Begin my Learnings Journal; Objectives;
Video myself influencing in my Project situation; Results Model; Words, Music, and Dance; Review the Video
Day TWO Focus on EXPLORING
What else could I do, How can I do it, Why do I do it
Explore four different approaches to influencing; Review Values in Action to see how they help and hinder my influencing skills; Explore my values-based filters
Day THREE Focus on PLANNING
Who are we, What do we want, How do we get it?
Culture Visa review; Use a ten-step guide to plan from both the other person’s perspective and my own
Day FOUR Focus on PRACTISING
How can I do it better, How can I do it more often
Choose from a wide range of learning resources including exercises, tapes, role plays, cases, articles, and books; Choose to practice influencing, negotiating, coaching, or presenting using video to get specific feedback
Day FIVE Focus on APPLYING
How do I use this at work, at home, and in my life
Review my Project plan; Rehearse my Project on video with intensive feedback; Prepare to continue learning
Second ACTION Phase
between week two and week three
Focus on SUPPORT
How can I help you, How can you help me
Stay in touch with my Learning Team (via phone or email) to support and challenge each other
Continue to get coaching from people in my Learning Team on issues at work and outside work
Add more people to my Learning Team
Focus on FEEDBACK
How do I see myself, How do you see me
Continue using my Learnings Journal to keep myself alert to how I am living my values in action
Continue getting feedback on my latest version of my
Values in Action and my Passionate Purpose
Get feedback from my Learning Team on how I am living my values in pursuit of my purpose
Focus on APPLYING
How do I use this at work, at home, and in my life
Review my learnings from the Influence seminar by meeting with the people I met before for more feedback sessions using the
Results Record as a basis for discussion
Implement my Learning Project—and get feedback
Continue practising and applying the full range of influence approaches in different situations
Week Three: the Action seminar
Focus on LEARNING
What do I still need to learn and how do I continue learning
Co-create this session with Walt and with my learning team
Choose to focus on
Me
You
Us
Feedback
Support
Assessing
Exploring
Planning
Practising
Applying
SKILLS FOCUS
Skills we focus on during the Values seminar
Skills to develop while focusing on ME
Journaling
Increasing my self-awareness
Taking time to reflect
Declaring my values
Matching my values and actions
Choosing to take responsibility for me
Focusing on my passionate purpose
Skills to develop while focusing on YOU
Sharing and disclosing myself
Taking time to listen deeply
Increasing my awareness of others
Valuing the different values of others
Recognizing my impact on others
Distinguishing between intent and impact
Taking responsibility for my impact
Skills to develop while focusing on US
Declaring myself in groups
Making decisions in groups
Increasing my awareness of group process
Increasing my awareness of organisational culture
Recognizing the range of process preferences
Choosing appropriate process preferences
Contributing to group success
Skills to develop while focusing on FEEDBACK
Coaching you by listening to you
Giving timely behavioural feedback
Giving encouraging KEEP feedback
Giving challenging CHANGE feedback
Recognizing when my feedback is more to me than to you
Accepting feedback silently and attentively
Choosing what to do with feedback
Skills to develop while focusing on SUPPORT
Recognizing my sources of support
Identifying my kinds of support
Using the Keys to Success in support teams
Creating an ongoing Learning Team
Learning in a Learning Team
Skills we focus on during the Influence seminar
Skills to develop while focusing on ASSESSING
Increasing my self-awareness
Recognizing my impact on others
Using energy to influence
Recognising different energies in myself
Recognising different energies in others
Recognising my own words, music, and dance
Recognising words, music, and dance in others
Recognising my current influencing skills
Skills to develop while focusing on EXPLORING
Coaching others—and myself—in a range of skills.
Using Red Energy to make a DEAL
Using Blue Energy to find a SOLUTION
Using Purple Energy to build COOPERATION
Using Green Energy to create UNDERSTANDING
Distinguishing between intent and impact
Recognising how my values help and hinder my influencing
Recognising how my values filter what I say and what I hear
Skills to develop while focusing on PLANNING
Planning based on what I want and have
Planning based on what you want and have
Choosing an approach based on whether I want the result to be a solution, a deal, understanding, or cooperation
Choosing an approach based on whether the other person responds best to logic, exchanges, feelings, or connections
Recognising how my own culture affects my influencing
Recognising how the other’s culture affects my influencing
Planning and rehearsing for influencing
Skills to develop while focusing on PRACTISING
Demanding forcefully
Exchanging resourcefully
Proposing precisely
Reasoning concisely
Connecting completely
Envisioning concretely
Sharing extensively
Listening intensively
Skills to develop while focusing on APPLYING
Applying my learnings to the other world
Giving timely behavioural feedback
Giving encouraging KEEP feedback
Giving challenging CHANGE feedback
Recognising when my feedback is more to me than to you
Accepting feedback silently and attentively
Creating an ongoing Learning Team
HOW MUCH
The entire VIA process requires an investment of three weeks of your time and £9600 of your money. This includes two five-day face-to-face seminars and up to seven days of face-to-face or virtual coaching as a group.
Our expectation is that your accommodation costs will be approximately 1000kn (about 130 euros) per day.
Special discounts are available:
Although you will probably invest more of your time, you can invest less of your money by paying for all three parts of the process (Values, Influence, and Action) upfront. That drops the price to £8400. There are other discounts available, depending on your personal and organisational circumstances. Please contact us to discuss these.
You and I may have met through courses organised by Imagine Consultants,
Management Centre Europe, or the NTL Institute. If that is so, then I will pay a
commission to that organisation out of your fee—just as they would pay me.
We invoice you for fees and materials; you pay your accommodation
costs directly to the hotel.