Hello Colleagues...

Please be aware that we are holding another of our Facilitator Certifications in San Diego at Marina Village. It is set for October 24-28.

As always, the first 2 days are dedicated to participating in the Core Skills Workshop on Coaching and Accountability, and the next 3 days are the certification process. Everyone becoming certified received the materials well in advance to allow for preparation time, and then stands and delivers their pre-assigned portions. The purpose is for people to become 'grounded and clear' on the key points of the nearly 20 modules, and how to continue their preparation for their delivery to their own company (if they are internal) or to their clients (if they are external).

We hold the group size to approximately 12 people so as to optimize learning for all. Here is the flyer link for more details and the registration information (link).

One of the hallmarks of "The Heart of Coaching" as a communication and coaching methodology, is the very first "bullet" contained in our roadmap - that is Connect. It is there to remind us of the significance and importance of having a connected, high rapport, high trust relationship upon which to base the feedback-based conversation that follows. While there are many ways we have experientially worked with this this "connection" principle, what I see now is an even more perfect way to have people experience Connection.

In a name, it is called "Sawubona". Terry Tilman published this information in a recent article, and I now share that with you...

"Sawubona" is an African Zulu greeting that means "I see you." It has a long oral history and it means more than our traditional "hello." It says, "I see your personality. I see your humanity. I see your dignity and respect."

In the African village context, where everyone knows one another, it's an exceedingly powerful representation of understanding. About 20 years ago Terry was on a safari in Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda). As he traveled through the villages and Serengeti savanna, he noticed a recurring event. When one of the indigenous people would approach another, they would pause, face each other, look directly in each others eyes for 5 -15 seconds, say something and then continue on their way. This would happen in populated villages and in very remote areas where there may be only one human every 20 square miles. After a couple weeks of noticing this he asked one of our guides from the Samburu tribe what the natives were doing. He said they were greeting each other. "How are they doing that? What are they saying?" he asked.

"One of them says, 'I see you.' Connecting through the eyes, the other replies, 'I am here.'"

So - Avatar has always been one of my favorite movies. It is full of rich, meaningful dialogue and spiritual symbolism. Starting now, in our ongoing THOC workshops, when we teach "Connection", this will be one of the principle experiences we will share. After all, it's not called The "Heart" of Coaching by accident.

In the spirit of coaching...Tom