Practical Mindfulness Workshop For Leaders

The anonymous interactive polls are an opportunity for your organisation to get a mental health check for your team. The workshop creates a safe space for participants to discuss their challenges; therefore, you can have confidence that the answers are honest.The information you gather gives you a valuable snapshot and can help you target your future well-being interventions more effectively.

You can also collect specific data or ask your team particular questions. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please provide the questions at least 48 hours in advance.

Before the workshop, many participants report anxiety and stress, difficulty sleeping, negative thinking, trouble switching off and relaxing, bloating and other gut problems. There is often guilt about juggling parenting and working from home.

60-minute workshop:

• Tool #1 – Arrival meditation.

• Break-out groups: Discuss your experience of the meditation and what you hope to get out of the session.

• Introduction to Chibs (story of my burnout). Break-out groups: Bring to mind a stressful moment.

• The stress response: The science of the nervous system.

• Tool #2: Stress-reduction breathing tools.

• Mindfulness and its Benefits.

• Tool #3: 10-minute guided relaxation meditation.

You can also opt for a 90-minute workshop (at no additional cost):

• How to spot burnout.

• Tool #4: Grounding technique.

• Break-out groups: Discuss your session experience; which stress-reduction tool worked best for you?

• Around the room: What is your biggest takeaway from today’s workshop?

In the days after the session, most participants reported having success in using the tools to achieve one or more of the following: less anxiety; longer and better quality of sleep; enhanced ability to deal with stressful situations; more positive thinking; less overthinking; enhanced focus; and improved interactions with children, partners and co-workers.

Participants should schedule at least 10 minutes of free space into their calendars after the workshop. For example, if the 90-minute workshop finishes at 10.30 am, you should plan the next appointment for 10.40 am or later. Knowing they have to go straight into another meeting will disrupt their focus and take away from their experience.

If the leadership team is willing to participate in the session and takes the lead in driving participation, do the 90-minute session. The 90-minute session provides more tools and allows more sharing and communication between the team members. If the leadership team is not present, I suggest the 60-minute session; team members will be more comfortable dedicating an hour out of their day.

You know your organisation best. In my experience, if the leadership team is present, your team will feel more comfortable taking time out of their day, and engagement will be higher. Historically, participation rates will be 50-75% if leaders encourage and attend the sessions. If the leader does not drive the session, rates will be approximately 15- 30%. Other factors determining engagement are session length, time of day, and the amount of promotion you do.

Any time of the day is excellent. At the start of the day, fewer distractions will arise.