WHICH BODY WILL DO IT?
I love this story “Which Body will Do It?” It shows how easily we get trapped at being one of these people!
This is the story of 4 people named everybody, somebody, anybody, and nobody. There was an important job to be done and everybody was sure that somebody would do it. Somebody got angry with that because it was everybody’s job. Everybody thought that anybody could do it but nobody realized that everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that everybody blamed somebody when nobody did what anybody could have done!
From the Dictionary of Thought: A good boss is someone who takes a little more than his/her share of the blame and a little less than his/her share of the credit.
When we are in front of other staff, do we create negative impressions? If we create positive impressions, how hard is it to do? Our facial muscles for smiling that we use have 52 muscles but when we frown, only 17 muscles are used. So, to us, it is easier to frown. When employees react to your frown, they may feel, sometimes, that their self-esteem was assaulted. How do we handle this?
I have done many workshops in 50+ years and I have faced groups who share those impressions in the way they sit or the attention they show when they are interested or bored. When I see that a subject may be too heavy for them at that moment, I would change the direction of the topic by having an icebreaker game. You can see the change afterwards, as the staff become more happier and more attentive as the workshop continues.
Some icebreakers had to do with laughing:
1. Laugh Counting – First staff says “ha.” Second staff adds “ha, ha.” This continues till all staff participated.
2. Laugh Testing – Have each staff laugh individually. Then have everyone laugh aloud for ONE SOLID MINUTE!
3. Sit in Chair laugh – Everyone grabs the chair at sides very tense and tight. At the count of 3 grabbing the chairs tightly, try to laugh. It is hard to do. Staff usually let go to get the laugh out.
Laughter is good for the soul. A good laugh can be compared to a mild workout, as it exercises the muscles, gets the blood flowing, decreases blood pressure and stress hormones, improves sleep patterns and boosts the immune system. Use those 17 muscles and keep your beautiful smiles flowing and glowing to others who see you!