Have you had moments
Where you have nothing to feed your soul
Except your own listless mind.
Have you experienced days when minutes seem like hours?
When every second drags endlessly
Have u wished you were somewhere else far away from the familiar
Just to see what that might rustle up?
Have you longed to dance with unknown
To sense the spectrum of what lies ahead.
Have you felt the days come and go
Bringing nothing but monotony?
Have you wondered if this is the will of God
That you must endure with no one to share.
Have you wanted to dance in the wind,
Be free as a feather and flow light and easy?
Without freedom we are stifled souls
With nothing to look forward
Suppressed emotions all bottled within
Rebellion bursting at the seams
A breakdown awaiting itself.
Feeding the soul
Begins with freeing the soul
Unshackling it from self limitations.
Of fear and repression.
Freedom is that which frees up the spirit of the soul.
Enthuses enterprise and initiative.
Values expression & creative spirit
To honor the life in the being.
When dance lessons are adapted to suit the requirements of a specific group there is greater relevance in dance education and its application.
Here are 6 Valuable Tips while conducting Adapted Dancing workshops.
1. Empathetic Communication
Communication is a very important part of any dance education. Especially so in dance workshops in special groups. When addressing a session it is important to keep a clear and empathic tone to establish a sense of connection and care. Whatever the language of communication, maintaining appropriate eye contact provides the necessary connect of being spoken to in the session.
2. Simplicity of Steps
Breaking a pattern to teach by dividing it into simple steps or simplifying it all for every one by choosing easy to do steps makes it more relatable.
In case of dancers with balance issues it is necessary to initially modify / alter steps or reduce directional changes to suit these parameters and progress from there.
Ideally starting of with simply the foot work without working on the arm movements helps focusing on learning one thing at a time. The progression must be gradual in time.
Photo& Artwork credits Savvy Raj
3. Matter of Repetitions.
It is necessary to do a number of repetitive movements of the same steps in order for the muscle memory to form. Hence repetition helps more than switching to other movements.
Depending on the groups capacity to continue, taking a pause, interspersed with explanation or some motivation in between is also a good idea so that it does not get too challenging or monotonous.
4. Ease ofFormations
There are different dance formations like the square circle and line etc. However conducting the dance workshop in circular formation is known to bring about a sense of community.
Adapting other dances creatively to this formation initially helps when the participants can see the instructors movements in the center.
5. Slower Music
Besides choosing appropriate songs even decreasing the tempo of the music aids in keeping up with the music Especially for new group of dancers and dancers with special needs.
6. Value ofInclusiveness
Most importantly ensuring everyone in the group is feeling included & addressed to, is positively impactful.
Coaching another and transferring skillsets is an art.
A true story I came across which is worth reading…
“I boarded flight from Bangalore to Mumbai, economy class. I put my hand bag in overhead bin and took my aisle seat. There was an old person sitting next to me on the window seat.
I had a presentation in Mumbai, so took my documents and started going through them for the final time before the presentation. After 15–20 minutes I was done with my documents, so I put them away and started looking out of the window, and suddenly I looked at the face of this person sitting next to me. I thought I have seen him somewhere.
He was old, his face, the suit was not very expensive, and he was replying to some mails or going through some documents. I exactly don’t know. I noticed his shoes, they were average quality.
Something stuck me and I asked him:
*“Are you Mr. Narayana Murthy?”*
He looked at me, smiled and replied, *“Yes, I am.”*
I was shocked !
For one second I had no idea what to say next. I looked at him again. His shoes, his suit, his tie and his specs. Everything was average. This guy was worth $2.3 Billion and co-founded Infosys.
I always wanted to become super rich so that I can buy all the luxury and travel business class. He could buy the whole airlines and yet he was sitting next to me in economy class!
I again asked: *“Why are you travelling in economy class and not business class?”*
He replied:
*“Do Business class people reach early?”*
And then introduced myself, “Hello sir! My name is ***** and I am a freelance corporate trainer and I work with many MNCs PAN India.”
He then put his phone away and started listening to me, he also asked few questions and answered the questions I asked. We both went down deep into the conversation until I asked a question which was about to change my life entirely.
I questioned:
*Sir, You are so successful and have made so many good decisions in your life. Is there something you regret?”*
He got intense look on his face, thought for a while and answered,
*“Sometimes my knee hurts, I should have taken better care of my body. When I was young I was so busy working that I never got time to take care of myself and now even if I want to work more, I can’t. My body doesn’t permit.”*
*“You are young. You are smart and ambitious but don’t repeat the mistake I made. Take proper care of your body and take proper rest. This is the only body you have got!”*
That day I learned two things, one that he told me and another that he showed me!”
Being rich is not about owning things.
I had got what I needed.
What a great and down to earth human being he is, no doubt he is so successful!
There are many types of feedbacks given and solicited in a typical corporate environment.
In the art of management the topic of critical appraisals and sharing feedbacks is a nerve wracking process on both sides. For the truth is feedbacks at work take not only a whole lot of in- depth analysis, but it takes courage and common sense deliver. And often they can be the toughest of conversations to have.
Are you feeling uncertain about how to confront a feedback session.At work there will be time where you might have faced a feedback session .
If you have been the one who is giving feedback to your team or a member of your team here are six tips that can help you master the art of giving feedbacks.
Prepare
Keep the perspectives clear of what was expected and agreed upon earlier and the issues that is evident. Give a clear picture of what has been observed to the receiver. Remember you are addressing the work issues, dont get personal.
Proper time and place
Ensure you are slotting a feedback time that is mutually least distracting.
This will ensure there is the required focus and necessary attention to the discussion at hand.
Ask and listen well
Contrary to what is understood about feedbacks time the reviewer needs to hear more and speak less often to deliver objective feedbacks to resolve issues.
Avoid letting your own ego from taking too much space. Instead Inquire more into why certain things are not going well. Speak less ask more open ended questions and let them speak and ask for feedbacks and own up to their mistakes. That way you will not be crushing egos but resolving issues you are facing as a team .Avoid bombarding. Be empathetic but assertive.
Sandwich
Choose your words and sentences well.Feedbacks and critical analysis involves being mindful of the words you choose and conveying the criticism in a well meaning way so that you are not directly attacking the receiver. This will ensure they are able to digest and understand what is going wrong and not stagnate by becoming defensive.
Remember it is not a war of egos and ensure you avoid making it one .
Be clear & concise
Vagueness is not going to resolve anything. Be objective in your feedback . If someone is a perpetual latecomer then mention specifically how many times they are late in the last month .
This will make them more accountable and lead to ownership and better productivity at work.
See the Bigger Picture
When you giving feedback address the issue and do not attack the person’s character. Try your best to see things in the larger frame . Avoid being petty and leave your own ego aside before you begin.Remind yourself always to envision the bigger picture. And remember that it is not personal.
Feedbacks in general can be a very valuable tool for companies.and there are many types of feedbacks.
Have you given or received feedbacks recently.
What are your expectations and experiences on feedbacks?
Life throws curveballs at you when you least expect. Sometimes it may be your own expectations that are set high. Simply adjust your attitude to life and let go of unnecessary expectations.
Choose instead, to keep the faith, trust in yourself and hope for the better.
Life begins to shape up differently.
When you are feeling downhill When you are feeling demoralized When you feeling disappointed When you feeling demotivated
Just remember everything is meant to change.
What is today lasts not forever. What is hurting today will become a faint memory in time. What seems to be important will lose its significance. What is stressful will begin to ease in time.
When the odds are too high They must even out soon enough. Trust time to keep moving Have faith, for one makes way for the other.
To combat the cruelties of this world we must start thinking globally not just locally and realise how much our world is hurting all over from all that’s truly unfair.
If only we could realize how valuable it is to be appreciated and supported .
If we could only know how important it is to feel inclusive in our diverse ways.
We must understand that love and kindness is the only way besides adopting a non-judgmental approach.
We must realise how vulnerable life is, but beyond feeling victimized and create further suffering due to negative thoughts…
We need to respond with empathy, show unity through kindness and compassionate deeds.
The power of kindness is truly infinite.
KINDNESS IS THE PRAYER IN ACTION.
Every weapon made, adds to the fear
And false satisfaction of keeping you safe.
You can never be safe, when at war
Every armor is simply a pointer
Of the state of things.
Of the need of peace than war.
Every need to create ammunition
Shows the truth of retaliations.
Revenge in fear or dare is never the answer.
Resolution is where peace makes its way.
If we must be led, let us be lead
In strength of patience.
To explore possibilities
Let us choose to disarm.
Let us disengage and make amends.
Let us choose peace than war.
Let us find the middle path
In reconciliation.
Let us recognize the wrongs done.
Let us learn to undo the mistakes.
And move in harmony and oneness.
That is when we can together
Heal the world in peace
And make it worth living.
Management calls for special skillsets but with changing times the skills have much to do with empathy in people management. Every head of department faces different sets of difficult situations but most common to all is getting the work done by the team effectively increasing productivity with the available resources.
You are improving your team every time you incorporate the following ways
1. When you talk less, and are listening more.
2 . When you begin to delegate work to the right team members and increase the sense of responsibility in them.
3.When you are able to speak assertively with confidence and empathy than simply ordering people around.
4. When you are able to analyze and share appraisals to resolve and find solutions in a non judgmental manner.
5. When you are able to steer and guide them in their endeavors without overtaking the joy of effort.
6. When you practising collaborating with your team instead of trying to be the controlling one.
Every team is unique as the people in it and this makes it uniquely interesting to manage as well.
There you are at church. Your baby or toddler is restless. Perhaps even a little boisterous. You try to silence them, and nothing. You try to pacify them with food or toys, and nothing. Eventually, you resort to the last thing you wanted to do: you pick them up, and before a watching audience, you make the march out of the church. All the while you’re a little embarrassed, maybe a little frustrated too. You might even think to yourself, “There’s no point in coming to church. I get nothing out of it because I have to constantly care for my kid.”
I want you – mothers and/or fathers – to know just how encouraging you are to so many. The elderly woman who often feels alone beams with a smile at the sight of you wrestling with your little one. She’s been there before. She knows how hard it can be, but she smiles because to hear that brings back precious memories. Seeing young parents and their small children brighten her day; she may have just received bad news about her health but seeing the vitality of young ones removes – if but for a moment – her fears. The older man who always seems to be grouchy notices you too. He’s always talking about how children in this day have no respect or sense of goodness. But he sees you – a young family – in church every week. Like clockwork, he can depend on the sight of you and your young family. You give him hope that maybe the Church isn’t doomed after all, because there are still young parents who love God enough to bring their restless children to church.
Bring your children to church! If we don’t hear crying, the church is dying. As hard as it might be for you as a parent who’s half-asleep, keep on doing what you’re doing. You are an encouragement, and you’re starting off your children’s lives as you should. – Author unknown
Came across this beautifully expressed piece recently. Was moved to share it here. Have encountered this kind of approach to parenting in many cultures across the world. Not only in churches but where people are silencing self expression in their growing years.
And there is also the other extreme where whatever the child does is ok! That is the other side of the issue in question.
Yes I agree, we must ensure our children are well behaved in society as they grow.We need to help instill good values.
But there are cultures where if a little child speaks out aloud while traveling in a bus for example the mother goes apologizing for the sounds the little kid is making.
Extreme restraint restrictions, repriminding and silencing are negative reinforcements in suppression of self expression.
Yes there are limits to tolerating childrens tantrums, and bad behavior. Teaching them proper social etiquette is part of good nurturing. But controlling even natural things like laughter and speech can become a little too suffocating. What do you think?
Are you free at all then? Isn’t that a little too restrictive. I wonder?
What is life without a little expression.
Life is meant to live and let life live.
Yes there are stark differences across the world in raising children. To each his own.
Lets hope to share the world with them in positive possibilities lovingly.
Chances are they will hopefully treat you just as well in your old age.
Today’s ever changing corporate environment calls for new kinds of people management skills.
From managing teams to peoples problems and handling customer service,an empathetic approach helps create a positive difference and transform work culture.
So what is empathy after all?
Empathy is about being able to perceive and understand another’s point of view using their frame of reference.
To sense the flow of the moment with another.
To communicate with & be able to understand another’s perspectives insecurities and pain points.
Empathy is a positive approach aimed at improving teamwork and building teams , bridges gaps of communication implementing changes through appreciation, support & encouragement than unnerving others with negativity & criticism that can be rather demoralizing.
Empathy can create and build trust and rapport that you can tap into. In using empathic responses, problems can find meaningful and lasting solutions.
In using empathy with skill, you show respect & value for another.
There is a huge wave of empathy oriented approaches in businesses across the world. This is truly valuable and must be encouraged.
After all empathy is a main contender in a list of skills that show emotional intelligence quotient of an individual.
Savvy Raj 
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