Productivity Activities

This activity involves creating three columns on a whiteboard. In column three, the person lists their perceived strengths in productivity. In column one, they identify areas for improvement and barriers to overcome. The goal is to develop self-awareness and determine the actions needed to move items from column one to column three. This visualization technique helps with productivity. Now, we're going to give you another whiteboard activity that's going to be a little bit different than what we've shared in some of the other audio lessons. Think about three columns, and this is going to be a little bit different, okay? Think about starting with this topic called productivity. Let's assume you have a really good definition. Again, productivity is you fill in the blank by doing what, and then you list out the attributes and actions. Once you do that, you can use this activity. You create three columns on a whiteboard. You can do this digitally as well, and first you go to column three, the far right side of the board, which is a little bit backwards for most cultures. Typically, we go from left to right, and you list out all of the strengths the person perceives that they have specific to productivity. This is a little bit in reverse order of what we've taught in some other lessons as it relates to whiteboard coaching. This is a visualization technique. Here's the funny thing. When you think about productivity, productivity is very, very personal to people. Most people aren't going to say, you know, I really lack productivity. They're going to be defensive as to why they weren't productive. You go to column three. You list out all the things that they perceive to be their strengths. Don't argue if you don't agree. Just let them list it out, and then maybe even add some on your own and say, you know, here's a couple other areas where I think you have some strengths. Then you go to column one and say, honestly, let's be really transparent with each other. The reason you start with strengths, it creates momentum in the conversation. Go to column one and say, so what are some areas where you have opportunity to improve as it relates to productivity? What are some barriers maybe you need to get better at overcoming? Notice I didn't use the words constructive feedback. The greatest thing you can do is use words like opportunity, overcoming barriers, because they will become more adept at answering those questions and ultimately developing their own self-awareness. So once they list those out, we then go to column two and say, what do we need to do? What are the actions we need to take together to take column one and move it over to column three? It's a visualization technique tied to productivity.