These are the slides I used for delivering my workshop to the SATAC district 79 international Toastmasters conference in The Sheraton in Dammam on April 22, 2016. This conference is a major Toastmasters' event as it hosted two world speaking champions. I was honored with delivering my workshop to the entire conference audience in the main hall.
2. OUTLINE
• What “Change” means
• Three models of change
• The 6 reactions to change
• Stress Management
• Awareness of Personal Change
• Exploring Your Options
• Following the Change
• It’s your choice!
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3. What is Change?
• Change is the introduction of something that moves us
outside of our comfort zone.
• The adjustment period to change depends on the
individual.
• It is easiest for those who can “flex” their approach in
different circumstances at life and work, but can be
devastating for people who are unable to let go.
• Change is needed if we are unhappy with where we are
or when old practices/processes no longer work.
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4. What is Change?
Five Aspects of Change
1. It is about doing something we are not used to doing.
2. It often leads us to think about what we give up, instead
of what we could gain.
3. Although some of us might be happy to greet change,
for many it can be overwhelming.
4. If the pressure to change is lessened, people will quite
quickly and naturally revert to their previous behaviors.
5. Sometimes, change makes people focus on the need for
new resources (materials, training, people) when their
needs can actually be met with existing resources.
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5. The Bridges’ Change Model
• William Bridges is a highly respected authority on
change in the workplace.
• He says that many change initiatives are set up to fail
because they are “change heavy and transition light.”
Give two examples of change.
Describe transition.
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6. The Bridges’ Change Model
• Transition is what helps you come to terms with
change.
• A transition can be explained as having three stages:
– Ending: This is the adjustment to not doing something in a
familiar way. We have to let go of something that is well
known, even dependable.
– Neutral Zone: Here we are in a sort of waiting period,
handing in mid-air, without access to what we did in the
past and with no instruction about the future.
– New Beginning: Here we embrace the little known or
unknowable and start over.
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7. The Bridges’ Change Model
• You can help others survive a big
transition. For each of the transition
stages below, provide two to three
helpful actions that you could do.
1. Ending
2. Neutral Zone
3. Beginnings
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8. The Bridges’ Change Model
• One of the most devastating changes can take place
is when you lose your job. In this circumstance, the
Endings stage could include the following:
– Losing regular income
– Losing touch with colleagues and friends
– Not having somewhere to be every day
– Having to change future plans
– Having to change the way that you apply your
knowledge, skills, and talent
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9. The Bridges’ Change Model
What transition targets could you set for the
neutral stage of a job change or job loss?
What would you do to mark the beginning stage
of this type of transition?
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10. The Conner Change Model
• Daryl Conner wrote a best selling book in 1992 that
described “The Speed of Change.”
• Conner’s model emphasizes the importance of
preparing for the transition.
• It also discusses the importance of keeping an
organization in a state of “perpetual unrest.”
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12. The Conner Change Model
People have a need for control.
• In order to deal with change, we need to
accept that there are just some things we
can’t control.
• You may also want to focus on the things
about the situation that you can control, such
as your reaction to it.
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13. The Conner Change Model
The need for control can be met by dictating,
or at least anticipating, the future.
• We can get a head start on dealing with change
by identifying some possible ways that the
situation could shape itself.
– For example, if you’re in charge of restructuring
the department, you may want to keep in mind that
one of your staff members may choose not to accept
a new position, even though you have decided to
assign it to them.
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14. The Conner Change Model
Expectations are established based on what
can be dictated or anticipated.
• If you expect that your staff member will accept a
new position, then you are expecting that the
change has been entirely within your control and
you have managed it well.
• However, if you open yourself up to multiple
possibilities, then you are expanding your
expectations, making it more possible that reality
will match your expectations. 14
15. The Conner Change Model
If reality matches expectations, you feel in
control. If reality does not match
expectations, you lose that sense of control.
– If the staff member suddenly decides to quit rather than
accept their new assignment, you will likely feel as though
the impending change is out of your control. To avoid this,
it’s important to be aware of the big picture and to keep
expectations in control throughout the change process.
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16. The Conner Change Model
• If some of the difficulty in managing
change comes from our expectations,
how can we help people manage change
in terms of their expectations?
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17. The Janssen Change Model
• People all react to change differently and will
naturally transition at different speeds.
• The Janssen model uses the metaphor of a
four-room apartment, where the individuals
in a room are each at a similar state of their
transition, but the four rooms combined
represent where the entire organization is.
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19. The Janssen Change Model
• Consider a change that you are currently
undertaking at work. Write it down.
• What room do you think you are in?
• Why?
• What strategies can you suggest to try and move
as many people as possible from the Confusion
room to the Renewal room?
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20. Six Reactions to Change
• People react differently to change.
• You can use the following terms to put language to
how people react to change and to understand what
that means for managers who are responsible for
implementing change in the workplace.
– Innovators
– Early Adopters
– Early Majority
– Late Majority
– Late Adopters
– Diehards
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21. Six Reactions to Change
Innovators
• Those who want to try new ways of doing
things or who have responsibility for
continuous improvement.
• They will be pushing for change, eager to
make things more efficient and up to date, and
ready to try something different.
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22. Six Reactions to Change
Early Adopters
• The first to embrace the changes.
• They may even rush in before they fully
understand the change and why it is necessary.
• They welcome change, either because they
immediately see the benefits or, perhaps,
because they prefer variety to routine.
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23. Six Reactions to Change
Early Majority
• Those who are influenced by initiators and
early adopters and who prefer to be ahead of
the wave rather than swamped by it.
Late Majority
• They hold back until they are sure they know
what they are doing and until they believe the
change has a fair chance of working. Only then
do they come on board.
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24. Six Reactions to Change
Late Adopters
The last to come on board and they may not
come willingly.
• They are not easily convinced of the value of
change, but they can be moved to accept the
change.
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25. Six Reactions to Change
Diehards
• Resist the change.
• They do not come on board.
• They may be terminated or they may be moved
to a backwater position in the organization
where their resistance interferes with
operations less.
• They can become angry and bitter about the
way things are going.
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28. Six Reactions to Change
Case Study
• Jim is a self-made success. He learned on his own and
read hundreds of books. His life style is very organized
and neat. He decorated his house over many months,
everything is neat and in its perfect place (spotless). He
has a great yard with many neat and perfectly designed
flower beds and bushes. He is also very busy with
exercise routines and social gatherings.
• One day, his brother called him and told him had had to
go on a special business assignment for 6 months and
he needs someone to watch his dog for him. Jim
accepted.
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29. Six Reactions to Change
Case Study
• If Jim is an Early Adopter, how will he
adapt to his new dog?
• If Jim is a Late Adopter, how will he adapt
to his new dog?
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31. Stress Management through
Positive Self-Talk
• Self-talk is defined as the things you say to
yourself about a situation, as part of your
reaction to it.
• Negative self-talk often escalates the tension
felt during a difficult situation.
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32. Stress Management through
Positive Self-Talk
• Negative self-talk tends to become almost
automatic over a period of time; it reinforces
itself through repetition and is not easily
replaced by positive self-talk.
• In order to reduce your own stress levels, it is
important to become aware of when you use
negative self-talk.
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33. Awareness of Personal Change
• As we have discussed so far, for people
undergoing change, two very important points
emerge:
– Change is constant.
– Our ability to take part in a transition shifts us
through the process of change.
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34. • Which of the following areas of your life are
currently in transition (check all that apply):
___ job/career (promotion, layoff, reorganization, etc.)
___ relationship changes (new relationship, breakup,
marriage, etc.)
___ finances (making large purchases, getting out of debt,
holding too much debt)
___ addiction treatment (intervention, recovery, or
awareness)
___ medical or health issues (recent illness, injury, etc.)
___ spiritual crisis
___ balance (exercise, diet, lifestyle)
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Awareness of Personal Change
35. • Of the areas checked in the question on the
previous slide, which did you experience
transition with in the last 12 months?
• What phase are you in for each of the
transitions?
– Contentment: Comfortable and confident in the status
quo.
– Denial: Afraid to admit that things have changed, and
spending a lot of energy focused on the past.
– Confusion: Still experiencing some anxiety, but ready for
constructive action.
– Renewal: Lots of energy for creative work. 35
Awareness of Personal Change
36. How do you want where you are now to be
different in confronting transitions that are yet to
begin?
What opportunities or gifts are within your
current and upcoming transitions?
What behaviors are you ready to release in
order to make your transitions less stressful in the
future?
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Awareness of Personal Change
37. Exploring Your Options
• It is not true that we have to accept change.
Some people adjust to change while others do
not.
• That does not mean that change won’t occur; it
means that some individuals will not embrace
its benefits and they will not willingly involve
themselves in any kind of transition.
• It does not mean that those individuals will be
able to avoid change.
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38. Exploring Your Options
• If your options include accepting change
or rejecting it, how will you approach it in
the future?
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39. Examining the Reality
• Change is constant and, as we saw in an earlier
module, it may be more effective to teach people that
it is better to be in a constant state of unrest than to
undergo one change at a time as if it were an
unwelcome distraction.
• If we consider the amount of change that has taken
place in the last 100 years, we can also appreciate
how much more quickly things have changed in the
last 50 of those years.
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40. Following the Change
• If we do not continue to reinforce what has changed,
people will quite quickly return to their previous,
well-established habits and routines.
• Evaluating how you thrive during transition will help
you to determine whether you are headed in the right
direction, toward the greater goal or vision that you
have set.
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41. Following the Change
• The following questions will help you determine whether
you are keeping on track and identify any adjustments
that need to be made. You can add a copy of this list to
your day timer or task list to help you stay on track.
How many of my daily goals did I achieve?
For those that I did not achieve, is there a theme or a pattern?
Perhaps an activity or issue that I seem to be avoiding? If so,
how am I going to address those in the future?
Did I take action every day that helped me move toward
achieving my goals?
What can I learn from last week’s actions and results that will
help me through next week?
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42. Your Behavior is Your Choice
• Remember that what you do – or don’t do – is your
choice.
• It is very seldom true that we have no choice over
anything. Work, and life, will continually present you
with opportunities to grow and thrive.
• The daily practices on the next slide will help you to
focus on the future while enjoying the present.
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43. Your Behavior is Your Choice
Survival Guide for Transition
Expect only “good” from others and yourself. Not “perfect,”
but “good.”
Practice kindness and generosity.
Maintain a balanced and varied diet, and exercise.
Surround yourself with positive and supportive people.
Develop your spiritual self to keep true to your beliefs.
Love what you choose to do for a living, but don’t make it
your identity.
Nurture meaningful relationships and friendships.
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44. Your Behavior is Your Choice
Survival Guide for Transition (cnt’d).
• Practice forgiveness and mean it. Forgive yourself for past
mistakes without guilt or self-recrimination. Do not hold
resentment against others. Acknowledge that all of you were
doing the best you could at the time.
• Celebrate continually. Small and large successes – and life
itself – are meant to be celebrated.
• Recognize that circumstances in your life are your reality and
that they reflect your thoughts and beliefs. Be open to the
learning that comes with those circumstances and accept your
part in creating what happens to you.
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