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4. By Yvette Elcock

Mighty oaks from little acorns grow!

This lunchtime I took part in a 60-minute webinar with Michelle Lucas where she positioned a new book that she has contributed to and edited (now on order):

Now I'm a bit of a CPD 'junkie' at the moment (probably most of the time that I have any time actually) with business having fallen away big-time, and what a fabulous hour it was.

Michelle positioned the 'why?' of the book and then gave those of presnet the opportunity to work in smaller break out groups to experience a technique of our choice.

The three techniques were:

* Free writing

* Giving an object a voice

* Working with tree images

She had some light suggestions for when people might choose to use each one - focus, alternatives and reflections - and off we went.

I chose working with tree images and a picture of three birch trees in my own garden.  I shared my screen with my fellow particiapnts (didn't know I could do this in break out rooms so some technical learning too!) some of my insights included:

* Flexibility of their trunks bending in the wind and alignment with my supervision style

* Shedding bark to continue to grow and alignment with my supervision stances of personal, professional and practice growth and develeopment

* A small bird nesting box put up a couple of days before lockdown and now inhabited by a family of blue tits (Mr & Mrs This & That!) that I wasn't expecting until next year at least and aligned to the importance of time for new active reflection to bring about new reflective action.  Pre-Covid-19 I would have been too busy to notice they had joined my garden and probably working mainly abroad

* The life cycle of the trees from bare of leaves to lush and green and alignment with stages of learning and development in me and my clients

* Borrowing the background of my copper beech hedging and neighbour's trees and aligned with the colalborative relational aspects of my supervision style

* The importance of wanting my own photo of trees and not a search engine one - still reflecting on what this is about

* Most of the participant group chose to work with this technique and Michelle's light offering of working our work in nature when/if we can

* These three sessions would work virtually, face-to-face, 1:1s or groups, coaching, supervision and workshop reflective sessions

* And unexpectedly, technical ideas about working more effectively with Zoom - using music for break out room background if appropriate and encouraging turn the volume up/down/off dependin on personal preference, sharing my own screen in break out rooms as had never thought of doing this (!), more planful use of the reaction button.

Huge thanks to Michelle and my fellow AOCS members. I genuinely cannot wait to delve more deeply into the book.

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