Different Strokes for Different Folks

Bonnie Tsai, France

Bonnie Tsai is a teacher and teacher trainer who has worked around the world running teacher training courses for teachers of all ages, levels, and needs. She has been trained in such humanistic approaches such as Suggestopedia, N.L.P. and Psychodramaturgie Lingusitque. She has studied the theory and practice of Multiple Intelligence with Dr. Howard Gardner at Harvard University. Long time Pilgrims trainer. E-mail: tsaibonnie@hotmail.com

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Introduction
What’s in a Name?

Introduction

This is the second in a series of three articles based on activities created by the wonderful participants of the July 2009 NLP Course for Teachers held at Pilgrims in Canterbury, England. The theme of this article is building rapport in a group. Rapport is one of the most important features or characteristics of unconscious human interaction. It is commonality of perspective: being "in sync" with, or being "on the same wave length" of another person or group with whom you are talking. Commonly teachers do what can be called bonding activities or warmers to create rapport in their classes.

There are a number of techniques that are beneficial in building rapport such as: matching your body language ( posture, gesture, and so forth); maintaining eye contact; and matching breathing rhythm. These techniques are explored in Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Milton Erickson one of the models used when the system of NLP was developed, had the ability to enter into the world view of his patients and, from that vantage point was able to make extremely effective interventions so that his clients could overcome life problems.

During Pilgrim’s NLP course run by Bonnie Tsai, Frantisek (Fero) Rigo and Nelida Gonzalez created an amazing activity using names as a means of creating rapport on the first day of a class. Here is the activity and Fero and Nelida join me in hoping that you enjoy using it.

What’s in a Name?

This is a set of activities aimed at students at pre-intermediate level and above.
Different input activities are combined so that rapport is created and the sensory modalities are used to enhance the establishment of the rapport within the group. It is used as an introductory module in which students and teacher become acquainted with each other, while building a low-affective atmosphere. It is also meant to give the teacher the opportunity to get to know their students from the NLP point of view.

Warming up

1. Quick revision of the alphabet.
   Students stand up as they hear the first letter of their names. They each go and write their name on the board and spell it. The class react greeting each student.
2. Students comment on the names written on the board from their personal point of view.
3. Students are put into groups of four according to the alphabetical order. The Poem
4. Students listen to the following poem while soft music and if you wish power point presentation of it..
   
5. Once they listen to the poem, students are put into groups and discuss the following questions:
   1. Where do you see your name written?
   2. Do you like the sound of your name?
   3. Do you like the shapes of the letters in your name?
   4. Is there any special feeling that comes to your mind when you hear your name?
6. NAMES IN A PIECE OF PAPER
   1. Students write their names in a piece of paper as nicely as they can.
   2. Within the group of four choose a partner, using no words but only eye contact. Look at your partner’s name written on a piece of paper. Look at the name and think about it for a while. Then look at your partner. Listen to the teacher and write the beginnings of sentences he dictates to you....
      
                Someone who’s called .......... comes from....
                Someone who’s called .......... usually
                Someone who’s called .......... is really good at ...
                Someone who’s called .......... thinks that ...
                Someone who’s called .......... is ...
   3. When the students have written the beginnings of sentences they have a couple of minutes to complete them with information they THINK IS TRUE for the person they write about.
   4. After the students have completed the sentences they share their ideas with the whole group. Each person gives feedback to what extent, if at all, the statements are true about them. They give correct information for the wrong statements.
      1. Two students from each group swap with other two students from a different group, so that we get a group of four students where two people in each pair already know something about themselves. Their task is to introduce their original partner to the new members of the group.
         
         This is Nelida, she is from Spain, she teaches English, she is really good at swimming, she thinks that English weather is terrible but she is happy to be here.
         The new partners react like this: Hi, Nelida. Nice to meet you, I LIKE your scarf.
      2. When all the students have introduced each other to the new students, they swap again and thus create a new group of four people and repeat activity.
7. Each of the students say their names and surnames and express how they feel about them with their partner.
        I like/ don’t like my name because .....
        I’d like to change my name to ........
        People often have problems remembering/ writing/ pronouncing my name ....
        When I was a child .....
8. After getting some feedback on the activity, the teacher will ask the students to reframe the negative feelings their names can evoke in them. Each of the students will provide their names and surnames and write them in a piece of paper following teacher’s instructions. For each letter of both name and surname, they will think of a word beginning with this letter. The teacher limits the choice of words to animals, countries/ towns, food, colours, and something that defines the student.
9. Students look at the words and choose two of them they like the most. The
10. teacher introduces 4 categories (feelings/ movements, images, sounds, smells and flavours).
11. Students take turns to read out one of the chosen words. The class listen to the words and place them in each category. All students get to read both favourite words and stand up to compare their category choices with their classmates.

Conclusion

What have you learnt about your classmates? What have you learnt about your name?
Each student chooses a partner by setting eye contact and writes 4 words they have learnt about their partners and their names.

Optional Homework

Using these words, students create a metaphor about their chosen partner, and if time is available, they are asked to make up a story based on the metaphor.

Please check the NLP for Teachers course at Pilgrims website.