Drink Wine and Giggle

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the International Coach Federation-Toronto members’ meeting at The Old Mill here in Toronto (where I had my wedding reception by the way).

The guest presenters were Lynne Everatt and Julie Smethurst, authors of “The GREATER Good: Drink Wine and Giggle.” I didn’t know what to expect – but do know that the room is always filled with interesting people and is always a good time (coaches are great to be around!).

Well, the presentation was certainly different. If you had told me everyone in the room would be up and doing the salsa that evening, I would not have believed you. Lynne put on her i-pod and away we went—dancing to the tune of La Vie Es Un Carnaval (Life is a Carnival). Spoiler alert: I don’t like to dance, am very self-conscious but….dance I did!! It was loads of fun and a great ice-breaker.

And that wasn’t even the highlight. One of the exercises from the book is an “I Am From” exercise. We were tasked with writing (on some pretty neat stationery provided) an “I Am From” story about ourselves. There were no rules; nothing had to rhyme.

Julie’s (from the book) went like this:

I am from summers on the beach and memories,
My memories
My story.
I am from determination and conviction.
From the love of a devoted husband
From the bond of mother and child.
Faithful friends sustain me.
I am from a spirit that stirs within me,
A spirit that urges me to dream, to believe and to create.

Wow!

I scribbled this down:

I am from the streets of New York City
Strong….determined…..forthright
I wear my emotions on my sleeve
Devoted friend, wife, mother
Committed to helping others
Honest…frank….passionate
Always striving for what’s just out of reach.

She asked for a volunteer to read aloud (and offered up a bottle of wine). One tentative hand went up (no, it was not mine). Awesome poem. Then another brave soul, then another and another. Nearly the entire room took a turn and the poems were fabulous! We joked that a room of coaches finally got a chance to talk rather than listen. It was a like an AA meeting… [reader: “Hi, I’m John”; audience “Hi John.”] And another observation…all the men took a turn (in a room filled primarily with women).

Anyway, the next time you’re with a group of friends or with your team, try this exercise. You’ll learn a lot about each other and it’s a real feel-good session.

Till next time!