Developing Soft Skills:

Putting POSSIBILITY

back into PRACTICE

PAMELA SWEET • FCIP, RPP STEVE FRITH • MCIP, RPP

VANCOUVER 2013PLANNING INSTITUTE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF PLANNERS

JULY 8, 2013

PUTTING POSSIBILITY BACK INTO PRACTICE

Outline of Workshop

1. Introduction

2. Adopting a Positive Attitude

3. Collaboration and Vulnerability

4. Sharing Positive Possibility

5. Wrap up and Continuing the Conversation

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Planners are NATURALLY

Optimistic

Ann McAfee

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(Planner)

• Don’t “Curb your enthusiasm”

• Renew your enthusiasm for planning

• Put the zip into planning

• How to stay optimistic

• Asked some fellow Fellows…..

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I always found that work was MORE FUN than fun

Noel Coward

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Make PASSIONATE love to your city

Paul Bedford

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A planner has to be VISIONARY and

BELIEVE that one’s contributions will

make a difference

N.Tunnacliffe

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Seek and seize NEW OPPORTUNITIES even

when we are out of our comfort zone.  Travel, hang out with young people, think about city building through the eyes of non-planners

Marni Cappe

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Nothing succeeds like

SUCCESSJohn Livey

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When I feel pessimistic, with further searching optimism will return.  It always does.

Ray Spaxman

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Life is full of misery, loneliness and

suffering- and it’s all over much too soon

Woody Allen

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Optimism? It makes us look naive and ill-

informed.  I like realism

Joe Berridge

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Thinking that I am doing the right thing and helping make

things better, even in a modest way

John Steil

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Stay connected with students. Their ENERGY and OPTIMISM is

contagiousGerry Couture

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Students seek advice and in turn impart their enthusiasm for their career ahead

Ann McAfee

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Welcome women into planning.  They bring a CONSTRUCTIVE & COLLABORATIVE

approach to the business which helps society move

forward

N. Tunnacliffe (a man)

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Have a sense of

HUMOUR and don’t be afraid to share it

Mary Bishop

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“If you’re not fired with enthusiasm, you’ll be fired, with enthusiasm.”

Vince Lombardi, NFL coach

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Planners get to place a small mark on the canvas of those who came before us. Lucky us.

F .Lewinberg

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Planning is based on faith:

You must BELIEVE in a future;That this future could be better;That this possibly better future can be achieved through human efforts;That the human efforts involved include planning.

Hok-Lin Leung

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EXERCISE #1 – Adopting a Positive Attitude

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1. Reflection- How do you stay optimistic? (on post-it notes write one strategy per note)

2. Share with your group

3. Stick similar strategies together

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Nothing great was ever achieved WITHOUT ENTHUSIASM•

R. W. Emerson

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In admitting our WEAKNESSES, we find STRENGTH•

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By expressing UNCERTAINTY, we earn TRUST•

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And by acting with HUMILITY, we gain CONFIDENCE•

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These are PARADOXES•

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These PARADOXES of vulnerability are for us,

the key to achieving TRUE COLLABORATION•

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EXERCISE #2 – Inviting Collaboration Through Invitation

IN PAIRINGS OF TWO:

1. Share a problem (use ‘I feel’ statements).

2. The responder identifies and expresses empathy for the person sharing the problem.

3. The responder then asks a question to embark upon collaboration and possibility.

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The last of human freedomsis the ability to CHOOSE ONE’SATTITUDE in any given set of

circumstances•Viktor Frankl

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Is this FEAR just here to destroy me

or to tell me to do SOMETHING

about it?

Immaculée Ilibagiza

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From these stories, and our own professional experience, no one can

ever take our ATTITUDE or DIGNITY away from us•

These are ours, AND OURS ALONE•

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POSITIVE ENERGY

COLLEAGUESGRATITUDE

GENEROSITY

POSSIBILITY

AFFIRMATION

CITIZENS

CLIENTS

FAMILY

FRIENDSPOSITIVITY

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Why is this IMPORTANT?

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It is important because our work MATTERS•

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We can affect a GREATER GOOD when we ENVISION

a positive future with positive investments toward positive change•

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EXERCISE #3 – Sharing Positive Possibility

IN PAIRINGS OF TWO (WITH A DIFFERENT STRANGER):

1. Convey something about your work that you are looking forward to and why.

2. The respondent acknowledges the person’s enthusiasm (echoes this) and shows an understanding of what it is about.

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PUTTING POSSIBILITY BACK INTO PRACTICE

Continuing the conversation:

CIP new web site blog- Andrew Sacret,

Director, Policy & Public Affairs, CIP

Other ideas?

PUTTING POSSIBILITY BACK INTO PRACTICE