Process Consultation and Resistance

We are all blind people…

ADLT 610 Consulting Skills Penny McFarlineOctober 18, 2010

…who can see…

…but who do not see.

Jose Saramago, author, Blindness

Learning ObjectivesWhat I hope we are able to do today together

More sight, less blindness about our own resistance and that in others

Deepen and broaden our understanding and acceptance of it

Practice recognizing and responding to it

What would you like to accomplish today?

Recap from last week

How does resistance show itself

How should consultants view

resistance

Definition of resistance

Origins of resistance

What do you remember

most from last week?

Why are we blind to signs of resistance?

Others?

Seduced by it

Blind to our Own resistance

Not practiced In recognizing

Cues as resistance

UncomfortableAddressing resistance

Don’t pay Attention to

cues

Blind to resistance

What are people really concerned about?

Tip: when you encounter resistance, look for concerns of vulnerability or control

What are some fears clients may have when seeking the help of a consultant?

I might lose

control

I am vulnerable

If we were Buddhists..

MostMost of the steps to enlightenment involve the self—knowing one’s own mind.

Tonight we start with the self in regards to resistance.

How do you show resistance?What are the underlying concerns it is

covering?Case study of you

With a partner:

Describe a time when you have been the helper or client. What did your resistance look like?

What underlying concerns (vulnerability, control) did the manifestation of resistance hide?

What would have helped you to feel like you could share your underlying concerns?

Dealing with Resistance a la Block Go with it—resistance to resistance is futile! Encourage full expression so it passes Help the client state the feelings underneath the

behaviors directly—by expressing it, it can pass Take three steps

Let client respond

Three Steps (it sounds so easy!)

Identify it Name itShut u

p

About it

Faces of Resistance Give me more detail, flood with detail, confusion,

silence, intellectualizing, attack, compliance, flight into health

Nonverbal: Looking at the time, moving away from you, bent over, shaking head

Listen to your own cues What other forms have you encountered?

Practice as a group: naming the resistanceThe compliant

client

The attacking client

The method questioning

client

The “it’s not my

Problem” client

The silent client

The distracted client

Looking back and moving forward

What forms of resistance might you have already encountered in your consulting project?

What do you anticipate you will encounter?

How will you and your partner respond to the resistance?

Additional Slides (if there is time)

And don’t forget about these as resistance management techniques

Exploring issues of control and vulnerability in the contracting phase

Using active inquiry (pure inquiry) and listening a la Schein to remain present and avoid being seduced by allure of power

Schein’s principles: ask yourself, am I being helpful? Am I accessing my ignorance? Am I avoiding judgment? Am I going with the flow and allowing the client to reveal pain and anxiety?

Special challenges of the internal consultant

What are some of them?

Triangles and Squares Rectangles

U Them

The Man

U Them

The Man The Other Man