Five Ways To Boost Your Energy as a Leader
This week’s Facilitator Tips episode shares a set of simple strategies you can use to boost and nourish endless reserves of energy to keep you fresh and enthusiastic all the way to the end of your programs.
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One of the most common questions experienced group facilitators get is where do they get their energy after so many years.
After 30 years as a professional group facilitator, Mark Collard shares what has worked for him in his career.
Click the play button above to learn simple strategies that will help boost your energy, too.
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Useful Links & Resources
- Episode 13 Let Your Group Create Their Own Energy – this was a lesson learned the hard way. The tips shared in this short video tutorial will help you direct your energy to the right places.
- Episode 12 Keep Your Group Bunched Together – another lesson learned, to help you conserve your energy for as long as possible.
- Nine Tips to Boost Your Energy – fantastic advice guided by Harvard University researchers.
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Video Transcript
Hi there and welcome to Episode 54 of the Facilitator Tips video series.
My name is Mark Collard, I’m an experiential trainer and an author, and one of the most common words that people have often used to describe me at the completion of a program is enthusiastic or energetic.
And so often the next question is they ask where do you get your energy? Look, I’ve been doing this stuff for a long time, for over 30 years, and yet somehow I’m still able to bring the same amount of energy to that experience for any particular group as I did 30 years ago.
And so it’s a good question. And people often ask well, where do you get your energy? Look, I’m human too. I clearly get tired just like anybody, but I do sense that I have greater reserves of energy, perhaps more than the average person. So I thank my mum and dad for that. I’m very grateful for that. But here are a few strategies I am using to maintain and nourish my energy during the course of my program and particularly over the course of my career.
First one is pretty obvious, isn’t it? Get some rest, you know. Get a decent amount of rest. And stress, you know it’s like the opposite to stress. So rather than flying in on the very morning I’m about to run a program and then get stressed because the plane is running late, I’ll often go in the night before. That’s regarding as rest as well. So I arrive refreshed and rested at the start of a program.
Two, I plan ahead. I plan parts of my program where I don’t have to be actively running around doing stuff. I can actually observe, take a moment, get a sip of water which is the next point.
H2O. Hydrate. You’re going to be using your voice if you’re any form of program leader, and you need to be drinking lots and lots of water. I think the standard these days is about two litres. But if you’re on your feet and you’re already doing lots you probably should be drinking more. So constantly having a water bottle close to you is one way in which I’m managing to keep my reserves of energy very high.
Small meals. The worst thing you can do… We’ve all experienced that having a big lunch is that post-lunch lump, is that all the energy goes to the stomach to try and digest that very large meal. So eat small. Encourage your group to do the same thing. They can eat bigger meals later on, but eating small has really helped me.
And finally, pace it out. There are many programs that go for multiple days. If I put too much of me into the first day, I’ll leave very few reserves for later on. It doesn’t mean I also party every night either. I might only have one night of celebration with my group. So pacing myself is an important strategy as well.
What do you do to keep up your energies? Maybe it’s always flailing and maybe you’re having to rely on coffee which I enjoy, but you can’t be using that as the only way to keep your energies up. There has to be some other strategies too.
So let me know in the comments. Otherwise, we’re up to Episode 54. That means there are 53 other episodes and a ton more yet to come that have already been planned.
So if you’re interested in this topic, maybe this is the first time you’ve ever come across these videos, there are many more that will help you become a more effective facilitator, particularly if you’re using group games and activities as part of your work.
Thanks for watching. I’ll look forward to seeing you at the next episode. Bye for now.
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