2 ENVoY Classes offered by Krista Grinder-Dettloff

ENVoY-Your Personal Guide to Classroom Management and ENVoY- The 7 Gems

Have more energy at the end of the day… Tired of the struggle in the classroom?  Start building relationships to influence your classroom. No need to use power. Reach those hard-to-reach students with the ENVoY set of systemic nonverbal management skills.

Learn the ENVoY classroom management skills to:

• Understand poverty
• Reach the hard-to-reach student
• Managing different learning styles
• Inspire the uninspired student
• Develop your own personal charisma

ENVoY--Your Personal Guide to Classroom Management is offered June 23, 24, & 25, 2008

or August 11, 12, & 13, 2008  in Vancouver, Washington.

The class will be held at the LaQuinta Inn, 1500 NE 134th St  8:00 am to 4:00 pm

To register contact Krista at kristagrinder@msn.com  or by phone   360-666-5562

Registration: $300 includes the ENVoY book

Choice of 20 Washington clock hours  ($40) or 2 Seattle Pacific University credits ($86)

ENVoY - The 7 Gems is offered June 26, 2008  or August 14, 2008

The class will be held at Lower Columbia College, 1600 Maple, Longview, Washington  9:00 am to 4:00 pm

To register contact Krista at kristagrinder@msn.com  or by phone   360-666-5562

Registration: $150 (ENVoY book available for $25.00)

6 Washington clock hours  available through ESD 112

Download ENVoY Class informational brochure.

Among Michael’s many skills, I thought I would share one few may know about…

Super Camp in San Diego, California on St. Pat’s weekend 2008.

Dear Michael

In short, the amount of positive feedback I have received in months past from individuals in professional and private contexts on how ‘clear’ my communication with them has been is staggering.  This has been the case in 1 to 1 communication, as well as when giving presentations to groups of varying sizes.

I truly learned a lot in the Group Dynamics course, particularly from observing and listening to you, but also from the practical, pedagogical approach applied and the ongoing exercises with other participants.  I am very grateful for this privilege.  In many ways this training has been an eye-opener and, applied with principles of NLP, really makes for powerful and influential communication that I am enjoying tremendously.

Being somewhat of a skeptic, I recall well my erstwhile doubts when you made clear during the 1st module that mastering this art would take years.  I only now am beginning to understand this better and have come to see it as a life-long personal improvement objective.  Frankly, I wish I had gotten this training much earlier in my career and realize how much John Bailey has been unaware of in years past and how much more aware he can become going forward.

What I found particularly valuable was the vocabulary and methodologies that you taught us to recognize and label group dynamic and, specifically, non-verbal processes and thereby making these more transparent, easier to identify and communicate and, thus, more meaningful.

Looking forward tremendously to taking this learning journey to the next level.

Best regards and speak soon,
John Bailey

ENVoY is a classroom management system developed by Michael Grinder after observational research in more than 6000 classrooms.  Grinder wanted to find out the nitty-gritty reasons why students learn well and behave well with some teachers and yet those same students are unmanageable with other teachers.  What were the successful teachers doing?   Michael Grinder identified the seven non-verbal techniques used by all of the best teachers, techniques that worked no matter what subject or grade level they were teaching.  That’s how he came up with "The Seven Gems of Classroom Management," also known as ENVoY.

Origin of ENVoY:
ENVoY has been selected as the title of our classroom management for two reasons:
The capitals letters E N V Y stand for Educational Non-Verbal Yardsticks; and, secondly, an envoy is like an ambassador who can explain and interpret a culture both to its own members and to those new to that culture.

Any teacher who learns the Seven Gems and uses them consistently will have more learning going on in their classroom.  And the students will know the teacher cares.

In other words, ENVoY helps teachers keep good relationships with students while at the same time holding them accountable for their behavior.  It helps teachers do what they went to college to do - that is, teach.  They don’t have to be struggling with management problems, sending kids to the office, and going home in a bad mood every day.

How benefits of ENVoY can become part of the school culture
Training alone doesn’t cut it.  No matter how good a workshop may be, most teachers forget when they get back to class.  Research shows that the single most important factor in getting new skills to actually be used is… coaching.  Job-embedded coaching.  Supportive, encouraging, non-threatening, skilled coaching.

But coaching alone is not enough; teachers must have their principal’s support and encouragement to get new skills into everyday, habitual use.

University of Houston study of ENVoY in HISD’s South Region Summary
The U of H did a year-long assessment of student behavior in seven schools before, during and after ENVoY training and coaching.  Dr. Robert Houston analyzed the data and made three main recommendations:
      1) Offer ENVoY training to all teachers in a school
      2) Provide school-wide implementation support (coaching)
      3) Continue program support for three years at each school.

Overview on the Effectiveness of ENVoY Results of University of Houston study, 2006-2007*

Does it work?  Yes.  In a study conducted by Dr. Robert Houston at the University of Houston Institute for Urban Education, ENVoY is shown to be effective in improving classroom environment for students.  Data from seven local schools were collected before, during and after the program, then analyzed at U of H.*

 Findings

1.  Positive changes.  ENVoY resulted in positive changes in teacher classroom management procedures.

 2.  Coaching helps significantly.  Best results showed up in classrooms where teachers received individual, job-embedded coaching after their group training.

 3.  Program well-accepted by teachers.  Teachers like ENVoY because more curriculum can be covered when management is not a problem.   Job satisfaction is greater and stress is reduced when teachers can rely on written assignments and students can be more independent; teachers can manage a class without having to raise their voices.

4.  Test scores went up.  While not solely related to the implementation of ENVoY, 84% of TAKS scores in elementary schools and 66% in middle schools increased between 2006 and 2007 in the schools where ENVoY was used.

Recommendations

1.  ENVoY should be offered to all teachers in a school.  Provide training during regularly scheduled professional development days for new teachers as well as veteran teachers.

2.  Provide implementation support.  Workshops should be followed by individual assistance in the classroom by a trained ENVoY coach to provide encouragement and maximize implementation of skills.

3.  Implement ENVoY practices school-wide so students are accustomed to a uniform management system. 

4.  Continue the program for three years at each school.  With help from trained ENVoY coaches, determine if long-term experience with ENVoY can change the culture of the school.

Long term Plan
The ENVoY Coaches Lab prepares faculty members to be ongoing resources for their colleagues in use of ENVoY.  They especially mentor new teachers.  Peer coaching is recommended as a proven, effective way to make sure ENVoY skills are used by teachers year after year.

Principals hire new teachers with the understanding that they will be expected to learn and use ENVoY.

*Effectiveness of ENVoY 2006-2007: Analysis of Observed Change in Classroom Management in Elementary and Middle Schools.  W. Robert Houston, Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Education, College of Education, University of Houston.  Dr. Houston is the John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Education.   For more information, contact Charlotte@knowledgearts.net. 

Perception Camp Training

To: Graduates of Group Mastery
From: Sharon Sayler, Michael Grinder & Associates’ Manager
Re: London 14-18 July Perception Camp at the Novotel West Hotel (Hammersmith)

Dear Graduates,

Michael is pleased to announce ITS’ sponsorship of his Perception Camp. As a Group Mastery attendee, this is a personal invitation to you from him. This camp focuses on the artistic level of perception; it is the next level of Group Mastery. Because of the design of the program, it is limited to 20 people to ensure Michael’s close and personal attention to each and all.

What is the Camp about?

During the week with Michael, you will:

• Learn how to recognize behaviors and the beliefs behind those behaviours using Michael’s system of Pentimento.
• Add the refinement of timing that is critical to taking your work in non-verbal communication to the artistic level.
• Get instant feedback, coaching and support from Michael!
• Bond and network closely with the other like minded attendees with the same love of learning as you have.

And, after the training, you will be able to view the videos time and time again to gain the long-term benefits of implementation and not just training.

What makes the workshop different?

The camp is quire different from anything that Michael has done before. He will train you in his simple Process of Perception. For the first time ever, Michael is offering his blueprint of perception, his step-by-step way to get precise with the subtlety and the precision of human perception.

For me, the thing that makes this workshop really beneficial is the opportunity to get inside the mind of a genius. Learn how he reads actual patterns of behavior in other people and then draws amazing inferences from them. By the time Perception Camp winds down, you will have your own blueprint of perception.

The powerful and dynamic insights you gain will work in all areas of life. You will increase understanding and communication with colleagues, clients, customers, suppliers and even those who know you well. You will develop your own perceptual learning momentum. Join Michael this July. Be part of this exclusive group of dedicated learners. Crease the most effective approaches for your specific needs.

Format of the Workshop

Michael views perception in three categories:

• An individual
• Two people interacting
• A group interacting

Collect up to five minutes of video footage of one of the three categories. (From previous camps, we know that some people regret that they did not bring footage of an individual or group in their work or other life that they especially wanted to learn about.) The footage can be clips of:

• Yourself
• Close friends or family
• Colleagues
• Superiors or subordinates
• TV programs
• Movies

You can either bring the footage with you or create the footage at camp. Which category you choose will influence what you and Michael are attentive to. For example:

• When watching an individual, we seek to predict, "What are likely this person’s values, attitudes, beliefs and style?
• When watching two people interact, we seek to predict, "Who is likely to dominate?" This is the origin of the metaphor for "Cats and Dogs."
• When watching members of a group interact, we seek to predict, "What is likely to happen next?"

Every two days, at a minimum, you will show the camp your video footage. In preparation, you will study the footage and fill out an observation form. You will have the option of studying the footage in teams and jointly filling out an observation form. Teams can change during the week. The forms are part of the packet you will receive at the camp.

When showing footage, we follow the format of:

1. You tell the group what category of perception you will be focusing on (individual, two people or a group).
2. The footage will be shown to the camp three times:
   1. First, you show the footage and the camp watches in silence.
   2. As you show the footage a second time, you pause the tape at selected moments and comment on what your perception is. You can have your team assist you.
   3. The footage is shown a third time. This time, Michael pauses the tape and comments on what his perception is.

The difference between what the participant sees and what Michael sees is the basis for each participant’s learning and growth.

Preparation and IT Equipment

ITS provides camp LCD projectors, screens and speakers for the audio portion of your footage plus the packet with forms. You provide the footage and your (or an attending team member’s) laptop to show the footage via the projectors. Come prepared to show your footage. In advance of camp, make sure you know how to show your footage via the projectors. You are encouraged to bring a camera so that you have the option of filming while at the camp.

Michael meets with the camp six hours every day. Because of this unique opportunity to refine and develop your perception and inference capacity, you are encouraged to free this week of obligations. Outside this tructured time, the voluntary gathering of team filming, viewing, filling out observation forms and professional dialogue is invaluable. You may want to make reservations to stay at the venue or nearby for the convenience of the optional evening gatherings.

To Register

We really do hope that you can come, enjoy the learning, and connect with Michael and other very interesting people during 14-18 July. We look forward to your registration with the ITS office in London: 44 (0) 126-8777 125.

Kind regards,

Sharon Sayler
Michael Grinder & Associates
Webmaster

Note: ITS and MGA reserve the right to open the program to non-Group Mastery attendees. The non-graduate will prove to be well-versed in the Pentimento. This will ensure that the camp is an advanced program. The applicant will be required to purchase and study the book, The Elusive Obvious and the companion DVD. To indicate their mastery of the Pentimento, the applicant will take and pass the Pentimento quiz. The MGA website (www.michaelgrinder.com) has the Pentimento Q & A. The applicant studies the Q & A version and then takes the Q version and emails it to Michael Grinder at mgamg@qwest.net.

Perception Camp Manual

Dear Friends

Kelly is a bright, perceptive, young person who has dedicated her "free-time" to working with schools in under-funded neighborhoods. The majority of students from these schools live below the poverty line. MGA is pleased to showcase Kelly’s selfless work and understanding of the need to encourage and inspire beyond the classroom.  Bravo, Kelly!

Kelly
St. John’s H.S.
7 April 2008

The Miracle of Literacy for a Nation

His name is John. He’s a seventh grade student, and he’s forever changed my views on education. We come from opposite sides of 610, but we might as well inhabit opposite ends of the Earth. Yet John’s smiling face erases all my nervousness as I help him with his new list of vocabulary words. John is a student at Albert Thomas Middle School where he is part of the inclusion program that mainstreams special needs children into the regular education program. I got the chance to work in his classroom for two days to study and experience the subject of literacy.

The nickname for John’s neighborhood is Dead End, a place where the calloused hands of poverty envelop their territory with a ruthless grip. The weeds and beer cans in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, the old trash that lies beneath the broken street lights, and the letters that hang precariously on the neon lights of decrepit grocery stores make me wonder if I’ve crossed Houston and entered a third world country. In the middle of such a place lies Thomas Middle School, surrounded by a black, six-foot chain fence, an oasis of safety with its colorfully painted walls, clean classrooms, and enthusiastic, dedicated teachers. But in the midst of poverty’s territory, the staff of Albert Thomas works every day to create large and small miracles for their students.

What is literacy? According to the National Institute for Literacy, literacy is the ability to
“read and gain information from specialized text, for example the science section in the local newspaper” (NIFL). Only one in seventeen 17 year olds meets this criteria (NIFL) and only one in three adults has the ability to extract meaning from a simple sentence such as the one you’re reading right now (Literacy Advance of Houston).  But what is the importance of literacy in daily life beyond facts and statistics? Literacy is the ability to read the newspaper, fill out an application for a job, understand a contract, or even decipher meaning from food labels at the local grocery store. Illiteracy is the designer of poverty, the catalyst that begins the domino effect from unemployment, to poverty, to welfare in America. Seventy percent of those with the lowest reading skills are unemployed or working part time, and forty three percent of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty (Literacy Advance Houston).  But where do most kids learn how to read? In the school system.

The area surrounding Thomas Middle School reflects the neighborhoods of thousands of public schools throughout America. Poverty has no preference to the weather or region, and the schools in these areas deal with many of the same problems. At Thomas Middle School, eighty four percent of students are eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch program because their families simply cannot afford to pay for sufficient meals (greatschools). In an interview with principal Bill Sorrells Jr., Mr. Sorrells explains how many of the children lack one or both parents, and some just don’t receive the care they need. He explains that oftentimes, the school acts “in loco parentis,” the Latin term for “in place of a parent,” and for many students, school may be the only stable environment. A large majority of the students have never even traveled outside the boundaries of their neighborhood.  

Until three years ago, Albert Thomas Middle School defined the typical school for a low income area. When the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) examination, a state required test distributed to all students in Texas public schools, was administered to Thomas Middle School students three years ago, the number of students that passed the TAKS examination festered beneath the state requirement and placed the school on academic probation.  Talk about pressure. One year to pull up scores or Albert Thomas would face closure. The school needed to increase scores in all subjects tested by the TAKS exam—that is, the core subjects of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. So what is it that made the number of students (40 percent of which are children with special needs ranging from autism to tube-feeders) who passed the TAKS reading examination in 2007 skyrocket to 86 percent for the eighth grade, 64 percent for the seventh grade, and 74 percent for the sixth grade?

I asked Mrs. Reed-Byrd this same question after her English class of seventh grade students heads to lunch. She proudly points to a certificate above her desk labeled ENVoY Coach. In an interview a few weeks ago with a leader of the ENVoY program, Ms. Mary Yenik, Ms. Yenik provides a brief history of ENVoY, a learning environment program. Developed by communication genius Michael Grinder after research in more than 6000 classrooms, ENVoY is a system of classroom management that helps teachers create a positive classroom environment through influence instead of power. Through simple, non-verbal communication techniques such as pausing or whispering at times when the noise of a class reaches an inappropriate level, teachers are able to keep the attention of their students in a positive way rather than employing strategies of fear to keep order. Among these non-verbal techniques, ENVoY particularly focuses on strategies concerning voice patterns and the idea of “going visual” in which teachers provide visual instructions on a board or poster that can be referenced at anytime by the teacher or the students. “Going visual” helps students remember their tasks, increases the learning of the day’s lesson, and helps eliminate confusion.  When teachers practice ENVoY’s strategies daily, they create an atmosphere conducive to learning while simultaneously holding students responsible for their own actions and behavior.

When asked about the challenges in teaching her students how to successfully prepare for the reading section of the TAKS exam, Mrs. Reed-Byrd didn’t know where to start. “The hardest part is instilling concentration. Our students can score at their grade level or better in math, but with reading it’s a struggle for students just to score at their grade level. When they have to read long passages their attention drifts. ” She also mentions that she can’t make any assumptions of what the children know. For her students to fully understand the process to answering reading comprehension questions, she must take her class through step-by-step strategies, leaving little time for exploration of her subject. But she especially emphasizes the importance of concentration throughout the two days I spent in her classroom. “That’s why ENVoY is so important; it really helps me keep the kids’ attention.”

Knowledge Arts Foundation works to teach ENVoY strategies to teachers in order to create a supportive environment for all schools with a focus at this time on schools of poverty. The program’s successful effects are incontrovertible; in every school ENVoY enters, the test scores increase. Part of the program entails selecting teachers who demonstrate leadership skills to become ENVoY coaches. These selected teachers then return to their schools with new skills and act as resources for their colleagues as well as new teachers. ENVoY not only helps teachers become better teachers, but it contributes to a greater sense of community within the schools. However, the impact of ENVoY really hit home after I interviewed a student on his favorite part of reading class. Terron started out the year as a shy seventh grader, but his grades are soaring and he now participates actively in class. “When I make a mistake, no one gets mad at me. The posters on the wall help me remember how to fix my mistakes, and Mrs. Reed-Byrd helps me make it better for next time.” I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect example of power through influence.

Adding to the effectiveness of ENVoY in the classrooms, the staff of Thomas Middle School strives to create an overall positive environment for the students. Every adult and many of the kids wished me a good morning. When I was searching for the main office of the school after I arrived, a cheerful teacher sent a student to help me find my way. Walking in the main office of the school, I saw posters that lined the walls with bold, encouraging words such as loyalty, self-confidence, and respect. When the receptionist answers the telephone, she smiles and says, “We’re having a great day at Albert Thomas, how can I help you?” If an angry parent is on the other end of the line, she calmly replies, “We’re still having a great day at Albert Thomas, what else can I do to help you?” The hallways are brightly painted with the same, bold words on posters that I saw in the main office, and the doors are bright red or blue. In casual conversation, I mentioned to Mrs. Reed-Byrd how colorful the hallways are, and it turns out that the principal, Mr. Bill Sorrells Jr. painted them himself.

When I stepped into Mr. Sorrells’ cluttered office, I felt an aura of booming enthusiasm and dedication to educating children. After teaching for more than twenty five years in schools of all socio-economic backgrounds, Mr. Sorrells doesn’t have enough wall space to cover pictures of former students, family, and his own artwork for which he’s nationally recognized. In the corner there’s a big box of trophies which he awards to the teacher of the week, and another box of smaller trophies which he awards to any faculty member who just did something nice. As I interviewed him about the three years he’s spent at Thomas Middle School, it was obvious to me that Mr. Sorrells is not only a man who believes in what he’s doing, but a man who employs every strategy possible to create a positive, optimistic environment for everyone at Thomas Middle School. In 2005, Mr. Sorrells implemented a community pantry for Albert Thomas in which any parent can simply ask Mr. Sorrells and receive a bag of food while maintaining strict anonymity. Why? Because you just can’t focus on reading or numbers when your stomach’s growling. Mr. Sorrells also firmly believes in the importance of developing trusting relationships with his staff and that positive relationships are essential between students and teachers. “I don’t care about race or color. You could walk in here polka-dot for all I care. Impressive résumés are nice too, but my main concern when I hire a teacher is, ‘Do you love children?’.”

And hire great teachers, he certainly has. The members of Mr. Sorrells’ team work hard not only to educate in their specific subjects, but to encourage and inspire beyond the classroom. Mr. Whittington, an ENVoY coach and assistant math teacher who specializes in children with special needs paused and beamed from ear to ear when I asked him about the best part of his job. “I don’t just get to teach math, but I get to teach about life, about English, and I get to mold a child. There’s so many diamonds who don’t realize they’re diamonds. They just need some polishing.” Mrs. Mask, the school counselor, cheerleader coach, and test coordinator, (many faculty members have several different jobs at Thomas) helps students in any area ranging from personal issues to finding a way to supply a student with a new set of glasses. Ms. Williams, a math teacher, band director, and soccer coach has her students free write a paragraph about any topic before she begins her math lesson. “I think it’s important that students know how to write a paragraph. It gives them a chance to express things they might not mention otherwise, and I get a chance to learn more about them.”

I had no clue how much energy and sheer dedication it takes to teach a class before my two days in Mrs. Reed-Byrd’s classroom at Albert Thomas. Initially determined not to become a teacher, Mrs. Reed-Byrd began her teaching career only three years ago after she married and had two children. She felt a calling to teach. Mrs. Reed-Byrd teaches three class periods that last for an hour and a half, each with about thirty students. Mrs. Montgomery, a teacher who specializes in children with special needs helps provide extra attention for the students who need it, but Mrs. Reed-Byrd admits that she often feels drained by the end of the day. However, she is one among many teachers at Albert Thomas who strongly believes the satisfaction she feels when her students succeed is worth every ounce of her effort. She tolerates no slandering in her classroom, and she praises often. She’s a firm believer in ENVoY, and she truly thinks it’s made her a better teacher. Most importantly, Mrs. Reed-Byrd believes in her students. I asked Mrs. Reed-Byrd if she could remember a student who particularly stood out to her, and her eyes widened as she slowly nodded. “There was one student I had that I’ll never forget. He had been held back in the seventh grade for several years, and he was a classroom bully. One day, I took him outside and said, ‘Do you really think I don’t care about you, because I do care about your life. Just like you’re a leader in your gang, you can be a leader of a company, a CEO, or anything you want to be. Anything. And I think that’s the first time he really had someone to believe in him.” This student passed the seventh grade that year, went on to high-school, and still goes back to Thomas Middle School to visit Mrs. Reed-Byrd.

Thomas Middle School is one sample of thousands of public, poverty-stricken schools in America. After it was deemed academically unacceptable and placed on probation, three years later it has made giant leaps in TAKS scores across all subjects. With the help of ENVoY, a very positive environment, and the dedication and generosity of its teachers, Thomas Middle School serves as an example of excellence without a great deal of funding behind it. But its achievements are possible for any school. Miracles are not limited to the area of Dead End.

Before my two days in Mrs. Reed-Byrd’s classroom, the only time I ever heard about a School like Albert Thomas was if it was in the local news for some kind of crime that occurred in the neighborhood. I didn’t realize the amazing feats that occur every day in this environment. From the simple task of celebrating when a student answers a reading comprehension question correctly, to believing in a child for maybe the first time in his or her life, I can’t begin to describe all the big and small accomplishments that occur. In a school like Albert Thomas, literacy takes on the faces of real people and real children. It is no longer just a statistic. Now, instead of seeing black and white numbers, I see brightly painted walls, I hear Mrs. Reed-Byrd calling on a student, and I feel the feeling of success of a student named John who understands his new vocabulary words. The voice of Mr. Sorrells rings clearly in my ear, and I see a program called ENVoY marching through those cold, hard numbers, ready to battle the challenge of illiteracy. I now know that we as individuals and we as a nation can take the grimness off those statistics. Now I know that a program called ENVoY and other initiatives dealing with literacy do it every day. 

——
Works Cited
"About Literacy Advance of Houston." 2008. Literacy Advance of Houston. 8 Apr. 2008 <www.literacyadvancehouston.org>.
"Reading Facts." 19 Sept. 2007. National Institute for Literacy. 8 Apr. 2008 <http://www.nifl.gov>.
"Thomas Middle School: Learn About This School’s Students." 2007. Great Schools Inc. Not-for-Profit Organization. 8 Apr. 2008 <www.greatschools.net>.

My good friend, Gary Phillips got some great news last week! His first book has been released…

It’s called, The Art of Safety. Don’t be misled by the title though. In this book, Gary has seamlessly blended advanced communication concepts into the world of corporate leadership, personnel management and his passion for occupational safety—a treasure trove of practical tools for every business leader.

This is not another text covering the “what’s” - the nuts and bolts of safety. This is about how you handle yourself when interacting with others — how you communicate leadership and personal effectiveness.

Yes, it’s true, Gary’s background is in optimal safety performance for major corporations, but in this book Gary has combined his advanced training he has received from me in Group Dynamics and Non-verbal Communication along with his serious background in language patterns and NLP to produce a book that will become a communication resource for anyone that works with people.
I just got done reading it and I told him I’d do him a favor and help spread the word. Why? Well, because his first book is filled with  tons of immediately useful information. The Art of Safety book blends many communication techniques together, yet it also covers the serious component all communication success stories have… that many books don’t necessarily talk about - MINDSET!

Mindset is the difference between just learning and implementing. Any of you that have heard me for very long now, know that I say every chance I get, in trainings, my books and here on our website that at Michael Grinder and Associates we are all about IMPLEMENTATION!

      Here’s a link to grab it — www.artofsafety.net

By the way, this is not an affiliate promotion (not that there’s anything wrong with those). I just want you to know I don’t make a penny off of letting you know about this book. I truly believe it benefits you to own it, read it, and practice it.

And I’m not alone in knowing this book is immediately useful.

“I had an opportunity to read this book and found it immediately helpful. I was able to utilize the concepts to help me understand and resolve an issue in our workplace totally unrelated to a safety issue. Although aimed at safety the material, concepts and exercises are universal in nature and transferable to a wide variety of operational and organizational initiatives. It may be the Safety component that initially attracts you to this book, but you will find yourself employing these concepts in a variety of work and life situations.”
—Robert Gordon, Director of Court Operations, Ministry of the Attorney

“Would that I had Gary’s book years ago. Many health and safety meetings I attended over the years would have been shorter, more effective, and, in fact, enjoyable. This guidebook could have spared me many hours of frustration.”
—William Baarschers, Ph.D., Lakehead University

There really is no book out there quite like it. Let me know your thoughts when you sink your teeth into it—at my blog – www.michaelgrinder.com/blog  Add your comments about Gary’s new book below.

Interesting article on Classroom Management in the Portland Tribune March 25, 2008

Title:   Attitude Adjusters: Schools take on behavior problems with new ideas

Link to article

Please comment below on our blog and let us know what you think about classrooms of today.

Course Description:

The Salem-Keizer School District is pleased to present a one-day training on developing dynamic classroom relationships. Michael Grinder, known for his groundbreaking work in group dynamics and classroom management, has designed a class specifically for the district to help instructors increase their charisma in the classroom by providing an understanding of group dynamics in a classroom setting and instruction on the use of non-verbal management skills.

Mr. Grinder will be teaching from his latest book, “Cats and Dogs, The Art of Relationships”—an fun analogy of cat and dog-like behavior in relationship to understanding classroom group dynamics. By identifying specific attributes that create these behaviors Mr. Grinder’s latest book offers new and exciting non-verbal techniques as a blueprint for developing classroom charisma.

Course Objectives:

This course will give you concrete ways to use non-verbal techniques and group dynamics to benefit your classroom. Learn to:

• Understand and accept yourself and others
• Separate your and others’ intentions from actions
• Interpret your and others’ behaviors more accurately
• Provide new ideas on resolving conflict including knowing which conflicts not to try to solve
• Improve your leadership style and manage difficult personalities
• You will also learn specific strategies for:
• Managing disruptive students
• Recognizing and utilizing classroom leaders
• Coping with surprises and changes
• Accelerating the formation of the class

About the Presenter:

Education expert and author of the ENVoY training method, Michael Grinder is the pioneer in teaching others how to perceive non- verbal communication in a group setting. He holds a Masters degree from Loyola University.  After 17 years of teaching experience on three levels of education, he has spent the last nine years as an international educational consultant specializing in the needs of the “At Risk” student population.

Date: April 19, 2008
Time: Registration starts at 8:00 am, Class 8:30 – 3:30pm
Location: West Salem High School Commons, 1776 Titan Dr. NW, Salem, Oregon

Cost: $60 includes course materials.
Early Bird Special by April 7th, 2008 — $50

Credit: One semester graduate credit is available through Chapman University for $70.00.  Registration for credit available at the training.

Snacks / beverages will be offered in the am and pm sessions.  Lunch is on your own.

Use More Than Your Words It’s never easy, yet getting it right is critical to your students’ success, not to mention your sanity. It’s classroom management. by Leanne Miller Thanks to teachers at Toronto’s Jarvis CI for their help illustrating some non-verbal management signs.

A teacher can’t get his students’ attention and his volume starts to rise. He glares at them and tells them to look at the board. Some do; most don’t. His volume increases again: “Don’t look at me; look at the board.” Some kids squirm; most still look at their teacher.  To read the rest of Ms. Miller’s article, click here.