Insight

Proud to see my name

I’ll be in Angeles, Pampanga until Thursday, Feb 24, 2010. I’m running a 7 Habits Workshop for National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. This is a special run for me, equipment-wise. My help forgot to load my tech bag. This is the black trolley I carry with me always whenever I conduct training for companies and other organizations.

Since my household help was usually reliable in loading the same things whenever I travel, I did not check the contents of the car trunk.I only realized that I did not have my training war chest when I arrived at the venue some 120 kilometers later.

There goes my slides, my sound system, my lcd, my wireless remote, my wires, and the rest of my training armory.

I suddenly felt very unsure of myself. I battled between having someone bring the bag here in Angeles or wing it and start over again.

Luckily I brought my spare laptop, a 45-day old back up of my data in a hard disk, and then the power cord. Good that the venue had a decent sound system, a windows laptop, and an lcd.

The smallest DLP player I have ever used. Half the size of a small DLP Player. Cool!

Boy was I glad that I had everything I needed! The only thing left to do was to redo the content. I went through the training manual again and started from the basic slides; setting aside the anguish and the regret  over the hours i spent preparing.

I did the slides again from memory. I revised one module at a time. I just believed in myself and allowed the participants to work with me. I am not sure if they noticed my concerns yesterday. But all I did was to be at my best to focus on them and their needs rather than my own feelings of inadequacy.

How did my day end? It ended with a trip to ShoeMart; a visit to the computer shops to look for a VGA cable, a USB card slot, and a wireless presenter. It also ended with a personal reward of char broiled tuna belly.

Thank God for stores like CDR king. I bought the things I needed without shelling out an arm and a leg (but the VGA adaptor for my mac cost an elbow and a knee).

I went to bed early, tired after wrestling with my own personal challenges. I felt that I had survived one whole day between wanting to trust or wanting to blame.

My simpler recipe for a successful workshop? Trust, fun, reliable technology, mastery of subject matter, and a deep faith in myself, my participants, and the Lord. Today, my MAC went back to work. Everything else is back to normal. But my self trust is higher over this unfortunate incident.

I went back to basics. Even if I had all the bells and whistles in training but did not have subject mastery and self trust, no amount of equipment can cover that gaping hole of inadequacy.

It would have been horrible for the participants to go home with bellies full of delicious food, yet starving because their greater needs were left unmet.

My spartan war chest

The Dashboard view of my CPU's temperature

My Macbook Air’s CPU shot up to 102celsius when I stream movies or music online. I know streaming is not exactly a strength of the Macbook Air. The unit gets uncomfortably hot even though I have an air cooler fan below it.

Heat is probably what I gain after going for a lightweight, easier-to-lug-around laptop. I still like the air. But I am using it less and less now.

My unit has gone to back to the repair shop twice since the 2010 new year. I am happy that there is such a thing as Apple Care. None of the comforts of a warranty agreement replaces my need to actually use of the product.

My experience of the air, I think, is about form and wow factor. I can expect it to be reliable for short presentations and document processing.

But for streaming and videos, perhaps a different mac will perform better.

Mennen M. Aracid 

International Training Fellow No 106

JCI Kagayhaan Gold Inc. 

Being granted the title International Training Fellow is a personal honor for me. This is a dream that I have always longed for even from the start of my training career. Now that I am one, I look back with awe and gratitude to the opportunities that brought me here. 

Allow me to share a few thoughts:  

BE BETTER. 

Being better is not about being better than the next person. Training is an opportunity for personal growth. It is an opportunity to become a more beautiful person, in and out. Training is also a life changing event. Someone in JCI will open the key for you and inspire you to be better in the organization. 

I call them mentors. They are all over the JCI organization. However, choosing them is challenging. Being better means learning all you can from people whom you think can make a positive influence in your life. 

To a great extent, what I am now is a result of following example. My training style is an entire list of things I picked up from training sessions I attended in and out of the JCI movement. But it should not end there. 

Being better also means becoming your own trainer. I have evolved my own brand of training from out of the best practices I’ve seen. Training is about self-expression. Your participants will learn from your experiences and insights. At the same time, you create the safe environment where they can express and discover themselves.

BE ON TIME 

Value people’s time. I hear a lot of members complain about Filipino time and equate it with JCI time. But I can also tell you this: Being late is part of our culture. This is not the predominant culture of JCI. I know that events at international conferences start on time whether they are JCI or non-JCI functions.  

In the training context, it is still wise to do everything possible to make people come on time. But the call starts with us, the trainers. People must see us come on time. People must see us keep the time as well. Let us be the counter-culture that proves that Filipinos CAN keep the time. 

I feel sad when I see the trainer coming in late. When this happens, he misses the opportunity to adjust the Filipino time. 

EXECUTE IN EXCELLENCE 

Be patient when you work the training salt mines. Keep the right perspective every time. Your training assignment will vary. Sometimes you get your dream role. Oftentimes, it will not be what you expected. Be comfortable with the bottom and menial duties. That is how people begin their training career. It also keeps you sensitive to the feelings of the organizers. 

When I started out, I was the course assistant. I prepared the venue. I cleaned after the participants were long gone. I took care of the facilitator’s needs by arranging the little details they asked me to take care of. It took me a long time to move on to other tasks. 

I suppose I did my job well. I got promoted. When I also started out, it took me a while to be permitted to lead the recital of the creed and prayer. Sometimes, I would be assigned to introduce the guest speaker or trainer. Whatever the part was, I would always give it my best shot.  

JCI has a good preparation system to certify that trainers are at their best the moment they become Head trainer for official courses. Your opportunity will come sooner than later. But in the meantime, deliver your responsibilities excellently.

KEEP YOUR WORD

Keep your promises no matter how big or small they are. People around you will never quite outgrow the promise you make. While some people will dismiss that promise, a good number will hang on to it like a three-year-old child. 

A lot of chapters in our organization need help. When you promise to help them, please show up and share with them all you know. When you keep you word and share your experiences with other chapters, your credibility will grow more and more. 

Your reputation will also come before you. Whether people consider you as a training asset or a training loss, they are likely to tell someone about it. 

When you promise learning, keep your word. When you promise fun, keep your word. When you promise to show up, be there.

WORRY LESS ABOUT HOSPITALITY  

When people want to hear you speak, they will do all they can to make your stay in their place pleasant. And yes, they will find a way to bring you there as well. 

So fret little about being treated well and setting preconditions for your visit. Your hosts will take care of you because they also want you to come back and visit them again some time. 

When you make it difficult for people to invite you, I assure you, They will not only speak ill of you. You’ll never be invited again. 

INVEST IN YOURSELF

Your training experience is your capital. So invest in yourself. Try and learn from other cultures by attending international conferences. I hear a lot of trainers being stuck at the local scene because they worry about expenses.

I agree that conferences can be expensive. But i’d rather look at it as capital. Do not feel guilty about saving so you can go on that trip you wanted for yourself. Go ahead and do it. Travel is a good perspective enhancer. Travel makes you the global citizen that JCI speaks about. I feel that it will be difficult to understand other people if you do not immerse yourself in their culture.  

Keep abreast by being the learner from time to time. Study and sharpen yourself. If you were to become a world class trainer, you have to be a cut above the rest. 

As we celebrate our organization’s 60^th year, I hope that more JCI members will become JCI trainers. I will turn 40 this year. I end with a bit of pain in my heart knowing that some good things have to come to an end. At the same time, I also feel encouraged seeing younger generations of JCI members being fired up to be the best they can be. 

I step aside, just like the ones that come before me, to give way to youth. It is the vibrant force that has allowed our organization to grow old. It is the young members that nurture JCI Philippines and move it forward. Youth is the promise that allows JCI to move on and outlive all of us. 

Invite me for coffee some time. Let’s trade war stories. Learn from my experiences and pick up what you like. From there, build your life. 

But make it better. 

*** this is the essay I submitted for the 60th JCI Philippines celebration souvenir program.