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May 01, 2007
Can people "get" GTD in a seminar?
I was chatting with a reporter this afternoon who is doing a feature article on David Allen. I was sharing with him what my job is at the company (coach and seminar presenter.) He asked an interesting question, "Do people really get GTD in a seminar? Don't they need to experience it (KF: meaning back at their desks)?"
People do get to experience GTD in the seminar. I love that about our classes. I mean, who wants to hear just lecture for 2 days? Within the first hour of a GTD class we get people into the Fundamental Process where they see the power of getting stuff off your mind (collect), decide what it means (process), and park it in a place your brain trusts you'll get back to (organize). The cool thing about GTD is that you can do that at anytime, with anything and it'll probably take you less time than you think. Read Part One of the book and you can get value right away. The whole game is outlined in the first 81 pages.
In one of my seminars for a high-tech company recently, I set the participants loose in the room to process and organize their mindsweep lists. They had a chance to setup their lists in the class and get a real taste of GTD with their work. About 10 minutes into it, a participant shrieked with delight and said, "This is the best day of my life!"
There you go. Power of GTD at its best. I love my job.
Posted by Kelly at May 1, 2007 06:11 PM
Comments
Kelly,
I have heard David Allen's blog about his "Roadmap" seminar and get an idea of what he does in that seminar. Can you tell us a little bit more about the seminars you do? What are the contents? I gather they are different from the Roadmap one.
Paul
Posted by: Paul Garrett at May 2, 2007 03:16 PM
I agree. Even though I'd been using GTD for years when I attended a Roadmap seminar last year, David took us through the method and the experience was still enlightening and revitalised my implementation. I now have a Someday/Maybe action to attend a David Allen Seminar every couple of years to help rekindle my enthusiasm - should I need it. Lately though, after joining GTD Connect at the Roadmap Seminar, I've found that need to be less likely as the constant input from the interviews, David's Up Close, etc. is keeping the whole thing alive.
Posted by: Dave Parker at May 3, 2007 05:35 AM
Hi There,
I teach the GTD classes called Mastering Workflow (one-day) and Managing Workflow, Projects & Priorities (two-days) for our in-house clients. The one-day seminar is very tactically oriented -- how to get quick control using the fundamental thinking process and the five phases of workflow mastery. The two-day seminar expands on the workflow piece and adds more about priorities, project focus, brainstorming and natural planning. The two-day seminar is really the GTD book in live seminar format. Both are great classes.
The RoadMap is the really "the David show" and will include a condensed version of the workflow material but will focus more on the whole picture of the self-consulting process, including prioritizing from multiple horizons, applying the core productivity principles, and making change stick. David is the only one who leads the RoadMap seminar right now and it's our only public seminar. Since RoadMap is newer, there are some things in that class that aren't in the book or in the other seminars. I've sat through about 6 of those RoadMap seminars and love it more each time. The stuff David has added about making change stick is fantastic.
-Kelly
Posted by: Kelly at May 3, 2007 10:12 AM
