Ready, GetSet... Go!

By Lisa Ward, Head of Schools for Belbin GetSet

The past week has seen the Belbin GetSet Team running workshops at two very different establishments; firstly with 33 engineering apprentices at The Manufacturing and Technology Centre site in Coventry and then a few days later at an independent school in Somerset with 40 senior school pupils.

Two very different groups, but with similar objectives as they are all about to take the giant step into either higher education or the world of work.

Both sessions looked at what behavioural strengths individuals currently have and can contribute to a team. Moving on from this, we discussed and brought to life how they can most effectively project their strengths in situations like interviews, a new role or a new environment.

The apprentices

As the majority of the MTC apprentices were going into work placements, we concentrated on how they might fit into a new team, how they can best project their strengths and manage their weaknesses.  Most of them had received observer feedback from their peers and tutors, so we spoke about how this feedback can be a bit of a ‘reality check’ for individuals –  are other people seeing what I feel I am projecting? If not, why? This produced some wonderful conversations about increasing self-awareness and how important this is as we develop in the workplace.

The school pupils

In Somerset, after a fun introduction to the nine Belbin Team Roles and some exercises based around the action, social, thinking groups, year 13 students completed a ‘benefits of knowing your strengths’ worksheet and soon realised in the interview role play, that it’s not always as easy as you would think to tell someone what you are good at!

After this, I asked them to write down three strengths that have been identified in their unique Belbin GetSet report and to regularly remind themselves of them – especially before an interview or a challenging situation!

Interview role play

Both groups bravely took part in the interview role play, using what they had learnt about themselves to answer their questions fully. We also looked at body-language and how we present ourselves as we enter the interview room (remember the 5 second rule!).

To suit the objectives of both groups, a session with a dynamic mix of Belbin Team roles and soft skills was required, with a strong thread throughout, clearly showing how an awareness of the former will positively impact the latter. 

Both these lively and interactive sessions helped the attendees feel confident and able to talk about their strengths and put this into action in their forthcoming interviews/work placements.

Feedback

Comments included; “The session helped me see how I might contribute to a team” and “The Belbin GetSet workbook and workshop has given me lots if ideas for writing my CV and how I present myself in an interview.”

Next steps

Using our experiences of running these workshops, and knowing that they are making a difference to young people embarking upon their next steps in to further education or work, we would like to offer your young people the opportunity to take part! If you are a teacher or apprenticeship provider, please do get in touch.

You can contact Lisa directly on 01223 264975 or email lisa@belbin.com