22 June 2011, Geneva, Switzerland. Last week for the first time UNITAR’s Multilateral Diplomacy Programme (MDP) implemented its new workshop on “Positivity Skills”. During the two day training the participants learned how to remain positive and spread positivity in their team as well as how to tackle challenges with a positive attitude. The workshop itself ran very positively and at the end many participants even stated that they would like to have a follow-up workshop. “I had a great time and would much appreciate a level two workshop of this kind”, one of the diplomats that attended said.
The power of positive language
On Tuesday morning the participants, mostly diplomats met for the first time. In the introduction sessions many of them said, they feel they often are too pessimistic when facing difficulties at work as well as in their private life. So the MDP trainer and expert in skills developing Ramin Kaweh tried to help them by equipping them with concrete tips and tools to increase their positivity.
The first day was mainly dedicated to the power of positive language and positive attitude. Through interactive presentations and exercises the participants learnt that a positive way of speaking has an immediate impact on their attitude and the atmosphere of their surrounding. To experience this impact the participants were given a particular homework for the second day. They were asked to praise three people in that evening and see their reaction.
Well equipped to spread positivity
So the second day started with many motivating and inspiring stories from participants who had made someone happy with a compliment. Highly motivated the participants then were ready for a more difficult task: To say No to a friend or their supervisor in a positive way. During a simulation exercise they had to find out how one can say no without disappointing the other person and feeling too bad afterwards. With the help of the trainer they all succeeded and at the end of the workshop everybody stated that they now feel well equipped to spread positivity, and remain positive even in hard times.