Day Two of Training in Nairobi Done!

Hey Everyone!



Completed our second day of training today in Nairobi....will finish up tomorrow. The group is doing a wonderful job and appear to be enjoying the training.



The driver and car picks us up at our hotel and we brave our way to the training facility (a converted garage) through amazing traffic and people walking. We are so thankful that the group here organized for a car for us as we'd never be able to navigate the streets with the success he exibits at every moment!



Today we all chuckled as one of our students, Barasa, struggled initially with the skill sets until he started having fun with it all! He did a wonderful job! His focus for his work and his continued studies for his PhD is Affirmative Action. With a booming voice and a beaming grin, Barasa soon had the entire classroom following his every word and move!



The weather here is a bit cooler than anticipated....because Nairobi is actually in the mountains, it gets pretty chilly at night and remains about 70-75 during the day.....this is Kenya's Winter Season. Here's another interesting thing....when you order coffee and ask for cream, you receive a little carafe of warmed milk.......when Griffin ordered a glass of milk to drink, it came warmed.....we are delighting in experiencing the different culture! Something new around every corner!

~Glenna

TRUST THE PROCESS AND THE SKILLS!

Fighting DISPARIETY (what the listner experiences and what the communicator experiences) seems exponentially harder here!) the differneces here are huge! The commonalities are even greater!!!!!!!! For all of us............ we saw the tranformation of each partiiciant from ums and ahs to clear, simple, concise, and powerful sound bites of information. I still have to be reminded, after all the times I have taught this class, that the process and the skills work!!!

As I listen to them share their thoughts and feeling about their beliefs and political stances................you realize for them................this is a matter of survival..........econonically and socially............ It is THEIR LIFE! They are truly changing lives, communities and their country.

For us back home it is a matter of choice...... not a matter of survival.

Think how different it would be for all of US...... if communiction was a matter of survival............not something we consider option or a business function!!

~The Bartman

THOUGHTS FROM ROBIN.....

I find it fascinating the many similarities we Americans have with our fellow brothers & sisters in other countries... the importance of family, work, desire for laughter and support. Yet, the differences in how we live our lives can be vast.

Here in Nairobi you see people scurrying around in the early morning, many walking 3 and 4 miles to work, just to find themselves doing mundane jobs. But they do it with a smile on their face and with a mild manner. Everyone seems very interested in what's happening in their country's politics, education and reform. And the seem very content as to who they are and what they are about. They are very aware of American politics and look to the USA as the land of milk & honey, but don't seem to be jealous of what we have. They just acknowledge it and accept who they are and are proud of it. Yet we Americans sometimes forget how blessed we are to live in a country of abundance & total freedom. Myself included! I must remember this and change my attitude to be more proud and appreciative of my country!

Yesterday was our second day in training. Bart and Glenna did a fabulous job. Glenna took the rains for part of the day and lead the group through delivery and gestures. She had some good candidates and they all learned a great deal.

I love hearing the laughter and support of the group for their fellow speakers. It is so funny to see them laughing WITH their friends, versus laughing AT them. The whole experience is very supportive of each other.

Gotta go now, but more later.

Robin