Top O' the Mornin' to ye!  The one day of the year that it's OK to be green and show some of my Irish blood. I'm a melting pot of English, Irish, Scottish, German, and Danish blood. 

I am teaching a workshop this mornin' (and Wednesday) and it's an interesting group.  I'm going to bribe them with chocolate to keep them focused on the workshop instead of green beer... well, it's worth a try anyway.

Chocolate is appropriate since we begin with a short film about Milton S. Hershey's life and the history of his company.  He was an amazing man and never let his dreams of success die.  

I've been waiting for the appropriate time to share my experience, the first day of teaching The Leadership Challenge... which is where the a day of red comes in to play.

I was teaching the Inspire a Shared Vision portion of the workshop and the subsection of breathing life into a vision.  The students are required to share their inspired vision speeches on the second day of the workshop and I was conveying the fact that they needed to use picture-type words. 

Picture it - the class is filled with 23 men and one woman (the brave soul that she is!). 

I used the example of Paris and asked what came to mind.  I had several responses; Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, romance, city of love, wine, the River Seine, and so on.  Then I asked how many students have actually been to Paris and four men raised their hands.  Then I asked how the others knew what was in Paris, from their answers.  They responded, pictures, history, stories, movies, etc.  

Then, I asked the class, "When I say 'Tuva,' what do you think of?"  Most responded, "Never heard of it."  Then one very outspoken man said, "Isn't it a part of the female anatomy."  I face, neck, and chest turned HOT in an instant and I know my face was the color of a beet.  I cleared my throat, bit my lip to stifle a giggle and said, "No, I'm afraid not... it's a place in southern Russia/Siberia, near the border of Mongolia and they're known for a unique form of throat singing." 

Needless to say, I quickly finished the section and called for a 10-minute break.  My co-instructor said that I recovered well and that his face even turned red.   

Interestingly enough, on a workshop evaluation/critique, someone answered, "more info on Tuva," to the question, "What would have made this workshop better."  Gee whiz, I can guess who that was!

Here is a website if you're interested in Tuva.  Here is a website of a group that travels the world.  Interesting...