Help me Obi-Wan!

I have been to several seminars, workshops, and training sessions in my short life and I've often wondered how much other people get out of going to them and why they go in the first place. My experience ranges from a few hours, or one day of learning, on up to 12 weeks and while I tend to remember going to the longer ranging sessions more easily, I don't always remember the material I learned from them. I've participated in these events because I've been given the opportunity, someone else has suggested it, I wanted to, and various other flavors of reasons.

Here are three that I remember the most:

My first memorable seminar experience was with the Dale Carnegie weekly training classes. I remember them being very good, but I was 16 and I have forgotten some of the finer details. I still think that we get dumber as we get older, so I probably understood much more about what we were practicing than I do now. Our sessions focused mostly on improving our understanding of point of view and how to improve our situations by knowing how to interact with people in a way that will lead to positive results. I think this is a fantastic use of knowledge and extremely enlightening when you look at a situation from a different perspective. You can start to understand why people do things that seem utterly stupid or illogical.

My next "top pick" was actually a class I took in college based on ToC, or Theory of Constraints. For those of you who like logic and are interested in some concrete guidelines on how to use it in everything from your kids to running a company, this would be a great source. It teaches how to "map" out problems and "break" them, how to help prevent problems by stepping through potential negative outcomes, and how to solve chronic, or recurring problems that have been around too long.

My most recent experience was with IMS, the Institute for Management Studies. This was only a one day seminar, but it still ranks high on my list. A lot of it's ranking may have to do with the recent time frame, but it still impressed me enough to be excited about going to another seminar through this group sometime. This particular seminar was called The Art of Listening, the Power of Speaking. Listening! Who would have thought that it could be so important. Sometimes it helps to just have someone clear away the clutter of everyday life and point out the obvious.

One thing that I can say from a personal point of view is that even if you don't remember everything from each workshop, seminar, or class you take, it still leaves an impression on you if you're willing to let it. Somehow it changes or shapes you and only those who pay close attention will notice it if you don't let them in on your secret.

If you happen to be interested in any of the three "helpers" I briefed about above I have books from all of them. I may have to dig a little for certain ones, but feel free to benefit from my library. Also, let me know why you have or have not gone to something similar before and how much you really get out of them.