Footprints on the Mountainside

I had wanted to attend some behavioural training workshops to further my understanding of human behaviour and its impact on ourselves and others we interact with. I finally got my opportunity to satisfy this urge when I attended the Basic Lab on Human Processes by the Indian Society for Applied Behavioural Sciences.

To say that this was an eye opener is an understatement and probably not agreed by all members too. This lab was unlike any other lab I had ever attended. No structure, no agenda, only 5 days of time to explore our own selves, our motivations, emotions, our actions and the impact they have on ourselves and the ones we interact with.

Many of us went home wondering why they came in the first place. Others were of the opinion that some structure would have speeded up our initiation into learning to spot nuances in our interactions. On the contrary, I was delighted. This was the first time, I had plenty of time to observe normal human interactions and the ways in which we motivate ourselves into setting goals and working toward them.

The unhurried pace also meant that I could spend as much time as I liked pondering over these observations, and deriving new insights from them over time. We also learnt to deal with any issues that came up in our observations and to formulate strategies to achieve goals that required extensive and sustained effort. We saw how we form relationships and what they mean to us, as well as the impact of our behaviour on them.
On the whole, this is a journey of discovery I’d like to continue throughout life, and i see myself a changed person from this experience. My work with people is benifitting directly from my improving awareness and I am now making a habit of being in “observation mode” consciously when I come across new situations and people.