Newsletter October 2024

Greetings to our TetraMap community and welcome to the latest newsletter.

Greetings to our TetraMap community and welcome to the latest newsletter. This month we focus on creating a culture of connection and community. We have a fantastic example from Master TetraMap Facilitator Conny Huaki of her study evidencing the positive impact of TetraMap on work culture. We also hear from Sandra Rösch, Certified TetraMap Facilitator from Germany on how TetraMap’s strength in building trust has the edge on other development models.

Trust the process opens up the idea of co-facilitation – would you consider sharing the load? Is together better? Hear from our experts how you can tap into the TetraMap community for support.

Find details of our recent community Meet Up and what you could learn from joining the next one, and looking forward, our new TetraMap of Leadership is on its way!

We know TetraMap is great – but how do you prove it?

Every TetraMap Facilitator knows the positive impact TetraMap has on participants, and what a great feeling it is to help people better understand themselves and those around them. It’s often very visible in the workshops, but how do you prove its success?

For her Master’s project, Master TetraMap Facilitator Conny Huaki explored the overall effectiveness of TetraMap in enhancing team dynamics and personal understanding within one of New Zealand’s largest government departments. It employs over 10,000 people across 200 locations and TetraMap was introduced as a way to improve team dynamics and communication, as well as helping staff better understand themselves and those around them.

In her research, Conny painstakingly studied all her participant feedback forms from the past five years to provide real evidence of the training’s effectiveness and impact. With responses from more than 600 people who attended the ‘Why are you like that?’ workshops, Conny was able to identify some common themes and insights.

Conny explained: “My fascination to gather evidence from feedback stems from both my personal involvement in the workshops, and my passion for seeing the ‘oho’ or awakening in participants when they experience TetraMap for the first time.

“The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, which is very reassuring, but also really illuminating as to our successes and where improvements could be made.

“We were really pleased to see such high praise for the facilitator’s knowledge, energy, and ability to create a safe and inclusive environment.  The feedback did highlight one challenge which was to ensure consistency in delivery across different locations and facilitators, and maintaining engagement over time. To address this, we’ve developed a standardized curriculum and facilitator training programme. This includes ongoing support and resources after training to encourage continuous application of our concepts after the workshop ended.”

Conny’s research offers real evidence that TetraMap has a significant positive impact for the organisation’s staff, enhancing their understanding of diverse working styles and improving team dynamics. Above all, participants really appreciated TetraMap’s interactive nature and practical applicability.

Read more about Conny’s study on our website

Trust the process – Together is better, the benefits of co-facilitation

The majority of workshops featuring a TetraMap learning experience are facilitated by a single facilitator. This is mainly due to time, financial and logistical constraints. But have you considered sharing the load with another facilitator?  Co-facilitation offers real opportunities for personal development, coaching experience and the chance to observe someone else in action. That’s how we learn – and it’s an important lesson, and a helpful strategy. 

Imagine this – your TetraMap Certification Course finished last week, you’re on a high and ready and keen to get started. Your very first group is lined up and ready for a TetraMap learning experience. You’ve got the skills and TetraMap’s trusted process has proved time and time again that it works!

All goes well, your prep paid off and your evaluation sheets are positive. You’re satisfied and even delighted. Or maybe not quite 100% as you expected. A few gnarly questions or an unexpected situation crept in. You’re experienced enough to know it goes with the territory.  Nevertheless, it can be disheartening and even put you off a next time.

Riette Ackermann, Executive and Professional Development Manager Executive and Professional Development Manager at The University of Auckland has published a fascinating study into facilitation, Facilitation – a guide to approaches in practice.

Riette explains: “The strength in co-facilitation lies in the shared holding of space for the group to participate and contribute to the conversation. It provides an opportunity to model both self-awareness and collaborative behaviour. It is important to be comfortable with oneself, including your own strengths and weaknesses as a facilitator, and to be comfortable with your co-facilitator. To support this, clarify and agree roles upfront.“

“There is huge value in having the time to step back and observe the group while your co-facilitator is taking the lead, as this allows one to notice what you may miss whilst being in the lead facilitator role, and to bring those observations into the facilitated conversation.”

Co-facilitation means sharing the facilitation load and responsibilities to make it easier – for both you and your learners. The question is how does it enhance or detract from the learning process?

Louise Duncan, Director TetraMap International, agrees the benefits of working together: “Personally, I’ve always found it helpful and enjoyable to work with another facilitator and my Water preference allows me to go with the flow. It appeals to my Air Element with the planning process and my Earth is delighted it is done in half the time! It draws on the diverse skills, perspectives, worldviews and strengths of each facilitator, ensuring a more dynamic and inclusive experience for participants. Fire is always ignited by collaborating and expands many possibilities. And, it’s often easier and more fun.”

“A word of caution though, it also comes with some potential drawbacks. It requires strong coordination and communication, and good planning and preparation to ensure you are on the same page as your co-facilitator regarding objectives, materials, and facilitation methods.”

TetraMap’s core values in creating safe, strong, and trusting relationships really lends itself to co-facilitation. You can support one another, stepping in when necessary and adapting to the flow of the session. It creates and builds a high level of trust. Even if you’ve done TetraMap on many occasions and with many groups you can still benefit from co-facilitation.  Why not give it a go?

Looking for co-facilitation opportunities?

• Connect with the people from your TetraMap Facilitator course
• Look at our facilitator list, see if you can make a connection and add your own profile
• Talk to the TetraMap team or your Master Facilitator – they can help you find the others in your industry and location.

Don’t miss our virtual Meet Ups

For those of you that weren’t able to attend the last Meet Up in September we had an inspiring session with Olive Strachan MBE – author, consultant and long-standing member of our facilitator community who was featured in last month’s newsletter. This time Olive led our regional meet up events which are now available on YouTube – one for Europe, UK, USA and a other for New Zealand and Asia. She focused on a topic that affects all workplaces around the globe – engaging multiple generations.

Olive’s experience of applying tools like the TetraMap of Leadership and Why are We Like That? to encourage people to embrace generational diversity, gave attendees lots of ideas for their own application.  

Master Facilitator Emma Mauger organises the global meet ups, where facilitators get the chance to connect and immerse themselves in a TetraMap learning experience of their own.

Emma said: “The Meet Ups are a great platform for sharing ideas and hearing experiences that may be very different to your own. Tapping into the diversity of the TetraMap community is a huge resource and offers a stimulating way of sharing and expanding our knowledge. 

“We know it’s not always easy to take a chunk out of your busy diary but people who attend report a big boost in their motivation, especially when they work alone. I hope more of you will join us for the next one, it really doesn’t matter whether you are new to TetraMap or have been with us for years.” 

Look out for details in our newsletters and social media of the next Meet Up in December.

Creating a culture of Trust – how does TetraMap compare?

Many TetraMap facilitators use a variety of tools in their work and we all have our favourites for coaching, training and personal development. They can all build on each other. But why choose TetraMap – and what makes it so different from all the other models on offer?

Sandra Rösch,  Certified TetraMap Facilitator from Germany, has been using TetraMap in coaching and mediation for several years.  In her recent blog she tackles the most frequently asked question in her TetraMap workshops – how does it differ from the DISC model?

The DISG Model, or DISC Personality Profiling System, is a framework used to categorize personalities into four main types: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. Each of these categories represents different behavioural and communication styles.

Sounds familiar? Sandra believes there is one big difference between DISC and TetraMap and it all boils down to trust.

Sandra explained: “What makes TetraMap so special from my point of view – it creates trust between people and that is the basis for a successful future. Good co-operation should be based on trust.“

“Building trust requires a leap of faith from all sides, a commitment to shared values that are visible in the way people interact with each other. The most important thing is that TetraMap is based on values which become evident in all communication, and in how decisions are made.

“In the end, values serve as the compass towards a common goal that can give everyone involved the freedom they need to successfully contribute to the big picture. Plus, the simplicity of TetraMap makes it easy to adapt it to different settings and processes such as coaching, leadership training and mediation.”

For Sandra, the main difference between the two models is the change of mindset. When people face challenges they are unable to overcome, TetraMap can help – whether it is conflicts, change processes, working with people or simply communication.

And finally,

Our facilitators in Vietnam are enjoying the TetraMap experience. Brahmi Nguyen and her team are buzzing, and share how the ‘Why Are You Like That?’ workshop has been at the heart of this.

TetraMap in Vietnam: Discovering Ourselves through Nature

In Vietnam, TetraMap is all about building community by first understanding ourselves. The “Why Are You Like That?” workshop has been at the heart of this, helping people explore who they are and how they connect with others. The metaphor of nature fits perfectly with Vietnamese culture, and participants effortlessly relate to Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. It’s a simple yet powerful way for participants to discover their preferences and embrace the diversity around them.

Brahmi reports on the recent workshop in Lam Dong, Da Lat: “It was an exciting journey of self-discovery, where participants explored their inner energy—those hidden regions that shape how they interact with the world. Through this adventure, they not only gained insights into their own potential but also learned how to better understand and support the people around them. It’s about more than just personal growth; it’s about creating a community where compassion and connection thrive.

“As one of our students beautifully put it, ‘We are learning totally different lessons, and it’s okay to be misunderstood—it’s part of the journey to growth’.”