ONE MINUTE TEACHER: HOW TO TEACH OTHERS TO TEACH THEMSELVES
BY SPENCER JOHNSON, M.D. AND CONSTANCE JOHNSON, M.ED.
ONE MINUTE GOAL SETTING:
Using the steps below, encourage your clients to set goals
for themselves and take one minute a few times a day to look at their goals.
- I take the time to quietly think, with
my head and my heart about what I want to teach myself. And then I decide
what my goals are.
- I write my goals in first person,
present tense, as though I am already achieving my Goals. (For example: “I
am enjoying getting a B in math.”)
- I write down my goals briefly, so I can
read them often in only one Minute.
- I am specific when writing my goal. I
set a date to achieve my goal. (For example: “I am enjoying a B on this
Thursday’s English Exam.”)
- I use good- feeling words. (For
example: I enjoy……) Each time I read my goal, I imagine how good I feel.
- I take one minute, several times a day,
to stop and look at my goals and to look at my behavior and then I see if
my behavior matches my goals.
ONE MINUTE PRAISINGS:
Encourage your clients to reflect on or catch themselves
doing something right by flowing these steps:
1.
I praise myself immediately.
2.
As soon as I have done something right, I tell myself
specifically what I did right, or approximately right.
3.
I tell myself how good I feel about what I did right. I
pause for a few seconds to really feel my success.
4.
I remind myself that I am indeed a good person.
5.
I encourage myself to continue the same good behavior
because I want to feel good again soon about my behavior and about myself.
ONE MINUTE RECOVERY:
When a client’s behavior does not align with his/her own
goals, encourage the client to practice the One Minute Recovery.
The First half of
the Minute:
1.
As soon as possible I see when my behavior does not match
my goal.
2.
I tell myself specifically what I did wrong – what is
keeping me from teaching myself what I want to learn.
3.
I am silent for a few seconds to quietly feel my “Fumble”.
The more uncomfortable I feel, the more I want to recover.
The second half of
the Minute:
1.
I remind myself that my behavior is not good right now, but
that I am good. I redirect my behavior and feel good about myself. I do not
defend my behavior, even to myself.
2.
I teach myself what to learn. I change my behavior and
recover.