Within the Program AmCham Young ProfessionalsTM we organized a  two-day workshop with guests Jens Rottbøll, Lego Serious Play and Martina Merslavič, Own the Room. The workshop was held in Bled on November 18, 2016 and November 19, 2016.

mag. Tomaž Brcar, LL.M., Senior legal advisor, Trimo

With LEGO bricks you can build your leadership skills and colleagues of tomorrow. AmCham Young Professionals Weekend at Bled was an unforgettable experience – there’s nothing more exciting than playing with LEGO bricks while learning how to strategize, communicate effectively and problem solve in a team. I was constantly inspired by the diversity of experience and passion for learning by all participants, so to be a part of this AmCham community is truly special and what makes my colleagues of tomorrow.

Lea Pfajfar Cotič | Talent Team | CSE Tax Learning Consultant | CSE Organizational Development, Ernst & Young

Communication skills are not rocket science, but they are definitely something that we have to practice regularly. Only by practice (not by reading theory) we can get over ourselves and manage stage fright. Naturally, some positive stage fright has to be present always. Successful public speaker knows how to engage listeners. New neural pathways are created when our brain is activated to think. This enables listeners to remember and learn most. And the latter shall be the goal of each presenter.

Mitja Rakar, Virtual System Engineer, Cisco

This weekend exceeded my expectations. I learnt how to think and express myself differently on the high level strategic decisions with the help of LEGO bricks, trained how to have better public presentations and meetings, spend an amazing night with a funny hat on and got the confirmation that in AmCham I am really surrounded with amazing people who already started with the change of making this world a better place.

Amela Žrt, Senior Associate, CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz

The 2-day AmCham Young Professionals meeting at Bled was truly inspiring and a great opportunity to really connect. The workshop »Lego serious play« not only woke up the child within us but also reminded us of the meaning of the proverb “Two heads are better than one «, the importance of communication, idea-sharing and the power of collective intelligence. The workshop »Own the room« with Martina Merslavič  that followed on Saturday gave us a solid ground for presenting our ideas to the broader public and a few tricks on how to make sure we are really being heard. I believe that after this workshop many of us will think twice before speaking and be more mindful about using “in my opinions and actuallys”, when trying to get our message across the same way as it sounds in our heads. Both workshops, wrapped up with a night out with funny hats, cheers at the bar and crazy selfies, sure made me happy to be a part of AmCham young professionals.

Bojana Kenda, Test Engineer, Aviat

Learning about the Lego Serious Play techniques was not only an exceptionally entertaining form of us getting to know each other, but also led us to a surprisingly effective system of brainstorming and the consolidation of individual ideas into coherent joint solutions. The Own the Room communications skills training on the other hand introduced us to various approaches for a more confident drawing of the audience's attention in a public speaker's position and the ensuing mechanisms for improving our everday productivity in a business environment saturated with drawn out meetings. The two combined provided for a pleasantly educational weekend accompanied by Bled cream cakes.

Janja Hren, HR Development Associate, GENERALI d.d.

Workshop lasting 6 hours that seemed like 3 hours at most.  Organizing or even attending workshops we always ask ourselves: how to make them creative and interesting while realizing objectives of workshops. Our trainer on Friday Jens Rottbøll introduced us a Lego Serious Play with which he showed us how to find our »inner child« and use it to find creative solutions to our challenges while getting to know our Colleagues in a different way . Certainly one of the most interesting and productive workshops that I attended so far.

We were told that the average person in USA ranks the fear of public speaking as their biggest fear. I do not know if that is also the case in Slovenia, but I do not believe there is a single person in the world, who has ever spoken in front of public and never faced the fear: sweaty palms, pounding heart, heart in throat feeling… we all know those feelings, that can paralyze you. That is why it is crucial to overcome those fears. In this particular training we learned methods for interacting with our audience. Every new knowledge helps with our self-esteem and confidence, therefore I believe  this training will help  us overcome our fear of public speaking and become better public speakers. Mrs. Martina Merslavič (out trainer for the day) as a very good and experienced public speaker, I believe, is also someone to look up to in the area of public speaking.

Domen Ivanšek, Knauf Insulation

I liked two-day event very much, it contained just the right combination of practical workshops, theoretical lectures, participation, socializing, getting to know our AmCham peers and entertainment. I would absolutely like to applaud both lecturers. Mr. Jens brought us quickly to solve quite complex strategic problems with teamwork on the basis of seemingly simple tasks and using only simple plastic building blocks. We could quickly see that by solving problems in three dimensions we can exploit more problem solving possibilities of our brains. I also received many useful tips in Ms. Merslavič’s seminar, which I’m trying to use in my business and private life. I really liked practical way of practicing in small groups. I really liked the entire concept and organization of the event and the selection of above mentioned excellent lecturers. I would highly recommend this seminar to all AmCham participants.

Pija Kovač, managing director, Alama Adria

The participants of the two-day AmCham Young ProfessionalsTM workshop did not only enjoy an abundance of new knowledge and opportunities to develop our skills; the true added value of the meeting was a chance and an encouragement to get to know each other and connect – in the framework of interesting and interactive workshops on topics, relevant for all, as well as outside the framework of the carefully tailor-made programme.

​​