The very best way to learn how to think and behave in a more effective way, is to practice Kata.
That’s not been easy without a coach….until now.
Welcome to ‘Practice Kata’ where you can sign up (at no cost) for a series of Workouts to develop your Kata practice.
Whether you are brand new to Kata, or an experienced Kata Coach, you will find exercises to stretch and develop your skills.
Please note that this site is work-in-progress. It is a live experiment, which I am working on daily.
Workout 1 is available now, others will follow shortly.
You can signup below for access and for updates.
Not a Kata Geek yet?
That’s ok.
‘Kata’ is a teaching method, used to learn how to think and behave in a more logical, methodical, effective way.
This practice was born out of a research project, where a team of researchers from the University of Michigan studied Toyota for 5 years.
The team wanted to know what Toyota managers were doing, how they were managing people, and how they developed and maintained such a successful culture of continuous improvement.
The researchers discovered repeatable patterns and routines in the thinking and behaviour of people at all levels. They codified those routines so others could practice them too.
Want to know more? Check out my article here, or sign up for one of my monthly calls on Zoom where I introduce the concept of Kata.
A workout is a set of guided exercises for you to practice to develop a particular skill or habit.
Each includes a printable (free) or printed (low-cost) workbook which guides you through activities designed specifically to help you develop some of the fundamental elements of Kata and Kata Coaching.
Usually, you need a coach (or 2nd coach) to do this.
Yes, that is absolutely the best way to learn.
But we also know that not everyone gets that privilege.
These workouts are a no- or low-cost way for people to develop and hone their skills and help them learn how to think and behave in a more effective way.
Is this easy? Nope. You’ve got to commit to the practice, and follow through with it, if you want to see progress.
Meet your instructor
Gemma Jones
I am an Improvement Coach, Trainer, and Visual Facilitator, based in the UK and working globally.
I started my career in Engineering and quickly found a passion for Improvement. I spent 20 years in Manufacturing across numerous industries, then in 2019 left employment to build my own business.
My mission is to help organisations and individuals be the best they can be, by helping people SEE, helping people THINK, and helping people CHANGE.
My focus is largely Kata coaching and training people to be Kata Coaches.
Because I believe Kata is THE BEST way to learn to think and behave in a more effective way, and by effective, I mean methodical, logical, based in facts and evidence. We call that SCIENTIFIC thinking.
(But you don't have to be a scientist to be able to think scientifically, in fact ANYONE can learn to do this.)
Guided activities to develop the core skills to support your journey as a Kata learner. A series of practical workbooks containing all of the info and instructions you need to get practicing, with space to record your progress and reflections.