Ron Macklin realized early in his engineering career that he had a passion for building and leading teams. And he realized that to succeed, he needed to build a deep network of support. He needed to learn why people connect and how they create results together. This realization led him on a 30-year journey that culminated in the creation of the 7-step Macklin Method and the launch of MacklinConnection. 

Ron earned a degree in engineering from Kansas State University and quickly grew into leadership positions in his budding career. He went on to lead teams that set nine world records and won dozens of customer satisfaction awards. At Siemens, for example, Ron led a support division with 350 employees that worked over 5 million hours without a lost-time injury and was voted “the best place to work in Houston” by the Houston Business Journal. Twice Ron has created a growth culture responsible for increasing profits by $20 million, and he has led seven different groups from worst- to best-in-class. 

Today, Ron is the president of MacklinConnection, overseeing our programs and extending the reach of the organization worldwide. He continues to lead programs and coach teams and individuals. A Wichita, Kansas native, Ron and his wife Koni have three adult children, Garrett, Lorin, and Brennan.

At MacklinConnection, we believe developing and maintaining connections with others is the key to success in the workplace. Through our workshops and coaching offers, you’ll move away from transactional interactions where people are only seen as a means to end and begin to build mutually beneficial relationships, centered around dignity, respect, and trust.

Based in biology, the 7-part MacklinConnection Method explains why and how humans connect — then shows the steps required to create connections. It is a model anyone can apply and see results.  

Despite growing up in a culture that told us success is dependent on our own efforts, it is actually through our ability to create meaningful connections that we can truly begin to thrive.

The first part of the method helps you learn how to connect with yourself. You’ll evaluate who you are and what you want. By being able to better understand your own needs, fears, and wants, you can more easily empathize with others. This creates an ideal environment for connection. 

The method then teaches you how to notice when someone is ready to receive an offer of help. Often, when we are excited to connect or communicate with others, we jump in without considering where the other person is coming from. Even if you approach someone saying all the “right” things, if they are not in a receptive state, they won’t be able to actually hear what you have to say without running it through the filter of their own stories in their head. When you have observed that someone is open to receiving your offer of help, the next part of the method involves providing opportunities to connect and giving the other person space to accept your offer. 

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The MacklinConnection Method Workshop teaches you how to create connections that matter. Each of us needs help. Not because there is something missing, but because humans are not meant to survive on their own. In the workshop, you'll discover the tools you need for building a network of help and how to actually communicate with other people. For a company, this leads to improved communication, increased engagement, and higher productivity. Your teams will actually be able to collaborate and work together to create innovative solutions.

The workshop consists of 17 virtual calls with other participants (or just your team) and session leaders. Each week, they’ll help guide you with thought-provoking questions and facilitate an interactive group discussion where you will learn by exchanging ideas and perspectives.  

First, you’ll discover how to connect with yourself and gain a more complete understanding of who you are and what you want. Then, you’ll learn how to build relationships with others. Throughout the workshop, you’ll figure out how to create a support network by actually trying out practices and experimenting to find what works for you. 

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Our workshop participants consistently report feeling more confident in their ability to establish connections that matter. After taking the workshop, participants are able to create meaningful support systems and find it easier to trust themselves and others. They know who they are and what they want and have a network in place to help them get there. 

Companies who have had their teams take the workshop together have noticed that working through the course shifts their work culture into a more positive environment. When there are disagreements, instead of shouting matches, team members are able to listen to each other and feel safe sharing their perspectives. Businesses have also reported increased productivity and collaboration, as well as higher levels of engagement and contribution from employees who have taken the workshop.

For more on how our workshops have changed people’s lives read:

Strengthening a Family Dynamic Through the Power of Communication

Building the Future of a Family Business with Communication and Trust

The workshop is $3500. If you are bringing a team through the workshop, there are discounts available.

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Our workshop is an online program and is an active, group learning experience. The workshop takes place on an interactive, live video call once a week for 45 minutes. In between calls, there are learning modules that provide you with opportunities to reflect on the material and practice what you're learning in your daily life. 

We ask that you spend about 45 minutes a week working through the course material. Some people want to spend more time on the reflection questions. Some people spend less time and still have a valuable experience. 

You’ll also be given opportunities throughout the course to practice in your daily life and report back on your experiences. This won’t require you to carve out any extra time in your week, as you’ll be applying the method to interactions you would have regardless of being in the workshop. 

Why are there live calls?

Because our course is purposed in helping you learn how to connect, we believe a live, group learning experience provides opportunities to start actively practicing how to connect and communicate with others. Each call allows you to build your confidence as you are listened to and supported by your instructors and fellow workshop participants. You will be given space in a safe environment to figure out who you are and how you can better relate to others. With a live call, your ability to actively listen will also be improved (which is essential for effectively communicating with others), and you will be given access to multiple perspectives that can better shape your understanding of the material and how to put it into practice. 

Why can’t I just watch a video? 

We believe an active learning environment is ideal for developing a new skill. Research shows interactive learning, where students are engaged through discussions and feedback, results in a better understanding of the material compared to more passive methods like lectures or assigned readings. Active learning also has been shown to provide increased emotional and social support. You are also more likely to actually remember what you learn long-term through an active learning experience with a live instructor. Research shows active learning is better for retaining and understanding new information. 

Participating on our live calls also holds you accountable for actually trying things out, instead of simply receiving information without any practical application. You’ll be able to engage in discussions each week that help you improve your critical thinking skills and actually process and retain what you’re learning. And, if you ever feel stuck or need clarification, you’ll be able to get the help you need each week on the live call. 

Even though it is possible to learn from a video, it won’t give you real-time feedback or the opportunity to exchange ideas and work through challenges with others. Instead of watching someone teach, you’ll have immediate access to experienced instructors who can answer your questions and offer different perspectives on what comes up for you as you start to go through the method. 

What happens if I miss a call?

Each week’s group call is recorded and then posted to the course portal. If you miss a call, you can go into your course materials and watch the recording at your convenience.

The MacklinConnection Method Workshop is led by instructors who are experienced in working with The Macklin Method and actively practice it in their daily lives.

The workshop is ideal for anyone who is open and curious. If you are feeling stuck and you are ready to make a change and try something new, you are more than ready to participate in our workshop. 

The material was designed so that anyone can easily understand it and immediately begin to implement it. The workshop has been created to facilitate actual, practical learning. The material is not too complex or academic. Instead, the course relies on real-world application and self-reflection to create a practice for you that becomes a part of each interaction you have throughout your life.

The workshop will meet once a week for a 45-minute interactive video call with your instructor and other participants. We also suggest that you set aside about 45 minutes to complete the reflective questions for each week’s call, which will be available on your virtual course portal. Additionally, you’ll be encouraged to practice the method in your daily life and to engage in 1-on-1 calls throughout the workshop with a member of your class. Aside from your group call and prep work each week, you can incorporate practices into your everyday interactions as much as you feel comfortable. The more you practice, the more you’ll begin to make it a normal part of your life and the quicker you’ll begin to see results in your ability to build networks of help.

Our workshops take place throughout the year. The next workshop will be held in September 2022. You can sign up to take the next workshop here. If you want to take a team through the workshop together, we can work with you to arrange a course around your company’s schedule. Connect with us to learn more about how we can build a workshop around your company’s schedule.

After you sign up for the workshop, prior to your start date, you'll be given log in information for our course portal, as well as the details for your weekly group session. In the course portal you'll find reading and questions for each week of the course. You'll also be given a calendar invite to meet with your session leader and the other workshop participants each week on a zoom call.

Here is what you can expect every week as you complete the workshop: 

1. Weekly reading with self-reflective questions located in the course portal
Each week, you'll have some reading and questions to answers to help get you thinking about what is working for you and what hasn't been so successful. You'll be given the opportunity to start to work through your limiting beliefs and identify your self-talk. This is meant to help you really start to evaluate who you are and what you stand for. As you continue through the course and learn about The Macklin Method, you'll also start to reflect on how you connect with others. You'll be able to review your interactions each week to see what is working and what isn't.

2. Zoom call with other workshop participants and your session leaders
You will meet with your workshop group once a week on a zoom call. During the call, the workshop leader will ask you questions about what you are experiencing with the method. They will also share their own experiences and stories about the method. You will also get to practice actively listening to the other workshop participants as they discuss what they are discovering. This allows you to have access to multiple perspectives, which helps you actually learn and implement new behaviors. 

3. Practicing The MacklinConnection Method
As you learn about the method throughout the course, you'll be encouraged to practice it in your daily life. Each week, you'll report back on your experiences in the course portal and on the zoom call. The more you practice, the more you will start to see changes in your life and how you relate to others.

Throughout the course, there will be some weeks when you will be matched with another participant to have a 20 minute call sometime during the week. Think of this as a more focused version of your weekly group call. It will give you the chance to connect with someone one-on-one to share your experiences and troubleshoot together.

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Here is a week-by-week outline of what topics will be explored in the workshop.

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