Collaborative tools, services and training
Meet smarter, not harder!
Cards on the table, or the wall, or...
Friday, 06 August 2010
Lots of people know about using cards as part of their workshop. Here are some ways to make the most of this tool at each stage of the session – from brainstorming to organising to naming clusters to reporting.
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Tools of the trade: beyond the question
Monday, 05 July 2010
What if collaboration was like woodwork? How would that help us think about the tools, materials, processes and places that we create and use?
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Maximising Meeting (and Workshop) Outcomes
Sunday, 06 June 2010
Several weeks ago I was talking to a group of project managers about how to get the most out of their meetings and workshops. The further we went, the clearer it got that my lovingly crafted presentation wasn’t doing it for some of them.
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On public memory and déjà vu all over again
Monday, 03 May 2010
Public memory is not just about statues, icons history and narrative. For me, it’s also about what I do to publicly reflect and record the information generated and processed by the group.
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Dead Horse Strategies
Friday, 02 April 2010
When you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.
Read More...Participation 101
Thursday, 18 March 2010
As at the time of writing, I have just returned from ten days in Timor Leste. A small team of us were training extensionistas – government agribusiness extension workers – in Technology of Participation™ facilitation and communication basics. ‡ Read More...
In praise of the humble marker
Tuesday, 02 February 2010
All right, all those who have inadvertently used a permanent marker on a white board please raise their hands! Isn’t it annoying? A simple mistake – and then someone has to spend a tedious half hour cleaning it all off. Read More...
Fresh outcomes demand fresh approaches
Saturday, 26 December 2009
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got! That’s why really new outcomes need new thinking. In turn, this thinking is based on expanded information and awareness. Read More...
Staying on track
Wednesday, 02 December 2009
To stay on track, you need to know where you’re going. Sounds obvious doesn’t it? Here’s a great tool that will help you bring the destination into focus, and keep it there.
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On with the show!
Monday, 02 November 2009
Great meetings are like a good show: they have a drama and a flow that makes them effective and therefore worth people’s while. Oh, and don’t forget the coffee! Read More...
Towards worthwhile meetings
Thursday, 01 October 2009
There’s a poster that ends with “Meetings, the Practical Alternative to Work”. It’s a funny, fashionable stereotype. In reality though, this kind of learned cynicism can blind you to the possibility of genuinely productive meetings. Read More...
How to plan a good meeting
Wednesday, 02 September 2009
A well run meeting requires good preparation, a clear event design and listening to the group in action. This newsletter gives an overview of the first two parts. Or, as my old paving instructor told me, “proper planning prevents poor performance”.
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Write it Down and Hang it on the Wall
Monday, 03 August 2009
This is a recap of a classic list from Ned Ruerte. It only looks like a set of tips for running a meeting. Check it out, looking for the underlying framework. Even if you have no other processes, this should help a lot. Read More...
Tools of the Trade: The Question
Thursday, 02 July 2009
Like journalists, facilitative leaders are interested in the gentle art of questioning. The quality of your questions has a critical impact on the quality of what you can achieve.
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Introducing Da Vinci Consulting
Thursday, 11 June 2009
My strengths are more on the collaborative side of the “Connecting the Dots” framework introduced earlier. That is: helping groups and teams do this work together and for themselves. That's why I'm pleased to introduce Karen Dunshea, who runs Da Vinci Consulting. Her skills and experience are very complementary to mine.
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Connecting the dots
Monday, 08 June 2009
Do you need to engage staff and/or stakeholders in planning and management?
If so, a framework that holds your organisation, your people and their performance all together could make it much easier for them to contribute effectively. It would do this in two ways:
Firstly, the output of one stage becomes the input for the next stage. Nothing startling there – it’s standard procedure. Secondly, you can run sessions using participatory processes that have been purpose designed using the same underlying structure.
That is, you can use the same flow: from context, to gathering data, to organising it, to making meaning from it and finally to making decisions. This gives a consistent and coherent approach all the way through your planning and implementation cycle.
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If so, a framework that holds your organisation, your people and their performance all together could make it much easier for them to contribute effectively. It would do this in two ways:
Firstly, the output of one stage becomes the input for the next stage. Nothing startling there – it’s standard procedure. Secondly, you can run sessions using participatory processes that have been purpose designed using the same underlying structure.
That is, you can use the same flow: from context, to gathering data, to organising it, to making meaning from it and finally to making decisions. This gives a consistent and coherent approach all the way through your planning and implementation cycle.
Read More...