I continue to think about the definition and use of this word safety, which we facilitators are charged with creating and maintaining. (See previous post here.) A family camping trip this past weekend gave me opportunities to consider the issue in a different context. We camped in the woods near a large lake; swimming, fishing […]
In a recent post I wrote about the role of discomfort in group dynamics. Trying something new is generally not comfortable. Trying to communicate in a different way is not comfortable. Finally digging in and dealing with hard stuff that you’ve been avoiding is not comfortable. A certain level of discomfort can be necessary for […]
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Monday I shared my experience and thoughts about organized activities during conference meals. Today I’d like to talk about a different kind of meeting meal. Rotary, BNI, eWomen, Soroptomists, Kiwanis, and most other business networking organizations I’ve encountered include a meal with their meetings. Their agendas also usually include some business, a speaker, and networking […]
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As a meeting facilitator, I am on the planning team for most events that I attend. Last month I attended several conferences that were new to me and which I had no hand in planning – it was kind of fun to be in a different role! I learned a lot by noticing my reactions […]
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In this TedX talk, my colleague Brandy Agerbeck describes five steps to using visual & spatial tools for shaping your thinking. I love her combination of both flip charts and PowerPoint. I love the simplicity of her outfit. I love the way she uses the space onstage. I love her visual mnemonic, using the fingers […]
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When training new facilitators, a concept I want them to “get” early on is the difference between content and process. Folks who are drawn to become facilitators and mediators tend to be interested in the underlying dynamics of group process. It’s easy, when learning a new facilitation technique or meeting structure, to want to use […]
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I recently read Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why after watching this TED talk…later that week, walking through the hall at work, I saw Sinek’s diagram on another person’s whiteboard! Talk about serendipity! Sinek’s key point is that WHY you do whatever you do is more important to your target audience or customer than WHAT […]
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A common complaint that I hear from my intentional community clients as we prepare to work on a vexing issue is, “We talked about this same issue LAST year!” There is a great desire to be DONE with it already, to set it to rest, to come up with a final solution or policy that […]
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When I am asked to help an organization improve its meeting culture, one of the “symptoms” often cited is a lack of participation – according to the meeting planners, not enough people are showing up. In another client organization, one of the stated problems is too MANY people showing up to meetings in which their […]
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As a facilitator, I have often worked with groups in the process of clarifying their common values. Inevitably, there is someone in the group who questions the value of this exercise. It is true that there are a lot of generic, meaningless values statements gathering dust in drawers across the nation. So how do we […]
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