This morning I am inspired by a poem by my dear friend David Christopher, author of The Holy Universe. Mind your stories. Mind your stories; question them often. Nourish those that serve. Change those that do not. Far easier said than done, yes? For many of our darker stories have cut grooves in the primordial […]
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 […]
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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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I love this blog post on creating trust within your workplace; the author’s key point is that if you act as though your workers are trustworthy – assuming positive intent, not micromanaging them, allowing them to make decisions – they are more likely to BE trustworthy than if you are continually vigilant for signs of […]
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These two M words crashed together in my mind as I lay pondering the meaning of the universe one recent night. I’d been working on a presentation about motivation for a local Toastmasters chapter on the same day that I’d had a meeting with the president of another association of which I am a member. […]
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At last week’s HR West conference, I had the pleasure of graphically recording a keynote by trainer and consultant Shari Harley. Her company name is Candid Culture, and she talked about the need to choose candor over comfort in our communications. People can’t meet our expectations or needs if we don’t tell them what they […]
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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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Human beings are hard-wired to read faces – our babies figure it out way before they can talk or walk. While there are facilitators out there who help groups in virtual meetings, I am not one of them. I find it hard to connect with people when our interaction is mediated by a screen – […]
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Since I began my journey into self-employment, I have been working out of our spare bedroom. While the ten-foot commute has certainly been convenient, it also has come with some unanticipated challenges. Time management and motivation has been one of the biggest issues for me. It is oh-so-easy to wander out of the office and […]
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Since communication and conflict resolution are what I do for a living, I am expected to excel at both…even when I am officially “off duty.” Some days I consider this an advantage; I am continually pushed to improve myself. Other days I find it exhausting, as my natural state of being is somewhat cranky and […]