At a conference a few years ago, a colleague of mine gave us an assignment: Prepare a list of fifty Declarations that we absolutely know to be true. As a marketing tool, each of these could then turn into a blog post, book chapter, or newsletter article. I add to my list regularly, and have […]
Tag Archives: Facilitation Tools
Comments Off on Declarations Part III
I’m in the process of planning this summer’s Sierra backpacking trip. Maps, guidebooks, and random bits of equipment are heaped all around my house. Along with testing gear, dehydrating food, and packing, I’m plotting out my itinerary. One crucial bit of information I am researching and marking on all my maps: potential bail-out points. If […]
Comments Off on Strategic Planning Lessons from the John Muir Trail
In my last post, I began to answer the question “What happens with all those charts after the meeting?” Some specific examples will help you visualize how the use of graphics has helped other organizations do their work better. (Names are fictitious and images edited to protect the privacy of my clients.) TIE ONE ON: […]
Comments Off on Graphic Facilitation: Mini-Case Study #1
A quick visual exercise can utterly transform how a group understands itself. I recently worked with a Board that perceived themselves as very divided. One camp was supposedly dedicated solely to the organization’s Program H and placed an extremely low value on Program C; the other camp reversed these values. They told this story over […]
Comments Off on The Value of a Pie
I once worked with a cohousing community on revising their decision-making policy, with which many members were frustrated. It was seven pages long and I found it difficult to understand despite multiple readings; each community member I asked described it differently. Some bemoaned the fact that they could never get anything done because the process […]
Comments Off on A Modular Approach to Creating Agreements
Sometimes we make resolutions…and sometimes they come to us. The universe gave me a big one this weekend. I went for a long run on a pretty vigorous mountain trail Saturday. I was having a ball! Gorgeous weather, lovely views, beautiful scenery, occasional glimpses of wildlife. When running on a rocky trail, it’s a good […]
Comments Off on Pay Attention!
During one of my weekend runs, I passed under a bridge where a homeless man was sleeping. I’d been out for an hour or so, and the tea I’d drunk earlier was calling for an exit. As I scouted for a suitable location, it occurred to me that I had a few things in common […]
Comments Off on Building Empathy
At a recent meeting, I was reminded how hard it can be to separate the quality of an idea or the validity of a fact from the popularity or authority of the person expressing it. Have you ever suggested something at work and been pooh-poohed, only to have someone ELSE suggest the same damn thing…and […]
Comments Off on Ideas without Owners
How you phrase the question influences the answer(s) you receive. We all know this intuitively. Our senses go on alert when we hear that question that seems to contain within it a judgement about what the right answer might be. Then there are the poll-takers, with questions and multiple choice answers that point to a […]
Comments Off on Asking the Right Question