What is your learning edge?
26 April 2012I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can’t see from the center. Kurt Vonnegut We now know it’s not enough to just bring our brains to work. The difficult issues we’re asked to explore require us…
Facilitation in pictures
25 April 2012In March I was delighted to facilitate a workshop at the Malaysian Facilitators’ Conference in Kuala Lumpur. And yesterday, “The world is getting smaller and smaller”, wrote a friend in an email. “Recently I contracted an artist for a project and saw this on her blog.” Thanks to the amazing Wendy Wong of Welenia Studios…
20 April 2012
Click here to find out more. When I was in charge of producing various forms of innovation such as new legislation, new partnerships, new community engagement approaches, new carbon management approaches, etc [at a large government agency] someone said to me we were having success because I employed talented, young people who could cope with…
Once a decade conferencing
18 April 2012As many of you reading this blog will know, I’m sort of keen on improvisation theatre – especially on what I’ve learnt that influences my facilitation approach. Things like making your partner look good, seeing everything a group, or individuals, do or say, as an offer, and understanding status and how to shift it. I…
I need help
28 March 2012Recently I received a great little gift from my friends at On Your Feet. It was a reminder about asking for help, and the rewards that often go beyond the help itself. So, here I am, asking for your help to let others know about a conference I’m organising. It’s called Thriving in Uncertainty and…
Improv in business
12 February 2012It’s no surprise – learning the practices of improvisation, has transformed the way I work, the way I facilitate, the way I relate to others, my outlook and my approach. Big claims? You bet. The internet enables us to find others who share this passion for improv. This is both a blessing and a curse.…
Make your partner look good
28 January 2012This is one my favourite improv principles. It’s just so obvious – focus on making others look good. It’s about shifting the focus from yourself to others, and being concerned more about the overall outcome – whether that’s a performance, a workshop, a show, a presentation, or a conference. Speaking of conferences, it’s the last…
“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
23 January 2012I’m in a foreign country, working with my client, to prepare for a two-day facilitated event with 150 or so people from multiple countries and organisations. While many things are familiar, I’m very conscious that I’m not at home. I received an email from the Australian Government alerting me to some imminent dangers, someone tried…
Creating a memorable conference
19 January 2012I opened a newspaper and there was a photo of Yosemite National Park. I’ve been to Yosemite once, for a few days. The place was instantly recognisable. It strikes me time and again how easy it is to recognise a place that I have physically visited. There is some visceral memory. There is something about…
How to be more playful
29 November 2011I’m always banging on about bringing playfulness – which can be an attitude, a point-of-view, an approach – to work, to problem solving, to meetings, to life. “But how?” I hear you asking. Here’s a few ideas: Have a play space – a space at work or in a conference for people to play: shooting…