Friends
31 July 2009Don’t you think it’s interesting how twitter and facebook and whatever else is out there reflects the school yard? The way we now have ‘levels’ of friends? I suppose it’s a way to try and manage all these people we’re now connected with one way or another. I think real friends are pretty precious. They’re…
TED Talk: Communicating real news
22 June 2009If you are still in any doubt that we are in the midst of phenomenal change, watch this. It’s Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organising Without Organisations, talking about the impact of new technologies. The events in Iran during this last week is the latest in a series of examples…
In search of Kurt Vonnegut
5 May 2009It’s become clear that there’s a huge gap in my reading history. I’ve never read Slaughterhouse Five or Cat’s Cradle or Breakfast of Champions. So if you see me trawling second-hand book shops, you’ll know why.
Book Review: ‘The Element’ by Sir Ken Robinson
24 February 2009Heather Davis and I got together and wrote this book review of The Element: how finding your passion changes everything by Sir Ken Robinson, with Lou Aronica, 2009. New York, Viking. USD $17. This book was mentioned in and follows on from Sir Ken Robinson’s 2006 TED Talk “Do schools kill creativity?” which made a profoundly moving case for…
The heart of connection
17 February 2009I’ve just listened to a podcast with Johnnie Moore, Mark Earls and Rob Poynton about the benefits of not planning. This is what attracted me to the podcast initially, and while this is where it began, it’s where their discussion ended that excited me. Their conversation covered the dynamics of influence and control, how improv…
Resources for Facilitators
2 February 2009Facilitators like me have traditionally drawn on processes, activities, and often the wisdom and experiences of other facilitators for inspiration when designing workshops. Today I had a completely different experience. I promised I’d develop a slide show for a group as a thought starter for a discussion. I identified the key messages, developed a rough…
Just ask. The answer might be ‘yes!’
22 January 2009Check out this photo. It announces some tour dates for Eric Bibb in Australia. Nothing strange about that. Now take a closer look. There’s a gig in Melbourne, capital of Victoria. Population 3.8 million. And another one in Hobart, capital of Tasmania. Population 205,000. And Meeniyan. Population 1006. Meeniyan. Where the…
“Publish, then filter”
12 January 2009Ross Hill wrote in an email to the Creative Skills Training Council that said, in part: “the web works on the “publish, then filter” model, not the “filter, then publish” model of traditional media.” I once trained, and worked, as a journalist. This is so true of traditional media – so many filters to get…
New Year links
3 January 2009Lake Superior University Banished Words List 2009 Web tools for qualitative data analysis from Michael Wesch at Kansas State University 2008 The Year in Review from the folk at JibJab Wise words indeed from Doug Les Posen on 2009 being the year when presenting well comes of age. I hope he’s right! A short video that…
The gift of conversation
18 December 2008I love this message from Roger Schwarz. I’m publishing it here in full. If you’re stuck for a gift, this is THE one. For many of us, this is a season of receiving and giving gifts. It reminds me that in conversation, people offer you gifts and you have a chance…