Can improv save the world? It can’t make it any worse!
16 July 2016Whoa! There seems to be bad news around every corner. It’s a volatile and unpredictable time, and we all need to draw on all of our skills and resources just to cope, let alone, be of any use to others. Applied Improvisation is one approach being used to develop people’s capacity to cope with change and…
Taming self talk
21 May 2016Sometimes, when talking with someone, it’s obvious that they are elsewhere. They have gone into their head. While we can’t know what the other person is thinking, it’s usually pretty obvious that they are not listening to us, maybe even no longer aware that we are there. It can range from slightly annoying to downright rude.…
The artefacts of organisational culture
17 February 2016The Senior Citizen’s Clubrooms where I was running a workshop seemed to have every nook and cranny plastered with small, and some not so small, laminated signs issuing instructions of what NOT to do or specifically how to act. It struck me at the time, as the sort of club I would want to avoid.…
Becoming who we are not
11 February 2016My photocopier is broken. I’ve been searching for the manual. I haven’t found it yet. However, I did find a yellow notepad that I paid US1.49 for at the San Francisco Marriot in 2004. The price sticker is still on the back. I remember buying this notepad in the hotel gift shop. I remember walking…
Change your meetings, change your culture
1 February 20161st of February – it’s when the new year ‘really’ starts here in Australia. The kids are back at school, most people are back at work, we’re all planning our next holiday…the weather is great. It really does feel like the new work year has properly begun. And you’re stuck in a meeting! Johnnie Moore…
Bring your meetings to life in 2016 – February workshop dates announced
20 January 2016It’s a whole new year, and a great opportunity to come to one of my Creative Facilitation workshops – still at 2015 prices. Where? Parkville, Melbourne. When? February 25 and 26 How much? $440 per person for two days (if you book 3 or more people) or $700 for a single registration How many people? Maximum of…
Some musings on facilitating open space
11 November 2015While open space has been part of my facilitation DNA for 25+ years, I don’t always have opportunities to facilitate open space events. That’s changed this past few weeks with two quite different events. The first was for a group of 40 humanitarian workers from the Pacific Region. They meet regularly, but this was the…
What is Creative facilitation?
11 November 2015And how does it differ from any other sorts of facilitation? It took me a long time – literally years of trial and error – to find my own style of facilitation. It was helpful to see how other people facilitated and I would learn lots from them. But I was not other people. With…
Creative Facilitation in Melbourne Nov 26-27
4 October 2015You might be surprised by the variety and depth of ways to engage people,especially if you’re stuck in a meeting rut, listening to others drone on, and rarely having time to discuss what really matters. I make my living from facilitating, so I’m always on the lookout for new ideas and better, more creative, and…
Keeping it fresh
1 September 2015With lots of Creative Facilitation training under my belt, the challenge is to keep it fresh. The danger is complacency. Two things happened in today’s training that helped with the freshness. Actually, one happened even before I arrived. I’d decided I’d done enough preparation, so on the train to Melbourne, decided to read the paper…