Facilitator Tools
Values Drive Behavior, So Shouldn’t You Know What They Are?
Values. We use the word all the time, Brene Brown says in her new online course called, Daring Greatly. We says things like: “That’s great value. How much do you value this? What value would you place on this? How dare he not value me. I feel like I’ve been devalued. Our currency just lost…
Gaining Clarity And Meaning For Your Life In 3 Hours
Ever wanted a very powerful, quick jumpstart on the next few years of your life? One process I talked about briefly in my blog in December 2014 was the graphic facilitated P.A.T.H. process. PATH stands for Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope. It was developed by a Canadian group including Marsha Forest, Jack Pierpont and John O’Brien…
The Clarity and Confusion Around Goals and Objectives
The year 2016 is approaching. You think to yourself, “We had better set some new goals and objectives for our organization, team, committee.” You might even think about doing this for your own life or career development. Yet, I hate to break the news to you but rarely do setting goals and objectives on their…
Mistrust: It Doesn’t Get Any Worse Than This – But You CAN Change It
This blog is about trust. How to build it with the groups you are leading and how to help others regain trust when all seems hopeless. Trust is a word we toss around lightly. Joe Cocker, Billy Joel, Amanda Marshall all wrote songs about trust. Most of their titles were like, “Trust Me”, yet it…
Year 2000: The Most Powerful Vision of My Life
Almost 15 years ago, December 5, 2000, I had the most powerful vision of my life in the Chicago airport. I had an 8 hour layover due to snow storms. I was just coming back from Mexico having had a wonderful visit with my sister, and I had all kinds of ideas about how my…
The Motherload (Ultimate) of All Interview Techniques
Last week, I co-faciltiated a large group event where I did not use any of my usual tools. We designed something that was completely different from anything I’ve done in my last 20 years. It was so much fun. I think it is a good practice every once in a while to challenge yourself to try different…
Mind Mapping Made Easy
During a recent conference session, all my fellow participants wanted to take photos of my mind mapping notes! I did not think I was doing anything unusual since I have been using this technique regularly to take notes, design sessions, and to think about a specific topic for almost two decades. With groups, I occasionally use…
Raise the Bar on Meeting Participation – The Art of Visuals
No one remembers what went on in your meeting. No one knows what to do. People look blank when you ask them a question in your meeting. People repeat themselves over and over in the same meeting or from meeting to meeting. People are literally falling asleep in the meeting. These may be signs that…
What’s the Strategic in Strategic Thinking and Planning?
Why bother learning how to think, decide, prioritize and plan more strategically? Most of us are “getting through” life and work reasonably using our current thinking skills and abilities, experience and knowledge. Why bother with continuing to learn and practice the specifics of strategic thinking and planning? In this blog, I offer some of my…
Bringing Our Whole Selves to the Group – Reflections from Banff IAF
In my last newsletter, I was raving about the location and the people I encountered at IAF North America in Banff, Alberta, Canada. I’d like to share some of the key learning highlights for me. They range from sessions I co-facilitated related to virtual facilitation and reflective/spiritual practices to organizational culture change to looking at…
