PURPOSE, PEOPLE and PROCESS (and product, probable issues, power and place just to keep the ‘P’ thing rolling along) 1. Purpose – the WHAT and the WHY Purpose is gold. And too-often hidden. Get it clear. WHAT are you aiming to achieve. Begin with the end in mind. Get the pu
The best place to start thinking about facilitation is from a very simple place. What makes a great conversation, one to one, or in a small group? In the course of this conversation, something shifts, for all parties. New meaning is created, future directions become clear, needs are met, and commitm
In Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace, Pierre returns a changed man, after nearly being executed by the French. “There was a new feature in Pierre’s relations with Willarski, with the princess, with the doctor, and with all the people he now met, which gained for him the general goodwill. This was
At 9am on a Sunday morning, in front of a group of new acquaintances, I was shedding quiet tears. From a bluetoothed ipad, Cat Stevens sang ‘Morning has Broken’ as I regarded a carpet of tree collages on the floor of the meeting room – the product of a workshop exercise the previous day. Let
Thinking about facilitation. I ran a session at Sydney Facilitators Network last month. The question was “What nurtures great dialogue?” We ran a ‘fish bowl’ role play with seven people conducting a dialogue, the rest of us paying close attention to the dynamics. The instruction to observers was to
At the end of the first day, feedback from some table hosts was not good. “If we keep going on this, we will lose them tomorrow”. It was a critical point in the conference. Five star hotel, beautiful food, an ample budget, 200 smart people, great hospitality staff, and in imminent danger of going of
“All life is meeting” Martin Buber I offended someone yesterday. After a workshop, a woman came and told me that I had embarrassed her in front of colleagues and subordinates. I apologized. She left quickly, still unhappy. She was also a senior officer in the organisation for which I was working. As
A Guidebook for creating rural learning networks Ian Colley, Bruce Thomson and Monica Redden This project developed a Guidebook for creating and sustaining rural skill networks. It involved extensive discussions with primary producers, farmers, extension officers and people involved in regional busi
The success of major projects relies on a complex mix of planning, politics, community and business. A strong partnership approach that engages key stakeholders smoothes the way. We have worked with small businesses, big business, government ministers, agencies, local councils, artists, shopkeepers