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Dealing with ‘passionate’ community meetings
Hi folks I recently facilitated some local meetings with rural communities. A group of 'activists' came from outside of these communities. Their issues were often unrelated to the objectives of the meetings. They tended to dominate proceedings and locals were left frustrated about their involvement being compromised. So here's what...
Quick tips for promoting your event
Greetings from Walpole where it's been hammering rain for the last hour - hooray! This week I'm helping regionally-based people to plan and promote their community events. Our first workshop at Tambellup was a fab day, but it would have been even better with more people attending. With another two on...
Need your community group to function more effectively?
Are you involved in a community group? Do you sometimes find it difficult to get your group members working smoothly together? Yes? Well, I have a few 'hints' that can help you. Find a way to first understand where everyone is coming from. Get people to talk about what they...
A simple way to engage with your ‘community’
There's a whole host of tools, techniques and processes that we can utilise during community engagement processes. In a recent project it was my role to seek and understand the views of a diverse range of people. Farmers, environmentalists, miners, scientists, councillors and government employees. A bit of a cross-section...
Facilitation across cultures
The BIG thing I love about my role is the opportunity to keep on learning! I've been a facilitator for 18 years or so and there's still new things to explore. Recently I've been involved in a program assisting farmers across Western Australia to develop strategic plans for their business. Plenty to...
Providing feedback
Ever had to provide feedback to a colleague? What about a workshop participant? How did you feel at the time? If you feel a little nervous about giving feedback - don't worry - that's normal. The good news is that there's a simple model that can help you to step...
Promoting your workshop or event
No doubt you put on some fantastic workshops and amazing events. Do you sometimes wonder why more people didn't show up? Or why some just didn't hear about it? Or perhaps some didn't know what it was about? Last year I faced the same dilemmas for an event that I...
Using bad language
So what does using 'bad' language and facilitation have in common? Have you been to a workshop facilitated by Liam Gallagher, Sir Les Patterson or Keith the Mauravian Swearing Bear? Maybe not - but this isn't about foul language. It's about thinking about the language you use. I'm heavily involved...
Starting on track in 2011
After a short break enjoying sleep ins I'm ready to go in 2011. Most of us are busy in many aspects of our lives. To help me get on track in 2011 I'm setting SMART goals. I'm guessing you've heard of these - Specific, Measureable, Action-focused, Realisitc & Time-bound. My...
Saving email time
Answering all those emails becoming like a slow death? Is your neck sore & partner grumpy? Time for a change. This article by Charlie Gilkey gives some great tips - including the 5 sentence rule! Try it yourself - try it with your team - and measure the results! http://bit.ly/i7OJbE
Facilitation skills
The dates have been set for the Australasian Facilitators Network 2011 conference! It's being held here in WA from November 2nd-6th 2011 in delightful Fremantle. The conference is a fantastic way to enrich your skills in working with groups, build your understanding, share experiences and extend your professional networks November...
Hot meeting tips
Meeting tips 1. Cut down your total meeting time – Meetings tend to fall into 2 categories – (1) to share information, and (2) to solve problems or create opportunities. If it is the first of these, consider whether the same thing can be achieved by other means (eg email...
Community Engagement
Hi folks, I had a workshop recently where the change being proposed would have a major impact on local government. I figured it would be important to get people exchanging thoughts and ideas before the workshop as well as during the workshop. So we advertised a starting time of 9.00am....
Facilitation Challenges
Hi folks I had a very interesting experience yesterday that highlighted the importance of maintaining focus No doubt you've been in a workshop when someone starts a side conversation. Or a local tradey thinks now's a good time to remove the roofing. Well yesterday I was chair/lead facilitator for a...