Participation or Peddling?
Public policy and politics have vastly different objectives, but are now obviously mixed in the minds and perceptions of voters and citizens. Authentic public participation is the path to recovery....
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Expert Facilitation
OK, let’s just say really good facilitation. If you’re looking for some tried, true and methodical suggestions for handling groups, we think you’ll find this useful.
Being called an expert in anything always sounds a little blustery, but developing real expertise is always an honorable goal. Expert vs. expertise...
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Reach Out and Touch Someone to Find Collaborative Solutions
OK, so this may not be the most politically correct headline for a blog today, but I will stand by it. For over 20 years, before cell phones made the effort moot, Ma Bell and later AT&T used this slogan to get people to call long distance. It turns out ...
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Telling It Like It Isn’t
You probably realize that what comes out of your mouth is often irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Your non-verbal messages are always being broadcast. And when you are speaking, your paralanguage (No, not parrot language) is a big part of what people are paying attention to....
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We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This
Running better gatherings of people is an exercise in understanding human behavior. Here are the simple basics....
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Humor is a Funny Thing
The United States is in a bad mood. I was talking with a group of smart people recently who agreed that there’s a general sense of malaise these days. I’m not suggesting there isn’t good reason for it, but we’re taking inconsequential things and ourselves pretty seriously these days – ...
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Do This, Not That
If you make presentations to people – and who doesn’t – here are 31 things to avoid....
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Consensus or Kumbaya
Consensus is, arguably, the true essence of effective democratic public policy. Crafting decisions that most people can live with isn’t easy or quick, but usually beats simple majority voting when 51% wins and 49% of people become losers. Of course, there are people who see consensus as the naïve and ...
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You’re Invited
We’ve talked a lot in past newsletters about the nuances of facilitating groups toward conclusions, but we haven’t yet said much about the first order of business – getting people to actually show up. If they’re already mad at you, it’s pretty easy. But, otherwise, just because your little gathering ...
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Meeting Facilitation Training: Craft Your Invitation
Meeting facilitation can be a complex art and science when the issues themselves are comparably complex. As we teach in our meeting facilitation training, learning to do meeting facilitation well requires paying attention to nuances, one of which is getting the right people in the room. The room, of ...
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