Speaking of tough conversations, I hope you’ll find some thoughts and ideas here on how to manage yourself as the facilitator. Read More
It took just one more cell phone recorded murder and George Floyd’s death has finally forced the widespread public anger and tough conversations that we’ve needed to, hopefully, make needed change happen. It’s normal for people to want to avoid talking about unpleasant things and controversial issues, but for most of us, that’s simply no… read more →
An article in the recent issue of Psychology Today addresses how our eyes, gestures and tone put us in synch with each other in ways that online platforms will never duplicate. Like all primates, we’re social creatures and regardless of how effective WebEx, Facetime, Skype, Zoom and the others are – and don’t get me… read more →
People believe what they choose to believe. For some people choosing means weighing verified, peer-reviewed facts on all sides of issues, and for others it means agreeing with whatever and whoever reinforces how they want to feel. Read More …
Eventually we’re going to have to figure out how to talk to, deal with, and work with people that we don’t agree with or maybe even don’t like very much. That’s going to require (re)developing a skillset that feels like we’re losing. I’m seeing more being written about the need for these supposed soft skills. Calling… read more →
Government agencies are supposed to be the epitome of how a society organizes and authorizes things to be done for the common good, which, although necessary, easily gets out of hand, intimidates constituents, sometimes feels very arrogant and really ticks people off. So one of the dozens of things that we discuss in our Outrage courses is the… read more →
Most meetings and hearings are naturally scheduled evenings when more people are available, which makes perfect sense most of the time. Some time ago it was decided that most government organizations can’t spend taxpayer dollars on even basic refreshments for people who come to these meetings – the ubiquitous cookies and water. Meet the hangry public.… read more →
Digital communication has truly transformed public participation but it’s not an automatic or comprehensive solution to working with the public. It does not solve everything. Thus, it is important to choose your digital tools wisely in order to promote the collaborative process. What’s In Your Toolbox? When I look at my digital toolbox I think… read more →
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 is probably just a case of toe-may-toe vs. toe-mah-toe, but achieving… read more →
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 to be more than just… read more →