Collaboration skills are necessary to facilitation, group leadership, and public engagement at any level. We all work with people. As public sector consultants, we usually find ourselves bringing different groups of people with varying perspectives to work together on common goals. You need to know how to collaborate and how to cause collaboration. Together we are even better. There is a reason why it is our motto. Collaboration is the core of democracy and it’s how big things get done. Here’s some of the latest information we have found on collaboration skills. Thanks for letting us share it with you.
In last month’s newsletter, we mentioned that flaws – mistakes – are forgivable, but bad intentions are not. People who work in and with the public sector are usually motivated by the best of intentions; it’s usually why they choose to get into this line of work in the first ...
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Public participation is grounded in the premise that people who are affected by a decision have a right to have something to say about that decision. I’ve generally presumed that we, in America, shared a fundamental belief that the public’s interest is the foundation of a functioning democracy. And that ...
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I know I talk too much. We all talk too much. We’re in a period of time where everybody has an electronic bullhorn in their hands all the time. Everybody’s talking and damn few people are actually listening. So, we talk about active listening here quite a bit; a necessary ...
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When determining how to ensure effective public participation, it should be noted that public participation is no less than the bedrock of a functioning democracy. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the U.S.
Constitution, said, “I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of ...
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It’s common to think that for me to win, you have to lose. That may be true in sports, but not in most other areas. There’s an old axiom in the sales profession that says, “you can get what you want if you can help the other guy get what ...
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Is it that we just don’t want to deal with or talk with people who think differently, we don’t need to, or that we’ve forgotten how? Actually, I’ve come to realize that it’s all of the above and more; there is no one easy answer. Some people are just so ...
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Most people like to avoid conflict in their lives. Sure, some people get their jollies from chaos (and media feeds on it because it attracts an audience and produces lots of revenue), but the rest of us don’t go out of our way to invite the pain and confusion that ...
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Almost all of us have moved our work online and, thankfully, we’ve maintained our ability to connect in the best alternate ways possible. I can’t imagine where we’d be if the pandemic and lockdown had occurred before our current video and connection capability options. But as game changing as Zoom, ...
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Speaking of tough conversations, I hope you’ll find some thoughts and ideas here on how to manage yourself as the facilitator. Read More...
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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 ...
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