Dynamic Facilitation is a significant part of what I do as a facilitator, and I have published a detailed manual about that approach as a book. This new book I am writing here, is about the other aspects of what I do as a facilitator to help a group enter into that “sweet spot”, sometimes […]
I am writing this at my home in the Berkshires, here in the U.S. during this season between, the time after our harvest holiday of giving thanks, and the upcoming winter holidays celebrating the return of the light. It is the darkest time of year, and in the midst of holiday preparations, many of us are […]
Agenda… the word is loaded with meaning, spanning both one realm that is extremely logical and rational, as well as another that is deeper, more fraught, and generally less conscious. I recently made a discovery that fits somewhere in the dance between these two…. This particular small group seemed to be in the throes of […]
This New Year is bringing the gift of a greater integration between “inner listening practices” and “outer listening practices”… the fruits of a vision I’ve held for the last decade. This is a story about a recent inner journey that has a lot of implications for the “outer listening” work that many of us do. […]
I am re-posting here, much what I wrote in my latest e-mail newsletter: I’m reaching out here, to share some resources that may be of use… knowing that sometimes, the most helpful resource can be our own caring and vulnerability; being willing to let others know that we care, that we are deeply affected by […]
A few days ago, something happened that reminded again of how crucial the “inner listening” work can be, especially for those of us whose work involves a lot of “listening to others.” In a conversation with a friend and colleague, he mentioned in passing some work he’d done with a client; everything had gone well, […]
My goodness! It’s already July, and I’ve still not written here about my recent flurry of listening-related activities and thoughts… so here it is, at last! Elders and Fellows Gathering in Sausalito, CA. The beginning of my journeys, back in early May… This was a small invitational gathering with a small circle of “Elders” in the field […]
Note: this is something I wrote a while back, on another blog I had started and then abandoned. For a variety of reasons (including how long it’s been since my last entry here!) it seems worthwhile to repost a slightly edited version of it, here and now… *** One of elements that is most central to […]
I’ve recently returned from a two-week trip to Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, meeting with fellow practitioners in a variety of fields, including group facilitation, organizational consulting, management, and public administration. All of the folks with whom I met, are involved in some way with Dynamic Facilitation, a listening practice designed to help people engage in […]
Next to conversations about Occupy Everywhere, some of the most alive conversations I’ve been having recently have been about Open Dialogue, an evidence-based, hugely effective approach for helping people heal from schizophrenia, developed by Jaako Seikkula and a community of practitioners in Finland. For those of us still learning about this, Ron Unger’s web post […]