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Victoria summer connections and collaborations
Summer is a wonderful time to admire the different ways people find connection. It’s summer where I live. And, as summer can be so short, here are a few pictures I snapped this weekend (and last) around Victoria, in homage to summer and being together in the outdoors. The pictures almost speak for themselves. Just [...]
Haliburton Community Farm: A collaborative model worth emulating
We need more places like Haliburton Farm. Last month, I partook in a farm tour, dinner and conversation there. This week I visited this local farm to chat a bit more with Elmarie Roberts, one of the farmers working the property. Our conversation reinforced my view that Haliburton Farm is a powerful, collaborative community model [...]
Break bread together: A rule of thumb for good collaboration
Have a meal together.
Why it matters
Eating together helps people connect; helps bond individuals into a collaborative whole.
It doesn’t matter what it is that you do, you need something to bring the team together — something that says we’re special, we value each other, and we’re in this together.
Food, dress, ceremony, celebration… rituals are developed around [...]
Lessons in community values and culture from the Canadian outposts
Communities that are isolated from the mainstream population often develop distinct, rich cultures, based on a firmly established set of values and practices. There are many examples of these communities in Canada, from sea to sea to sea.
Yet, a strong set of values is no guarantee that community or its culture will persist. And what [...]
WordCamp Victoria 2009 – 25 reasons it was an outstanding event
Last Saturday, I was a participant in WordCamp Victoria 2009, held at the Victoria campus of University Canada West. WordCamp is a conference that focuses on everything WordPress, the popular open-source blogging software. WordCamps are informal, community-organized events, organized around the world. Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to [...]
Some low-cost data visualization tools that can enhance your story telling
We know a good story can give momentum to a vision or idea. I previously posted here on the utility of data visualization as a way to improve your story telling. This week I learnt more about data visualization tools from A Consumer’s Guide to Low-Cost Data Visualization Tools, and tried out a couple of [...]
Relying on your intuition may be your best decision in times of uncertainty
As a mediator, I often rely on my intuition as a guide in the heat of conflict. I never really understood how intuition worked though until I read Gerd Gigerenzer’s book, Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious. “A superstar in the psychology of decision making”, Gigerenzer thinks relying on your “gut feelings” (a.k.a. intuition [...]
The underlying interests that motivate your business users
If I could help you get good at what you really want to do, how would that you make you feel? Maybe you would want to see more of me?
How can you help the people you depend on – your clients, partners, collaborators … get really good at what they want to do, and become [...]
Questions are the engine that drive collaborative conversations
The collaborative facilitator knows that questions make things happen. Questions are the engine that drives healthy and productive group conversation.
A few years ago, I took a workshop, on facilitation and asking questions, from Dorothy Strachan in Ottawa, Ontario. She has been a facilitator for a long time, and is an expert in asking questions [...]
Moving from the “pain of a new idea” to collaboration and innovation
Collaboration involves people or organizations working together toward an intersection of common goals. Innovation is about a new way of doing something; about making changes in your thinking, processes, products, and/or organization.
We know collaborative thought and action can lead to new ideas and innovation. Yet, still we are reluctant to use a collaborative approach as [...]
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