Momentum for Sustainability
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This article was originally written as guidance for workshop organisers during an open space meeting in October 2016.
This is a place where civil rights activists meet to discuss change. During our three days together, we have plenty of space for spontaneous sessions as well as for pre-organised ones. What happens in your session is up to you: a workshop, a lecture, networking, practical action… Here are a few […]
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The 17th issue of the NTEN: Change journal is out, focusing on “Digital Inclusion and Technical Divides.” This issue covers a range of perspectives from those at the forefront of bridging the digital divide: schools, libraries, city governments, and nonprofit organizations. Subscribe & download the March 2015 issue: www.nten.org/ntenchange.
So, I spent most of last week in Austin at the 2015 Nonprofit Technology Conference (also known as #15NTC). I’d been working with NTEN (the host organization) for a while on their Editorial Committee, and I was very grateful for the invitation to link up with the community live and in person.
I feel the same way Austin, but I think we should see other people. #15NTC pic.twitter.com/svV5cc1qrD
— Doug Phillips […]
I first heard about the Business Model Canvas a few years ago. Since then, canvasses – large posters with a framework to structure conversation, usually supported by post-its – have become quite popular. The Strategic Communications Workshop in Jordan was a great opportunity for me to experiment with a canvas for a simple communications planning process. Download it here, experiment with it and let me know what works for you!
var JFL_50542386135958 = […]
“Momentum for sustainability? That sounds nice. But what is it that you do?”
I call myself a communications consultant and facilitator. I do a lot of things. Here’s an incomplete list:
I ask questions. I probe. I challenge you to go deeper. I help you find out what is really important for you, right now. I help you reconnect with why you do what you do, and how you are making a […]
The other day, I made an offhand comment on Facebook, stating that “‘training’ is a broken model for learning and behaviour change”. Tom immediately challenged me to explain.
Of course, this statement is a gross generalisation – and I’m convinced that there’s plenty of brilliant training in this world. So, let’s maybe consider a different question:
When is ‘training’ a broken model for learning and behaviour change?
Earlier this year, a World Bank study on the use of its own knowledge products raised the question: What if having good ideas and writing them down is not enough to have an impact?
31% of #WorldBank policy reports never downloaded. 87% never cited. More relevant reports or better dissemination? http://t.co/iz8pUjM5x4
— David Evans (@tukopamoja) May 6, 2014
Think about it.
“The system is broken.”
“The system fails to meet people’s needs.”
“We need to change the system.”
Does this sound familiar? I bet it does. Every self-respecting activist and change maker knows this narrative; partially, because it has a lot of truth in it. Problems appear when the conversation on systems change stops here: Some will throw their hands in despair because the system’s just too big and too powerful – […]
When I facilitate, I take notes. Lots of notes. I come with a set of notes, including the workshop design and process plans. I have checklists for the preparation of the venue. During the meeting, I jot down notes, names, observations. At the end of each day, I review the process, adjust the original design and rephrase questions. Over the years, quite a stack of these notes had assembled in […]