All Posts

What Adults Don’t Get

Peace Is An Inside Job

Happy Summer in Maine!

Talks and Training are the Fall Focus

Shows of Respect

Competition is over-rated. Collaboration please.

How to Change the Culture of Congress

How Our Communities Responded to COVID

The Wheel’s Still in Spin

Pronouns

I made a mistake

The Power of Facilitation

The Gatherings

Love and its Languages

The Earth Needs Women Leaders

Please stop talking

State of Maine Democracy

A call for mildness

What is a Land Acknowledgement?

On land that is a homeland for the Wabanaki

Vote everyday with your voice and your money

Vote with your wallet

The Last Minute

Democracy Reforms Being Debated in Washington

Strategic Planning Basics

Let your life speak

America is great because of slavery

How to Lead Meetings

The Media

Charity first

As good as your word

Protest

A broader look, more than just dollars.

Measuring What’s Important to Maine: A 25-year Look Back

Practical benefits of giving

So fun to give

My White Privileges

Talk or Text

I don’t know what’s best

Mad as hell AND want to talk

History brought to life through stories

A nation divided by the stories we believe

Acceptance

Good news is worth paying for

I caught myself being racist

Knock on the doors of your fellow Americans.

Our Peaceful Means to Settle Disputes

Why be civil to Trump and his supporters?

Consensus for endurance

Admit mistakes

If it fits in my head, it’s probably too small

Ask, don’t tell

Reverence

Putting people in boxes is not okay

You decide how

Head, heart, and hands

Multiple truths

If you don’t have a stake, get out of the way

Write on the walls

A way to say no

Coalition membership

Make others look good

My responsibility

Work with energy

Light hand on the tiller

Name

A way to talk

Hear, hear

Right to be wrong

Failure

Fertile soil helps creativity

Clarify, discuss, decide

How to talk across our political divide

Zoom Tips and Tools

Group Process Guidelines (Ground Rules) by Larry Dansinger

Music!

Zoom Facilitation Links

Art

Adapt, migrate, or perish

Detachment

Good information compels

Zoom Meeting Basics

Shared vision required

Do what you say

Public input in many ways

Decision method right-sized

Advice

Single-tasking

Best we could with what we had

Connections

Available

Brake in advance

Things undone

Trust takes over

In-front-of messaging

Reinterpretation

Committees

Consensus at the core

Loose in the harness

Closing comments

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats

Should facilitators make suggestions?

Different views

Causes of conflict, and cures

How to call on people

Three times considered

Morality as agreed

Hot hand

Contain disagreement

High ground

Small goals

Orientation

How to move forward

Difference between launch and land

Heads up

Inauguration

Indifference

Recreation

How to Determine Value

Feedback please

Moral compass

Last minute decision making

Consensus doesn’t mean casual

Just enough

What’s next?

A Complete Listener

Self Evident

The Why and What of Positive Group Dynamics

On behalf cautions

No one dominates

Opt out

Criticism private

Teacher Appreciation

Direct communication

Multi-vote

Facilitation

Lose now, win later

Bring you

Stories

How to Talk to an Adversary, with Respect

Say your third thought

Credit the group

Stakeholders at the table

Revenge is never a reason

Great gifts are not always new

Earth community

Okay to change plans and rules

Agendas with end times are efficient

Know your lines

Enforcement

Six Simple Ground Rules for a Civil Conversation

Let things die

Measure to manage

Hands off

Incrementally

At least two ways

Get a second

Free from past

Start with a question

Outside influence

It’s the planning, not the plan

Understanding is always partial

Flat for planning, stacked for doing

Not all about money

Whole Picture in Brief

Conflict resolution steps

Objectives, agenda, ground rules

My part

Agreements stand until changed

Is it okay to shut someone down?

Mis-takes to high stakes

Why 16-year-olds should vote

Leadership

Okay to change your mind

Take a break

Role of the Chair Person

Rules first

Our interests

Direction more important than pace

I didn’t do anything wrong

Freedom of speech

Not her fault, her type

If your glass is half empty, get a smaller glass

Outside issues

Recalculating

My first thought is probably not my best

Make amends

Best solutions begin with self

Men, Make Room

Ground rules

At home and in families

No one’s writing anything down!

Take a step

Discipline

When someone throws a brick at you

Alternative solutions

Connect with your Mission

Decide how to decide

What is a vision statement?

Reflective pause

Positive feedback

Make the most of your pre-meeting

Determination

All in – Two votes

Demonstrate listening

Assumptions lead to trouble

Double-check your decision

More wagging, less barking

Love

When you speak from personal experience

Structure sets you free

Many Stories, Many Truths

Carrots are better than sticks

Shared values

Good Meeting Guidelines

Plan, meet, write-up

High School Facilitator

Resentments have roots in expectations

Act as if

A Culture of Listening

Interests rather than positions

No complaining without contribution

How to Use Microphones for Group Interaction

Talk or listen

Define the edges

Feedback is a gift

Humility

Straw vote

Come to the Meeting!

Good in everyone

Change or accept

How to Form a Committee – 5 Essentials

Speak your truth and let go

When to unpack conflict as a group

Kindness

Attribution Bias

Name leads

Let a small group resolve it

Written words clarify

Listen

Are you listening? Four levels of proof

Gratitude

Us over me

Three Ways to Keep Your Plan Alive

Lawn signs and bumper stickers

Good Group Tips in the Jury Room

Agenda setting access

Chairs in a circle

Accountability

Understanding first

Google Docs for Group Reports

Round Robin

E-mail

Before and After

Leaders hold secrets

I don’t know

Business Cards Rock!

Rules and relationships

Encourage volunteerism

Affirm to get along

Foretell the sunny side

Don’t just do something, sit there!

Leaders consider multiple interests

The Potato Salad Solution

I believe in us

Interest-Based Bargaining: A Creative Approach to Collective Bargaining

Strategic quitting

Change to stay the same

Answer the question

People are complicated and colorful

Plus-Delta

Want creativity? Make room.

Three Ways to Shred Rapport

100 Good Group Videos

Gender respect: yes, please

You can’t uncommunicate

Two Conditions for Conflict Resolution

Informality is cool! Or is it?

Connect with a higher purpose

Categorical Judgment

How to handle when someone walks out

Win with grace

Seven Secrets for Successful Meetings

The best arguments

Intergenerational Communications – How to talk about it

Align purpose, technique, attitude

Silence

Meeting introductions

Nonprofit Collaboration

Transparent Facilitation

The seduction of urgency

Citizen Democracy

Unique Room Set Up

Light of God in Every Person

Resonate

The Right to Understand

Action precedes understanding

Empathy and Respect

How to get a group to cut down a list

I am the Solution

How to handle rule-breaking

Separate inputs from outcomes

Make Shift Coffee House

How to move on

Move in your meetings

A problem defined is half-solved

Learn about somebody different

That’s the way it looks from here

Tips for Running Effective Meetings

Strong Decisions Vs. Weak Decisions

Femaleadership – Benefits of Women in Leadership

Fast or Good?

Face-to-face is still the best

Choices are never perfect, choose anyway

How to have movement in your meeting

Meeting Room First Impressions Matter

How to Untangle a Conflict

Good deeds and Mr. Goodbars

If you could have a superpower

Tasks and Relationships

Let people change plans

Everyone’s job is no one’s job

How to NOT be invisible in meetings

Don’t leave me hanging! – Advice for e-communication

Find what makes you great

Key ingredients for collaboration (it’s way more than IT)

Long term collaboration needs special effort

Listen to your enemies

Alignment between words and deeds builds trust

Learn a lot fast in the room

Is your idea worthy of group time?

Peace and profit come from good group decisions

Welcome new members

Make deposits before withdrawals

Disability friendly meeting technology

Table discussion guides

Providing structure provides fairness

Write stuff down

Agendas should have times

Use the Screen for Reflecting

How to decide what you don’t decide

Keep your strategic plan off the shelf

Many presentations quick? How to do that!

Take breaks to make more of your meeting

Do What’s Light

Cheap fiction or great literature?

Robert’s Rules of Order – Key Principles Explained

The Best I Can Do Is Pray

Meeting Guidelines Written

Jokes and Sarcasm Reveal Character and Culture

Understanding and Trust: Both Required

What is a Good Group Decision?

Leadership is inspiring, not requiring

Meeting Room Setup for Max Effectiveness

About my Tips, Videos, and Handouts

Someone Neutral in Charge of the Process

Every Problem Has At Least Two Solutions

Meeting Room Set Up Time-Lapse Video

Say it with a sign

What we think we know is dangerous

Doin’ Good

Most Conflict is Because of Misunderstanding

Show What You Think

Ready for Good from Anywhere

Here’s What I Heard

Community Advisory Panels Build Community Bridges

Pay it Forward

Inspired to Act

Meeting Room Set Up Demonstration Video

Info from the Front Lines

Credit the Group from the Field

Ground Rules for Conflict Resolution

Books on Group Decision Making – Recommended List

Agenda and Meeting Tips

How to have an effective meeting – the basics

How to find peace – Let go of the outcome

How to build community – Food!

Strategic Planning Overview

Principles to Help Groups in Conflict

Nonviolent Communication

Moderating Panel Discussions

Meeting Planning Steps for Facilitators

Meeting Facilitation Techniques

Links

Leadership Challenge

Know Your Lines

Group Decision Method – When to Apply Which Method

Group Decision Methods – from Dictatorship to Consensus

Group Decision Making Steps

Ground Rules

Feedback / Performance Evaluation

Cooperative Communications

Consensus Simple Steps

Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution

Conflict Mediation Basics

Characteristics of High Functioning Groups

Characteristics of Good Meeting Facilitators

Accountability

How to facilitate meetings – Four Essential Functions

How to show the big picture – Use a Handout

How to handle the person who talks too much – Validate and hear from others

How to help your meeting – Responsibility for Attitude

How to prevent conflict – Build Shared Understanding

How to make decisions in small groups – Mini-Multi-Vote

What’s the problem?

Changing the process is rarely the solution

Science trumps intuition

Shared expectations minimize conflicts

One-on-One