23 July 2024

Navigating Ethical Challenges in Facilitation August 12

 

Navigating Ethical Challenges in Facilitation  
SFN Zoom session |  Monday August 12 at 5.30pm (Sydney time)
with the delightful Dr. Dewa Wardak
12 August at 5:30pm Sydney time (join earlier to test your AV equipment and chat with colleagues)
 
Zoom Session
Click above or go to:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84780714052

Ethics in facilitation is crucial for creating an environment of trust, respect, and inclusivity. By upholding ethical principles such as impartiality, transparency, and respect for all participants, facilitators should ensure that discussions are fair and balanced, fostering meaningful and productive dialogue.

This session will invite you to collaboratively explore these ethical dilemmas, sharing experiences and insights to better navigate the complexities of facilitation. Through interactive activities and reflective discussions, we will collectively explore two main aspects, 1) group autonomy, and 2) the principles of respect, equity and trust.

I look forward to your participation!

About Dr. Dewa Wardak

Dr Dewa Wardak is a Senior Lecturer in Business Education at the University of Sydney Business School.

Dewa is a Sydney Horizon Educator and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). She has a background in Learning Sciences and Technologies and is interested in educational design for active and authentic learning. She was a member of the University of Sydney’s Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC 1) for nearly three years. 

26 May 2024

Conflict Cafe with Mel Geltch and Jane O'Brien SFN postponed until July 8





This session was rescheduled from June due to technical difficulties tonight. Apologies to all, see you on July 8, 2024

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84780714052


Conflict Cafe |  SFN Zoom session |  Monday July 17 at 5.30pm (Sydney time)


Join us for Conflict Café (La Chicanerie): a restaurant for fostering healthy relationships and collaboration

You will be able to choose from two set menus featuring practices and exercises to develop greater awareness of self and others in situations of conflict and collaboration.

Whether in professional, personal or community circles, we face complex challenges. Normalising conflict and bridging differences are essential to building a healthier, equitable and sustainable society.
 
How can we adapt our facilitation and wellbeing practices into spaces beyond workshops and make them more accessible to all?
 
Percolab created Conflict Cafe as an experiment during COVID in Montreal Canada, and have been iterating for several years. The Canadian team now host weekly public cafes at the Montreal studio, and are just finishing a season as a public program at the Museum of Civilisation in Quebec City.
 
We’re launching in-person cafes in Australia this year, so we are still sensing into what works in the Australian context.
 
Come and join us as we experiment with hosting this online!

What you’ll leave with

  • Inspiration to bring your practices and processes out of workshops, and into the world as a way to bring more peace and wellbeing :)
  • At least 3 potentially new practices you can use in your work, community or social life
  • PDF resources of the above!
  • Hopefully a full and warm belly of calm and confidence in being with conflict

  

Mel photo

Mel Geltch 

I’m a passionate and skilled collaborative process designer and host, immersed in creating the kind of workplaces, communities and systems we dream of.
I’m committed to the socio-ecological transition, working with courageous organisations and people who also believe that our shared future depends on us working together like never before, for all life.
You’ll find me in Narooma on the South Coast of NSW, the home of the Djirriganj language speaking peoples on Yuin country, and wherever meaningful participatory practice is invited.



Jane O’Brien

I’m a practitioner and co-creator of the future of healthy and meaningful work and community. I bring authenticity and intuition to my work designing and hosting regenerative and transformative spaces, and a deep commitment to practising this in my work and all of my relationships.
You’ll find me in my garden at Inverell, in New England North West of NSW, home to the Jukumbal speaking people on Gamilaraay country, whenever I have a chance.
 
Formerly Campfire Coop, we are 2 members of the Australian ‘island’ of the international Percolab archipelago - also in France, Canada and an emerging team in Vietnam. We’re a not-for-profit coop with horizontal shared leadership, the commons and the Art of Hosting as our foundations.

We’re still transitioning so our Campfire Coop website is still active

  • Join our free online Listen For… community game for Asia-Pacific, the first Tuesday of each month. Next one is on 6 August. Sign up here

Connect on LinkedIn to get notifications


Mel Geltch 
mel@percolab.coop 0400 412 498
 

Jane O’Brien
jane@percolab.coop 0458 255 232

Check out the Percolab website for downloadable tools you can use to support collaboration - part of the Commons.

Join one of our capacity building events. Coming soon, an 8 week online Going Horizontal lab for courageous collaborators - in organisations or communities wanting to bring more horizontal ways.  

In Brisbane? Join us for the in-person launch of Conflict Cafe there - Thursday 27 June. Join us for an hour… Register here

  





24 April 2024

The Facilitator client tango: an experiment. With Jacinta Cubis May 13

 Facilitator Client Tango |  SFN Zoom session |  Monday May 13 at 5.30pm (Sydney time)



Join HERE or go to 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82992546841


Have you ever:

🙄 Felt frustrated after a conversation with a client?

🤔 Sensed you’re ‘at odds’ with a client or a colleague or manager about a workshop’s purpose or plan?

😏 Had a difference of opinion during a workshop?

You’re not alone. A facilitator’s relationship with their clients (or colleagues, managers and sponsors) can be like dancing tango. Reading or misreading each other, the shifts between leading and following, connection and disconnection, and yes, even stepping on toes.

What you need

Relax – you don’t need any tango shoes or moves. You do need to bring a ‘not-so-great’ story to share - like the ones above - and the curiosity to see how your peers might replay and rework them. Your story can be from the past, one you’re living through or one that you might see coming.
 

What you’ll leave with

You will get to watch your stories unfold as your peers play ‘you’ and your ‘client’. Your fellow facilitators bring their own experience and fresh perspective to your story. You’ll get insights that may help you:

✨ Shift and progress the conversation you’re having with your client, right now

✨ Learn from how you might have done it differently in the past

✨ Imagine how you could do it differently in the future

Don’t forget to bring a ‘not-so-great’ story from working with your clients when designing, delivering and debriefing workshops.

The experiment bit

Jacinta avoids role plays at any cost, so it takes a bit of courage to lean into this one, but she figures that SFN is a compassionate space that welcomes trying new things.

Jacinta has co-facilitated this session twice with Ewen Le Bourge and is doing it solo, with his blessing. Each time, people have left wanting more so she knows it works and thinks it could be done even better. She’s playing with the activity to see how it works with a larger group, in less time. Come and join the experiment.

 

About Jacinta
 


Jacinta photoJacinta is a creative master facilitator who loves guiding groups to connect, make decisions, generate ideas and solve problems.

Specialising in visual thinking, Jacinta creates captivating cartoons that simplify complex issues. With 28 years of experience, Jacinta is the go-to facilitator, trainer and mentor for clients in government, universities and community organisations, as well as consultants and facilitators.

Jacinta believes that facilitation is an essential skill for life and work and loves building facilitation capability. She shares compelling content that shows the impact of facilitation and tips to help you be a (fl)awesome facilitator. Because if you’re (fl)awesome, you create real engagement.

When Jacinta is not facilitating, or helping you learn how, you can find her on her yoga mat, in her art studio, on the tennis court or the tango dance floor.


 






17 March 2024

April 8th FACILITATING WITH IMAGES: A digital exploration with Cathryn Lloyd and Leonie Cutts

 Facilitating with Images |  SFN Zoom session |  Monday April 8 at 5.30pm (Sydney time)


Download the cards before the session (see below)


Zoom Link HERE




Unlock the power of imagery in facilitation with Dr. Cathryn Lloyd from Maverick Minds and Leonie Cutts from CCS Corporation. Bring to life the voices and collective wisdom of the group. Discover how to foster meaningful connections, creativity, and learning using digital image cards. 

 

In this session, we'll delve into:

 

·      Connecting and engaging participants from the outset

·      Igniting creativity, roasting an idea, and transforming perspectives

·      Gaining fresh insights through collaborative image-based activities

 

Experience the innovative CCS Card Virtual Facilitation Environment (VFE) and Maverick Minds' unique Shift Your Thinking Digital Facilitation cards firsthand. Whether you're a trainer, educator, coach, or facilitator, this session is essential for enhancing your toolkit and creating generative spaces both online and in-person.


About Leonie and Cathryn



Leonie Cutts
 is a co-founding director of CCS Corporation, the developers of the Compatibility Communication System (CCS Cards). She is principal coach, facilitator and creator of products that bring people together for meaningful connection. The CCS is a communication tool that helps create open and honest communication, and has been used by thousands of trainers, coaches and learning experts around the world.


Leonie has designed and delivered customised programs for leadership, team-building, personal development, presentation skills, communication skills and integrating corporate values across a variety of industries.

As a coach (PCC) with a background in education and psychology and over 25 years of building and delivering programs for managers and leaders, Leonie is passionate about drawing out people's strengths to help them grow personally and to contribute to organisational intelligence.


Cathryn Lloyd is a facilitCathryn picator, educator, creativity coach, author and creative practitioner. She is the Founder/Director of Maverick Minds, a creative human development consultancy that designs powerful and flexible learning experiences to people shift their thinking, gain new perspectives, and create positive change. 

Cathryn has extensive experience across creative industries, arts, business, management, and education. With a visual arts and design background Cathryn brings a unique multi-disciplinary learning approach to her work. She draws on a range of experiential, arts-based and action learning methodologies, theories, and processes to create purposeful and engaging learning environments that invite people to explore and innovate in areas such as leadership, wellbeing, culture, and team dynamics.


More information HERE


Getting Ready

To join in the session, please take a moment to install the FREE CCS VFE Cards App on either an Apple or Android mobile device.

The app won’t connect to our session yet, you will get a Session ID when we meet. I

In the meantime, if you would like to know more, try clicking on the app’s “Learn” button and look around, or visit the app’s how-to webpage https://ccs.cards/virtual/mobile-apps-help/





29 January 2024

Monday February 12 5.30pm (AEDT) zoom session: Unearthing Buried Mindsets - with Bob Dick

 







Zoom Session. 5.30pm (AEDT) on Monday February 12 at

Why do some attempts to improve a situation actually worsen it?  Stressed or embarrassed, we become blind to our poor behaviour.  Older parts of our brain take over our actions.  Daniel Goleman called it the amygdala hijack.  It is relevant to our ability as facilitators to deal with difficulty.  It also assists us to help our participants.  We are less blind to other's behaviour.  The SFN session will therefore at first explore the topic using a case study.  We can then develop it further to learn how to remedy our own blindness.



About Bob Dick



Bob Dick is an independent scholar, an occasional academic, a researcher and practitioner and facilitator, and a coach, mentor and advisor.  He works in the fields of community and organisational change.  In his facilitation work he uses action research and action learning.  These approaches enable him to integrate his practice with available evidence and models.  His aim is to help people, communities and organisations (and himself) to understand and improve their functioning.


Here are some documents posted by Bob after the session 

Go here


3 December 2023

December Wild Card - Face to face at UTS on December 11 at 5.30pm

 

Monday 11 December 2023 l 5:30PM.   
Face to Face: 
UTS Building 10, Lvl 5, CB10.05.580.



For our last session in 2023, come along to reflect on the year and celebrate the SFN community. It's a wild card night! We will invite colleagues to offer and run a short piece highlighting some aspect of facilitation practice. 


More information here

If all goes well we will go for dinner afterwards.