“Wildcard” – Planning for a successful 2014 | Monday November 11, 2013 | 5.30pm

Wildcards are engaging and fun. They are a great way to get a range of ideas and tools from a variety of different experiences. Wildcard is also a good opportunity for facilitators to try out a new idea or share a process that works.

November 2013 Wildcard theme ‘Planning ahead for a successful 2014’.

Wildcard sessions of 5 to 20 minutes are organized on the night including a short debriefing.

Turn up either with something to share or just to learn and have fun.

Venue:  [Our usual venue]

University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Jones Street, Ultimo corner Thomas Street.
Room 5.580 Level 5, Building 10, Take the lift to level 5, cross the atrium footbridge, walk straight ahead to room 580.

Time:

From 5:30pm to 7:30pm sharp | No RSVP - Just turn up

Making Connections – Building Bridges with Facilitation 16th Australasian Facilitators Network conference | 5-6 December 2013 | Macquarie University

Early Bird Pricing still open for Members of Facilitators NetworkHome

There is no doubt that Facilitation skills have moved from ‘could have’ to ‘must have’.

The AFN conference is the fastest lowest cost vehicle to help you develop your facilitation practice. Results and professional profile will follow.

This conference features Workshops as diverse as:

Accelerating Collective intelligence; Nine top tips for new facilitators; Being a creator of peace; Facilitating strategic planning; Powerful Decision making; Hands of time indigenous facilitation; Facilitation as a system; Transformative conversations; Embracing cultural diversity; Action methods to assist insight; Appreciative Inquiry; Meeting Marketplace and much more including Case Studies and Wildcard Experience.

How the conference is delivered

Workshops of 90 minutes – fresh, original and experiential

20 minute case studies to bring good practice alive with real stories

Wildcard – accepted live at the conference. Lead or share a warm up or practice or game that improves our facilitation skills in less than 20 minutes  

Benefits

Build life time connections & professional networks through social events, learning sessions and lively conversations

Ignite your passion, purpose & professionalism

Take in a diverse range of experience and expertise to expand your horizons and address challenges in your work, play & community 

Boost your confidence, knowledge , skills and practice 

Lift your profile

Explore and test your ideas or validate proposed approaches

Enjoy the best value for money Facilitators Conference ever

Social Events

Optional pre-conference gathering on Wednesday 4th Dec

Thursday 5^th: Crowd Sourced Themed Party

Socialising, networking, business marketplace, fun and games throughout

Innovation

Wildcard – ‘everyone gets a gig

PowerPoint Free Workshops

Sustainability - crowd sourced morning and afternoon teas, BYO mugs, bags and paraphernalia, zero useable waste policy

Register Now: Early Bird pricing for members of Australasian Facilitators Network, Sydney Facilitators Network and affiliated Community of Practice Members http://afnconference.org.au/registe/

The Venue is Macquarie University – fast & easy to access by train, with parking, natural setting on the edge of Lane Cove national park, state of the art buildings

www.afnconference.org.au

Exploring personal strategies for navigating diverse cultures with Karen Huchendorf | Monday October 14, 2013 | 5.30pm

Sydney Facilitators Network in collaboration with the Sydney Development Circle. This interactive session will explore strategies for navigating varying cultures, crucial to our work in the International aid and development sector as well as in our personal lives. "Barnga" simulates cross-cultural interaction in an unfamiliar culture, where we expect that the norms and values governing interaction will be different, but don’t know how they are different.  Even when we discover how the cultural rules are different, we don’t always know what to do to bridge the differences. We also must manage ourselves in situations outside our comfort zones. During the simulation, you will be asked to self-monitor feelings, thoughts and strategies, and our facilitator will conduct a debrief in terms of research on highly effective international managers and the intercultural effectiveness of their personal strategies for navigating diverse cultures. Karen Huchendorf: Karen Huchendorf has devoted her career to increasing the comfort, confidence and competence of people working in multicultural environments. Specialising since the early 1970’s in intercultural communication, she offers her expertise as a consultant, intercultural trainer, facilitator, and “culture coach”, supporting cross-cultural transitions and integration. Sydney Development Circle The Sydney Development Circle (SDC) is a mentoring and networking group open to anyone interested in international aid and community development at the local, regional and global levels. ENQUIRIES: Kiran Hutchinson 0414 905 290 Email: sydneydevtcircle@gmail.com Venue:  [Our usual venue] University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Level 5, Building 10, Jones Street, Ultimo (Cnr. Thomas Street). Room 5.580 Take the lift to level 5 | cross the atrium footbridge | walk straight ahead to room 580. Time: From 5:30pm to 7:30pm sharp | No RSVP - Just turn up Blog www.facilitatorsnetwork.blogspot.com Enquiries | Greg Jenkins greg@changeagent.com.au | 0418 486 501 Sharon McGann Sharon@apassion.com.au | 0414 537 305

“Speed Mentoring with Sharon McGann” | Monday September 9, 2013 | 5.30 pm

A community of practice involves sharing what we know about what works and how we do what we do. This session is an opportunity for experienced and new facilitators to get together and share war stories and ask curious questions. The process will be a variation on the popular speed dating / speed networking processes, with a focus on sharing knowledge and wisdom. If you are an experienced facilitator, come along and bring an example of a challenging facilitation – one that was new, exciting or difficult. Think about how you prepared for and facilitated the session and what the outcomes were for the client. If you are a new facilitator, come along with two or three questions about facilitation, things you’re curious about but didn’t know who or how to ask. Also bring at least 10 business cards or equivalent. You will have an opportunity to meet and talk with a number of colleagues during the course of the high-energy evening and ideally you will walk away with new contacts to bounce ideas off. Sharon McGann The session will be facilitated by our Sydney Facilitators’ Network co-convenor Sharon McGann.  Sharon is an experienced facilitator who runs strategic and business facilitations for corporate, not for profit and government clients.  She is passionate about connecting people so we can learn from each other and is curious about how we as facilitators continue to improve our practices in what is often a solo pursuit that paradoxically requires an intimate understanding of people in groups. Donate Books Also in light of the session’s proximity to Indigenous Literacy Day (on the 4th September) Sharon encourages you to bring any well loved facilitation books that you would like to pass on or exchange. Donation surplus on the night will be donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Venue:  [Our usual venue] University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Level 5, Building 10, Jones Street, Ultimo (Cnr. Thomas Street). Room 5.580 Take the lift to level 5 | cross the atrium footbridge | walk straight ahead to room 580. Time: From 5:30pm to 7:30pm sharp | No RSVP - Just turn up Blog www.facilitatorsnetwork.blogspot.com Enquiries | Greg Jenkins greg@changeagent.com.au | 0418 486 501 Sharon McGann Sharon@apassion.com.au | 0414 537 305