“Giving Voice to Values” with Sharon McGann | Monday April 16 at 5.30PM

Have you ever had a workshop participant, say “Yes, but ... I couldn’t say that back at work”?

Many people genuinely believe that if they voice their values at work it will be a “career limiting move”. That belief prevents people – facilitators included – from living our highest values at work.

In this session, Sharon McGann draws on the Giving Voice to Values curriculum* to explore how you can voice your values in the facilitation workspace, or other workplaces.

During the session you will be invited to discuss in small groups times in work situations when you decided not to voice your values and where you tried to voice your values even if you weren’t successful. You will have the opportunity to work confidentially to discuss and practice what you could say and do, which is in alignment with both your values and your personality.

*Giving Voice to Values is an action-oriented pedagogical approach for developing the skills, knowledge and commitment required to implement values-based leadership. Rather than the usual focus on ethical analysis, the GVV curriculum focuses on ethical implementation and asks the question: “What would I say and do if I were going to act on my values?”

About Sharon McGann

Sharon McGann is a facilitator and developer of leadership and management programs for the corporate sector and more recently the community sector. Sharon is passionate about sustainability and social justice and is using the Giving Voice to Values curriculum into development programs as well as developing Australian case studies. The GVV program was developed Mary Gentile, from Babson College in the USA with The Aspen Institute as founding partner, along with the Yale School of Management, and is offered worldwide to educators.

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. Social: For those willing to continue the networking and conversation afterwards we recommend the nearby, very economical Pho Mumum Vietnamese Restaurant, No 16 Broadway, Chippendale (Opposite UTS Big Ugly Tower) Time: From 5:30pm to 7:30pm sharp | No RSVP - Just turn up Enquiries | Greg Jenkins greg@tincanlearning.com | 0418 486 501

“Using Action Methods to Assist Insight” with Rollo Browne | Monday March 12, 2012 | 5.30pm

Facilitators and coaches all value the 'aha' moment in our work. A new idea, a sudden understanding that solves or reframes a complicated situation. One of the big attractions of insight is because we know that people really remember the ideas achieved through insight. This is highly significant in in individual and group learning. It would be great if we could create insight on demand!

“Over the last decade researchers have begun to understand more about what happens in the brain at the moment of insight. This gives some clues as to the conditions that make it more likely for people to generate their own insights. Intrigued by this I began to wonder if we could adapt our techniques to maximise the possibility of insight.

In this session I propose to examine the implications of the neuroscience of insight and apply this to dilemmas that we face. I believe that by the use of several simple action techniques to support the insight conditions, we can at least generate a new perspective and, perhaps, even generate insight. You will also get a chance to practice in small groups”.

About Rollo Browne

Rollo Browne is Director of BrowneWright Consulting and uses action methods extensively in his work as coach, facilitator and organisational development - www.brownewright.com.au. He is a Sociodramatist, and Director of Training at Psychodrama NSW, - www.anzpasydney.org. Rollo loves supervising difficult group situations, and teaches groupwork and the use of Morenian action methods (sociometry, sociodrama, psychodrama and role training). The key to his work is to assist people and groups to access their own vitality and apply it to situations they face. Rollo can be contacted via his web site or on 0417682085. 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. Social: For those willing to continue the networking and conversation afterwards we recommend the nearby, very economical Pho Mumum Vietnamese Restaurant, No 16 Broadway, Chippendale (Opposite UTS Big Ugly Tower) Time: From 5:30pm to 7:30pm sharp | No RSVP - Just turn up Enquiries | Greg Jenkins greg@tincanlearning.com | 0418 486 501

Wow! 20 Years of Sydney Facilitators Network Celebrating our co-creative Journey with Richard and Maria Maguire | Monday Feb 13, 2012

Pics from 20^th Anniversary on Feb 13 courtesy of Paul Worth

Happy New Year everyone!

We are delighted to kick off the year with a special celebration of 20 years of Sydney Facilitators Network: Yes, we are turning 20!

Facilitators Network was founded by Richard and Maria Maguire on 3^rd February 1992 at their first meeting in Zaks coffee-shop of the Coopers & Lybrand (now HSBC) tower in George St. The Maguires enabled the network until a changing of the guard at the beginning of 2005. Since inception Facilitators Network has met 11 times per year every year– that’s a massive 220 meetings.

Whilst venues and format have changed over the years, the integrity of the building blocks established by the Maguires have remained in tact. The network has provided an invaluable learning platform for anyone who does group work. From humble beginnings, the network now has more than 700 subscribers. Other groups across the nation have followed our lead.

20 years ago facilitation was almost unknown “you do what? – Facilitate?” to an accepted way to do group work in organisations, education and communities across the globe.

The Maguires see their brainchild as true co-creation, full of gifts and surprises, always changing and never without challenge.

In this session we are privileged that Richard and Maria will facilitate a creative exploration of our manifold identity and journey as a Facilitators Network. There will be space for your snippets of memories and stories, regarding people, topics and processes, roles and goals, for timelines, colours and future promises.

The Maguires will engage us in various group expressions through sculpture, story, song, symbol and whatever else wants to unfold.

We would love for you to join the Richard and Maria Maguire in participating and contributing your ideas, questions and creativity into an unforgettable celebratory event.

Don’t rush home afterwards. Continue the 20 year celebration and fun by joining us for a dinner and a glass of wine afterwards in the Thai Restaurant [name] a short stroll from our venue at No 6 Broadway, next to Bar Broadway.

We are so much looking forward to seeing you there!

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.

Afterwards at Pho Mumum Vietnamese Restaurant at No 16 Broadway, Chippendale

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

Emergency contact this meeting | Greg Jenkins greg@tincanlearning.com | 0418 486 501

How physicality impacts the way we work creatively” with Dr Ralph Kerle | Monday December 12, 2011 | 5.30pm

All human movement is conditioned by a set of psychological states according to Choreographer Rudolph Laban who developed a system of movement notation called Labanotation. Laban surmised if we could recognise and explore those psychological states psychically, we could learn to change the way we experience work and interact. In this session, Ralph Kerle will introduce us to the 3 psychological states of movement proposed by Laban to explore and reflect on how we might change the way we think and work creatively.

What does Laban offer facilitators?

Laban as a process offers very specific insights about our physical state and how it affects our behaviours. Facilitation contains physical as well as cognitive processes. Facilitators in the moment often recognize behaviours within a group such as uncertainty, stress, tension, elation, euphoria etc. The question is how do states such as these affect the physical and cognitive state of the facilitator in her/his role? If as facilitators, we can understand and recognize our preferred physical states when facilitating, we can use this recognition to move to a facilitative equilibrium in the face of whatever the group may be expressing or experiencing and with practice over time, to enhance our total facilitation performance.

In this short workshop, we will explore the physical framework of Laban and how you can bring that to your facilitation practice creatively. .

About Dr. Ralph Kerle

Dr. Ralph Kerle, MCI, DADA, h.c. is an internationally respected thought leader, creative facilitator and writer on organizational innovation, creative leadership and behaviours. He has a specific interest in designing creative leadership and creativity workshops framed around arts based processes as a way of recognising and developing creative practices at work. His belief is organizational innovation is the outcomes of creative behaviours that occur in practice in a work context. If we can understand how we behave creatively in a work context then we can begin to improve, develop and be creative around our work practices regardless of our profession or position.

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

[afterwards for our traditional end of year dinner at a fine Vietnamese restaurant in Broadway opposite UTS]

So what are you actually doing? When you say you're doing facilitation (or something else)? With Claire Jankelson (PhD) | Monday Nov 14, 5.30pm

A session that will work towards defining the kinds of questions that are invigorating our work; a clarification of our leadership; of the individuality that we each bring!

Are you intrigued by the notion of what you are actually doing? Work in this context can be whatever it is that you do – or that you spend a lot of time, doing.

This session will be an opportunity to hold a dialogue with our work.

· How do we shape the 'substance' that is our work?

· How are we 'in sympathy' with our work?

· And what are those moments in our work where we feel amazed? Amazed to be alive!

Using short exercises, we will notice the moments of our work that ‘flow’ and through playing with the words and sentences that form, we’ll shape or articulate what we (actually) bring.

We hope this event will clarify and invigorate what we (actually) do.

Claire Jankelson (PhD)

With teaching as a primary role, Claire has a particular interest in the nature of learning. In the last 2 years, Claire has been teaching Transformative Leadership at UWS, conducting research at the Metavision Institute and supervising PhD's at Macquarie Graduate School of Management. Claire has also been president of nonprofit organisation Spirituality, Leadership and Management (SLaM) with conference in September 2011 and ongoing SLaM cafes.

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 Blog www.facilitatorsnetwork.blogspot.com

Emergency contact this meeting | Greg Jenkins greg@tincanlearning.com | 0418 486 501

“Trust Wildcard” – Short processes for fun, energy and reflection that build, maintain or restore trust | Monday Oct. 10, 5.30PM

At a typical 'Wildcard' meeting, volunteer facilitators step-up on the night to run a short session of between 5 and 20 minutes.

This month we are experimenting with a themed wildcard. Bring either:

a) a trust based process to showcase, or

b) a situation involving group trust (or lack of trust). - the collective wisdom of the group can suggest a process.

c) Come and enjoy a variety of useful processes

Wildcard meetings often provide the best opportunity for facilitators of all experience levels to either refresh and hone their skills or get some new ideas and tools for working with groups.

“Trust Wildcard” processes may include ice breakers, opening and closing rituals, energisers, thought provokers, trust building, experiential activities, games, simulations, conversations, Q&A sessions, reflections, conversations - anything at all that can be done between 5 and 20 minutes.

The “Trust Wildcard” will be hosted by Sharon McGann and Leona Casanova. 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