Facilitation Exchange Winter 2016

Facilitation Exchange hands in sandFacilitation Exchange is a community of practice for emerging and seasoned facilitators interested in deepening the impact of their work by drawing from collaborative inquiry and aesthetic processes. The intention of the Facilitation Exchange is to share and explore ideas and practices of group facilitation at the operational, design and strategic levels. The open sessions will focus the practical application of techniques for large and small groups.

Facilitation Exchange is a partnership of the Pacific Center for Leadership; Plan:NetLimited; and Lougheed Leadership at The Banff Centre. All sessions are open invitations; they will be hosted both in Banff and in Calgary, and will run 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Here's what we have scheduled for the first few months of 2016

January 27, 2016 -  Calgary 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Plan:Net Office - Suite 201 - 1225a Kensington Rd. NW, Calgary

Contributors: Sarah Arthurs (key instigator) with Phil Cox (Board Member)

A new social enterprise for our liminal times... New Scoop YYC is a start up Generative Journalism news coop in Calgary. We are developing a journalistic practice grounded in Appreciative Inquiry, Asset Based Community Development and the work of Peter Block. The idea behind GJ is to facilitate people in community to surface stories of positive change – these may be stories waiting to be teased out from the “hubub" of daily life, or accounts of futures still in the making, Once told, these stories are to accelerate the change people want to see. We invite participants with the Facilitation Exchange to explore with us the difference between traditional journalism and generative journalism, as well as to reflect on the role that Generative Journalism can play alongside community development and social change initiatives. We look forward to an exciting evening where we share the tenets of GJ, simulate parts of the production cycle, and discuss/consult with peers on the opportunities and conundrums of getting started in Calgary.

February 10 - The Banff Centre 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

The Kinnear Center for Creativity and Innovation Room 305

Session: Embodied Leadership
Contributor: Mike Unrau

Embodied Leadership is an approach to leadership for anyone to examine habitual behaviours in the way we sit and stand to learn how to shift our presence to be more skillful and respond to our creative abilities even in stressful circumstances.
The material in this session comes from Wendy Palmer’s work called Leadership Embodiment (LE); Palmer is an Aikido master and leadership coach and trainer.  Based on a recent training session.

Session: Building Collaborative Groups
Contributor: Michelle Gurney

Michelle Gurney, Principal Consultant/Owner of Shift Consulting Inc. and a facilitator with Lougheed Leadership will test an element of a product she is developing for intact teams looking for new, collective ways to interact. This session will explore building awareness of individual and group dynamics that serve teams – and those that don’t.

February 24 - Plan:Net Calgary 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Plan:Net Office - Suite 201 - 1225a Kensington Rd. NW, Calgary

Contributors: Maria Carolina and Colin Funk (virtual presence)

On being a novice Process Consultant   Maria Carolina is a MA candidate in the Human Systems Intervention program, at Concordia University, Montreal. She will share the experience of her final master´s project with a settlement agency here in Calgary, and the challenges and dilemmas she faced in working with a Process Consultation approach. Process Consultation, developed by Edgar Schein, is an approach to consulting that focuses on building a helping relationship with the client based on collaborative and participatory principles, being a form of Action Research.
 

The Art of Decision Making- Arts-based facilitation techniques for exploring decision-making processes

Drawing from both theatre and visuals arts, this session- led by master facilitator, Colin Funk- will focus on concept animation of contemporary decision-making models, and how aesthetic processes can aid in giving new perspectives and insights on the decision-making process.

March 9 - The Banff Centre 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

The Banff Centre - KC 201

Session: Working in Dynamic Space
Contributors: Brian Woodward and Kate Cunningham

Facilitating for emergence is the best way to describe this session. Our wish is to set up the conditions for a very dynamic space through the use of movement and sound and in so doing identify the conditions needed to generate even a loose narrative structure or storyline.  We are asking the question “What facilitation does it take to get people prepared to generate narrative through movement and sound?” Kate and I have our own ideas but we need to test them. This session is really experimental! Please come prepared to move about – loose clothing, comfortable footwear, open mind.

March 23rd – The Banff Centre  6:3- 8:30 p.m.

The Banff Centre - PDC 102

Session: Leadership through Curiosity
Contributor: Sue Abuelsamid

The main premise is that curious, authentic, and vulnerable conversation is the gateway to leadership.  We will explore a set of question cards to use as a training tool, and explore what it takes to have these kinds of conversations, and what the value is of having conversations like this.

The workshop will have a strong focus on the element of curiosity and how cultivating your curiosity is the cornerstone to conversation, relationship building, and effective leadership. This workshop is based upon the belief that through curiosity we can build bridges, and remove barriers to growth.

 

To be put on our mailing list for updates and more information about Facilitation Exchange, please contact us.