Chatterbox is what teachers dubbed me from a young age. During class and on progress reports, I’d often be called out for jabbering to my comrades out of turn. In fact, for whispering while the directions were being given for a standardized test in 6th grade, I served...
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
My world is full of visuals. I can’t imagine life without art, and I can’t imagine a training without images. Whether I am designing a meeting, learning session, knowledge sharing event, strategic planning day or retreat, I include photos, drawings, art and other...
Facilitation as Hospitality and Belonging
In Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, Henri Nouwen states, “Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space...
Co-creating a Personal Finance Program for NYC
Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners works to create change in the financial lives of New York City residents. They believe strongly in the need to break people out of inertia and support them to take actions – even small actions – to improve their money management skills and build a healthy personal balance sheet.
Confessions of a Former Workshop Rockstar
Participating in a Dialogue Education course has been a game-changer for me. For more than a decade I’ve done presentations, designed curriculum, taught workshops, etc, and I was pretty sure that I was good at what I did! I prided myself on being an engaging...
The Essence of a Good Question
On a recent Sunday morning, I was up early and listened to On Being with Krista Tippett. This morning’s broadcast guest was Pádraig Ó Tuama, who is a poet, theologian, and extraordinary healer in our fractured world. He leads the Corrymeela community of Northern...
Why stop with one open question? Dig Deeper.
I know the power of the open questions. I design with them, facilitate with them, and evaluate with them. But, are they enough? I often feel that some people are good at giving me just what they think I want. I ask a question and they give me an answer with just...
Maximizing Your Global Learning Experience Part III: Meaningful Action
This is Part 3 of a blog post series on maximizing your learning during an opportunity to spend time in another country getting to know a community and a culture. Part II was all about making the most of your time while there. You will most likely be changed by your...
Maximizing Your Global Learning Experience Part II: While There
This is Part 2 of a blog post series on maximizing your learning during an opportunity to spend time in another country getting to know a community and a culture. Part I was all about preparing for your trip. Today, author Pat Elson provides tips for those of you...
Maximizing Your Global Learning Experience Part I: Preparing Well
These days, there are many opportunities to not just visit another country for pleasure, but spend time getting to know a community and a culture. College education-abroad programs, faith-based experiences, international culture exchanges, and “voluntourism”...
Team Building, It Doesn’t Have to be an Add On
In the International Budget Partnership (IBP), we have been working hard to embrace the principles and practice of Dialogue Education in all our meetings and learning events. Recently though, we have had to think about teambuilding or creating a network-dynamic...
Quick Checklist of 5 Tips for Engaging Webinars
What do you do when you have 50 minutes to teach a topic and your only access to the learners is a chat box? Before you press send on your slide deck, check out this quick checklist that might spark a little extra engagement for the participants of your next webinar....



