Ever since Susan Cain’s Ted talk and book, Quiet: Being an Introvert in a World that Just Can’t Stop Talking, I have become more attentive to introverts in my meetings, learning events, and other gatherings.
Expecting the Unexpected
When my kids were very young, I would take them with me to run errands. They’d say, “Momma, what’s our plan today?” with excitement in their voices. They wondered what our adventure to town would include! I would list things such as stopping at the post office, the...
Trust Your Design
In mid-March, the Tax Equity team at the International Budget Partnership was faced with a dilemma - continue planning a two-day convening of researchers, staff, and civil society scheduled for May or take it completely online. Like many organizations in the face of...
Rethinking Our Online Meetings
Much has changed since pre-COVID. And in my view, our monthly all-staff meetings are better now that everyone is on a separate screen.
Silence to Think and Re-energize
Many people are afraid of sitting in silence with a group in a Zoom room. Don't be afraid. Silence can be extremely helpful and needed if timed well. Here are reasons to design for silence: to give people time to think to make space for off-screen work before coming...
A Surprising Lesson with Deep Insights
Last week my friend Paula Berardinelli came to my home to drive me to a doctor’s appointment. I asked if we could put my walker in her car. She agreed and reached down to fold the walker into a tight package. I was amazed! “I had no idea how to do that!” Paula laughed...
Gratitude is Like Oxygen
Gratitude can be wonderfully affirming, surprisingly life-giving, noticeably motivating, and importantly respectful. Human beings need gratitude. However, many of us need to learn to give and receive it. In these times of increased isolation and speed of work, Global...
Miro as a Digital Whiteboard
One of my teams started using Miro as a digital whiteboard, and I was really excited to be able to use the "sticky notes" (term used by Miro) function to brainstorm and sort ideas like we’ve done with Post-it notes in-person. Once we tried it out, it became clear...
Good Habits for Using Open Questions
We’ve all been on the receiving end of a poorly-framed question in a learning situation. You know the ones I’m talking about; where your first response is “What’s she getting at?”
10 Tips for Closing a Learning Event
Closing a learning event is as important as opening it! This is the moment when learners are invited to envision how the new learning will show up in their daily lives. Closing activities are essential to solidify and transfer the learning that took place during the...
True for You: A Technique to Consider
Using the right technique at the right time with the right people can touch me at my core. When a technique helps to bring the best outcome for a working or learning session I feel grateful.
Harnessing the Unexpected through Silence
Since working from home for more than a year, I’ve been listening to lots of music as I work, typically radio stations generated by some anonymous algorithm. After a few months, however, I was recognizing every song on my playlists of choice – it felt stale and...