“Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery - it's the sincerest form of learning.” -George Bernard Shaw Prakesh handed a worksheet to each trio of participants. Then he directed us all to the poster hanging on the wall behind him, which his teammate had...
A Structure for Effective Check-Ins*
While facilitating a day-long or week-long learning event, setting aside some time for a “check-in” can give participants the pause they need to process and prepare for what’s next. It allows them to reflect, re-energize, and reconnect before jumping back into a...
Changing Adult Learning… in Meetings!
I took the Foundations of Dialogue Education course with Global Learning Partners (GLP) in October 2017. The most powerful take-away for me was to think about what the learners will be doing with the content rather than what I will be saying or presenting....
Ways to Ensure Off-site Participation During In-Person Meetings
Increasingly many Boards, committee, working groups, and organizations need to meet in a way that is mixed or hybrid. Often, we have a meeting and want or need to bring in participants from other branch offices, cities or countries. When we do this the people...
Oh No, They Wrecked My Beautiful Design!
“Training – that’s easy. We know the stuff. We just wing it.” Sound familiar? Those of us who adhere to principles of Dialogue Education™ and who respect and appreciate adult learners don’t buy that perspective. Whether we’re planning a workshop for personal growth,...
Active Learning Held in High Esteem at One of Nation’s Top Medical Colleges
The University of Vermont College of Medicine set a goal to fully embrace “active learning” by the year 2019 – and they are succeeding! When the College received a generous alumni gift, they wanted to make sure to invest it in the most impactful ways. Their research...
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...
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...
Maximizing Your Global Learning Experience (a series) 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”...
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...
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...
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...