I intentionally design to maximize learning. I conduct a needs assessment, asking select questions of participants and stakeholders, studying websites and key documents, and observing events and meetings of the client and small groups. I check my assumptions and work...
Teaching in Closed Societies
I work in a closed society. My colleagues do as well. In fact, we are all from the country in which we work and are passionate about what we do.
Talking Circles: More than a Technique
Talking circles, also known as sharing circles, have long been used by Indigenous peoples in Canada, the US, and around the world. They are used to ensure each individual who has gathered in a place has a voice and is fully heard.
Bringing a Visual to Life
How do you turn a concept into a useful visual to teach and reinforce that concept over time?How do you take that visual off the page so that people can interact and learn from it? Here's a story to illustrate how you might do just that. We hope it inspires you with...
Anybody Out There: What’s the Deal with Webcams, Anyway?
Have you ever set up a breakout room and only half the people went there? They didn’t ‘move’ because they were no longer at their desk. But how could you know: their webcam was OFF! Have you ever found yourself begging, even pleading, for individuals in a Zoom meeting...
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...
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.
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...
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?”
How to Use the Chat Box, Respectfully
Over the past months of virtual meetings – and there have been plenty of them – there has been much testing and experimentation with technology. One such technique has been the Chat feature; all virtual platforms have it and most of us use it. For me, the Chat feature...
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...
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...




