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 to turn their webcam ON, but […]
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 uninspiring. To mix things up, I began listening […]
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. When I see a technique bring people together around feelings, thoughts, and experiences, I feel immense joy. Does this […]
The Situation International Budget Partnership (IBP) is a global leader in Fiscal Transparency and Accountability. One of IBP’s core strengths and contributions to the fiscal field has always been its ability to convene and facilitate strategic conversations and peer learning. However, these convenings have predominantly been in-person. In light of COVID-19 IBP had to face […]
If you have ever attended an International Budget Partnership (IBP) in-person training, chances are you scribbled some thoughts on tiny sticky notes and stuck them on flip charts around the room. We at IBP love our flip charts, color markers and sticky notes. We haul them with us on long flights to all locations far […]
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 has helped to enliven and enrich […]
For a variety of reasons, social contact with friends and extended family, neighbors and co-workers has been limited because of the global pandemic. Many folks have wisely heeded all the public health recommendations by wearing masks, practicing physical distancing, and frequently washing their hands. This is good. In the midst of all this, I believe […]
The Situation The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has been a leader in the fight for TANF reform. Their leaders have presented at national congressional hearings related to the necessity to reform the welfare system, with emphasis on the TANF Program. Currently, the TANF Program is marked by historical and systematic racism. Recipients […]
I could never have imagined I would start a meeting with personal images of joy… But, I did! You have to understand, I was planning a tough meeting. It was a meeting to discuss common challenges and issues that have come up over the first year of one of our projects. I had no illusions: […]
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 there were some adjustments to using […]