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Groupwork Centre Blog articles by Steve Ray

Israel and Palestine… Superman’s not coming

Posted by Steve Ray on April 10, 2024 in Facilitation,

We have a way, we humans, of breaking things into parts, as a way to understand what’s happening. Take the human body. It’s one amazing structure that has many parts which all function together. While we can get a sense of the special function of that thing when we isolate it – an organ, or […]

Facilitating in the social media scrum

Posted by Steve Ray on March 3, 2024 in Facilitation,

Doom scrolling the other day I noticed not for the first time, the high-voltage passion with which people engage in content that has some kind of social change conscience to it. There are strong opinions, judgments and deep concern about a range of issues, the most recent being the human tragedy of Palestine. Unfortunately the […]

Our response to the Voice referendum result

Posted by Jim Buckell & Steve Ray on October 20, 2023 in Emotional resilience, Facilitation, Self awareness, Working well with others,

Jim Buckell and Steve Ray We need to find a way out of the impasse we are in. Pausing to reflect on what happened and how this came to be is the first step. The resounding No to the referendum has deeply disappointed a lot of people. Others are feeling relieved. Regardless of how we […]

Why we all need principles

Posted by Steve Ray on September 19, 2023 in Facilitation,

Definition: A principle is a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of beliefs or behaviour or a chain of reasoning We all have principles. Principles lie deep within us ready to be leant upon, to guide us and to help us find our way forward when we are being […]

The Voice – how are you showing up?

Posted by Steve Ray on June 23, 2023 in Facilitation, Management Gems, Working well with others,

“Whether we arrive at YES or NO after October is beyond our control although we may be able to influence it by the way we show up. “ The campaign for the Voice has begun; potentially the most significant event this century in defining who we are and what we believe and stand for in […]

Collaborative Leadership

Posted by Steve Ray on November 15, 2022 in Facilitation, Management Gems, Working well with others,

Steve Ray “Fundamentally, leadership is not about the results. Leadership is about taking care of the people who are responsible for the results. It’s a human job. That’s what leadership is.” Simon Sinek The days are coming to an end where people need to be controlled, managed and watched as a standard practice thought to […]

Groupwork Centre’s Microskills Card Deck

Posted by Steve Ray on July 26, 2021 in Facilitation, Facilitation resources, Working well with others,

For those of you who still reach into the “deck of microskill cards” that exist within your heads, or perhaps in your notebook from one of the courses you have done with Groupwork, here now, is the REAL thing! Ever wanted a deck of Microskill cards – here they are!We’ve produced a physical card-deck of […]

Free Webinar: How to create a bold and dynamic team Tue 23/4 at 12.30pm

Posted by Steve Ray on April 17, 2019 in Management Gems, Working well with others,

Three people seated in a workshop room, leaning back and not looking at each other

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Side conversations: The gift they give facilitators

Posted by Steve Ray on October 17, 2018 in Facilitation, Management Gems, Working as an independent facilitator,

Classroom with 4 12-year-old students. A girl is whispering into the ear of another girl while two boys in the background are chatting with each other

Address the vexing problem of side conversations in groups without shaming …That’s a mental shift that YOU have to make first as a facilitator. Here’s how:

The power of YES: 3 Tips to responding when you disagree

Posted by Steve Ray on June 14, 2018 in Management Gems, Working well with others,

Mediaeval knight in full armour brandishing a sword and shield

How much do you protect yourself and your opinion? When you experience resistance to your ideas, it can be an opportunity to connect and explore.

Here’s how a leader refused to make rules and found success

Posted by Steve Ray on April 12, 2018 in Management Gems, Working well with others,

Ants on a gum leaf; the leader ant is looking ahead but also looking at the team

People often ask: ‘How do we adapt to a new environment without losing our culture or sliding away from the principles that have made our workplace the preferred place to work?’ Our co-founder Glen Ochre was a big fan of this maverick boss, Ricardo Semler from South America. He is a quirky and successful example […]

Hateful comments: Defensive or Curious?

Posted by Steve Ray on March 27, 2018 in Working as an independent facilitator, Working well with others,

Cartoon image of a young man talking to a computer

You could read a million books, but they will all be flotsam and jetsam in the wake of the state that we’re automatically transformed into when accosted by a hateful attack.

Group culture: The magic of facilitating group agreements

Posted by Steve Ray on October 27, 2017 in Facilitation, Working as an independent facilitator, Working well with others,

“How can we work well together?” Last year, we worked with a group of IT professionals who were blown away by our use of group agreements when working with a group for the first time. Many of them had specialist technical expertise, but didn’t have the skills to work well in their project groups. Their […]

Deep listening: Going beyond a technique…

Posted by Steve Ray on May 4, 2017 in Facilitation, Management Gems, Working well with others,

Are you truly listening? Or is there something going on for you which is undermining your support of this person speaking to you?

Challenging Encounters

Posted by Steve Ray on July 26, 2016 in Management Gems,

Please allow us to challenge you if you believe you need to deal with difficult people.

7 Steps for Emotional Intelligence/Resilience

Posted by Steve Ray on July 25, 2016 in Management Gems, Working well with others,

How easily can you pick yourself up after a big emotional experience? How easy do you find it to have ‘challenging conversations’, especially when there is high risk involved? Do you manage to be true to yourself, your values, beliefs and needs? And say what you need to say or do what you need to do?

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