Groupwork Centre Blog

Meet our Community – Lee Archer

Lee Archer Consultant, Advanced Group Facilitation course 2018 After a long period working in the public service and community sector, I’ve been consulting for the last few years. I’m lucky to have work come to me, and I’ll often do shortish employment contracts along the way.  The ability to combine self-directed consultancy work alongside structured […]

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Good foundations build strong houses

When we’re discussing providing facilitation services with new clients there can sometimes be push back about the time we devote to setting up the activity, to establishing the group. Clients will usually defer to our judgement and experience, but sometimes hesitantly, concerned that it might not be within their normal culture and practise.  Afterwards there […]

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What we are reading, viewing and listening to October 2022

Atlas of the Heart By Brené Brown Bantam, 2022 What a brilliant concept from one of the great writers on the human condition: a map charting the full range of our emotions. Drawing on 30 years of research and writing, Brené Brown navigates the turbulent waters of the emotional realm with dexterity and humility. Insights […]

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Workplace Relations – A key work area in your team?

We all have our own understanding of what creates good teamwork and good relationships at work, but sometimes we can get stuck when others don’t think the same way! In some organisations it may sound controversial to include ‘workplace relations’ as a ‘Key Work Area’ in work plans. We at Groupwork Centre think it is […]

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Meet our Community – Ash Alluri

My name is Ashwini Alluri, and I work as a Principal Social Innovator at The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI). I’m passionate about influencing, enabling and leaving behind a just and sustainable world. I completed the Groupwork Centre’s year-long Advanced Group Facilitation Program in mid-2020.  An extended and applied learning experience like this gave […]

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Meet our Community – Hala Abdelnour

  Hala Abdelnour, CEO and Founder of the Institute of non-violence Since 2003 I’ve been actively working to address systemic racism in various forums, including via my consultancy Global Echo. I work with organisations to implement more justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) across their structures. In 2020, I founded the Institute of non-violence (IoNV).  […]

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Meet our Community – Kate Sulan

I graduated from the Advanced Diploma of Group Facilitation in 2018. I work as a performance maker, director, teacher and facilitator. I am the founding artistic director of Rawcus and have led the theatre company for 22 years. Rawcus is an award-winning ensemble of 14 performers with diverse bodies, minds and imaginations. Together we create […]

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Meet Our Community – Jo Fitzgerald, NZ

Kia ora koutou. I’m Jo Fitzgerald, I’m a facilitator and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach.  I also work with organisations to improve their communications. I’m really passionate about helping people work better together – whether that’s leaders and teams who work together every day or groups and organisations that need to work together to achieve something […]

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Meet Our Community – James Seow

James Seow https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesseow I wear many hats in the community development, engagement, cross-cultural leadership, diversity, social inclusion and equity, and LGBTIQA+ empowerment sectors. I am a Senior Project Officer at Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), and a Research Officer and Group Facilitator at Monash University and Alfred Health. As an Associate Program Director […]

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A Snag In Collaborative Decision Making

At its best, Collaborative Decision Making is so 3D.  It’s about pooling ALL inputs and then together figuring out what’s best to do. Yet a snag we can hit is precedent.  People’s contribution to Collaborative Decision Making can be held back because of precedent, that we should continue as we have been OR, if we […]

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Meet our Community – Nat McGlone

Nat McGlone Manager of Community Engagement and Public Participation Moreland City Council My name is Nat McGlone and I lead a small team passionate about building trust between community and council to enable better project outcomes and decisions for the community. How being connected with Groupwork Centre has influenced my work … Groupwork facilitation is […]

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Connection before content – making online learning enriching!

As I search the phrase “Zoom fatigue”, I am unsurprisingly horrified when almost ten million results arrive! This phrase, barely whispered before the pandemic, is now widely used to describe the exhaustion from attending too many online meetings. So as facilitators and educators, how can we reduce this pixelated fatigue and create engaging and energising […]

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From room to Zoom and back

Many facilitators deliver material with learning outcomes. Sarah Norton’s tips for teaching online transfer well from the face-to-face environment The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic effect on teachers and students. Remote learning and teaching online have changed the role of teachers significantly. Teaching online is different to being in a classroom. Transferring from ‘room […]

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