Hearable Messages Posted by Ed McKinley on January 24, 2019 in Management Gems, Working as an independent facilitator, Working well with others, Make a comment Too often people default to being overly gentle and indirect when giving critical feedback. Then if that doesn’t work, they can flip over into being bossy. We suggest you try giving a hearable message instead with these key steps. Read more
Interview: Turning pain and suffering into kindness and empathy Posted by Sarah Norton on November 14, 2018 in Management Gems, Working well with others, Make a comment “A compelling life story, beautifully told.” Rosie Batty Glen Ochre had a tough, wild and courageous life. Here’s a link to an ABC radio interview with her partner Ed McKinley, Co-founder of the Groupwork Centre, about her and the story she wrote before she died. Raised deep in the bush of central New South Wales, […] Read more
Side conversations: The gift they give facilitators Posted by Steve Ray on October 17, 2018 in Facilitation, Management Gems, Working as an independent facilitator, Make a comment 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: Read more
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, Make a comment 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. Read more
Who’s afraid of supervising? 4 Questions to ask yourself Posted by Ed McKinley on June 1, 2018 in Management Gems, Working well with others, Make a comment You don’t need to treat your staff like sheep. Use structured time and a process to reflect on their practice, take on feedback, test out ideas and work through issues. Read more
How to turbo-charge the connection in your group Posted by Nancy Nunez on May 4, 2018 in Facilitation, Management Gems, Working well with others, Make a comment All groups are challenged by the stuff that comes up between the people in them. Whenever a group is doing a task, your need for recognition can play out in less than helpful ways. Opinions and ideas become precious things to protect or argue for … and when the stakes and passion run high, generating a […] Read more
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, Make a comment 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 […] Read more
Giving a hearable message after an ‘incident’ Posted by Ed McKinley on November 9, 2017 in Facilitation, Management Gems, Working well with others, Make a comment Do you ever reflect on the effectiveness of your communication? Looking back on what happened can help you with a way forward. We ask participants of our Advanced Diploma of Group Facilitation to log reflections on their facilitation and collaboration experiences. It’s a simple yet effective way to crystallise your learnings and gain a greater […] Read more
Tiger hearts: How you win a flag with groupwork Posted by Holly Stanton on October 11, 2017 in Management Gems, Working well with others, Make a comment Everyone wants to know how they did it – and there’s been analysis of their player list, game plan and on-field performance. I’ve been more intrigued by the club’s focus on building stronger relationships between the coach and the players. Read more
Deep listening: Going beyond a technique… Posted by Steve Ray on May 4, 2017 in Facilitation, Management Gems, Working well with others, Make a comment Are you truly listening? Or is there something going on for you which is undermining your support of this person speaking to you? Read more
Standing Tall Posted by Ed McKinley on March 2, 2017 in Management Gems, Working well with others, Make a comment Given events swirling around us, we feel the need to stand taller, become bolder and act with greater compassion than ever before… I was particularly moved by a message I received from Simon Clough, an old mate from northern NSW. Here is what he shared with me: Very concerning is the emergence of the “post […] Read more
Supervision: How you can find out what’s really going on for your staff Posted by Ed McKinley on December 14, 2016 in Management Gems, Make a comment We’d like to share a story with you. We think it shows how you can undertake supervision with real trust and clear agreement on expectations of priorities and timelines. Jenny Boulton, a senior manager at Melbourne City Mission, shares this: “I’ve been using the Groupwork Supervision model ever since I first did the Supervision course in […] Read more
Challenging Encounters Posted by Steve Ray on July 26, 2016 in Management Gems, Make a comment Please allow us to challenge you if you believe you need to deal with difficult people. Read more
7 Steps for Emotional Intelligence/Resilience Posted by Steve Ray on July 25, 2016 in Management Gems, Working well with others, Make a comment 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? Read more
