Its summer, here. Flowers and gardens are blooming. Bees are buzzing in the neighbourhood, and more, if you have backyard beehives. A Yes! magazine article this week, Four Ways to Build a Bee-Friendly Neighborhood, gave some great tips for alleviating neighbour concerns, associated with urban beekeeping. I also thought the tips offer a larger model […]
Urban beekeeping offers us a lesson in change and conflict management
July 7, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
Graduation Day: A reminder of inter-generational relationships and staying vital
June 13, 2014 by · 2 Comments
My son graduated from university, yesterday. It’s cause for celebration. I’m proud of him, and what he’s accomplished. His graduation also makes me reflect on his journey, a journey I’ve been part of; a collaborative journey. It seems almost too obvious to mention, yet my son and I are of different generations. Our relationship is […]
Participant Reflections on a Game Jam for Collaborative Professionals
May 15, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
I spent last weekend immersed in board games, at the CoRe Jolts Game Jam for Collaborative Professionals. The event was conceived, organized and hosted by mediator colleague, Sharon Sutherland (@ssuth). I’m not much of a “gamer”. Yet, I appreciate the power of a well-designed game, be it board or online. So when I heard […]
Good-bye Alistair MacLeod
April 21, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
Canadian writer Alistair MacLeod passed away, yesterday, at the age of 77. I first came across his writings over a dozen years ago. At that time, I was into all things Cape Breton (on Canada’s East Coast), especially fiddle music. MacLeod’s summer home was near Inverness, Cape Breton. He spent 40 years teaching English and […]
High-context communications in a low-context virtual world
April 3, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
Singapore mediator Ian Macduff wrote a helpful article, last week, about the differences between low- and high-context cultures, and its’ impact in online mediation. His piece highlighted the challenges of understanding the meaning behind the message, when the message can mean so much more, or less, depending on the culture of the person sending/receiving the […]
