Writing tips for storytelling from Billy Wilder

Summer is always a good time to vary perspective.   On the book front this summer, “Conversations With Wilder“, by Cameron Crowe, offered me some new perspectives on story. Billy Wilder (1906-2002) was a legendary Hollywood movie writer and director. (Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like it Hot, The Apartment and many more). Conversations with […]

Camp: The Professional Development Format of The Future

When I was kid, many summers would find me at camp.   Invariably camp was fun, challenging (new things, new people, different rules…), and always a learning experience.   What if today’s “professional development” experience was like camp? MuseumCamp 2014 Nina Simon is Executive Director of the Santa Cruz (California) Museum of Art & History.   […]

Participant Reflections on a Game Jam for Collaborative Professionals

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

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 […]

Motivate others by creating and sharing your stories of collaboration

We are our stories.   Stories motivate us, for better or worse. Creating the story of your organization or community begs the question… what will you include in your story?  And, how will you connect the dots, the discrete events in your organization or community’s life into some sort of collaborative whole?   The challenge doubles […]