Reflections on virtual co-facilitation of MERIT workshops in Mongolia

I was suppose to spend the month of March this year on assignment in Mongolia, with the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO), as part of the MERIT (Mongolia: Enhancing Resource Management through Institutional Transformation) project. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, it never happened. Fortunately, though, the assignment turned into a virtual one, getting done in June and […]

10 diverse ways the smartphone can be used for learning and applying social justice

Working in Tanzania, last November, I noticed how much the local people relied on their smartphones, and not just to scroll their social media feeds. Stoked by opportunity, and constrained by infrastructure, they are finding new ways to be resourceful with what they have. In many places in Eastern Africa, including Tanzania, the smartphone becomes […]

A Communications Code of Conduct for Virtual Boards of Directors

Some recent client interactions, one local and the other virtual, has me reflecting, once again, on the communication differences between in-person and virtual; this time, especially as it applies to Boards of Directors. I’ve sat on various nonprofit boards over the years, and followed the happenings of many others, nonprofit and private, from afar. Most […]

Inviting Participation In Your Virtual Meetings

As a facilitator of virtual meetings, are you the hub of all communications or do you empower participants to interact among themselves? Virtual participation, interactivity, isn’t just a ‘nice to have’.  As with in-person meetings, two-way conversations, facilitator-participants, and participants-participants, are a key determinant of group success. Knowing how to keep meetings participatory in the […]

Apply A Culture Map To Visualize Interpersonal Differences

One of my newest, favourite communication tools is a Culture Map. I first came across this better way to visualize cultural differences in Erin Meyer’s book, The Culture Map (published earlier this year). Here’s a short interview of Meyer, about her book: (video not displaying? watch here, on YouTube) The Culture Map The Culture Map is […]