WinkiPod

I had the pleasure of chatting with Belina Raffy (Maffick Ltd) and Andy Middleton (TYF Ecosapiens) last week. Both Andy and Belina use Applied Improv in their work and that is one thing I share in common with both of them. Below is a link to the entire conversation (minus some incoherent ramblings by me … it was past my bedtime!).

Andy Middleton      Belina hiding behind some crabs!

I first heard about Andy through a Skype chat Rob Poynton a while ago when he mentioned the link between Biomimicry and Improv – this got me excited! Then 6 months later I met Belina at the Applied Improv Network conference in Portland (OR) in November last year where she hosted a Biomimicry-Improv session! How’s that for ‘meant-to-be’!

The inspiration for this skype call and podcast was this discussion thread that Belina started at the Applied Improv Network site – Using Improv to Save The World: What’s that mean to you? This discussion thread is well worth a read as it sets the tone for some of our ramblings in the podcast. Enjoy!

Download Podcast – Using Improv to Save the World (25 min, 6MB)

More to follow on what we chat about.

Cheers

Geoff

Tags: Improv, Sustainability by GeoffBrown
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Recently, Viv McWaters and Johnnie Moore had a chat with Roland Harwood about another of the Tyranny’s … that of the Explicit!

As recorder of this podcast, here’s Johnnie overview (and the shownotes can be found on his site) …

Yesterday, I recorded a conversation with Viv McWaters and Roland Harwood on the theme of The Tyranny of the Explicit. We explore how the need for certainty in an uncertain world, the over reliance on metrics and the demand that learning be made explicit, can often kill energy in meetings and get in the way of innovation.

Download Tyranny of Explicit here (22m, 9MB)

Viv also expanded on this podcast by writing this over here …

What happens when there’s a great conversation going, ideas are sparking off each other, people are energised and excited and then someone says, “we should capture this”? Or when creativity or innovation has to be expressed as a number, you know, ROI? Or when our ideas need to conform to someone else’s model? And how do we make decisions in these complex and demanding times? Who is taking responsibility (or not) for making decisions? And what about accreditation? What’s that all about?

These and other thoughts are explored in this Tyranny of the Explicit podcast featuring the ever articulate and often provocative  Johnnie Moore, and Roland Harwood, Director of Open Innovation at NESTA. Oh, and I chime in too.

And if you’d like to explore more about this and other tyrannies that oppress us in our organisations and in our work, come and join our Crumbs! workshop in Sydney on May 13.

Cheers

Geoff

Tags: Facilitation, Improv by GeoffBrown
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Johnnie Moore and I recorded a podcast with David Robinson – artist, improvisor, theatre director, coach and diversity consultant – about the tyranny of excellence, or as David likes to describe it: putting down your clever and picking up your ordinary. Read some background and a run-down here.

Viv McWaters

Download the podcast  (25m, 23.5 MB)

Geoff’s comments …

Thanks to Viv, Johnnie and David for exploring this ‘Tyranny’! So much of what I experience at workshops, in both myself and clients, is impacted by our fear of not being good enough!

Sydney folk will have a great opportunity to bust this Tyranny wide open at an event known as “Crumbs – A few possibly surprising ideas about innovation and change”. Here’s the link to Matt Moore’s events page for all the details about Crumbs.

Cheers

Geoff

Tags: Facilitation, Improv, Resilience by admin
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I had the pleasure of speaking with Nick Sweeting, Producer, Improbable Theatre Company, London about their use of open space with the theatre industry in UK and Europe.

Nick was in Australia to facilitate the open space day at the Australian Theatre Forum.

Hope you enjoy!

Winkipodcast with Nick Sweeting – Improbable Theatre Co.

Tags: Facilitation, Improv, Open Space Technology by admin
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Created @ Wordle.net

Geoff Brown and I chatted with Gil Brenson-Lazan about the role of facilitators in disaster recovery. Gil has 35 years experience in this area and a background in social psychology. He is a co-founder of the Global Facilitators Service Corps (GFSC).

Download and Listen to podcast here (32 mins)

Here’s an overview of what we covered.

Gil’s experiences of disaster responses – good and bad. What happened when 26,000 people were killed in Columbia.

Why it’s important for people to participate in their own future.

Training facilitators in psycho-social recovery: personal (psycho) grieving processes and building community (social) resilience.

An aid mentality compared with a facilitative approach to disaster response.

Thinking like a facilitator.

Role of Community Fireguard in building resilient communities.

The power of participating and dialoguing instead of being ‘talked at’ by an expert.

Secondary crisis – not dealing appropriately with the loss and turning to ‘escape’ behaviours.

The problem of staying in the aid mode for too long and building dependency. The ladder of participation.

When is the right time for facilitation after a disaster?

GFSC resources for facilitators

Arnstein’s article about the Ladder of Participation

Tags: Facilitation, Improv, Status, Sustainability, Uncategorized by admin
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I came across the Applied Improvisation Network five years ago when I was searching for the uses of Playback Theatre in business settings. Little did I know when I went to my first Applied Improv Conference in San Francisco in 2004 that I would unearth a whole swag of new learnings, approaches, ideas and inspiration. And, make some really good friends. If I could go to only one conference a year, this would be it – for the generosity, the connections, the friendship, the fun and, of course, the improv. What a gift, to me personally and to my work.

I was delighted to be asked to open space for the final day of this year’s conference in Chicago. And sad too, that I would not be able to stay until the end. Those pesky flight schedules between the USA and Australia meant I had to leave early. So I employed the ultimate ‘invisible’ facilitator role, advocated by none other than Harrison Owen. He takes a nap. I left the country! But before I left I recorded some comments about the conference.

Thanks to Joey, Alan, Yael, Bobbie, Rita, Sven, Kathryn, Andrea, Jodi, Sue, Paul, Leif, Zohar, Alieke and David. There’s about 20 minutes of comments from these insightful folk. At about 12 minutes in there’s an absolutely delightful piece from Jodi Cohen. 

 Listen here; Reflections on the AIN Chicago 2008 Conference

Tags: Improv, Open Space Technology by admin
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At last week’s Applied Improvisation Conference in Chicago I managed to snatch a few minutes with Simo Routarinne, an expert on the use of status. Simo is from Helsinki, Finland and is an improviser, facilitator, teacher, trainer, actor, writer, director and stuff…

Listen here – Simo Routarinne on the use of ‘status’

We chatted for about 20 minutes. Here are the ‘show notes’:

00.00 Introduction, shift from prof acting to impro + applications, on making your partner look good

03.10 What is status? About what you do, not who you are. Dynamic status. Use of space

06.43 Value of high/low status

08.29 Moving status and why we should be aware of it? Saving the world. Status fights.

10.56 Debate and verbal violence, friendly discussion and the hidden status competition, reactions to status challenges

13.50 Consequences of not reacting, passive aggression – avoiding conflict by not reacting

16.07 Counter-attack and conflict escalation, bullying

16.35 Language status, skilled at recognition, hard to verbalise

18.15 Status awareness in groups, adapting to be close to the status of the group

19.53 Building trust and rapport, status of the facilitator

21.33 More info

Keith Johnstone Impro

Daniel Wieiner Rehearsals for Growth

Contact Simo Routarinne sroutari@welho.com

23.30 Ends

Tags: Facilitation, Improv, Status by admin
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