LINKS:
Group Facilitation Journal
www.albany.edu/cpr/gf/gfj/
Online Story Website
www.onlinestory.net
Zenergy Online Facilitation
www.zenergyglobal.com/onlinefac
IAF Australia & NZ Website
www.iaf-anz.org
Facilitating Social Change Conference
www.fscc.net.au

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

PhD Complete
The PhD is now complete. Entitled Enhancing the Effectiveness of Online Groups: An Investigation of Storytelling in the Facilitation of Online Groups. The research method was a ground-breaking online Co-operative Inquiry and involved 18 experienced facilitators from around the world over an extended period of 14 months.

IAF Workshops in Oxford, UK
Co-led several workshops 18-20 September as part of the International Association of Facilitators - Europe Conference at Keble College, Oxford. Workshops included a 1-day workshop pre-conference entitled Working in Blended Realities, and a concurrent workshop drawn from my PhD findings on Enhancing Online Facilitation with Storytelling.

IAF Workshops in Barbados
Co-led workshops on Multi Stakeholder Engagement (with Remedios Ruiz and Dale Hunter), Generating a Quantum Shift in Group Consciousness and Enhancing Online Facilitation with Storytelling at the IAF Latin America and the Caribbean conference in Barbados on 23-25 September. It was awesome to meet the Caribbean facilitators and work with Remedios Ruiz from the Dominican Republic.



26 June 2009 Zenergy Online Facilitation Skills Programme Completes
My Online Facilitation Skills programme ran for ten weeks from 18 May through to 26 July. Participants came from UK, Australia, Phillipines and New Zealand. Activities included Ning, Doodle, Skyping, Dimdim and WebEx Video conferencing and sessions in 3D world of Second Life. Partying and chats around the bar in Second Life proved a popular distraction. The stages of group development showed up including the conflict stage and partiscipant-facilitators had real-time issues to work with and learn from.

Workshops at IAF conference in Vancouver, Canada
Led a workshop entitled Enhance Your Online Facilitation with Storytelling drawing on my PhD findings at the IAF North America conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Also co-led a workshop on Facilitating Across Cultures and Across Generations; Challenges and Opportunities with IAF colleagues Keith Ryall from Melbourne, Australia and Michelle Golden from St Louis, Missouri.

19 December 2008 - PhD Submitted for Assessment
With sign off from primary supervisor Dr. Philip Carter and secondary supervisor Tony Clear my PhD thesis has now been submitted to the research office for assessment. The 328 page document presents the story of a six and a half year investigation into the use of storytelling to build relationships in online groups. I will be presenting the key findings from the thesis to the facilitation profession for the first time at the IAF conference in Vancouver in April of 2009.

26 November 2008 - Facilitating Social Change Workshop at AFN 2008
Co-led a very successful workshop on Facilitating Social Change at the Australasian Facilitators Network Conference with Ed McKinley and Glen Ochre from the Groupwork Institute of Australia and Joan Firkins and colleague Dale Hunter. The half-day workshop explored the interface between facilitation and social change - an emerging theme within the facilitation profession.

23 June 2008 - Think-piece on the Future of E-government Published
A think-piece on Facilitating effective online participation in e-government I contributed to the New Zealand E-government 2007: Progress Towards Transformation report by the State Services Commision was released last week at DevCon 2008. It was one of 15 contributions by individuals from various stakeholder groups, who were invited to contribute their views on the future of egovernment in New Zealand. Going forward, the State Services Commisionwill be exploring how the ideas expressed in these think pieces can be made further visible through engagement with other stakeholders.

1 June 2008 - IAF-ANZ February Newsletter Released
Check out the latest IAF-ANZ news click here.

28 May 2008 - Chapter Published
My chapter on The use of story in building online group relationships in the Handbook of Research on Computer Mediated Communication was published today by Idea Group Inc. The handbook is an authoritative collection of research on the implications and social effects computers have had on communication. With 69 chapters of innovative research contributed by over 90 of the world's leading experts in computer mediated communication.

8-12 May 2008 - Facilitating Social Change Conference
Forty nine people attended the conference from facilitation and social change communities around Australia and New Zealand and Philip Thomas, an invited participant from the Generative Change Community came to learn and share his knowledge relating to social change multi-stakeholder peace building in Latin America. The conference was held in a modified version of open space with workshops offered in response to some of the key questions participants had brought to the conference around the theme of facilitating social change.

A breakthrough moment for me was seeing a distinction between the role of a group facilitator; who facilitates a group to achieve its purpose and the role of a social change facilitator; who focuses on generating a change over time within a group, community or society. Seeing the social change facilitator role working at the individual, relationship, organisations and systems, and cultural levels was also a useful illustration for me of some key points for effectiveness of change work.

13 April 2008 - Attended the IAF Board Meeting and IAF-NA Conference in Atlanta
I recently attended the IAF North American conference and board meeting. Key areas that were discussed at the meeting are a proposal for the accreditation of facilitation training providers, which I am now championing, the IAF's organisational design, shared services, the Certified Professional Facilitator accreditation programme and strategic areas to work on moving forward into 2008 and 2009.

1 April 2008 - IAF-ANZ February Newsletter Released
Check out the latest IAF-ANZ news click here.

1 February 2008 - IAF-ANZ February Newsletter Released
Check out the latest IAF-ANZ news click here.

26 January 2008 - Facilitating Social Change Conference 08 - Melbourne, Australia
Ed McKinley from the Groupwork Institute (www.groupwork.com.au), Dale Hunter and I are convening a conference in May on Facilitating Social Change. For more details see the conference website - www.fscc.com.au.

16 January 2008 - ICA Facilitation Hui in Auckland
I was honoured to be invited to participate in a Facilitation Hui (meeting) being held in mid-January with the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) facilitators at Te Piringatahi o te Maungarongo Marae in Auckland. The ICA-Australia facilitators were meeting in New Zealand to explore the theme of ‘culture and facilitation’. Click here for more.

10 January 2008 - New Editor of the IAF Group Facilitation Journal
Upon publication of issue #8 of the IAF Group Facilitation: A Research and Applications Journal I have now become the new Editor-in-Chief taking on the role from Sandy Schuman who has been the editor since late 1997. Sandy has been involved in the journal since its beginning; first as an Associate Editor, and then as Editor-in-Chief from 2001.“A superlative effort” as Sandy might say, and a wonderful contribution to the profession of group facilitation. It is heart warming to know that Sandy will be transitioning to a consultative role on the Journal’s board and his experience will still be present and can be drawn upon as I step into the role of Editor.

26 November - 2 December 2007 IAF-AFN Conference
At the AFN 2007 conference Dr. Dale Hunter and I co-led a 1-day pre-conference workshop on the Zenergy person-centered approach to group facilitation. 21 people attended and we also co-led a visioning exercise at the plenary session with Tom Schwarz, Joan Firkins and Illustrator Simon Kneebone. We asked the question "What is the deep knowing, longing or yearning for which facilitation is part of the answer for you?" Click here for some photos from the conference.

1 November 2007 - IAF-ANZ November Newsletter Released
Check out the latest IAF-ANZ news click here.

25 October 2007 - Latest Online Facilitation Skills programme
The third online facilitation skills training programme is now in full swing. I have
participants from Ireland, Canada, Hong Kong and in 5 locations around New Zealand. The next programme is scheduled for 15 April - 25 June 2008. Click here to check it out.

30 September 2007 - NZ Government's Guide to Online Participation
I have recently contributed to describing the role of the facilitator and some of the benefits and drawbacks of using different types of tools from an online facilitator’s perspective in the State Services Commission's Guide to Online Participation.

30 August 2007 - New Secretary of the International Association of Facilitators!
Having being nominated by outgoing VICE-Chair International Dale Hunter, I have been voted in as the new Secretary on the board of the International Association of Facilitators. Click here for the November IAF Australasian Region news.

9 July 2007 - My Latest Chapter Accepted!
Good news. I have just had my chapter on The use of story in building online group relationships accepted for the Handbook of Research on Computer Mediated Communication to be published by Idea Group Inc. early next year.

12 June 2007 - Hunterproductions.co.nz
Have been assisting author of Trial by Trickery Keith Hunter with his website. Mostly developing the back end ordering and creditcard processing system. Setting up the back end of website design was something challenging and new.

27 May 2007 - Zenergy Online Facilitation Programme Completes
Completed leading the second Zenergy Online Facilitation Skills programme. There were a diverse group of 12 facilitator-participants from 5 countries. The best part of the programme was the Second Life storytelling sessions.

3 April 2007 - Book Launch
I have contributed a chapter entitled Facilitation Online to The Art of Facilitation published by Random House New Zealand. The Book was launched at Gala Cafe in Mt Eden on Monday 2 April by Greens Co-leader and MP Jeanette Fitzsimons.

10 February 2007 - Drawing the Chenrezig Buddha of Compassion
I have been improving my visual communication skills at the Dorje Chang Institute learning to draw the Chenrezig Buddha of Compassion - see me in the February newsletter.