Summary
I am a professional facilitator and teacher, and co-founder of Association Building Community. In the 90's I coined and we developed the term " Process Arts" now used widely by Peggy Holman, Tom Devane, Steven Cady, (see this entry for the text from their The Change Handbook), John Abbe, and several others in Organizational Development, psychology, and social justice fields, to refer to the participatory practices which build cultures of change able to work with and through conflict.
Process Arts relate to the kind of education that is essential for democracy and are so named to invoke and parallel the Liberal Arts, as the curriculum of schools around the world already includes practices like conflict resolution and mediation. As an approach to full participation, Process Arts have also proven quite useful in bridging the distance between citizens and representatives, as well as "progressive" and "conservative" groups eager to discuss and have a hand in social changes already in progress.
I have focused on building and articulating my contribution to this work for the past several years, working within our community and Council, obtaining an (almost finished) Ph.D., and contributing to or initiating online and face-to-face projects which are in the process of maturing.
My wife, Lisa, and I lost our 15 month old son, Aidan, for no reason that anyone can tell us, just before Christmas 2006. We left our apartment and employment to pull up stakes and wander the nation for several months so that our fundamental sense of homelessness might find a place to become more authentic and less something to be repressed. As often happens in transitions of this scope our financial situation became rather tight and the need to connect and continue working is stronger than ever.
I hope you will invite me to visit you and hear about your work. I'd also be happy to:
- facilitate conflicts so that all needs are met and several wants are satisfied,
- demonstrate how Aikido applies to everyday conflicts,
- introduce improvisational techniques for expanding creative responses to difficult situations
- re-energize meetings and work-sessions
- initiate mythological culture-study specifically for your group's growth,
- provide in-service training,
- present any of these ideas publicly or consult privately, and
- carefully consider your needs and those of the people in your sphere of influence.
I have thousands of hours in group process, hundreds of those as a mediator or facilitator, and would be more than happy to offer process options, help plan, or be available for back-up of whatever kind is needed. Humor is a prominent feature in my offerings and deep echoes of grief and re-creation often surface and find a place to rest or move while the process continues.
I also work with large groups to create conferences and seminars. ABC has a Saving Sounds project in partnership with Conference Recording Service, collecting audio and visual records of the Process Arts as they develop, so I record conferences for part of my living. I manage teams of conference recording professionals and would be happy to connect you with CRS or lend a hand in any capacity to make an event run more smoothly. I have been planning, directing, and providing security for events and presenting in public for over thirty years, and would also be happy to provide event coordination assistance as part of your existing team.
Left entirely to my own devices I like to hang a sign somewhere everyone can see that says something like "dilemmas, disagreements, and differences welcome here" and just see who joins in. I'm ready to plant the seeds, or offer water or warmth to grow your ongoing, auto-critical practice so that daily work becomes a pleasure and post-event or crisis debriefs become more rich in the authentic details necessary to improve for next time. Ask me how!
Please look for me down any of the following paths:
public at bdwc dot net
Toll Free (866) 236-0346 voice mail and fax
Direct to my PC (510) 96-bdwc1 (510) 962-3921
public at bdwc dot net
Toll Free (866) 236-0346 voice mail and fax
Direct to my PC (510) 96-bdwc1 (510) 962-3921
| posted by Unknown @ 2/07/2002 08:02:00 PM
