The Art Of Focused Conversation Second Edition

The best 'how-to' for encouraging consensus in firms and organizations. Communication within many organizations has been reduced to email, electronic file transfer, and hasty sound bytes at hurried meetings. More and more, people appear to have forgotten the value of wisdom gained by ordinary conversations. The Art of Focused Conversation convincingly restores this most human of attributes to prime place within businesses and organizations, and demonstrates what can be accomplished through the medium of focused conversation. Developed, tested, and extensively used by professionals in the field of organizational development, The Art of Focused Conversation is an invaluable resource for all those working to improve communications in firms and organizations.

The essential, bestselling guide to designing and leading useful and effective group conversations, now completely revised and updated. The Art of Focused Conversation is the quintessential theoretical and practical guide to group communication and participatory decision-making. Incorporating over 60 years of meticulous research and collaborative development, this perennial, international bestseller is an indispensable addition to any facilitator's toolkit. The Focused Conversation Method at the heart of The Art of Focused Conversation is a core component of the Technology of Participation (ToP) methodology developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs. The original book is widely regarded as a key resource for designing and leading useful and effective conversations and fostering consensus and collaboration. This fully updated and revised edition includes: Preparation and guidelines for discussing challenging topics and facilitating a focused conversation A comprehensive overview of the ORID framework, made up of Objective, Reflective, Interpretive, and Decisional questions which guide a group to wise decisions In-depth analysis of how the underlying structure of ToP is based on applied phenomenology and is supported by the latest findings in neuroscience and social psychology New sections on diversity, equity, and inclusion; work-life balance; conflict resolution; and guiding focused conversations online 125 sample conversations that can be adapted to any situation. Invigorate and elevate your group process with this invaluable resource—required reading for facilitators, leaders, educators, and anyone who wants to think clearly and guide thoughtful conversations.

Why don’t kids learn? Why can’t students do higher order thinking? Why do educators have endless staff meetings with few results? How can parents and teachers communicate better? The pressure upon educators to teach more, to a wider range and number of students, with decreasing resources and supports makes it urgent to find tools to answer such questions. The Art of Focused Conversation for Schools demonstrates how the Focused Conversation method, widely used in organizations and businesses, can effectively be used in a K-12 educational setting. Each section deals with interactions among students, staff, and parents, and elaborates with over 100 sample conversations designed to make learning more meaningful, prevent and solve problems, and make communications in meetings more effective. Appendices showcase integrated curriculum examples where conversations have been used in unique combinations and list sample questions for each level of the conversation method. With a bibliography and index included, and patterned after its highly successful predecessor, The Art of Focused Conversation: 100 Ways to Access Group Wisdom in the Workplace, this book will be welcomed by parents, students, educators, and school administrators everywhere. The Institute of Cultural Affairs has over 40 years experience in more than 32 nations. A unique facilitation, research and training organization, ICA Canada has provided participatory skills to many thousands of people worldwide.

Do you open yourself up to the potential of conversations with new people you meet?Are you aware of your limiting beliefs around the power of conversation?Strong conversation skills are not only key in reducing the potential formisunderstandings or conflict, they are fundamental in enabling people to quicklybuild rapport with new contacts, develop strong relationships and have greatersuccess throughout life.Master the art of conversation. With practical, straightforward advice andentertaining anecdotes, Hugh Gyton and supporting author Tracey Ward, give youthe tools to expand your conversation skills, show you behaviors to apply andchange and give you top tips to tailor your conversational style with anyone in anysituation.Remember, success is just a conversation.

You have too many projects, and firefighting and multitasking are keeping you from finishing any of them. You need to manage your project portfolio. This fully updated and expanded bestseller arms you with agile and lean ways to collect all your work and decide which projects you should do first, second, and never. See how to tie your work to your organization's mission and show your managers, your board, and your staff what you can accomplish and when. Picture the work you have, and make those difficult decisions, ensuring that all your strength is focused where it needs to be. All your projects and programs make up your portfolio. But how much time do you actually spend on your projects, and how much time do you spend on emergency fire drills or waste through multitasking? This book gives you insightful ways to rank all the projects you're working on and figure out the right staffing and schedule so projects get finished faster. The trick is adopting lean and agile approaches to projects, whether they're software projects, projects that include hardware, or projects that depend on chunks of functionality from other suppliers. Find out how to define the mission of your team, group, or department, with none of the buzzwords that normally accompany a mission statement. Armed with the work and the mission, you'll manage your portfolio better and make those decisions that define the true leaders in the organization. With this expanded second edition, discover how to scale project portfolio management from one team to the entire enterprise, and integrate Cost of Delay when ranking projects. Additional Kanban views provide even more ways to visualize your portfolio.

Learning to closely observe children requires commitment to systematic study and ongoing practice. With activities, experiences, and stories, this book provides that opportunity. Nine observation study sessions help educators of young children discover the many ways that being observant can enhance their teaching. Updates to this second edition reflect current issues in early childhood education, including learning standards, assessment, and technology. Deb Curtis and Margie Carter are popular presenters at early childhood conferences, professional development speakers, and on-site consultants. They have written several books together, including Learning Together with Young Children and Designs for Living and Learning.

The 10th-anniversary edition of the New York Times business bestseller-now updated with "Answers to Ten Questions People Ask" We attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day-whether dealing with an underperforming employee, disagreeing with a spouse, or negotiating with a client. From the Harvard Negotiation Project, the organization that brought you Getting to Yes, Difficult Conversations provides a step-by-step approach to having those tough conversations with less stress and more success. you'll learn how to: · Decipher the underlying structure of every difficult conversation · Start a conversation without defensiveness · Listen for the meaning of what is not said · Stay balanced in the face of attacks and accusations · Move from emotion to productive problem solving