“You’re always so nice to me.” I say this incredulously... every. single. time. I say it with surprise and a twinge of actual, physical, discomfort. Why? Kindness is not unfamiliar to me — (most) people are (mostly) kind. And yet? Kindness, especially in the form of “words of affirmation” (aka praise) can make me so [...]
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5 Ways to Make Staff Meetings More Engaging
“It’s such a long day. No one wants to be there.” “I think they just hear the 'Charlie Brown teacher' voice when I talk.” “We’ve covered the same topics so many times already.” “We have to do this training to be in compliance.” Can you relate? If so, you’re not alone. It’s not uncommon for [...]
Why do we do that?
When I asked participants for “one word” feedback on an event that I facilitated, the feedback was: Inspiring. Valuable. Engaging. Informative. Productive. Excellent. Fantastic. Interactive. On target. Interactive. Amazing. Joyful. Validating. Wonderful. Bland. Educational. Practical. Fun. Helpful. Useful. Great. Refreshing. Positive. Beneficial. Awesome. Inspirational. Just what I needed. Terrific. Eye-opening. But guess what I saw? Inspiring. [...]
Bite-size advocacy
"Because my first role is advocate for children…” I hastily scribbled those words in my notes a few years ago, while listening to Sherry Cleary lead a professional development segment. She was recalling a conversation with a staff member and shared some excellent strategies for delivering feedback and facilitating difficult conversations. Although advocacy was not [...]
Ready to read?
In today's mail, there was a flyer advertising reading skills programs for children and speed reading programs for adults. Programs meet for one hour weekly, for 5 weeks. At a glance, these "fun summer programs" seem like a nice enrichment program for readers who might need a skills-boost. Considering that the classes are offered by [...]
