Posts in Collaboration
10 visuals that describe all you need to know about collective impact

A couple months ago, I was fortunate to be able to attend the Collective Impact Summit where a wide range of topics related to working collaboratively were discussed. Naturally, the whole time I had my eyes peeled for ways that relevant knowledge is not only being captured but is being transferred. Since then, I've run across a few extra examples of how folks are using visuals in particular to share insights about collaboration. Here are ten visuals I recreated to synthesize my learning. I believe they describe just about everything there is to know about Collective Impact to date.

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Do's and don'ts for using visuals during group meetings

Did you know that employee time spent in collaborative activities has increased by more than 50% in the past two decades? Making this time count is important but it can also be challenging. Whenever individuals come together to solve problems they will be faced with competing needs. Groups must keep in mind that communication tools will need to help individuals get their social needs met while also advancing the group’s ability to execute tasks. Visuals can play a key role in maximizing time spent together and ensuring that these needs are not in competition.

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The risks of poor communication in collaboratives

Many of us have heard colleagues complain about team efforts that feel like “herding cats” or “rearranging chairs on the Titanic.” It is very common for group members to report dissatisfaction with meeting processes in particular. This can become a vicious cycle because an individual’s engagement with the group will largely depend on their perception of the group. While many may realize that their group is stuck, few may realize that miscommunication is at the root.

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Graphic: Optimizing Collaboration

I work with organizations who are constantly asking what it means to work together and who are braving new frontiers when it comes to doing it better. From them I have learned that collaboration may be easy to talk about but it is often difficult to do in practice (and even harder to measure). I've witnessed that one of the most challenging requirements for teamwork is keeping everyone engaged. Interestingly, researchers have unveiled a paradox here: the best collaborative efforts are the result of BOTH creating safe space for everyone to contribute equally AND intentionally supporting those who add the most value. Here I will describe how I think these aims might best be balanced using the process and framework of design thinking.

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Self care suggestions for the weary change agent - Part Four: Lean on the power of nature

It has come time for some final suggestions for how you can best care for yourself in order to have the strength you need to make change in this world. If you know much about me, you probably know I can't really talk about change without talking about nature. So it shouldn't surprise you too much that this last part is all about how to use its power in your life. 

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3 ways Martin Luther King, Jr. was a masterful marketer

Martin Luther King, Jr. was the kind of leader we might get once in a century, the kind that knows how to use the tools of communication and marketing to fulfill a noble purpose. We all know that King was an educated preacher, an incredible writer, a moving speaker, a husband, a father, and a friend. What's worth considering more is that he was also a masterful marketer and his success was attributable to his ability to do what all successful marketers must.

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