FASCINATING IDEAS
This page is under construction, but you may still look. :>]
Here are some ideas I find fascinating. I am learning more about them and encourage you to pursue those that interest you.
The diffusion process
Diffusion is the process that a group of people follow in
changing to a new idea or changing behaviors. Very few people
are aware of how diffusion works even professional
communicators. The diffusion process describes the science
behind how word-of-mouth and social interaction cause people to
change. I have found it extremely valuable in public relations
and communication projects. Learn more by reading my article
about employee communication. And consider using the diffusion
process for any communication program. Book:
Diffusion of Innovation
Redesigning environments
This is a key element of coaching because it helps people to
create relatively fast improvements in their lives. Human adapt
to their environments very quickly. This became clear to me when
my coach suggested I clean up my office and desk. I was adapting
to my cluttered and messy office each day with disorganized
thoughts and actions. When I cleaned up the office, my mind
cleared, and I became creative and productive again. There are
nine personal environments a person can redesign. My current
focus is on my home/office and networking environments. To learn
more, become a member of CoachVille through my website CentralMichigan.CoachVille.com (it's free). From there, click on the upper left corner to go to the CoachVille home site, then click on Community Center, then on Personal Environments.
Discover your strengths
To rapidly increase growth and value, organizations need only to
focus on the "unrealized value that resides in every single
employee," according to the authors of Now, Discover Your
Strengths. Most organizations assess employee weaknesses and
then offer training to improve those "areas of opportunity." A more powerful way to increase productivity is to identify strengths and maximize them.
Every person has special talents. They are at their best when using them. Discover your own strengths with the aid of this book and the online strengths assessment tool it provides. Buy the book new, and use the identification code inside the back cover of the book to complete the StrengthsFinder Profile online. (The code can only be used once,
so don't buy the book used.) You will then discover where you
have the greatest potential for personal growth and development,
as well as success as a leader. Book: Now, Discover Your
Strengths
Maximizer
Excellence, not average, is my measure. I focus on strengths
as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence, seeking to
transform something strong into something superb.
Ideation
I am fascinated by ideas. I am able to find connections
between seemingly very different things and simplify them.
Others may think I’m creative, original or conceptual.
Strategic
I am able to sort through the clutter and find alternative
ways to get things done. I see patterns where others see
complexity. Faced with any scenario, I can quickly spot the
relevant patterns and issues, think of possible alternatives and
keep choosing pathways leading to success – my strategy.
(Recognized as a problem-solver in my corporate work, I
typically approached problems intuitively, going with the flow,
and determining what to do along the way, rather than
programming a plan in advance. It just works for me. Now I value
the approach, rather than worrying that I don't solve problems
analytically, like an engineer would.)
Empathy
Empathetic people sense the emotions of those around them.
They intuitively are able to see the world through others eyes
and share their perspective. This is an instinctive ability to
understand others that helps them to express their emotional
lives. (This is a great talent for a business and personal
coach.)
Communication
I like to explain, speak and teach others. I’m good at
taking a dry idea and making it interesting with images,
examples and stories. People like to listen to me. (It's no
wonder that I am a professional speaker and trainer, too.)
Permaculture
This word was coined in the 1970s and has evolved to mean a
system of thinking and environmental design to mimic
relationships found in nature to produce an abundance of food,
fiber and energy for local needs. My son took a course in
permaculture in the 1990s, but I wasn't ready to hear the
message until recently when my consciousness opened more fully
to new ideas. One of Australia's "most significant intellectual
exports," permaculture is a grass-roots worldwide movement
involving ethical and design principles such as, sustainable
agriculture, land and nature
stewardship, environmental home design, renewable energy,
recycling, health and spiritual wellbeing, eco-villages and the
like. The word permaculture has evolved to mean sustainable
culture. Many great ideas can be found in David Holmgren's book
Permaculture, Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability.
Garden design
My son gave me P. Allen Smith's garden design book and
opened my senses to an entirely new concept: creating a series
of "garden rooms." I can't wait to see the results of my first
outside room with an arc of 12-foot shrubs opening to an 18-foot
wide arbor of clematis. Inside will be a bench with fragrant
roses at each end, basil and other herbs for additional
fragrance and a thyme lawn. Book: Allen Smith,
Garden Home:
Creating a Garden for Everyday Living
Positive deviance
This fascinating concept is based on the idea that solutions
to community health problems already exist within the community.
Positive deviants are the three percent of a group at the
positive end of the bell curve. Typically, they overcome the
problems of their group. For instance, the ghetto kids who
become successful leaders or the relatively well-nourished kids
in a village of under-nourished children. More than 40 countries
around the world are using positive deviance principles to
improve problems with childhood development and malnutrition. It
is being used in at least three countries to reduce risk of HIV
and Aids. Positive deviance is beginning to be considered for
education and business.
www.positivedeviance.orgPattern language
Christopher Alexander, called "the humble messiah of good
architecture design," Alexander urges us to consider our
understanding of the space around us and our place in it. Using
the ideas in his book A Pattern Language, you will get
new insights about redesigning the rooms around you, your
workplace or even your community. When you begin to make
changes, your spirit will soar because Alexander tells us how to
make our spaces more comfortable.
Appreciative Inquiry
Positive psychology
» Contact Jack Pyle for information.
 |
Face to Face Matters, Inc.
1560 Little Lake Drive #16
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
517-243-3223 |
