ABOUT ME AND WHAT I DO

Disrupting – patterns, thinking and behaviours…

Hi there – welcome to my blog about disruptive facilitation, working with groups, organisational development, creativity and innovation and the odd rant about the world in general.

What’s that? You’d like to know a bit about me?

I live in Australia, quite near Bells Beach – yes, THE famous surfing beach – pretty much a long way from anywhere. I once wanted to be an astronomical photographer but settled for agricultural journalist. I worked in government for many years doing publicity, community education, training and strategy development. One thing led to another and now I blog, work with groups doing leadership and other development programs, play with process, deliver some interactive training and mentoring and generally love being alive.

Improv – especially playback – has been a major influence, and a continuing joy. Improv games are the very best way to explore any organisational situation, IMHO.

I’m available as a facilitator and I also offer some training courses.

About Training

I believe it’s as important for participants to learn from each other, as well as from the trainer. Therefore I design training that is based around your experience and deliver it in a way that you will learn new skills that you can apply immediately.

Most of my training is delivered with highly talented and experienced colleagues. Together we provide a formidable training combo that simple works… for you, and for us.

All of my training is tailored for your particular needs.

Facilitation

There’s no short cut to learning sound facilitation skills. That’s why I have a dedicated facilitation training business. For more information on public and in-house training courses, visit www.facilitatingwithconfidence.com

Open Space Technology

This seemingly simple approach to facilitating meetings has many traps for new players. In this training we learn the ‘nuts and bolts’ of facilitating Open Space Technology as well as understanding how and why it works and the philosophy that underpins it. The next Open Space Technology training will be in Melbourne 16 & 17 June 2010. There’s more information here.

Insanely Great Slideshow Presentations

There’s more than just developing a killer Powerpoint presentation – although we’ll show you how to do that too! How to involve your audience, keep them engaged and deliver your message effectively.

Leadership, team-building, innovation, dealing with complexity

Sometimes you’re just not sure what’s needed – you simply know that you want something that will really make a difference. Talk to me. If I can’t help you I’ll give you the name of someone else who probably can.

Contact Me

Beyond the Edge Pty Ltd
PO Box 665 Torquay Vic Australia 3228

Phone +614 1713 5406

Email info@vivmcwaters.com.au

And a bit more personal stuff

If I’m shopping you’ll find me hanging about the artist supplies (even though I’m not an artist), a stationery store, or a bookshop, or the Mac store, a travel agent – I think you get the picture.

Favourite Movies

Blade Runner, Johnnie Darko, Chocolat, Run Lola Run, Babette’s Feast, Metropolis (the original), Day the Earth Stood Still (also the original), Finding Nemo and Singin’ In the Rain.

Favourite Books

Bird by Bird, Artemis Fowl, Cloudstreet, Breathe, Eucalyptus

Places I still want to visit (or visit again) – in no particular order

Morocco, Luang Prabang – Laos, Tierra del Fuego, Lord Howe Island, New Zealand, Uganda, Zanzibar, Hawaii, Canadian Rockies, Yosemite, Nepal, Antarctica, China, Mongolia, Finland, Alaska, Iceland, Galapogos Islands, Cape York, Uluru and the West Macdonalds, the Kimberley coast  - Australia.

Things I want to do one day

Walk the Bibbulum Track in WA (1000 km from Perth to Albany), swim with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef, travel on the Ghan railway, sailing in the Whitsundays, learn to surf, ski in Europe, live and work in another country.