Games connect

Games connect

April 28, 2017

On our recent trip to Mongolia, in winter, I knew we’d be spending a lot of time indoors, with host families and with each other. It seemed like a good idea to take some table-top games to play. I chose games that did not require any understanding of English: Ghost Blitz and Skip-Bo Both games […]

Connecting More Deeply

July 19, 2016

I’m riffing some ideas here based on the four themes we’ve been exploring for Creative Leadership: Having bolder conversations Connecting more deeply Engaging the resistance Staying alive This is one of those things that’s easy to say, hard to do. We all like to think we’re okay with change, yet when it comes to the […]

Where ‘YES!’ leads

November 18, 2014

Early mornings are not my best time. People I used to work with joked that no-one should talk to me before 10 am. Bit rough, I reckon. So you will understand that dragging myself out of bed at 5 am to attend breakfast meetings in Melbourne, was, well, a touch out of character (this included […]

Birdwatching from my desk

Glancing just a little to my left of my computer screen, I can see, through my office window, one of the bird baths in our garden. It is an endless source of joy for me. This morning I saw four different species using the bath at the same time: Grey Fantails, Red-browed Finches, Brown Thornbills […]

Play is serious business!

October 6, 2014

Too right! “Play is absolutely fundamental for children’s physical, social, mental, and emotional development.” Professor Roger Hart. I’d love to make a video like this about the importance of adults playing too.

The games we play

July 10, 2014

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of games, play and movement. Recently I attended a MASHLM Humanitarian Summer School in Lugana, Switzerland. It was three days exploring games for humanitarian and development work led by Pablo Saurez from the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre and Eric Gordon from the Harvard University Engagement Game Lab. […]

A games-free zone?

January 28, 2014

A couple of things got me thinking this week (and that’s no mean feat during the summer holidays – much easier to just forget about everything and enjoy the beach). The first was a request from a facilitator for ideas about working with a group on one of those super hot Melbourne days where it’s […]

Playfully exploring serious issues: what does that mean?

August 19, 2013

Some issues are so serious they are hard, or painful, to talk about. So we often see sombre meetings, and participants struggling to find words befitting the seriousness of the issue. These meetings are often long, painful and tedious. Playfully exploring these serious issues is an alternative. It doesn’t mean trivialising. It does mean coming […]

A surefire way to solve problems

October 12, 2012

I now have a tried and true formula for solving problems. I’ve tested it many times and it ALWAYS works. Most recently was yesterday. I was struggling with some work and finding a way to breakthrough. I was planted in front of my computer and I was frustrated and grumpy. Talking about it (complaining if […]

Let the games begin

September 17, 2012

The Olympics are over for another four years. But it’s not those sort of games I’m referring to. Not sporty, competitive games. Nor video games. And no, not board games either. These games are for fun. They are active, playful, not too energetic (though they can be), not too competitive (though they can be that […]