Free Help

Ideas and tips to get along and get stuff done-------- ------- -February 1, 2025

The best people in life are free

Yes, the headline is a Taylor Swift quote. It reminds me to be more giving, more carefree, more appreciative of all the great people around me who give so much; no charge.

For the past 20 years I have been writing and publishing Videos, Tips, and Handouts. For the past year I had this idea that people should become Good Group Decisions members to get access to my stuff. It helped me capture email addresses and many people took up my prompt to “pay what you want.” Thank You!

Yet I haven’t been able to live with it. I just can’t stand any kind of gate – even just giving an email address – to read and watch my lessons about how to get along and make decisions in groups. So after this year-long experiment, I’m tearing down the gate and allowing open access. Click here for all my Videos, Tips, and Handouts. I still love donations, yet I also love when people take my stuff and benefit from it. No charge. You don’t even have to give me your email address.

Have you ever checked out my videos, tips, and handouts? You can organize them by category and search them by keyword. I hope you find something super useful to help you and your groups make good decisions. And they're free.

A Camden Conference Presentation

Monday, February 3, 6:30pm, Belfast Public Library, Maine

How to Talk to Each Other in Spite of our Differences

The future of our democracy depends on it

"The future of our democracy depends on our ability to engage in meaningful dialogue," says Freshley, winner of the 2019 American Award for Civic Collaboration and founder of Good Group Decisions. Drawing from his experience facilitating over 3,000 meetings and 40 Make Shift Coffee Houses across Maine, Freshley will lead an interactive program on how to navigate challenging conversations, handle misinformation, and respond to threats to democratic discourse.

This presentation is hosted by the Belfast Free Library and offered as a free community event in in anticipation of the 38th Annual Camden Conference: Democracy Under Threat: A Global Perspective. February 21-23, 2025. The mission of the Camden Conference is to foster informed discourse on world issues.

For more information, please visit BelfastLibrary.org and CamdenConference.org

PS. It's Free.

Join me online February 26

In a world of combat – where it seems that so many people are being mean to each other – how do I rise above and calm my nerves? How am I supposed to respond to attacks on things that I love and believe in? How in the hell am I supposed to sleep well?

As a professional meeting facilitator, I’m often in the midst of conflict. As a human, I’m often in the midst of conflict. In this session I’m going to share my strategies for navigating a combative world, for making peace with myself, and for sleeping well. I’m going to tell you how I try to remain calm, stay grounded, and bring my best self to help others.

And I’m going to ask you to share YOUR strategies. It’s a TALK Show; we’re gonna talk about this. We’re going to learn from each other. And support each other. And after the session I will provide each participant with Highlight Notes from what we discussed, including links to resources.

Advance sign up required. Click here to register. Of course it's free.

A Program of the Unity Public Library

Friday, February 21, 12pm, Mammies Country Kitchen, Unity, Maine

How to Bridge Political Divides

Techniques, resources, and lunch specials

Many of us fear current environmental and political trends. Some of us are terrified. Many of us are retreating to our own corners, increasingly alienated from each other; increasingly afraid to engage with others who think differently.

Come for the specials. Leave with some practical tips and tools for navigating this scary world. Learn strategies to get along with others even when you disagree; even when you don't like what they believe.

Come get inspired and gain confidence to forge conversations and partnerships across divides; political divides, religious divides, wealth divides.

Presenter Craig Freshley has written a best selling book called Together We Decide, An Essential Guide for Making Good Group Decisions. And he has received the American Award for Civic Collaboration for facilitating conversations between Democrats and Republicans.

Hope to see you there! (Free)

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