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Life can change with every breath we take. Living in a world of exponential change, emergencies, such as the tsunami in Japan, remind us of the goodness and humanity of humans and our interconnectedness to each other. The generosity, compassion, and service shown by fellow humans provide hope to those affected by this tragedy - this is humanity in its richest sense.
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." ~Leo Buscaglia, Author and Motivational Speaker
The global community in which we reside has an enormous influence on us personally - it fosters camaraderie, accountability, responsibility, and sustainability - which is why it is so important that we each do our part for the greater good of humanity. No matter how you decide to contribute (time, money, clothing or food donations, love, etc.) at the heart of your generosity is the genuine desire to make a difference.
We invite each of you to join in the high energy and well-being that gratitude, compassion, and generosity brings to each of us. As always, we thank each of you for sharing your stories of success - seeking the high points to learn, adapt, and thrive - your stories always bring such light into our office and to our work. We are happy to announce that we have two new stories to share with you from our two newest certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitators. Please read on to find out more about their stories of success.
Appreciatively,
Your Friends at Company of Experts
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Welcome to the Ai Community
Congratulations...
| Company of Experts is pleased to introduce its newest Certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitators (CAIF) to its growing Ai family.
The individuals listed below participated in our 4-day Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (AIFT) program and submitted a practicum demonstrating their knowledge and application of Appreciative Inquiry. In reading their practicums, we are able to celebrate in their achievements and observe how Appreciative Inquiry has positively influenced their lives - personally and professionally.
New practicums are frequently posted to our blog, so check back often to see what new stories have been posted. Click here for more practicums.
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Words Create Worlds
Better living through positive dialogue
|  Read an issue of our "Words Create Worlds" (WCW) - a periodical compilation of success stories collected from AIFT participants from around the world. Words Create Worlds illustrates how AIFT participants have used words to help shape their world and the world of others - resulting in positive change. If you wish to read our WCW publications, please click here |
Cooking, Jazz, and the Art of Improvisation
A fun article written by recent AIFT graduate, Stephen Davis
|  Company of Experts enjoys hearing from people who have taken the time to write or call us to tell us how our trainings have helped change their personal or professional lived in ways they had not considered. We are excited to share an article written by one of our recent AIFT graduates, Stephen Davis. Stephen attended the Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training in Cape Town, South Africa this past January. With inspiration from Ezelle Theunissen, a certified Ai trainer, Stephen wrote a wonderful article about one of his passions - cooking. Based on the paper written by Frank Barrett, Stephen demonstrates how cooking contains a similar level of aptitude and imagination as that of jazz musicians.
"While I'll admit that food is almost always at the forefront of my mind, it was during a tea-time conversation with my training facilitator at a recent Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (AIFT) that I stumbled upon the remarkable similarity between jazz and one of my favourite passions and past-times. Let me explain...
The entire AIFT was a fun, engaging and transformative experience, but one of the prescribed readings that resonated strongly with me was a beautifully written and inspiring paper by Frank Barrett. Barrett uses creativity and improvisation in Jazz as a metaphor for organizational learning. Now I've always liked Jazz, or put another way I would listen to it if it happened to be on the radio, or being played in the background. After reading Barrett's paper, I not only discovered my infinite respect and appreciation for the skills of Jazz musicians but I discovered how one of my favourite past-times in life required a very similar level of competence and creativity."
To read Stephen Davis' full article, "Cooking, Jazz, and the Art of Improvisation," please click here. |
Featured Event of the Month...
Inquiry-Based Management (4-part webinar series)
Thursdays, March 31 - April 21, 2011 at 9:00am PDT | |
 This webinar series is designed to increase your capacity to have a positive managerial impact in your organization and increase your capacity to facilitate learning and innovation. This series is not meant to teach you about Appreciative Inquiry and management; rather it is more like a practicum intended to build your understanding and expertise in the management practices that generate full engagement, collaboration, collective intelligence and accountability.
The webinar series format supports the implementation of new knowledge and new skills through daily practice - inviting you to accomplish your work in different ways. You will find that these practices save you time and effort while building strong relationships amongst your team. This series will include 4 weekly 60-minute webinars that will entail reflective practice and practical application in between webinars. All sessions will be experiential and engage you in provocative discussions around new ideas. You will be challenged to see from different perspectives, challenge your assumptions, and implement new procedures that increase efficiency, effectiveness, and collaboration.
This series will increase your capacity to influence staff engagement, accountability, and creativity as your team collaborates to achieve your department or division's strategic outcomes and support the overall mission of your organization. Learn more about this series >>>
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Do you have a cause that you are passionate about?
Get involved with GoodSearch...
|  Company of Experts is always seeking new things that we feel will be well received by you and your friends. Earlier in this issue we talked about contributing for the greater good of humanity. While our desire to contribute and donate may be great, many of us struggle to find the time or resources to support the causes we are passionate about. GoodSearch makes it easier than ever to help support the causes we all love.
GoodSearch is a free search engine that donates 50 percent of its sponsored search revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. All you have to do it use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because GoodSearch is powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. Click here to learn more about GoodSearch. |
Partnerships that Pay off...
Special Discounts for NCSPOD Members
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It is an honor for us to partner with the North American Council for Staff, Program and Organizational Development (NCSPOD)
NCSPOD represents what schools and colleges do well - they open doors and create opportunity. Founded in 1977, NCSPOD serves a diverse membership comprised of colleges, universities, business, industry, consulting firms and government agencies from across the United States and Canada and beyond.
Through our partnership with NCSPOD, we are offering their members special prices. Log-on to NCSPOD's members only website to get the full details .
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Upcoming Events
New events are being added weekly...
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To view our entire event calendar, click here.
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Become a Host for our Trainings
Receive two complimentary registrations as a thank you...
| Company of Experts is seeking host organizations throughout the world to host any of our trainings (Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (AIFT), Department Chair Institute (DCI), and Leadership Development Institute(LDI)). To show our gratitude, host organizations receive two complimentary registrations for a training held on their site.
Host organizations may limit the training to people at their organization or it can be open to others. If the training is open, Company of Experts partner with the host organization to help promote the training.
Please contact Kathy or Natalie for more information. |
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