Company of Experts October logo
October 2010 Company Newsletter
In This Newsletter...
Fun Halloween Word Search
Appreciative Inquiry in Action
Stories of Success
Words Create Worlds
Partnerships that Pay off!
Video Series: Safety Tips for Trick-or-Treaters
10 Tips to Keep your Furry Friends Safe
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Fun Halloween Word Search
This word search features a variety of words associated with Halloween. There are 33 words to find. Play alone or with loved ones. Play now>>>
Appreciative Inquiry in Action
**Special Pricing**

Community colleges face an unknown future, one that seems to promise continuous, deep, rapid and often turbulent change. Appreciative Inquiry is a powerful approach for nourishing creative and innovative change to meet these times.

 

Special Price:

Paperback: $14.99 USD
Download: $4.99 USD

PURCHASE BOOK


Author Nancy Stetson Ed.D., the founding president of Company of Experts, currently focuses on bringing Appreciative Inquiry into the world of education. Read Nancy's experts on call profile here.
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How do you stay positive with so much negativity in the news? I have always been fascinated with elections. This election, not so much! I am torn between wanting to be involved in the conversation and feeling overwhelmed by the daily verbal and visual assault.  Words Create Worlds.  How do we teach this to our children when those who want to represent us don't understand the value of their words?


The candidates may believe that it is political rhetoric and fitting for their cause, but so many people are just fed up with the sound of election season. Housing, jobs, and healthcare all vital to people, and should not be sound-bites to upset people and cause fear. A good, lively discussion or debate where we hear messages of what is possible would be such a relief. The anger that is being fueled about these important issues is so opposite of what we practice in our daily lives. How does a good citizen vote when they are turning away from the message.  This is my first election year in Nevada and the race for the Senate is pretty messy. In Nevada, you can vote none of the above. What happens if the majority of people voting vote that way?  No need to send me a note telling me how important my civic responsibility is - I learned that early from my parents.


So, how do you stay positive? First, how do we reframe the information? How do we select the messages we hear?  Barbara Frederickson from the University of North Carolina has research to support that our positive emotions can lead to better health and increase our resilience to adversity. This research is that a 3 to 1 ratio of positive to negative thoughts is the healthy balance that we need to see possibilities and to achieve more. This practice of Appreciative Inquiry, while not about the positive, helps me keep myself on that balance, at that healthy tipping point of positive to negative emotions. But, it sometimes takes more effort to maintain that balance. I turn on music, read a book, talk to people who are doing terrific work, some of whom are newly certified AI Facilitators like those listed below. Please read on to find out more about their stories of success.

 

Appreciatively,

Kathy Becker

President and CEO

Company of Experts, Inc.


Stories of Success
 
Congratulations to the newly Certified Appreciative Inquiry Facilitators:

Kyle Hannah, Motivating Teachers to Create Positive Change within Learning Environments

Larry Robinson, Build Positive, Meaningful Relationships to Support Learning and Teaching

Rolene Pryor and Kelly Saretsky, Creating the Future Together

Maria Schnell, Creating Revolutionary Change through the Process of Appreciative Inquiry

Amy Biddle, Jayn Devney, Carl Landry, Bill Lee, Melissa Miller, and Diana Sadler (team at Southeast Inc.), Providing Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare with Energized Optimism, mutual trust, compassion, hope and teamwork

Each of these newly certified facilitators completed the four-day intensive Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training (AIFT) followed by a supervised practicum including their documentation. When we have permission to post their practicum on our website we do. You may read their practicums by clicking on the link to right of their name. If you wish to read additional stories of success, please click here.

We have many more practicums on the way. They will be featured in our next newsletter. Stay tuned...

Words Create Worlds
 
"Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both kind and true, they can change our world."
~ Author Unknown

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. To read a WCW issue, click here.
Partnerships that Pay off!

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 their members only website to get the full details.
Video Series: Safety Tips for Trick-or-Treaters

Kids anticipate the arrival of dusk - all day they have been waiting to go trick-or-treating. While trick-or-treating can be a fun family activity, it is important that everyone exerts caution on this festive day. Learn how to keep your kids safe while they are trick-or-treating in this free series of children's safety videos from our Halloween expert.
Watch series>>>
10 Tips to Keep your Furry Friends Safe on Halloween
Hallie_pet safety tips for halloween
Hallie, Company of Experts' #1 fan, showing off her Halloween costume

Attention all pet owners! Halloween is just around the corner which means strange people wearing costumes, loud noises, lit candles, candy and candy wrappers, in addition to other temptations. While Halloween may be a fun time you and your loved ones, the change in routine, decorations, and smells can often stress out our little furry friends. As avid animal lovers, the Company of Experts' staff would like to share some tips that can help avoid injury, reduce stress experienced by your pet, and ultimately keep your pets safe.
Read on>>>

Do you have pictures of your pet in a costume that you would like to share? Please email them to us, we will post a select few in our next month's newsletter!