suzanne whitby: writing & articles
From time to time, I write articles. You can also take a peak at my tips & tutorials, and stuff that I find elsewhere.
What if we cut down on food waste?
Let's talk about food waste. Our World in Data has a great visual to help us understand how much food we and our food systems waste each year. So what are we seeing here? First off, we can see that food production accounts for a whopping 26% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, however we need food to survive, so whilst not ideal, we'll set that to the side for the moment. Why? Well, frankly, we can't tackle everything at once, so let's focus on one opportunity in our food production cycle:...
What if?
I am privileged to be able to spend my days working with scientists who want to learn how to turn their academic findings into information that the “general public” can understand and hopefully act upon. Many of the people I coach and train are natural scientists who have an up-close-and-personal view of human-caused climate change and global heating. Not only are they witness to what is happening now, but thanks to modelling, they have insights into what is likely to happen in the future. And frankly, for many of them, the future is at best worrying and at worst terrifying. They are continually perplexed at the disinterest in the problems they are uncovering by politicians, policy makers, the media, and us, the “general public*”.
I mention this because when I watched “Don’t look up” last night, I was overjoyed that someone in Hollywood had finally created a film that captured what scientists tell me that they experience. Sure, it’s a satire, but the basic storyline is one that I’ve heard time and again in my workshops and talks.
The Work That Reconnects
Interesting for my facilitation work, work with groups, and in helping people think about climate and environmental disruption. The Work that Reconnects helps people discover and experience their innate connections with each other and the self-healing powers of the web of life, transforming despair and overwhelm into inspired, collaborative action.
Look UP! That’s what I am taking from “Don’t look up”.
I am privileged to be able to spend my days working with scientists who want to learn how to turn their academic findings into information that the “general public” can understand and hopefully act upon. Many of the people I coach and train are natural scientists who have an up-close-and-personal view of human-caused climate change and global heating. Not only are they witness to what is happening now, but thanks to modelling, they have insights into what is likely to happen in the future. And frankly, for many of them, the future is at best worrying and at worst terrifying. They are continually perplexed at the disinterest in the problems they are uncovering by politicians, policy makers, the media, and us, the “general public*”.
Make accordion closed by default
To do this, copy the script below and paste it in the <head> section in the Integration tab in Divi Theme Options (Theme options > Integration > <head> section). Save, and that's it. <script>jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.et_pb_module.et_pb_accordion.my_accordion .et_pb_accordion_item.et_pb_toggle_open').addClass('et_pb_toggle_close').removeClass('et_pb_toggle_open');});</script> Source: Elegant Themes
How can you foster a culture of communication in your organisation?
Like so many things, fostering a culture of communication has to start at the top. If leaders really want to have a two-way dialogue, they need to have an open-door policy, make time to listen, be open to new ideas, and not only act on good ideas, but acknowledge where those ideas came from. This encourages conversation in all directions. Of course, the same needs to happen when communicating downwards, and it’s vital that downward communication is clear, consistent, honest and transparent....
How can you make sure that everyone contributes in a meeting?
If you have a meeting, hearing the voices of all attendees could be a game-changer. Of course, it depends on the meeting: if you’re delivering a state-of-the-nation talk to the company, perhaps you’re more interest in cascading information down rather than getting input. If, however, you have selected a number of people to attend a meeting to make a decision, generate ideas, move forward with plans, or start planning something brand new, you need to make sure that everyone can and does...
How can you diffuse drama in your team?
The Karpman Drama Triangle defines the roles that people take on (and can switch between) in stressful, emotional or high-conflict situations. Dr Stephen Karpman identified three main roles that emerge: the persecutor, the victim and the rescuer. We can often find ourselves drawn to a particular role. However, the reality is that we move around the three roles. Different circumstances—people, context, emotions, environment, topic—pull us towards one particular pattern of behaviour or another....
What if there was a process for soliciting honest, neutral input for your ideas?
You’re part-way through. You think you’re on the right track. And you have decided that you want to share your idea and get feedback and input that will not only help you move your ideas forward, but that will energise you and perhaps even make your creation even better than it would otherwise be.
What if there was a process for giving kind but honest feedback?
The good news is that there are loads of interesting models, but which model you choose to use depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you want to give feedback on work-in-progress—a creation of some sort—you might want to take a look at Liz Lerman’s deceptively simple Critical Response Process or CRP. This allows you to understand get a wider perspective about an individual’s thoughts, motivations, and creation(s) so that you can offer feedback that is honest, direct, and both...
