John James

Put some bite into your facilitation with FIDO

How do you go about designing a robust yet flexible facilitation process? Hopefully you’re not just cobbling together a few random activities, like brainstorming and using dot stickers to vote on the best ideas, and hoping this will do. In case you need some structure and process, in this episode we’re going to explore the FIDO process and help put some bite into your facilitation! Bob Dick wrote the… Read more »Put some bite into your facilitation with FIDO

What’s so wrong with the Diffusion of innovations theory?

In this Enablers of change episode we’re going to revisit the Diffusion of innovations theory and explore some of the criticisms it’s received over time. We covered what the theory was in an earlier episode, so if you’re not familiar with the theory, it would be a good idea to start there! In that episode we explored some of the research that helped Rogers describe the diffusion of innovations.… Read more »What’s so wrong with the Diffusion of innovations theory?

What is the Diffusion of innovations theory?

You’ve probably heard about the Diffusion of innovations theory and perhaps you’ve realised that you’re not quite sure what it is and what it means for us as enablers of change. You may have heard of Rogers, but have you heard of Ryan and Gross, who actually conducted the initial research?  In this episode we’re going to revisit the Diffusion of innovations theory. It’s been central to a great deal… Read more »What is the Diffusion of innovations theory?

Take a break and increase your productivity

What’s one simple thing you could do to improve your productivity and make better decisions? In this post we’re going to explore the benefits of scheduling breaks into your day. John enjoyed reading Daniel Pink’s book When: The scientific secrets of perfect timing.  It draws upon research from psychology, biology and economics, to reveal the best time to do various activities. Are you a coffee drinker? If you are,… Read more »Take a break and increase your productivity

How to get greater impact from your events

Have you ever been to a training course and become all excited about putting some new strategies into place, only to find that a few weeks later you are back in the same routine and have not really changed anything you thought you would? This is a common story, so today we’re exploring this issue and what actually helps an event make an impact.  Robert Brinkerhoff, an American professor… Read more »How to get greater impact from your events

How can you predict the rate of adoption?

Have you ever wondered as you’ve started a new extension project, just how many farmers will end up using the practice you’re promoting? It’s a great question because the ultimate goal of extension is change, and often it is about the adoption of a new practice or tool.  So how on earth would you work this out? Where would you start? In this episode we’re going to tell you… Read more »How can you predict the rate of adoption?

Welcome to the new normal!

Just like children travelling a long distance in a car have a habit of saying ‘Are we there yet?’, many of us are now asking whether we’ve survived the COVID-19 storm and whether things are now going to get back to normal. However just today, parts of Brisbane enter a three-day lockdown after recording 10 new cases of coronavirus and masks are suddenly mandatory across all of Queensland. In… Read more »Welcome to the new normal!

Help, how can I easily collate information from a workshop?

How often have you been facilitating a workshop, whether that be online or physically together, only to get the end and realise that you’ve now got the unenviable job of having to write up all the notes from the workshop? And although you may not have received awards in school for your handwriting, we are here to tell you that other people’s handwriting can be even worse! Denise has… Read more »Help, how can I easily collate information from a workshop?

How to use graphs to tell your story

There are several types of graphs (such as bar charts, pie charts and the simple line graphs), but which is the best one to tell your story? Or do you think you can easily swap between one and another? Spoiler alert: you can, but shouldn’t! In today’s post we are going to walk you through the different types of graphs and the rules of thumb regarding the effective use… Read more »How to use graphs to tell your story

Use prequestions and boost the learning from your videos

What’s one thing you could do to boost the learning from your short videos? Seriously, stop for a moment and think about it. What could you do if you wanted the viewers of your videos to better remember your content? There’s been a huge increase in the use of short videos for getting our extension messages across to our target audiences. Most people prefer to watch short videos, especially… Read more »Use prequestions and boost the learning from your videos