As 2025 draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect and thank you for your support this year. Enablers of Change exists to make good practice easier for people who work in extension, and this year we’ve continued to share ideas we’ve found useful to help us all continue to improve as we go. So 2025! We kicked off the year by looking at how… Read more »Reflecting on our 2025 journey
Have you ever heard of rubberducking? It’s a simple yet powerful technique that can help us understand and explain complex concepts more effectively. If not, stay tuned, as we’ll explain it in this episode. The idea behind rubberducking is to explain something as if talking to a rubber duck. By verbalising our thoughts and breaking down the issue step by step, we gain clarity and insight, often finding ways… Read more »Use rubberducking for better explanations!
We’re still thinking about the Australasia-Pacific Extension Network (APEN) 2025 International Conference held in Brisbane in October and what a great conference it was! We had the chance to catch up with people we knew, meet some new faces, get some ideas and inspiration, and be reminded of what really matters in our work as extension practitioners. There’s no way we can cover everything, but here’s a few highlights… Read more »Reflections on APEN 2025
In this episode, we’re exploring how to effectively influence others’ thinking, without pushing too hard or creating resistance. As enablers of change, we often find ourselves in conversations where we’re trying to shift perspectives. But as we know, facts alone rarely do the trick. So how can we guide someone toward a new viewpoint while maintaining trust and collaboration? Let’s delve into some practical strategies drawn from behavioural science,… Read more »Changing minds without breaking hearts
In this episode, we’re exploring a surprising idea that’s highly relevant to our work as enablers of change: some of the people most resistant to new practices or scientific advice may actually know the least but believe they know the most. This pattern, known as knowledge overconfidence, has powerful implications for how we engage with farmers and others in agriculture. This phenomenon has been studied in recent years by… Read more »Sparking curiosity to beat overconfidence
In this episode, we’re revisiting one of our earlier discussions about good practice in extension. When we first shared this, there were 10 good practices. Since then, we’ve used them in some workshops and gathered some helpful feedback. As a result, we’ve refined the list and today we’re excited to share our updated seven good extension practices! As you may recall, we discussed the difference between best practice and… Read more »Seven good practices for effective extension
In this episode, we’re exploring learner-directed learning—a powerful approach that puts learners firmly in the driver’s seat. It builds on what we already know about adult learning and takes it one step further, offering people more choice and control over their own learning journey. If you’ve ever wondered how we can better support people to be flexible, self-motivated learners who can adapt to change, this approach might just be… Read more »Learner-directed learning trumps adult learning
As enablers of change, we can sometimes grapple with a nagging sense of self-doubt. This phenomenon, known as imposter syndrome, can affect even the most accomplished individuals. In this episode, we’ll dig deeper and explore what that means and suggest ways to overcome it. Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where we doubt our abilities and fear being exposed as frauds. Despite evidence of our competence, we may feel… Read more »Don’t let imposter syndrome hold you back
In this episode, we’re exploring some practical resources that are helping us, as extension practitioners. We all know that enabling change isn’t just about sharing information—it’s about connecting, facilitating, and supporting decisions. We’re exploring the RiskWi$e project, the eXtensionAUS platform, and the AgriFutures extension practice website that has earned a spot in our bookmarks. Let’s take a look at what these resources offer and how you can use them… Read more »Extension resources worth exploring
In this episode, we’re exploring two deceptively simple strategies that, when used together, can dramatically improve the quality of group conversations: the Think Pair Share method and the pause. Whether we’re facilitating in a farmer’s shed or on Zoom, these tools help us create space for quieter voices, encourage reflection, and ultimately generate richer conversations. Think Pair Share is a three-step facilitation strategy that promotes reflection, equity, and engagement.… Read more »Pair and pause for deeper conversations
