Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning Dynamic Courses, Books, Resources and Tours for Healthy Groups, People and Culture with Robin Clayfield

How often do you take time to review and renew your course design, your session plan that you work from to present regularly, your meeting agenda design or your event program? Do you tend to repeat the same session over and over or use similar processes to deliver the content you’re working with? Or do you challenge yourself to try new things, throw out the routine curricular or procedure, swap a standard process for a more creative one and dance on the edge of growth and expansion with each new challenge you give yourself?

Do you get bored with what you offer to your groups? Are you tired of doing things the same way? Do your

participants seem bored or disengaged? Or are your groups, meetings, events and sessions fun and exciting, receiving great feedback and motivating participants to thrive and shine. Do you complete and celebrate a job well done and feel empowered and energized while knowing your group and each individual involved felt the same?

We all work in different ways and I find the way I work best is on the edge of my comfort zone, planning well, designing each session especially for the group I’m facilitating and gathering the appropriate resources, then, always trying something new. I design in the new and then also, having the solid foundation of a session plan, I’m able to throw out some aspects of it, or all of it if need be, to fully meet the needs of the group or any situation that may arise.

The ‘Creative Process Wild Cards’ are a playful and dynamic way to challenge oneself to use a new process,

to spice things up or introduce other ways of working which stimulate the group, generate creative ideas while growing teamwork and group energy.

So my challenge to you now is to pick 3 ‘Creative Process Wild Cards’, either out of the set you may already have (or purchase online here) or out of the list of 20 I’ve placed here after drawing them randomly form the set. I’ve written them in a list, in the order that I picked them, so you can now close your eyes and point with 3 of your fingers and then look and see which processes are listed closest to your fingers.

I challenge you to then design an activity or session for your next group, class or meeting which uses all three of the processes to present the learning content or agenda item or session, whatever you’re doing next with a group. Remember to design it as an interactive group session where people are ‘Speaking and Doing’ if possible.

I’d love your feedback and sharing about which cards you picked, what you designed and how your facilitation went.

Here’s some cards to pick from. Remember to close your eyes.

• Journeys
• P.M.I. (Edward deBono’s ‘Plus, Minus, Interesting’ process)
• Crosswords or Word Puzzels
• Quizzes
• Body Sculpture
• Mind Mapping
• Recipes
• Fuzzy Felt or Sticky Carper with Velcro
• Webs and Nets
• Gifts and Giving
• Board Games
• Collages
• Hot Potato (Ask Robin to explain if you don’t know this process)
• Sociographic Line-ups
• Open Space Technology (See Harrison Owen)
• 6 Thinking Hat (and Edward deBono Process)
• Roleplay
• Story Telling
• Sand Pit
• Visualisation

To get your own set of these cards, which offer 50 Creative Processes and 10 Standard Processes, Click here.

Here’s a wonderful example of one woman living and breathing the challenge of ‘Dynamic Groups’ by using the ‘Creative Process Wild Cards’ and many of the learnings and processes from the ‘Dynamic Groups’ course and integrating that with her existing programs and group work. Thanks Shannon for such a rich offering of your work and stepping up to the challenge.

“Robin’s Dynamic Groups Creative Facilitation course has inspired and energised me to deliver even better training and professional development for the Aquatic industry. I present courses and professional development and have always done things a bit “differently”, for example cross crawling and playing my ukulele. The creative processes we learned throughout the course have grown my toolbox exponentially!

Each time I run a course now I consider how I did it last time and which processes I can use to engage the

participants and really involve them in their own learning. I pull out my trusty deck of Wild Cards and go over the notes and reviews I made from the DGCF course. I use mind maps or lists to brainstorm learning objectives and the process that will work for each and the group. I then create a plan showing how we move from one activity to the next (and the glue processes involved to get there). Eg pictures attached.

The groups I facilitate often comment on how engaging the session was, the fact that they get to talk and share their passion rather than being lectured at, the joy of being involved and that the learning was fun. I love to see them engaged, for me starting off with a good icebreaker really sets the tone for the entire session.

I review the presentation (more of a facilitation these days) and processes used, considering the “plus, minus and interesting” of each, I make notes on my plan as to how I would change it next time round.

The creative learning processes are gold! I love to bust out the wild cards and aim to challenge myself as facilitator to use one of the more obscure processes each time…for example I have a First Aid mandala in the works.

Thanks Robin, I feel inspired and energised by the Dynamic Groups Creative Facilitation course. I believe the way we learn needs to change and love pushing the boundaries for myself and participants so we all get the most out of each learning experience.”

Shannon Townsend

Aquatic Centre and Gymnastic Manager

It’s many years now since Andrew Hoge did one of Robin’s Creative Facilitation courses yet even recently, in a spontaneous IGA supermarket meeting, he expressed how greatly the work had influenced him and how he felt chellenge to be an integral part of any business, course or initiative.

Robin’s inspiration for the article on ‘Challenge Yourself as a Facilitator or Teacher’ came from this meet up with Andrew. He’s also taken time to write this testimonial. Thanks Andrew.

“Have you ever noticed that some people have a difficult time facilitating truly exciting and transformative workshops?

And that leaves them frustrated that they can’t fully express and enjoy their passion.

Robin transforms people so they can be fulfilled in expressing their passion through amazing facilitation.

I’ve seen her do this with many people.

And she’s done this with me.

So my participants can enjoy great learning as I enjoy sharing my passion.

I recommend working with Robin for yourself and your participants.”

Andrew Hoge

Hoge Consulting

www.hogeconsulting.com

Robin’s ‘Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning’ course in Italy last July was supported magnificently by Kym Chi, a vibrant and creative young woman from Canada who travelled specially to Switzerland and Italy to spend 3 weeks supporting Robin with her Italy course and also two Women’s Weekends.

On returning home Kym Chi wrote, collated and created this valuable resource which gives a good insight into the ‘Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning’ Methodology and the kinds of activities, experiences and learning that people receive in Robin’s creative facilitation and teacher training courses. Robin supplied Kym Chi with some of the content explanations from her upcoming book that show the meanings associated with the Jigsaw Puzzle of ELFy, the mascot who supports Robin piece together all the elements which support group work and learning to be empowering, fun, memorable, supportive and effective.

Click here to view the Notes which have many photographs and great explanations.

Enjoy and please give Robin and Kym Chi some feedback 🙂

Here’s a wonderful production of best practices and top tips for teachers of any subject.

A free offering to the World Community as a download at printable resolution and available professionally produced from an on demand printer. 

Explore :www.permaculturedesign.ca/teachersnotes

Permaculture Design : Teachers Notes

Envoy : Delvin Solkinson

Design : Onbeyond Metamedia

Editing and Contributions : Kym Chi

Core Team and Contributions : Annaliese Hordern, Dana Wilson & Tamara Griffiths

Source Inspiration and Contributions : Rosemary Morrow, Robin Clayfield, Looby Macnamara.

Core Insight and Contributions : Larry Santoyo, Max Lindegger, Robyn Francis.

Core Inspiration and Insight : Jude Hobbs, Tom Ward, Geoff Lawton, Douglas and Sam Bullock, Michael Becker, Scott Pittman, Dave Boehnlein, Starhawk, David Holmgren, Dan Palmer

and here’s the new Link for Delvin’s latest eNewsletter

The ABC was interested in the 30th anniversary celebrations of the formation of Crystal Waters Permaculture Village, one of the very first EcoVillages and the first Permaculture Designed Village in the world. The community held it’s 30th birthday party in July and the following article, which has an interview with Robin and her daughter Pele along with other residents, was one of the outcomes, along with a great cake and many shared memories.

Click here for a link to the ABC Article that went on their website.

Here’s a quote from the article – “An eco village on the Sunshine Coast was an experiment in communal living when it first started. Thirty years later the village is still thriving, and the rest of Australia is catching on to some of its pioneering ideas.”