Retreat Success: Los Feliz Improvement Association

“The activities Ron planned worked great and I was delighted at how fully the board members threw themselves into the skits and other things on the agenda.  I was also impressed at how well Ron kept to the time frames, getting us all finished in time for breaks and lunch at the times they’d been sent – I know that that’s not an easy task. I liked Ron’s enthusiasm and the way that he Continue reading

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Retreat Success: Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust

“We had a great retreat. All of the staff were really happy.” –Beverly Keefe, Director of Operations, Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust

Organizations grow. They hire new staff. As they grow, they need to bring everyone up to speed so they can effectively work with each other. Continue reading

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Mapping My Network

I value relationships and appreciate all of the fantastic people in my life. When facilitating retreats, I do my best to build stronger relationships within the leadership I serve. Outside of retreats, I do my best to steward relationships I have developed over the years. Whenever I can, I attempt to connect people from different parts of my life together. When serving clients, I keep on the lookout for potential volunteers, members, donors and board members. As I reflect on my own network, some categories emerged: Continue reading

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Art and Skill of Facilitation Mini-Conference: Sept. 8

I’m thrilled to present at the upcoming Art and Skill of Facilitation Mini-Conference hosted by the American Society for Training and Development on September 8th. I’m developing a new workshop for the training based on my experience facilitating meetings and retreats: Facilitating the Decision Making Process. I’m excited to join a group of professional peers who will present on a wide variety of topics related to supporting healthy group processes that lead to building more effective organizations.

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Retreat Success: Youth Speak! Collective

Every nonprofit needs a strong, dynamic team in order to accomplish their work. When an organization grows the size of its staff and its programs, convening the staff once a year for a retreat is a great way to build stronger teams and relationships, which in turn cultivates a healthy work environment, which in turn leads to greater organizational effectiveness.

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Retreat Success: Bicycle Kitchen

Soon after launching my consulting practice, my good friend Jimmy Lizama asked if I could facilitate the upcoming retreat for the Bicycle Kitchen, a community bike repair space he and a group of other folks launched a few years earlier. The year was 2007 and this retreat was the first retreat I ever facilitated in Los Angeles as a consultant. The experience played a pivotal role for both me and the Bicycle Kitchen. Continue reading

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