About Barb Bickford

I help people who are frustrated with their meetings. Through my consulting and teaching, I help them have more collaborative, effective and efficient meetings.
Are you creative, practical, enthusiastic, willing to try new things and want to make this world a better, healthier place? I can help you become a more confident leader of meetings people WANT to attend.
I am also happy run meetings (e.g., planning sessions or board retreats) on your behalf so you can fully participate in them.
To learn more about me:
-- Scroll down to read my professional and personal story
-- Sign up for emails
-- Check out my blog
-- Connect with me on Linked In
-- Learn how I approach changing meetings for good
As owner and principal of Bickford Collaboration, here's what I offer:
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Acceptance of you, of your group and of things as they are
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Knowledge of how to make meetings more effective and engaging
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Skill at designing and running meetings, both online and in person
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Experience in public health, the environment, government, non-profits, business, facilitation, collaboration and training
Who I am as a professional

There I was, an introverted fact-oriented
Professional Geologist (PG) in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, in my cubicle,
happily reviewing groundwater data and technical
plans for landfills.
Suddenly, I got a mid-career assignment
to coordinate Wisconsin's Medical Waste program.
It required me to work closely with people.
How would I do that? What did I know about healthcare -- let alone collaboration?
I set about learning, and I continue to learn
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Although shifting gears wasn't easy, I grew to
become well-known statewide and nationally
for collaborating on challenging and emerging issues such as reducing pharmaceutical waste
and managing highly infectious waste.
I observed first-hand how collaborative
leadership (or lack of it) can impact results.
I now focus on guiding people to
transform their resuls and make a greater impact
by transforming their meetings and themselves

Who I am as a person

I've been focused on improving water quality since my first Earth Day.
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from preventing groundwater contamination
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to recycling and reducing waste
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to changing public policies that create waste
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to transforming how we meet and supporting leaders to do the same --
-- I'm always moving upstream
I've been moving upstream personally too,
transforming myself by embracing life challenges
such as overcoming low-self esteem, living with persons who have a mental illness,
divorcing, being a single parent, losing a child,
supporting aging parents and starting a business.


I live in a small town near St. Paul, MN,
with my family and a cat who thinks it's human. My husband and I are both Minnesota Water Stewards. We keep busy planting trees, pulling buckthorn and planning our next canoe trip.
And I do what I can to improve the environment as a business, as well.
Read my Green Business scorecard here

What others say...

Barb is one of the nicest people I know
and is consistently ready to offer her 'best self' to others
for the benefit of the common good.
She can motivate groups and individuals, and encourage them
to stretch their goals and achieve them.
-- Charlotte Smith, President, GreatWorks LLC
(founder of PharmEcology)
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Barb is very knowledgeable and easy to work with.
She presents information in a down to earth way.
She is passionate about the environment and you can’t help but catch the bug!
-- Angela Flemming, Dietary/Environmental Services
Director at The Richland Hospital Inc