Barb Bickford
- Nov 6
- 2 min
Feeling stuck? Ecocycle can help!
I’m a gardener. I love spring, with all its lush smells, seeds bursting with life and the anticipation of warmer days. Winter? I’d rather...
11 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Oct 24
- 2 min
The impact of trust
Recently I recommended to the leaders of a non-profit board that they look more closely at how trust impacts their operations. They were...
4 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Oct 9
- 2 min
How do you get people to think outside their boxes?
The answer: Ask Wicked Questions! A Wicked Question is a question that poses seemingly contradictory yet equally desirable ends. Here...
27 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Sep 11
- 3 min
What leadership qualities matter most for making collaborative decisions?
When making group decisions -- what qualities of leadership matter most? First, let’s examine the question “What is leadership?” Is it...
17 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Aug 28
- 4 min
How do you evaluate hundreds of ideas at once?
In a previous blog post, I promised to share how we gathered and evaluated ideas proposed during a public visioning process. To recap...
19 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Jul 17
- 1 min
What makes a meeting "heavenly"?
We’ve all heard of "meetings from hell." You know, meetings that never end and have unfocused discussions or nasty conflicts. Or worse....
3 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Jun 24
- 3 min
How do you gather shared public input during a pandemic?
In my last post, I mentioned gathering a shared list of “Guiding Principles” to guide the future of a lake and park in our city. In this...
20 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- May 13
- 2 min
From Community to City
Last week, I stood at the side of the City Council chamber, mentally preparing myself to summarize two years of volunteer work. On...
19 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Apr 22
- 2 min
How can conflict be healthy? (Part 2 of 2)
What can we do to shift from unhealthy conflict to healthy conflict? I asked the participants of the course “Open Minds: Learn, Work and...
5 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Apr 5
- 1 min
How can conflict be healthy? (Part 1 of 2)
I asked the participants of my recent class (“Open Minds: Learn, Work and Achieve More Together”) what they thought were signs of healthy...
11 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Mar 24
- 1 min
A Manifesto for Online Collaboration
Light is coming through the fog of boring ineffective online meetings! Today, we are releasing a Manifesto for Online Collaboration that...
4 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Mar 14
- 2 min
Can a sense of purpose mend a disagreement?
Everyone in the planning group expected the upcoming meeting to be contentious. "Will we continue in person or online?" "Can we try...
9 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Feb 10
- 1 min
You are not alone in your challenges
During 2021, I researched the challenges people are having with meetings. Through interviews and surveys, I found that their challenges...
20 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Mar 18, 2020
- 1 min
About words that start with C...
Are you getting a little tired of that word that starts with the letter C (coronovirus)? Me too! Let's talk about other C words. Here...
26 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Feb 22, 2020
- 1 min
"Creating Fabulous Meetings" -- a workshop for non-profits and faith-based communities
People working and volunteering in non-profits and faith-based communities often face tedious and even dysfunctional meetings. You can...
22 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Feb 4, 2020
- 1 min
What is "collaboration"?
Recently, I came across an article that used the word "collaboration" to describe an outcome where two parties each got some of what they...
20 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Jan 27, 2020
- 1 min
Liberating structures -- efficient and fun!
Barb offers another example of how Liberating Structures helped a team collaborate, solve a problem and build the team, all at the same time
13 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Jan 22, 2020
- 1 min
Liberating Structures in Action
This organization shifted from blame to constructive action in only one hour, using Liberating Structures. Learn how!
6 views0 comments
Barb Bickford
- Jan 14, 2020
- 1 min
Liberating Structures are for everyone, not just liberals
Think outside the box of typical meeting structures! Experience "Liberating Structures" workshops in St. Paul, MN and Madison, WI.
9 views0 comments