A few weeks ago we discussed the importance of question design in my role as a facilitator hired to swiftly—yet...
02.062015November 2, 2016
Facilitate to Innovate, Part 1: Appreciative Inquiry
By ellisplanningIn UncategorizedTags empowerment, group prioritization, guide groups, help with group sessions, learning, planning, process
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is one model that can help structure these questions, tapping into each participant’s potential to innovate toward successful outcomes. It grounds participants in the best of what has been, in order to envision the best possible future.
09.042015June 5, 2017
Getting There
Our voice in the national conversations about Logic Models and Virtual Meeting Spaces The American Evaluation Association (AEA), the...
18.032015September 22, 2016
Feeling Cornered?
So you’ve just been tasked with gaining engagement and input from community stakeholders throughout the state for a strategic planning...
23.022015September 22, 2016
Remember those heady days of taking on Big Tobacco?
The news clip below is from a defining moment early in my career in 1993, when I was at the...
02.022015September 22, 2016
My top accomplishment of 2014? I learned I’m good at handling elephants.
No, I didn’t run off and join the circus—but I’ve learned how to use some familiar tools in new ways....
28.102013September 22, 2016
“Falling in Love with Our Work”
Fellow consultant Laurin Mayeno published the following post on her website, www.mayenoconsulting.com, on September 27, 2013. It resonated with our...
12.092013September 22, 2016
Participatory Assessment, Evaluation and Planning Methods
Ellis Planning Associates draws from various community engagement and participatory planning approaches. A few of these methods are described...
26.012011September 22, 2016
Engaging Diverse Stakeholders in Coalitions
Following are key principles to keep in mind when building diverse coalitions: Excerpted from a blog my colleague, Laurin Mayeno,...
21.112010September 22, 2016
It Gets Better
I am writing from my office here in gorgeous Nevada City in the Sierra Foothills. I now work half time...