If you’d like to “wow” a few folks in your world, read on. (3-minute read).
This week I got an email from a friend and colleague who has gone through the Getting Started with the Tenacious Change Approach online course. She recently had a chance to try out some of the principles she gleaned from the course when she attended her first meeting of a planning group. The group was convened to work on securing funding for a community project.
From what she wrote, it seemed most people in attendance were the “usual suspects” at such planning meetings, which means they were mostly “Content Experts.” Content Experts are people with “know-how” and expertise based on learning and training, who may also be gatekeepers to resources. As often happens, several members of the group moved immediately into planning a needs assessment. She spoke up, though, and advocated for including the residents’ voices in the planning process, not just the voices of the people around the table at that moment.
She went on to say that their proposal needed to include the voices of residents who know about the issue because they live with it daily (“Context Experts”), so it isn’t about community “buy-in” to the Content Experts’ ideas and plans but community ownership.
Their response? In her words, “They were just a bit wowed by it. :-)” (Yes, the smiley face was included.)
Her email reminded me of a couple of things I have learned but too often forget.
First, one voice makes a difference. The group was already moving into hard core planning mode, but she still spoke up with a powerful truth. That truth spoke to them, stopped them, and prompted them to think more carefully about centering community voices and creating ownership.
Second, simple ideas are often the most powerful and most easily overlooked. The Tenacious Change Approach is about 10 simple mindsets and principles that make a difference in community change work. Like many simple ideas they are easily overlooked. She introduced a simple idea which resonated with them. That was all it took to “wow” them.
How would you like to put a little “wow” into a group’s life? Let us help!
You get:
- 10 lessons, which include 10 streaming videos (20 min max length), each dedicated to a single Key Mindset and introduces and Essential Operating Principle and Core Task.
- A 6-hour course that can be completed in a single day – like your own personal training event!
- “Pause and Reflect” activities using the Getting Started with the Tenacious Change Approach Journal, a downloadable PDF which you can fill out online or print and complete by hand.
- A private online learning community for connecting, networking, and sharing with others also working on community change.
- Invitations to regular “Change Chats” with the developer, instructors, and guests.
Cost: Purchase lessons separately for $49 US each ($490 US total, if all purchased separately). For a limited time, to celebrate the opening of the course, you can buy the full course bundle of 10 lessons for $390 US, a $100 savings.
The Community Change Experience is Sold Out!
We are happy and sad to report that the Community Change Experience is sold out. We are happy because COVID-19 has created a lot of unpredictability for this event. Next week’s event was originally planned before the pandemic but had to be postponed until now. We hoped people would stick with us!
We are sad because, unless you are registered and you booked your room, we won’t see you there. We’ll miss you!
Watch this space for a report on the event sometime in the next few weeks.
We are Scheduling for 2023 – Ready to work with us?
Check out our Consultation, Workshop, and Training page on our website where you can learn about our core offerings and services. On the first page of that section, we offer some questions to help you think through what you need and how we can help. We also have an attractive PDF version of this section you can download, print, and share with others on your team or in your organization.
Now, how can we help you make change happen for the greater good in your community or organization?
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