Three insights from JD Solomon’s interview with Ray Moore — I sat down with Ray Moore to discuss my newest book, Facilitating with FINESSE: How to How to Lead Others to Successful Business Solutions. These are the first three questions that frames the book. Ray: What is your new book about? JD: It is a practitioner’s guide for 10 common applications that technically trained professionals are frequently…

These Seven Tips Enable Promotions & Increase Salaries — Communicating with FINESSE FINESSE is my mnemonic for remembering the basics of effective communication. A mnemonic is a literary construction used to make important things more memorable. For example, FINESSE facilitates the memory of effective communication: Frame, Illustrate, Noise, Empathy, Structure, Synergy, and Ethics. The FINESSE Fishbone Diagram

Do not assume it will be a two-way conversation when you are presenting to superiors. — How we provide communication to decision makers is different from how we communicate with our peers. Our language reflects the way we see the power related to our relationships. Communicating “with” someone subconsciously reflects a relationship of equals. …

Extreme weather events impact us both personally and professionally. — Understanding your risks relative to an uncertain future usually involves some type of model. When it comes to uncertainty, forecasts, and developing an understanding of my risks, I have found these publicly available sites as the most helpful to me during hurricane season: #1 https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ because NOAA is the best source…

Despite a recent international survey, I do not think so. This is why. — SessionLab recently released the outcome of the first comprehensive survey on the practice of facilitation, the State of Facilitation 2023. Are most facilitators white, college-educated women? The survey leads us to believe this to be the case. I don’t think so. This is why. Survey Sources Despite this growing interest, there is…

These five techniques guide people to solutions that are understood and accepted by all. — The mental model CATER will help you recall the five techniques that improve any form of team facilitation. CATER does two big things necessary for all great facilitated sessions. The mental model creates comparable knowledge among participants and opens feedback channels for successful collaboration. …

The world will need a little more FINESSE in the aftermath of the failed Russian coup. — On June 23 and 24, 2023, military troops from the Wagner Group pulled out of the front lines in Ukraine and began a march on Moscow to overturn the Russian government. The move surprised the world. Communication in its wake was poor. …

Explaining the AI prompt produced more controversy than the generated image. — The brave, new world of content creation with generative AI requires more bravery than I first thought. I learned a tough lesson that explaining how you created something can be more perilous than the end product. …

Five applications that provide practical usefulness and avoid the hype of artificial intelligence. — A central question for most small businesses in 2023 is how to use artificial intelligence meaningfully and effectively. The answer lies not in complicated financial or production calculations but instead in doing routine tasks faster. This article outlines five practical AI applications for small businesses.