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Network Leadership Toolkit ThistoolkitwascreatedbyJuneHolleyandis largelybasedonactivitiesfromtheNetworkWeaver Handbook. The toolkit is a set of activities that you can use to stimulate morenetwork leadership. The list below can help you select activities to help you developdifferent aspects of network leadership. Think about which aspect you most need todevelop, and then select the activity or activities that can help develop that particularaspect.Someoftheactivitiesarequitesimpleandneednofurtherexplanation.SomearemorecomplexsothedirectionsarecontainedintheModulelistedaftertheactivity. Section 1. Tools/Exercises for Relationship Building
● SpeedNetworking● YarnPeerAssist● ClosingTrianglesGame
Section 2. Tools for Introducing and Building Network Leadership
● NetworkWeavingChecklist;NetworkWeavingChecklistGrid;Application:HowtoUsetheNetworkWeavingChecklist
● ActionLearning:Reflectionandlearningprotocolsfordebriefingprojectsandacceleratinglearningwhiledoing
● PeerAssists Section 3. Tools for Building Network Culture & Structure
● NetworkCulture/MindsetAssessment● NetworkCultureAssessmentWorksheet● SharingYourNetworkPurpose
Section 4. Tools for Visualizing, Assessing and Weaving Your Network
●IndividualMapDrawingActivity ●MapDrawingwithPost-its ●Whoismissing?●ImprovingYourPeriphery●Closingtriangles
Section 5. Tools for Promoting Self-Organizing ●Clustering●UsingGoogleFormstoCreateaClusteringSurvey●SupportingSelf-OrganizedProjects
Section 6. Communication tools/strategies
●SettingUpaCommunicationsEcosystem● CommunicationsEcosystemWorksheet● StepstoaMoreEngagingCommunicationEcosystem
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Section 1:Tools/Exercises for Relationship Building
Rationale: Ahealthy,effectivenetworkmeansthatmanypeopleinthenetworkknoweachotherwellenoughthattheyknowhowthatpersonmaycontributetoanyprojecttheyinitiate.Mostpeopleprimarilyknowpeoplelikethemselves.Atanymeetingorconvening,it’simportanttohelppeoplegettoknowthosetheydon’tknow.It’salsoimportantthatparticipantslearnhowtoconnectandsupporteachother.
Speed Networking Thisisagreatactivitythatyoucanuseatthestartofeverymeeting,usingdifferentquestions.Theimportantpartisthedebriefportionthathelpspeoplebecomemoreawareoftheirlisteningskills.ThissessioncouldbedonevirtuallyinvirtualconferencingplatformssuchasAdobeConnect,MaestroorZoomaseachoffersthecapacityforbreakoutrooms. Encourageparticipantstousethisactivityatthestartofalltheirmeetingsandconvenings,changingthequestionstosuitthetopicofthegathering.Thisisasimplewaytoencourageparticipantstobecomenetworkleaders. Directions: Haveeveryonestandupandfindsomeonetheydon’tknow,ordon’tknowwell.Instructparticipantstotaketurnslisteningtoeachotherastheyansweroneofthefollowingquestions:1.Whatexcitesyouabouttheideaofnetworks? 2.Whatwouldyouliketolearnaboutnetworks? 3.Whatisanexampleofaveryeffectivenetworkyouhavebeenapartof? Youcanadaptthequestionstofitthetopicofthemeeting.Givethemabout5minutesfortheentireexchange.After2.5minutes,remindthemtochangepartnersiftheyhaven’talready. Afterthefirstround,havethegroupdebrieftheexperience.Ask“Whohadareallygoodlistener?”Thenaskoneofthosewhoraisedtheirhands,whatthatpersondidthatmadethemawaretheywerelisteningwell?Askseveralotherstopointoutotheraspectsofgoodlistening(eyecontact,leaningtowardsme,restatinganswers,askingquestions,etc). Thenhavepeoplefindanotherpersontheydon’tknowandrepeattheactivitywithanotherquestion.Afterthisaskpeopleiftheyfoundthemselveslisteningmoreeffectively.
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Yarn Peer Assist Youwillneedalargeballofyarn(easilyfoundinmostthriftstores)forthisactivity.Thisworksbestforgroupsof10-30people.ThankstoRoiCrouchforthisactivity. Havepeopleformacircle.Getavolunteertostarttheprocess.Havethatpersonshareachallengetheyarehaving.Havepeopleinthecirclewhohavesomeexperienceoradvicethatmighthelpthatfirstpersonraisetheirhand.Havethefirstperson,holdingontotheendoftheyarn,throwtheballtothatperson. Thesecondpersonthensharessomequickadviceoraresourceforthefirstperson’schallenge.Encouragepeopletokeepitshort,butmentionthattheymightwanttotalkaboutthechallengemoredeeplyduringabreak. Thenhavethesecondpersonmentionachallengetheyarehaving,andhaveothersinthecircleraisetheirhandiftheyhavesomeadvicethatmighthelpthatchallenge.Havethesecondpersonholdthestrandofyarn,thenthrowtheballtooneofthepeopleraisingtheirhand. Continuelikethisuntileveryonehashadachancetoshareachallenge.
Using Events to Close Triangles Thisactivitywasusedatabigin-persongatheringofanemergingnetwork(seedescriptiononblogpostwiththesamenameatwww.flisrand.com). Instructions:
1. Startwitha101onClosingTriangles,whatitmeans,howtodoitandwhyitisimportantinnetworks(seeNetworkWeaverHandbook).
2. Shareastorytoprovideanexampleofhowameaningfulconnectionhappenswhen
atriangleisclosedbetweentwopeoplewhodidn'tknoweachotherintheroom.
3. Askpeopletopulloutthe"ClosingTrianglesDrawingEntryform"fromtheirregistrationpacket(seesamplebelow).
4. Explainhowtocompletetheformandwherethelargeglassbowlofcompleted
entryformswillbe.Keepthebowlinapublicplaceliketherefreshmentstable,atregistrationoraresourcetable.Itcouldevenbeupatthepodium.
5. Givetimeimmediatelyafterexplainingtheactivityforpeopletodoit.Itcouldbe
rightbeforeabreakandpeoplecoulddotheactivity(networkweaverscouldhelpothersgetthegamegoing)andthenaftertheactivity(orbreak)drawingfromthe
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completedentryformsforprizes(booksonnetworkthemes).Repeatthiscycleofgivingtime,encouraging/modelingengagementandrecognizing/rewardingthebehaviorseveraltimesthroughouttheconference.
6. Besuretouseaclearglassbowlsopeoplecanseethecompletedforms
representingnewconnectionsbeingmadeandcelebrationofthoseconnectionsandthepracticeofclosingtriangles.
ClosingTrianglesDrawingEntryForm
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Section 2:
Tools for Introducing and Building
Network Leadership
Rationale: NetworkLeadershipisquitedifferentthantraditionalleadership.Anetworkapproachwillrequireanincreasingnumberofpeopleinthenetworktotakeresponsibilityforthehealthofthenetworkbyconnectingothers,initiatingcollaborativeaction,conveningpeopleandmakingsurethatthenetworkiswellsupported.Theprimaryroleofanetworkleaderistohelpothersbecomenetworkleaders! Networkleadershipisnotfocusedonindividualssomuchasasetoffunctionsthatneedtobefilled.Mostpeoplewillfillsomebutnotallofthesefunctions,andmorethanonepersonshouldbefillingeachofthesefunctions. TheNetworkWeavingChecklisthelpsindividualsassesstheirnetworkweavingskillsandhelpsprojectsand/ornetworksdeterminewhatnetworkfunctionsarefilledandwhichwillrequiresometrainingtofill. Goodreflectionandlearningsessionsandpeerassistsareakeyaspectofnetworkleadership:agroupofpeersmakingsenseoftheirexperienceandhelpingeachotherwithchallenges.
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Network Weaving Checklist
Whichnetworkfunctionsareyoufilling?Markeachfrom1to5,with5being“majorstrength”and1being“lackthisquality.”
Connecting _____1.Lovetounearthotherpeople’sdreamsandvisions,strengthsandgifts
_____2.Helppeopleidentifychallenges&introducethemtootherswhocanhelp
_____3.Modelanapproachtorelationshipsthatispositiveandfocusedonstrengths&gifts
_____4.Treateveryoneasapeer
_____5.Encouragesharinginformationandresourceswithotherswithoutexpectingareturnfromthatpersonbecauseyouknowotherswillsharewithyou
_____6.Helppeopleconnecttootherswithdifferentperspectivesandfromdifferentbackgrounds
_____7.Encouragepeopletolistendeeplytoeachother
_____8.Connectpeopletootherswhoshareasimilarinterest
_____9.Helppeoplemakeaccurateandrealisticassessmentsofothers
____10.Helppeoplebringinnovationandnewperspectivesintotheirnetworkbyaddingnewpeopletotheirnetwork
Self-Organized Project Coordinating & Coaching _____1.Goodatidentifyingopportunitieswhereasmallactioncouldmakeadifferencein
dealingwithanissueorproblem
_____2.Helppeoplefindotherswithsimilarinterestsandsupportthemtoformacollaborativeproject
_____3.Encouragepeopletospendtimeresearchingwhatothershavedonetoworkonthisissue,andhowtheireffortsmightprovideguidancefortheproject’sactions
_____4.Havetheskillsneededforprojectsuccess:goodatsettingupmeetings,organizingcommunications,andtrackingtask
_____5.Initiateactivitieswithpeoplefromdifferentorganizationsorgroups.
_____6.Notattachedtospecificnextstepsbutenjoyhelpingpeopleidentifyingandimplementactions
_____7.Helppeoplelistentoeachotherrespectfullyandseehowtheirdifferentperspectivescontributetoabetterproject
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_____8.Helppeoplestopandreflectabouthowaprojectisworkingandiftheyneedtomakechanges
_____9.Likecheckinginwithpeopleandsendingreminderstomakesuretheirtasksareontrack
____10.Encouragepeopletoshareabouttheirprojectwithlargernetwork
Facilitating
_____1.Convenepeoplewithcommonoroverlappingintereststoformanintentionalnetwork.
_____2.Makesureconveningsincludetimeforrelationshipandtrustbuilding.
_____3.Helppeoplemap(oridentify)peopleinthenetworkandseewhoneedstobeaddedorconnected
_____4.Helpthenetworkparticipantsbecomealignedthroughworkingtodevelopanetworkmindset.
_____5.Enableanetworktoembedanetworkmindsetinallitsworkandoperations.
_____6.Helpthenetworkmapthesystemitischangingandidentifyhighpotentialleveragepointswheretransformationismorelikelytooccur.
_____7.Helpfacilitatetheformationofworkinggroupsthatfocusonleveragepointsinasystem.
_____8.Doclusteringactivitiestoenablepeopleinthenetworktoidentifycommoninterestsandformactiongroupstoworkonthoseinterests.
_____9.Helppeopleinthenetworksharewhattheyarelearningastheyimplementtheirprojects.
____10.Findresourcestosupportthefunctioningofthenetwork.
Supporting _____1.Support,encourageandmentornetworkleadership.
_____2.Setup(orhelpnetworksetup)communicationssystemssoeveryoneknowswhatishappening,collaborativeprojectsaresupported,andlearningiswidelyshared.
_____3.Helppeopleinthenetworklearnaboutsocialmediaandwebplatformsandhowitcanhelppeopleinthenetworkcommunicatemoreeffectively.
_____4.Providetrainingandcoachinginnetworkleadership,especiallysupportforprojectcoordinators.
_____5.HelpsetupCommunitiesofPracticefornetworkleadershiptolearnskillsandoffereachotherpeersupport.
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_____6.Makesurereflectionandlearningfromprojectsissharedwiththerestofthenetworksoeveryonebenefits
_____7.Setupsystemsforjust-in-timetrackingofnetworkmindset,networkleadership,andnetworkstructuresandhelpingnetworkparticipants
_____8.Setupaninnovationfundtoprovideseedfundsforsmallcollaborations
_____9.Encouragethenetworktocreateanewkindofresourcesystemthatincludesnetworkparticipantskillsandinnovativeuseofcrowdfundingplatforms.
____10.Encouragefunderstosetupcollaborativepoolsoffundsandincludeparticipativedecision-makingthatincludesnetworkparticipants.
Strengths? Areaswhereyouwouldliketobuildyourskills?
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Network Weaving Checklist Grid HaveeachpersonputaREDdotinthequadrantwheretheyscoredthehighestand/ordothemostandaGREENdotinthequadrantwheretheywouldliketoworkmoreorlearnmoreabout. ConnectingFacilitating
ProjectCoordinating Supporting
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Application: How to Use the Network Weaver Checklist Howcouldyouusethischecklistwithyournetwork? When/where/howmightyouintroducethistothem? Howmightthistoolbeusedfortrackingandevaluation? Howdoesthegridhelpyouthinkofthewholenetwork’sfunctions,whoisfillingthosefunctions,andwhichfunctionsarenotwell-filled?Inaddition,howcanithelpthenetworkseewheretrainingmightbeneededinsomeofthefunctions?
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Action Learning Reflectionandlearningprotocolsfordebriefingprojectsandacceleratinglearningwhiledoing
LearningProtocol:Pre
LearningProtocol:During
LearningProtocol:Post
-Whatdowehopewillhappen:whatwouldsuccessbe?Howlongwillittake? -Howwillweknowifwearemakingprogress?
-Arewemakingtheprogressweexpectedto? -Doesourtimeframeseemright? -Doweneedtotrysomethingdifferent?
-Wasourhypothesisaboutwhatwouldhappencorrect? -Werewesuccessful?Ifnot,doweknowhowwecouldhaveachievedadifferentresult?
-Whatareroles,responsibilitiesandplansforthisproject?
-Howarewecarryingoutourresponsibilitiesandworkingasateam?
-Didweimplementourplanwell,didourteamfunctionwell?
-Whatareresourcesweneedtodothis,dowehavethem?
-Areweattractingtheresourcesweneedforthiswork?
-Didtheteamhavethesupportsresourcesisneeded?
-Whatdowehopetolearnfromthis?
-Whatarewelearning?-Whatimplicationsdoesthishaveforrealtimechanges?
-Whatarethemostimportantthingswelearnedabouttheidea,theteam,andimplementation?
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Peer Assists PeerAssistsbringtogetheragroupofpeerstoprovidefeedbackonaproblem,project,oractivity.Itencouragesparticipatorylearninganddrawslessonsfromthegroup’sknowledgeandexperience. Thesystematicprocessgeneratesnewperspectivesonasituationandoptionsforaction.Thebenefitsincludesharinglearning,buildingconnectionsandstrengtheningtrustandinsightsinanetwork. Peerassistworkverywellaspartofavirtualvideoconference. Pre-planning:Withthepersonorgroupwithachallengedetermine: a.Thepurpose b.Thechallengeorfocusarea(beopentoreframingit) c.Thepeergroup(diverseskillsandexperienceandabletoaskhelpfulquestions) d.Thelengthofthesession(canbebetween20minutesand1hour) e.Afacilitatortowatchthetimeandprocess f.Anote-takertocapturebreakthroughthinking,actionstepsandlearning Conductthesession:
1. Facilitatorsstatesthepurpose2. Presenter(maybeateam)describestheissueandgoal3. Groupasksclarifyingquestions4. Goroundwherepeoplegiveadvice,shareresources,andidentifyoptionsand
opportunities5. Thepersonorgroupwiththechallengesummarizeswhatinsightstheyreceived
fromthesessionandthoughtsaboutfuturenextsteps 6. Thenote-takercapturesactions,insightsortakeaways
Tips:
● Allowtimebeforeorafterforsocializing.Rapportishelpfulforlearning.● Usethefacilitatortostickwiththeprocessandthenote-takertocaptureideas
generatedandactionsagreedupon.● Thinkaboutwhoelsemightbenefitfromthelessonslearnedandshareand
reuseknowledge.● Dependingonthecomplexityoftheissue,thepeerassistcanbeasshortas20
minutesandupto1hourwithsharingfromotherswithcomparableexperiences.
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Section 3: Tools for Building Network
Culture & Structure
Rationale: Networkapproachesworkmosteffectivelyifthenetworktakestimetohelppeoplemovefromahierarchical/organizationalwayofoperatingtoanetworkwayofthinkingandbeing.Afirststepistohelppeopleinthenetworkbecomemoreawareofwhatthismeans.Oncepeoplebecomeawareoftheirownpersonalchallengesandthenetwork’schallenges,theycandevelopstrategiesformovingtoamorenetworkwayofbeing. Networksmayalsobenefitbybecomingmoreintentional.Todothisoftenmeanshelpingpeoplesharetheirsenseofpurposeandvision.Somegroupsmaywanttocraftavisionorpurposestatement,butit’simportantthatitisbroadenoughsothatthenetworkcanexpandandbeinclusive.
Network Culture/Mindset Assessment
UsetheworksheetNetworkCultureAssessmentWorksheetwithagroup.Youmaywanttoredothecharttoincludeonly20items. Setupchartpaperonthewallwiththelist.Havepeopleputdotsorlinesontheitemsthattheyfeelaremostchallengingforthempersonally.Thenseeiftherearepatterns:placeswhereallofthoseintheroomarehavingsomedifficulty.Havesmallgroupstalkaboutwhythisis,andstrategiestheycouldtrypersonallyandintheirorganizationornetworktoshifttoamorenetworkmindset. Didtheactivitycreatenewawareness?Werepeoplewillingtoworkonshiftingtheirculture? Checkinwiththegroupaweeklater.Whatdidtheydotochangetheirculture?Whatchallengesdidtheyface?
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Network Culture Assessment Worksheet Foreachitem,putanumberbetween1and5todescribehowcharacteristicthisisofyourself,yourorganizationoryournetwork.5meansthisitemisverycharacteristicofyouoryourorganizationoryournetworkand1meansthatitisnotyetexpressed.
Cultural Meme Personal Organization Network
Open
Inclusive
Transparent
Noticing
Accepting
Valuediversityanddifference
Turnconflicttobreakthroughs
Unattached
Listening
Innovative
OpportunitySeeking
Embracingchallenges
Learning
Experimental
Exploring
Comfortablewithuncertainty
Valuereflectionandlearning
Resourceful
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Playfulandfun
Initiating
Interact as Peers
Give and receive
Appreciative
Listen
Collaborative
Interdependent
Connected
Engaged and engaging
Communicating
Mutual
Share
Reciprocate
Symbiotic
Transformative
Spreading
Amplifying
Coaching
Insightful
Cascading
Expansive
Connective
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Connecting
Reaching out
Including
Closing triangles
Swift trust
Caring
Aware
Self-aware
Self-caring
Centered
Work/life balance
Caring of others
Other
Onceyouhavecompletedthechart,talkoverwhatyoudiscovered. Selectthreeyouwouldmostliketoworkoninthenextmonth.Trykeepingajournalonyourprogress.
Sharing Your Network Purpose
BringtogethernetworkparticipantsandhavethemwritewhytheywanttobepartofamoreintentionalnetworkonPost-ItNotes.Theycanfilloutmorethanone.Thenhaveonepersonputthatpurposeonthewallortwolargechartpapers.OtherswhohaveasimilarpurposeshouldthenputtheirPost-itNoteclosetothatperson’sPost-It. Thenhaveanotherpersonputuptheirpurposefollowedbyotherswithasimilarpurpose.Continuethisprocessuntilallofthepurposesareonthewall.
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Duringabreak,haveseveralpeoplesummarizethevariouspurposesandmakeacombinedpurposestatement.Ifthereareanycontroversialordisputedareas,thegroupwillneedtodealwiththosenow. ThissharedpurposecanthenbesharedinaGoogleDocsootherscanaddoreditthepurposestatement.
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Section 4:
Tools for Visualizing, Assessing and Weaving your Network
Rationale: Networkmapsareoneofthebestwaystohelppeople“see”thenetworksinwhichtheyparticipate.Networkmapscanbehanddrawnduringameetingorcanbepartofaseveralmonthprocessofmappingusingasurveyinstrumentandsoftwareoraweb-basedmappingtool. Inthissection,wepresentseveralwaystodevelopnetworkmapsinagroupsetting.Thefirst-IndividualMapDrawingActivity-canbedonebyindividualswhothendebriefwhattheydiscoveredwithanotherperson.Handouttheworksheet,givetheindividualsabout10minutestocomplete,andthenhavethemspendanother10minutessharingdebriefswithaneighbor. Thesecondiswaytosee“thenetworkintheroom.” Oncethenetworkhasbeenvisualized,participantsneedtotakestepstoimprovethenetworkbyaddingmissinggroupsandaddingtotheperiphery.
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Individual Map Drawing Activity Thinkofaprojectyouarecurrentlyworkingon.Ona9x11paperorlargechartpaperdrawacircleforyourselfandlabel.Thendrawcirclesforothersyouareworkingwithonthatproject.Thisincludesallthosewhoarecomingtomeetings,providingresourcessuchasspaceormoney,thosewritingupreportsornotes,etc. Next,drawlinesbetweenyouandtheothers.Thendrawlinesbetweenanyofthepeopleintheprojectwhoknoweachother.ThisistheProjectCore. Now,outfurther,drawcirclesforotherindividualsandorganizationsthatyouareworkingwithontheprojectbutlessfrequentlyanddrawlinestotheindividualsinyourprojectnetworkwhohavetherelationshipwiththatindividual.Thiswouldincludeconsultantshelpingtodesignabrochure,peopleyoucalleduptolearnaboutsimilarprojects,programofficersforyourprojectgrant,etc.ThisisyourProjectPeriphery. Thenaddotherindividualsorgroupstheindividualsareconnectedto(whomightaddvaluetoyourproject)anddrawlinesconnectingthem.Thiswouldbewhensomeoneinyourprojectgroupknowsagrantwriterorgraphicsconsultantwhomightbepulledintotheproject,orifsomeoneintheprojecthasagoodrelationshipwithafunderwhomightbeinterestedinyourproject.ThesearewhatiscalledYourFriends’FriendsNetwork. Finally,aroundtheoutsideedge,putcirclesforindividualsorgroupsyouarenotworkingwithonthisproject,butwhocouldaddvaluetotheprojectiftheywereinvolved.Thesemightbepeoplewithexpertise,peoplefromothercommunitieswhohavebeeninnovatinginwaysthatwouldbeofvaluetoyourinitiative,orpeoplewhoareoftenleftoutofprojects(peopleofcolor,low-incomeindividuals,individualsbeingservedbytheinitiative,youngpeople,elders,etc).ThisisyourPotentialNetwork. Thenanswerthequestions:
a. Whatdoyounoticeaboutthisnetwork?Isyourprojectperipheryeasytoaccessfortheresourcesandexpertiseyouneed?
b. Isyourcorelargeenoughtogettheworkdone?c. Whoismissingfromthenetwork?Arethepeopleyouareservinginyournetwork?d. Whointheperiphery,friends’friends,orpotentialnetworkwouldaddmostvalue
toyourprojectnetworkiftheycouldbecomepartofthecore?Partoftheperiphery?
e. Whocouldhelpyougettoknowkeypeopleinyourfriends’friendsnetworkorinthepotentialnetwork?
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Network Mapping with Post-Its BethKanterusedthisactivityinourrecentDesignThinkinggatheringtoidentifymodulesforNetworkLeadership.Itworksbestwithagroupbetween10and40peopleinsize. Preparation:HaveastackofdifferentcoloredandshapedPost-Itnotesontablessoparticipantshaveeasyaccesstothem. IndividualInstructions:Takeone(nameacolor)Post-Itandwriteyournameonit.OnothercoloredPost-Itswritethenameofagroupornetworkthatyouareapartof. GroupInstructions:Haveonepersoncomeup,saytheirnameandorganizationastheyputtheirPost-Itonalargewhiteboard,thenputtheirnetworkPost-Itsaroundtheirname,brieflydescribingeachone. Whenthenextpersoncomesuptheyputthemselves(andtheirnetworks)closetothefirstpersoniftheyknowthatperson,orfurtherawayiftheydonotknowthatperson.Thenusingamarker,theydrawlinesbetweentheirnameandanyoftheotherperson’snetworkstheyarealsoconnectedto. Aftereveryonehasputtheirnetworksonthewhiteboard,havethemreflectonthemap.Aretheysurprisedathowexpansivethenetworkintheroomis?Whomighttheyconnectwithduringabreakthathasconnectionstheyareinterestedin?
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Who Is Missing?
Belowarealistofgroupsthatareoftenmissingisournetworks.Foreachone,listspecificindividualsororganizationsyoumightinviteintothenetwork,andkeypeoplewhocouldactasbridgesorconnectorsbetweenthatgroupandyournetwork.Suchpeoplemayormaynotbelongtothatgroupbutarerespectedbythegroup.Addadditionalcategories. Missinggroup Peopleyouknoworknowoffromthatgroup Bridgepeople
Youngpeople
Olderpeople
Peopleofcolor
Peopledirectlyimpactedbytheproblemorissue
Youropponents
Low-resourcepeople
Improving Your Periphery
Networkleaderscanusethiswithworkgroupsorwithlargenetworks. Havealistontheleftsideofawhiteboardofpossibletypesofpeoplewhomightbemissingfromtheperipheryoftheirnetwork.Thislistmightincludefunders,otherdonors,experts(listtypesuchasfacilitator,researcher),peopletryingsimilarstrategiesinotherplacesaroundtheworld,peoplefromothersectors,etc.
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Thenextstepistoprioritizethegroupslistedincolumn1thataremostneededbythenetwork.Which5-6aremostcriticalforthenetworktobuildrelationshipswith? Theninthecenteroftheboard,havepeoplelistnames(orusedifferentcoloredPost-Its)–ofindividualstheyalreadyknow,individualstheydon’tknow,andthenorganizationsthatmighthavestaffwithneededskills.Ifnooneknowsanyoneintheorganization,thegroupmightcomeupwiththenameofsomeonetheyknowwhoislikelytoknowindividualsintheorganization. Nowmakeacolumnontherightsidethatliststhenameofthepersonwhowillreachoutanddeveloparelationshipwiththepersonororganization.Thegoalisnottogettheseindividualsto“join”thenetwork,butrathertobeavailabletobecalledonforadvice,helpinfindingnewresources,orforlearningeventsorsituations.It’simportantthatthosereachingoutunderstandtheinterestsoftheindividualsothatthenetworkcanreciprocateeffectivelyandappropriatelywhenaskingforhelp. Networkleadersneedtoencouragepeoplewhotakepartinthisexercisetothinkabouthowtheycouldusethisactivityinothernetworksorprojectstheyareapartof.
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Closing Triangles Printoutcopiesofthechartbelowand/orwritethechartonapieceofchartpaper. NameofPersontobeConnected
ResourcePersonyouwanttoconnectthemto
Potentialshared interest
WhenandWheretoMakeIntroductions
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Section 5:
Tools for Promoting Self-Organizing
Rationale: Themostimportantwaythatnetworksgenerateimpactandtransformationisthroughself-organizing.Self-organizinghappenswhenanyoneinthenetworkseessomethingthatneedstohappenandfindsdiverseindividualstocollaboratewith.Thenthatgroupcatalyzesaself-organizedprojecttotryoutsomethingtodealwiththeissueorproblem. Onewaynetworkweaverscanhelpself-organizingtakeoffisbyhelpingpeoplefindothersinterestedinthesamethingandenablingthemtotalkaboutwhattheymightdotogether.ThisiscalledclusteringandcanbedonethroughsurveysorusingPost-itnotesatagathering. However,onceaself-organizedprojectisunderway,thegroupwillneedcoachingandsupport-sinceself-organizedprojectsarequitedifferentformteamsordepartmentsinorganizations.
Clustering Havepeopleatameetingansweraquestionsuchas:
1. Whatdoyouthinkwouldmakethemostdifferenceinyournetworkrightnow(andthatyouwouldbewillingtoputenergyinto)?
2. Whatdoyoumostwanttolearnaboutwithothers?
3. Whatisanactionyou’dliketotakerightnowwithothers?
HavethemwriteanansweronalargerPost-itandaddtheirname.Havethemposttheseonawallandtakeabreak.
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Getseveralvolunteerstoclustersimilaranswerstogetheronthewallandthenmakeashorttitleforthetopiconapieceofposterboard.Puttheseoneachtable-alongwiththesetofPost-itsonthattopic. Whenpeoplereturnfromtheirbreak,havethemfindthetablewiththeirtopic. Haveeachgroupsharewhytheyselectedthattopic,whytheythinktheirtopicissoimportant,whattheythinkisasmallactionortwothegroupcoulddotogether,whentheymightmeetnext,andwhoiswillingtoremindthegroupandsetupagroupemail. Organizersneedtogatheralltheinformationabouteachgroupandcheckinwithgroupcoordinatorsaweeklater.
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Using Google Forms to Create a Clustering Survey
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OpenaGoogleform,seeabove.AskONEquestionwith3-5choicesaboutburningissues,topicsofgrouplearning,actionareas.Askpeoplewhichtheywouldmostliketodorightnow. Thenaskiftheywouldbewillingtoconveneorhelpcoordinatethegroup.Youmaywanttodescribewhatcoordinationwouldinvolve:
1.Settingupandremindingpeopleaboutmeetingtimesanddates 2.Takingnotesorfindingavolunteertotakenotes 3.Facilitatingmeetingsorfindingavolunteertodothis
Youcanpresenttheinformationfromasurveyasachartoryoucanmaptheresultsusingsoftware.
Supporting Self-Organized Projects Oneofthefirstthingsanetworkweavercandotosupportacollaborativeself-organizedprojectistoexplainthedifferencebetweenateamandaproject,usingthechartbelow.Inaddition,it’softenusefulforthenetworkweavertocoachtheproject,checkingintohelpdealwithanychallengesthatarise.
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Section 6: Communication Tools/Strategies
Rationale: Healthyandeffectivenetworksbenefitfromarobustcommunicationsecosystem-asetoftools,places,andplatformsthatenableinteractionanddiscussiontooccureasilyamongparticipants(notmediatedbyanycentralindividualororganization). It’sbeneficialtohavethenetwork(oraworkinggroup)explicitlyidentifythecurrentcommunicationecosystem,andaddnewplatformsasneeded.Peoplewilloftenneedtrainingtousesomeoftheseplatforms,andcoachingastheyusethem,soyouwillneedtoidentifysomeindividualstofillthisfunction.
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Developing a Communications Ecosystem Usingthediagramsabove,helpyournetworkand/orleadershipcohort(s)designitscommunicationecosystem.Whichplatformorplatformswillituseforinformationsharing?Forrelationshipbuilding?Forcollaboration?Fornewideas? Initialworkcanoftenbedonebyasmalldesigngroupwhichcanbringadrafttothewholenetworkforfeedback.Thenthedesigngroupneedstosetuptheplatforms,andprovidetrainingintheiruse. It’softenagoodideatostartwiththebasics-learningawebconferencingplatform,settingupagroupemail,andorganizingaGoogleDocsfolder.Oncepeoplearefamiliarwiththese,thegroupcanprovidetraininginplatformssuchasDoodleorScoop.Itforthosewhoareinterested.
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Steps to a More Engaging Communication Ecosystem
Atmeetings:Helppeoplegettoknoweachotherandmoredeeply 1.Breakintosmallgroups 2.Havetimeforgroupsoftwoforrelationshipbuilding(SpeedNetworking,
page103NetworkWeaverHandbook) 3.UseSkypesomorepeoplecanattend 4.Encouragedifferentpeopletofacilitatedifferentpartsofthemeeting 5.Makealltasksagroupoftwo
Groupemail
1.Havesomeone/smallgroupcommittedtoaskingandansweringquestions 2.Atleastweekly,askpeopletoshareaboutsuccessesorchallenges 3.MakesureyoumentionReplyAllcanbeusedtoshareinformationwith
everyone 4.Encouragepeopletohavegroupsoftwo
Conferences
1.TryopenspaceorClustering(Chapter9NetworkWeaverHandbook) 2.Participativeconferenceplanning:HaveAdobeConnectcallsopentoall
networkparticipants Platforms
1.TrainnetworkparticipantsaboutTwitterandScoop.it 2.SetupaFacebookGroupandhavesmallgroupdoproactivefacilitation
(askquestionsfrequentlytodrawoutpeople) 3.Havecommentsonwebpage
Self-organizedgroups
1.CoachcoordinatorstosetupandlearntouseGoogleDocsandvideoconferencing(AnyMeeting,ReadyTalk)
2.Showhowtosetupgroupemailforproject