Getting Our Act Together – How to Harness the Power of Groups

We can spend a lot of time in groups – work, community, recreation and family. Sometimes groups work well and sometimes they don’t.  Common problems include not getting along together, poor decision making and inefficient meetings. However, we don’t have to leave it to chance or just put up with things that don’t work that well. If you want to work better with others, and get your act together, this is the book for you.

A wonderful guide to working with groups from a gifted facilitator – Bob Brown

Whimsically illustrated throughout, this book provides tools that can be applied in all sorts of group settings – community, workplace, therapy, lobbying – wherever people come together to work collaboratively.

Getting Our Act Together can help you to:

• Understand yourself in groups
• Get along with people
• Make decisions collaboratively
• Have great meetings
• Talk about difficult ‘stuff’
• Start a new group
• What to do when trouble strikes!
• Resolve conflict

 Contents

Introduction • First Things First • Power and Influence • Starting a New Group • Self-awareness and Personal Responsibility • The Micro-skills for Collaboration • Getting Along Together • Group Agreements • Planning • Facilitation • Meetings • Collaborative Decision-making • Conflict • When Trouble Strikes… • Structures • Taking Care of Ourselves • Finally …