2010 events, CPD and networking meetings

UK Chapter Head: Mark McKergow
Telecall co-ordinator: John Brooker

Next telecall: 3 June, 7 pm

The UK Chapter will hold three one-day meetings during 2010.  Each meeting will be hosted by a different member, and will run from 12 noon to 6pm to make cheap rail travel more practical.  Meeting costs are including in the SFCT membership fee. 

• Monday 8 March 2010, London: host Shaun Lincoln Main topic "USPs of SF in a recession - how can we make the UK business world aware of the possibilities SF can offer?". Download a report here.
• Friday 2 July, 12:00-6 pm, Oxford: host Julie Gregory
• 8 November, 12:00-6 pm, Leeds: host Carey Glass

Our main topic for the July 2 meeting is Hidden Assets with Julie Gregory.  This is an approach for working with small business owners by utilising the owner's expertise. Many of us run our own businesses and this will be a useful way to learn and experience a process for engaging small business owners in groups for SF peer learning.  For example, a common challenge for business owners is that they are so focused on working IN their business that they neglect working ON their business and are often accused of being unstrategic. The workshop will seek to identify and articulate firms processes, systems and operations in order to expose their 'Hidden Assets'. Owners generate a map of their assets and design a plan of implementation through peer coaching techniques. The insights, expertise and interaction of the small groups are employed using SF tools.

These meetings will build on the spirit of the former sfwork EDGe meetings, with a mixture of prepared topics, emergent discussions, supervision and practice opportunities and informal networking.  Members hope that the meetings will be characterised by:

•       Some fixed/planned content and some emergent topics on the day (‘bring an issue along’)
•       Community spirit
•       Packing a lot in to each day
•       Generosity from participants and organisers alike
•       Use/counts as Continuing Professional Development (with certificates of attendance)
•       Co-creation together in the room
•       Slick organisation
•       A touchstone to recharge batteries and enthusiasm
•       Skilled facilitation
•       Teaching the nuances of the approach
•       Mix of basic reminders and experiments
•       Intellectual stimulation
•       Toys to fiddle with
•       ‘Laboratory’ feel – new things emerging
•       Lots of colour
•       Keeping it free/costs only (with membership of SFCT)

We will also have evening telecalls around every eight weeks, hosted by John Brooker.  The topics for these call will be announced in advance, and participation is FREE to members. 

SFCT Reviews

Many of our UK members are joining the review process and becoming Full Members of SFCT.  The way to get involved is to get in touch with Mark McKergow, the English language review co-ordinator, and discuss your piece of work.  Mark will help you find a review coach, who will then be with you throughout the review preparation and discussion phase.