Solution Focused What? 20 SOLF-techniques

I’m getting a lot of questions lately about what solution focused coaching is all about. Wikipedia can tell you something about that. And so can Coert Visser, who has – among other blogs – an excellent blog on Solution Focused Change.

A few days ago, Coert posted this interesting video on his website “20 Solution Focused Techniques”. It’s a great toolbox for those of you who favour a DIY-approach to new subjects. Watch the video and have a go at the questions. Feel free to let me know what happened when you used them..

PS: Coert has also written a great book (in Dutch) called “Doen wat werkt” (doing what works). This book offers a hands-on introduction to Solution Focused Coaching.

Make it happen – Live from ECCI XI + Interview with Edward De Bono

Thanks to the people from FlandersDC I will be attending the 11th European Conference on Creativity and Innovation. Expecting lots of inspiration and new ideas for this blog.

Follow me live on twitter (hashtag #eccixi)

This year’s edition of ECCI is taking place in Brussels, at the brand new meeting place The Square. Great venue, if you ask me.

Getting ready for creative action
“Enough said about creative theory, it’s time for some creative action.” Talking about creativity is interesting but also frustrating. When attending creativity talks I often went home with lots of great advice, but those were just words. In the end putting these ideas into practice is what counts.

Not in this conference. Apparently, ECCI XI is all about making it happen.

Here great advice and practice should go hand in hand. Apart from the keynotes (more about that further on) there are a bunch of workshops to get us started.

Here’s my pick for the next 3 (!) days.

Day 1:

• 11u00: Virginia Stephen, “When Artist, Executive, Educator and Facilitator Converge: Visual Literacy Becomes a Dynamic Idea Mover” OR Jana Görs, “Five Theseses for Improving the Outcome of the Fuzzy Front End of Innovation – How to Launch a Bird, not an Egg.”
• 14u30: Sandra Minnee, “Creating Acceptance for Change: Mastering Conflicts”
• 16u30: Marc Bogaert – Luc De Schryver, “From Intention to Innovation: How a Company’s Cultural DNA can bridge the Gap between Innovation, Intentions and Results.”

Day 2:

• 11u00: Marcel van der Pol, “The Story of the Hero: Finding Treasures and Making Ideas Work”
• 14u30: Maureen Jenkins, “Regenerating Sources of Creativity – Your Personal Disciplines”
• 16u30: Stavros Michailidis – Donald M. Drost, “Make it Happen with Momentum”

Day 3:

• 11u00: Dorte Blegind, “Coaching as a Tool for Successful Implementation of innovative Projects”

Keynote speakers + Interview with Edward De Bono

Every great conference has interesting keynote speakers. I’m looking forward to the talks of Alberto Alessi, Kobus Neethling and Edward De Bono.

Thanks to Koen Peeters of Flanders DC I get the opportunity to do an interview with The Maltese Guru of Lateral Thinking: Edward De Bono. The interview will be published on this blog, later this week.

Earlier today I asked you to send me your questions for Mr. De Bono.

These are the questions I’ve selected for the interview:

- Is creativity a science or can it be a science? (Batist Vermeulen, Art Director @ Jetstream / Ceci n’est pas de l’art)
- What would you recommend to diplomats of the Copenhagen Summit? (Leen Creve, Journalist @ Knack Weekend)
- For people who feel they have a book or two in them, what would you recommend they do to get it written and out to read? (Bernd Nurnberger, Cocreatr @ Purple Pointr)

Thanks for the great questions tweeps!

Stay tuned.

Now is all you’ve got

Sometimes, it’s simple …

1) Whoever comes is the right people

2) Whatever happens is the only thing that could have

3) Whenever it starts is the right time

4) When it’s over it’s over.

The Law is the so called Law of Two Feet, which states simply, if at any time you find yourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing – use you two feet and move to some place more to you liking.

(source: Purple Pointr)

… but it sure isn’t easy.

I ponder a lot about what happened in the past: what happened yesterday, last year, a decade ago, …? And I often worry about the future as well (what will happen next? where will I be in a year or so? …).

It’s not a bad thing to do, is it? We learn from our mistakes and making plans for the future keeps us focused, right?

I’m not so sure about that.

You see, whatever memory you have and whatever plan you’re thinking about: all you have is now. So to make the best of your mistakes and to realize most of your plans the first you have to do is:

make the most of now. Makes sense, since now is all you’ve got.

And so I take my best shot at doing exactly that.

Every single day, that’s what all of us do: we get up and try to make most of what we have.

Now.