Casey’s Blog

Mostly Internal Communications & Food

2009 is for Fun

I’ve wanted to do one of these lipsynch things for ages…  Come on, who’s with me?

As my friend L says (I’m paraphrasing) 2009 is designated for fun.

Says the lady who is in bed with the laptop and the cat on her lap at 21:41 (and has been here since 19:30).  The first day back is exhausting.  Sprack certainly thinks so.

I’ve just suggested that L, S and I do some (at least one) of the following this year:

  1. Create our own lyp synch & upload it to youtube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMuRWRqpQXQ&feature=related
  2. A Northern Soul Weekender
  3. Parachute jumping for breast cancer
  4. 20 mile circular breast cancer ribbon walk
  5. Cooking a three-course meal together from scratch
  6. Going to a football match and then for pie & mash
  7. Getting dressed up in ball gowns and going to a charity ball
  8. Clay pigeon shooting
  9. Paintballing
  10. A long countryside walk for a pub lunch (somewhere that none of us have been before)
  11. A 24-hour cheesy film marathon
  12. An outdoor/unconventionally staged play
  13. Tickets to a live event (Party in the Park?)
  14. A day at the cricket in Chelms with drinks & picnic
  15. Whittlebury Hall Spa Weekend (wait for a £99 deal)
  16. UK City break with cheesy Treasure Hunt
  17. Wicked & Chinese in that London
  18. Picnic in Richmond Park

Granted some of these are less ambitious than others, but the message is the same, trying to do something other than sitting in the pub…

I even thought about suggesting Trailtrekker, Trailwalker’s younger sibling, until I thought about the likely reaction!

Filed under: Friends, Hobby, Idea, Lyrics, Movie, Music, New Year, Web Geekery

Late Adopter

In keeping with today’s adopted persona, I am suitably behind the curve on trying out Twitter.

We’ll, I’ve signed up and had a bit of a faff with it, I’ll now set my subconscious on thinking of internal comms applications for it.

I was very interested to see how organisations are using it – particularly Downing St.

Filed under: Advertising, Idea, Internal Communications, Internet, PR, Web Geekery

Appreciative Inquiry

Anglepoise Lamp

Thanks to Manus for drawing this to my attention – albeit with the caveat that the terminology is a bit wanky (my word not his – in fact I think his was ’spiritual’).

A couple of weeks ago we were having a long round the houses conversation about relevance – specifically how to provide tools that allow people to take a big top level strategy and determine how it impacts their role and how they can contribute.

This is a big jump for a lot of people – and it is very often far from immediately apparent. But without that process taking place it’s hard for the stategy to be implemented. It’s the difference between executing the letter and understanding the spirit.

Appreciative inquiry is an organisational change methodology developed by David Cooperrider. It offers an alternative approach to achieving organizational growth and development to the more prevalent problem solving methodologies. It is based in an understanding of organisations as socially constructed living human systems, suggesting that everything human is present in organisations including emotion. Within the Appreciative Inquiry approach problem identifiers and bringers are to be valued as they tell us things could be better, as, a problem is an expression of a frustrated dream This approach suggests that the phenomena of organisation is a miracle to be embraced, rather than a problem to be solved. (more)

Right about the language then….

This is more like it:

Appreciative Inquiry is an exciting new change methodology that builds organisational change by concentrating on what does work rather than what doesn’t.
Unlike other change methodologies it recognises and embraces the uniquely human aspects of our organisations.
Appreciative Inquiry uses the power of human imagination, memory, emotion, communication and sociability to build effective and lasting change (more)

AI involves, in a central way, the art and practice of asking questions that strengthen a system’s capacity to apprehend, anticipate, and heighten positive potential. It centrally involves the mobilization of inquiry through the crafting of the “unconditional positive question” often-involving hundreds or sometimes thousands of people.

I’ll carry on – but I can see distilling the useful bit out of this is going to be an uphill struggle. It’s there glimmering at me though.

Filed under: Idea, Internal Communications, PR

Warwick Masterchef?!

Writing about Warwick Cookout? from Jon’s Blog

Oh – I am so up for this… This is perfect.

Bagsy the following people on my team – based on food blogging (whether they want to be or not!):

Dusts off Gordon Ramsey-style attitude.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Cooking, Cookout, Food, Idea, Warwick Skills, Wsp

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