The Storytelling Non-profit

JANUARY 12, 2022

Telling great stories helps your non-profit get its message out into the world, connect with new audiences and motivate people to take action like making a donation. Let’s start with some definitions of what a story is to help us understand what our end goal is in telling a story. It’s participatory.

Story 89

Story Storytelling Profit Participatory 89

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

This exhibition represents a few big shifts for us: We used a more participatory design process. Our previous big exhibition, All You Need is Love, was highly participatory for visitors but minimally participatory in the development process. Without further ado, here's what we did to make the exhibition participatory.

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Participatory Museum History International 44

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Emerging Leaders Playbook Toolkit -The toolkit includes highly practical meeting facilitation “recipes” to help build skills in managing self, teams, and organizational culture.The facilitator agendas are designed for beginner or novice facilitators. The facilitation methods are participatory. Here’s my curated list.

Facilitation 109

Facilitation Product Design Sweden 109

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Going beyond content delivery, I also use a lot of participatory and hands-on learning techniques to help students gain a deeper understanding. Circles without tables, just chairs helps promote group discussion. This combination of advanced planning and evaluation helps one continuously improve their instructional design.

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Learning Classroom Classes Student 84

Museum 2.0

MARCH 3, 2011

In 2009 , students built a participatory exhibit from scratch. Thirteen students produced three projects that layered participatory activities onto an exhibition of artwork from the permanent collection of the Henry Art Gallery. Written instructions were not enough to compel them to do otherwise.

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Participatory Arts Audience Museum 51

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

I always learn something from his participatory style, humor, and techniques. Here’s a few things I learned. For training where you are focusing on a skill, it allows for folks express their opinions (negative or positive) and not have get in the way of the instructional flow later on. There are usually two aspects of this.

Facilitation 101

Facilitation Technique Ideas Exercise 101

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 29, 2010

This question is a byproduct of the reality that most participatory projects have poorly articulated value. When a participatory activity is designed without a goal in mind, you end up with a bunch of undervalued stuff and nowhere to put it. He said: "Let's make a dynamic music video--and let's set up a tool so fans can help us do it."

Participatory 48

Participatory Music Project Video 48

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

OCTOBER 7, 2014

The session was an introduction to design thinking methods and to generate ideas for instructional modules for networked leadership development. The design challenge was: How do we come up with concrete tools, frameworks and methods for helping people better understand and adopt network systems leadership?

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Design Course Leadership Network 105

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

AUGUST 20, 2014

Here’s just a few: Instructional. Participatory Gatherings. There is no better resource than “ The Facilitator’s Guide To Participatory Decision-Making ” by Sam Kaner. (They also offer workshops ). It helps people process complex thoughts. Peer Learning / Coaching. Reflective Practice.

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Facilitation Technique Chart Method 121

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

JULY 1, 2009

When I talk about designing participatory experiences, I often show the above graphic from Forrester Research. Forrester created the “social technographics” profile tool to help businesses understand the way different audiences engage with social media (and you can read more of my thoughts on it here ).

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Participatory Experiment Museum Teen 50

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

MARCH 1, 2016

My colleague Cindy Leonard has used her photoshop magic to help each of the speakers transform into a character. Whether you are facilitating a session with your board, staff, or hundreds of folks in a room, you’ll find ways to design instructional content that interests, engages, and inspires action. Instructional Design.

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Training Train San Jose Instructional Design 50

Museum 2.0

JULY 27, 2009

I’ve long admired Improv Everywhere , the NYC-based participatory public art group. The MP3 experiment is an exercise in following instructions. He explains that you will have to follow his instructions to have “the most pleasant afternoon together.” Two and a half minutes in, the “omnipotent voice” Steve introduces himself.

Instruction 21

Instruction Instructional Nicaragua Experiment 21

Museum 2.0

MARCH 16, 2009

When I talk about designing participatory experiences, I often show the above graphic from Forrester Research. Forrester created the “social technographics” profile tool to help businesses understand the way different audiences engage with social media (and you can read more of my thoughts on it here ).

Participatory 44

Participatory Experiment Museum Teen 44

Museum 2.0

JUNE 10, 2015

And so, one of the most successful, accidental, and fraught participatory projects of the past decade comes to an end. No one planned the love locks, but their success is rooted in the same principles that make all the best participatory projects work: it requires no instructions beyond its own example. Nor are they historic.

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Participatory Project Artist Instructional 20

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 15, 2009

Over the past year, I've noticed a strange trend in the calls I receive about upcoming participatory museum projects: the majority of them are being planned for teen audiences. Why are teens over-represented in participatory projects? The program operates like a camp that is co-led by the teens involved.

Teen 24

Teen Participatory Experiment Museum 24

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

AUGUST 4, 2008

Just got this from David Bacon, founder of Carpets for Communities Hi Everyone, Help us free children in Cambodia from exploitation by taking 2 minutes to vote. We understand that we are very close to winning the award and desperately need your help voting for us! The winner will be decided by popular vote.you can help us win!

Cambodia 50

Cambodia Children Project Free 50

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

APRIL 7, 2014

I’m preparing for a webinar and with any training I begin the instructional design with surveying participants to understand their level, learning goals, and attitudes about the subject matter. Use Participatory Research Techniques To Discover Engagement Topics. Billboard (@billboard) April 4, 2014. The common tip?

Social Media 101

Social Media Headline Media Social 101

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

It is always challenge to use participatory techniques when your participants are not native English speakers and you don’t speak the language. I thought I’d share a few quick insights and tips that I learned for others who may be preparing for doing tech training internationally and want to use participatory techniques.

Facilitation 50

Facilitation Training Train International 50

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

The Leading Change Summit was more intimate (several hundred people), participatory and interactive, intense, and stimulating. Good instructional design to create an environment for peer dialogue begins with good on boarding and for people to connect with something they already know or believe. Concept Poster Session.

Reflection 124

Reflection NTEN Change Facilitation 124

Museum 2.0

DECEMBER 28, 2011

We've been offering a host of participatory and interactive experiences at the Museum of Art & History this season. I loved Jasper Visser's list of 30 "do's" for designing participatory projects earlier this month. SETUP Cut your instructions down to as little text as possible. Accolades are more inspiring than instructions.

Design 45

Design Participatory Learning Instructional 45

Museum 2.0

NOVEMBER 11, 2008

The Art of Participation provides a retrospective on participatory art as well as presenting opportunities for visitors to engage in contemporary (“now”) works. If the participatory instructions were integrated into the standard black labels, visitors would not be as aware of the commonalities across the interactive art pieces.

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Participatory Arts Design Museum 20

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

JANUARY 5, 2018

During the first week of January , I use the quiet time for three New Year’s rituals that help me prepare for the year ahead and identify professional growth areas. I’ve used these rituals for over a decade and found them helpful. These help guide my professional learning and improvement and maintaining good habits.

Professional 0

Professional Finland Journal Reflection 0

Museum 2.0

APRIL 4, 2012

Too often, we jump immediately to offering visitors a way to act without first helping them care passionately about the issue at hand. The exhibition, like the book, is intended not just to tell stories of doom but to encourage visitors to act to help transform the lives of women worldwide. No small task for a museum exhibition.

Story 47

Story Participatory Museum History 47

Connection Cafe

APRIL 21, 2014

A few simple questions can help you craft a quick blurb for your site or an email that the mother can tweak and send: How did the class help you? How did it help your child? Educate those that want to help. This blog talks about participatory fundraising ideas and the effect of healthy competition. Make it easy.

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Arts Story Org Personal 37

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

JULY 14, 2010

Clay’s book talks about the implications of a society shifting from passive consumption of media to creators of media or being participatory. They will help when they are invited to. Like all good stories, they story of Ushahidi holds several different lessons: People want to do somethiung to make the world a better place.

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Participatory Lesson Social Media Review 95

Museum 2.0

AUGUST 28, 2013

The Denver Art Museum is no stranger to community collaborations, but we’ve been dipping in our toe a little more deeply when it comes to developing permanent participatory installations. Part of our approach to community involvement in planning Spun had to do with necessity; we needed help to pull this off.

Denver 35

Denver Museum Arts Collaboration 35

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

SEPTEMBER 16, 2015

Like any other skill you want to improve, it helps to get a baseline assessment of your listening skills. Understanding a few basics body language moves and what they mean – can help you be feel more empathy, help you read what is going on, adjust your communication by listening or asking questions. It is basically a pause.

Skills 50

Skills Build Technique Language 50

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

APRIL 8, 2013

Lee Rainie, Director, Internet & American Life Project, Pew Research Center took us through the impact that the use of online digital tools is having on us personally, professionally, and society. His presentation was called “Personal, Portable, Participatory, and Pervasive.” Instructional Design Notes.

Social Media 114

Social Media Digital Mobile Trend 114

Museum 2.0

MAY 19, 2016

Better to establish a relationship with a leader in their community--someone with whom you are building reciprocal value--and ask them to help be your ambassador. The best book I've read on the topic is Facilitators Guide to Participatory Decision-Making by Sam Kaner. Respect and value people's time.

Build 35

Build Community Museum Participatory 35

Museum 2.0

MARCH 18, 2015

There was a spirit of conviviality and purpose and helpfulness and Spanglish in the air. Now that there is a new emphasis on "ecosystems of STEM learning" - for us, that''s really helpful. And then the fee for service is mostly school districts that contract with the Workshop for science enrichment/science instruction.

Green 20

Green Interview Share Community 20

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

APRIL 25, 2007

I would love to develop more indepth training workshop or webinar on this topic, geared more for nonprofits and participatory campaigns, perhaps incorporating the Creative Commons Open Content Game. Are for the programmers when they come down from the caffeine high the night before and help them understand what they did the night before.???

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Remix Mashup PowerPoint Classroom 50

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

AUGUST 29, 2006

whether the collaboration is across sectors, disciplines and organizations, or within a given organization, with participatory decision-making and teamwork. From my view, this is what the web should help us do: become a global learning community. The blog focuses on instructional approaches, not on the technologies themselves.

Arts 50

Arts Community Online Intergenerational 50

Museum 2.0

MARCH 24, 2010

This is the third in a four-part series about writing The Participatory Museum. This post covers my personal process of encouraging--and harnessing--participation in the creation of The Participatory Museum. It was a shock that helped me realize three things: Participants would be honest. Check out the other parts here.

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Participatory Museum Process Experiment 33

Museum 2.0

APRIL 10, 2009

Games are already highly participatory, but over the last few years game designers have been giving players more control over the gameworld and experience. Yes, the tools available to help you make creatures are lovely, but you still have to have that inclination in the first place. What does "game 2.0" What does the ultimate "game 2.0"

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Game University Create Wiki 20

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

FEBRUARY 13, 2007

I hope to share some simple and fun ways to create "shoulder-to-shoulder" instructional media for the panel on Screencasting at NTC I'm doing. How do you create good instructional media in a reasonable amount of time and do a good enough job that helps people learn something by viewing it? and follow the instructions.

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Screencast Instruction Instructional Tag 50

Museum 2.0

AUGUST 9, 2007

The gym staff aren’t offering instruction or serving as users’ partners; instead, they facilitate connections among the users. But it might also be nice if they said, “Find a friend or ask a stranger to help you with this one.” it might help me get over my initial discomfort asking someone else to engage with me.

Museum 20

Museum Tools Participatory Discussion 20

Museum 2.0

NOVEMBER 20, 2008

After the results are up, the screen could instruct visitors to find someone in the room who voted differently from them, or just to ask their neighbor what they think about the issue and or the results. The game could instruct people to share voting stations and to use a brief discussion to come to a consensus vote.

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Poll Interaction Museum Social 22