Description
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.
Director of the Groupwork Institute of Australia, Glen Ochre, brings together more than 40 years’ experience to unravel the intricate dynamics of groups. Her practical guide focuses on situations where problems most often arise and provides the ‘nuts and bolts’ of how to overcome them.
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 …
Published in 2013 in Melbourne, Australia
Groupwork Press
Paper Back, full colour, 151 Pages
Size: 220mm / 8.7in x 260mm / 10.25in
ISBN: 9780646573984
Rosemary Morrow –
I am always looking for materials, strategies and techniques to improve my process of teaching. I have an ethical commitment to teach so that Care of People is demonstrated at every stage of a course, but it is not in the curriculum. Committed to learner centred processes especially for groups, I was excited when Richard Telford introduced me to Australian, Glen Ochre’s book, “Getting Our Act Together” which is a handy and experiential manual for achieving co-operation and creativity.
Groupwork experience belongs in the best and worst of all worlds. It can be so exhilarating, and so depressing. This book gives steps and examples for achieving successful groupwork. The drawings are delightful, the formatting attractive and the examples from life are recognisable and I related to them.
Teachers use groups strategically and permaculture has a history of poor group work when they breakdown and the class fractures. It is our responsibility as teachers to be able set the parameters and deal with the incidents that arise in groups and enable students to have positive outcomes ensuring that every student leaves the course content and having learned, not only the earthcare content, but some good tools for people care.
Coming from living at Commonground, a community in Victoria, Australia, Glen is experienced in her subject. She covers a wide range of topics from dealing with ourselves (always the hardest!) to facilitating collaboration and setting up enduring structures.
As we know, listening is a large part of teacher’s work and skill, so is assisting decision making and engaging the inevitable large or small conflicts that arise when people work together. Glen Ochre’s book is the best that I have found for this – whether reading it straight through, or dipping in. I will use it when I hit a block.
It isn’t a manual for games and constant participation but one which turns all teaching challenges into valuable opportunities to work with the people care principles.