Washington DC - courses coming up in September 2014

Early bird discount's finished, but there's still time to book on the upcoming Washington DC Cognitive Edge courses - which would be highly recommended even if I weren't teaching with Michael Cheveldave. (I won't be there for the Narrative day on 2nd October, though - I'll have gone to Ottawa by then to work with Thomas Townsend on the Cynefin and Policy course)

The breakdown is:

• 29 Sept: Understanding Complexity - an excellent introduction to understanding the differences between simple, complicated and complex issues, including the different approaches needed for each.
• 30 Sept: The Cynefin Framework - getting deeper into tools to help people understand and act on big difficult problems.  Building on the Harvard Business Review article, this day teaches tools that have been used in organisations as diverse as the European Commission, multinational telecoms companies and R&D departments of FMCG companies to bring diverse teams together in pursuit of corporate objectives.
• 1 Oct: The Organisation and Knowledge - from the science of how we make decisions to the social nature of knowledge-sharing, this day covers the practicalities of understanding what key elements of knowledge exist in the organisation and how to gain better advantage from them.  Practical exercises extend to breaking silo mentalities and using complex facilitation techniques in all sorts of organisations.
• 2 Oct: The Use of Narrative - Understanding current narratives, shaping future ones and using narrative tools is an effective way of engaging with audiences, dealing with culture, customer experience and public engagement. This day is key for anyone whose job is communicating with audiences and changing behaviours.

So - if you're into strategy and resilience and how-do-we-prepare-for-an-uncertain-future, the first two days are essential for you.  Ditto, if you're working in hotspots and complex environments as NGOs and development agencies do.

If you're after changing culture, Day 4 is a must, but I'd also recommend at least Day 2.

Audience engagement - whether the citizenry, customers, employees or aid beneficiaries - Days 2, 3 and 4 would be my suggestion.

Although I'd really recommend all four - get the full package.