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From architecture to fashion, to peace and education - design is a process that can be used to contribute to equitable and just outcomes, or not. What examples come to mind when you think about DESIGN? Consider airplane seats. These are far from one size fits all, and the few airlines that do offer varying seat sizes charge a higher price for those seats. This is inequitable for people with bigger bodies, for example. Doing design differently requires changing status quo power dynamics, internalized oppression, implicit bias, and more. I recently facilitated a workshop with doctoral students focused on Educational Leadership through San Jose State University's EdD program in partnership with the Centre for Executive Education at the University for Peace (UPEACE). Through my adapted design process and experiential, embodied activities, we explored the question: How might we design educational leadership futures with an equity-centered approach while navigating the necessary, transformative aspect of conflict and healing? Here is an overview of the session and the design tools we utilized to re-envision the future of educational leadership and craft action steps to put into practice. I developed the content through my PhD research and consulting practice, and while our focus was on educational leadership, you can apply it and fill in the blank with your topic - or contact me to learn more and discuss.  A group of people standing on a wooden floor in front of a blue sign that reads "University for Peace" while holding pieces of paper with sketches, images, and words. In brief - systems of oppression, and particularly white supremacy culture, is (un)consciously reproduced by institutions who simultaneously benefit from it, noted by Aleixis Pauline-Gumbs in CRXlab, and it often shows up in the following ways (Tema Okun):
Institutions are made of people and we have the power to change. These characteristics often get integrated into beliefs, actions, interventions, and impacts - which are made by design. Transforming the way people and organizations engage in the design of interventions and processes to address systemic oppression and inequity, and to center equity and justice, requires doing design differently (CRXlab; National Equity Project).  A group of people talking with their neighbors while sitting at tables set up in a "U" shape with water bottles and writing materials on top of the tables, in a brightly lit room with green foliage outside of the windows. Typical design processes related to design thinking, human-centered design, and user-centered design draw from a design model which emphasizes the following components (d.school):  However, in this model, inequity often shows up in a number of ways and can be mitigated:
To explore these concepts and put them into practice, we engaged with the following:
The experiential learning and analog process meant no slides or screens, and it included somatic embodiment with a stretching circle, process facilitation with sticky-notes, and arts-based-methods via sketching with markers and crayons. Fun? Yes. Engaging? Yes. Inspiring? Yes! The ideal futures we envisioned for educational leadership included a focus on connections, relationships, collaboration, trust, being heart-centered, considering the impacts of AI, and more. Action steps to take on the journey ranged from the policy to the classroom levels, and included ideas and initiatives about rest, play, creativity, and trying new things. >> Thanks to the San Jose State Educational Leadership program participants and the Centre for Executive Education for coordinating the event! >> If you would like to learn more or need a thought partner for your process, you can contact me to set up a free consultation.
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 “Change is constant.” “Things change.” “Go with the flow.” These seemingly helpful advisory quotes might be easy to offer when you are not experiencing unexpected upheaval. However, when you are amidst the chaos, navigating uncertainty and change can feel overwhelming – at the least! Uncertainty can bring up fear, anger, doubt, and other uncomfortable emotions. Not knowing what comes next, be it your next job or your next meal, is not an ideal situation. Yet, the disruption simultaneously allows you to work your uncertainty muscles to reimagine possibilities and navigate your next steps.
What follows is an offering and brief overview of some tips and insights to apply during times of tumult and trepidation. I draw inspiration from what I have learned over twenty years of practice and research supporting leaders and teams to iterate and transform during complex change and conflict contexts on projects such as the Colombian peace process, peace-tech innovation in East Africa, and gun violence prevention in the USA. In my consulting practice, people often ask, “How do I…?” and I engage a design process alongside applied learning activities to sharpen their communication, facilitation, and conflict transformation skills. Through my doctoral research on organizational culture change as a Peace and Health Innovation Fellow at the University for Peace’s Global Center for Peace Innovation, emergent findings suggest the utility of a design framework focused on justice, equity, and healing to support navigating and adapting to unexpected change. It might not be easy, but it is possible. It might even be fun – and at least inspiring. Try it for yourself to see what works and leave the rest. Top 3 Uncertainty Muscle Workout Tips 1) Breathwork – Take a breath to inhale and then slowly let it out with an exhale. It’s as simple as that. There are many breathing techniques out there that involve counting, holding the breath, and even incorporating humming. Make it easy for yourself. Breathe in and exhale slowly. Do it three times. Practice three times a day. Before each meal, when you take a bathroom break, or whenever it works for you. Making this a routine of breathwork practice when you are feeling okay helps you to be able to engage it when you’re feeling less than okay. Try it before you read the next tip – it takes 20 seconds. Need another reason to try it? This Everyday Health article cites several studies that show how breathwork can help reduce stress and anxiety, improve immunity, and more. 2) Pause before you pivot – Resting is an understatement of the century, or arguably the past 500+ years. One of the most useful skills I’ve learned in my wilderness first responder training is that when responding to a possible emergency, the first step is to pause. In other words, don’t just do something; stand there. Taking a moment to breathe and assess the situation can support your decision-making before you take the next step. It can be surprisingly helpful to consider if the situation is unsafe rather than the more likely scenario of it being uncomfortable and generating feelings of unease. The brief suspension is an opportunity to give your nervous system a break from reacting and allows time for responding. Rest is a form of resistance – check out the Nap Ministry to learn more. How can you do it? Ideally, take time away from screens and foster connection with other humans, animals, plants, etc. What else helps? Hydration, nourishment, and some music, dance, or movement practice. Turn on some tunes and shake, wiggle, or roll! The estimated time for this activity is 5 minutes, depending on how much fun you are having. 3) Improvise – Now that you have oxygenated your cells and sufficiently circulated your blood comes the time for action. I am an improvisation practitioner and regularly incorporate improv skills in my consulting practice and personal life to support capacity strengthening for critical reflection, engagement, and creativity. Improv helps to improve awareness and connection to shift power dynamics and work with complexity. With an improv mindset, mistakes are gifts, and uncertainty is NECESSARY to allow for a collaborative process where next steps and new ways of being can be imagined and cultivated. Be curious – What can you do with what you’ve been given? How is it a gift? For more info, check out Improvise Freely, one of my favorite improv books, and my tips for improv in conflict resolution and mediation practice. Reimagining possibilities “Change is…” How can you imagine finishing that sentence now? Being confronted with unexpected change can be a grief-inducing process. Loss can feel scary and hard. It is. Taking the time to feel and heal is essential. The unexpected also presents an opportunity to reimagine what is possible. Creative approaches to resolve conflict and navigate change require imagination, which is more accessible when we are feeling safe, comfortable, and connected. By sharing the above tips, I have outlined some key components to support you in strengthening your uncertainty muscles and navigating both planned and unanticipated change. Applying them can support transforming challenges into opportunities through simple breathwork, embodied rest practice, and an improvisation mindset. This content was originally posted on the CDA Perspectives Blog in March '25 thanks to the CDA Learning Projects & Grace Boone. Learning with the people I have the honor to collaborate with is one of my favorite parts of my work as a consultant. In my 20+ years of experience supporting leaders and teams to enhance their communication skills so that they communicate effectively and work better, together, to design actionable solutions to complex problems - I'm still learning!
A big piece I’ve come to understand is that often, when an organization’s efforts are primarily focused on external programmatic needs rather than internal culture, it can create conflict, inhibit effective program implementation, and reproduce inequities. During internal culture transformation process, communication is key. The most common question I hear is, how? Do you find yourself asking HOW? How might we facilitate the change we aim to see? How might we align values with action? How might we engage a more collaborative process that uplifts our innate diversity? How might we center equity, justice, and joy while working within a system designed against us and/or those we care about and are in community with? In response to this common struggle, I am constantly fine-tuning my approach while learning about new resources and creating them too! I am excited to be integrating emergent findings from my doctoral research project on peace and health equity innovation, highlights include: Your communications approach When faced with conflict (which is necessary for transformation!) do your best to start with a needs-assessment even if a brief ‘temperature check’ activity. When the group is ready, integrate dialogue, narrative, storytelling, and related healing-centered strategies focused on building relationships and connection through shared values, goals, and meaning. Some communication and facilitation prompts you might consider are:
Your workflow management Everyone has their own process for this, and it can take trial and error to find what works. Different methods might work for some and not others, and note the importance to consider cultural and personal differences, which are worth celebrating! Some tips to consider are:
An additional resource is Nonprofit AF for those in the non-profit sector and beyond, these musings and resources on a variety of topics including ED Life, board relations, etc. are on-point, relevant, and useful! >> If you’d like to learn more about how to integrate and apply these tools, or receive curated guidance specific to your unique context, please contact me to schedule a complimentary discovery session.  Greetings readers – Michelle Helman here, Consultant and PhD Fellow in Peace and Health Innovation at the University for Peace. I am excited to share a couple of everyday evaluation musings and tools that I love and hope you might find useful and inspiring.
First, a very short story – I recently worked with a group that chose the word traumatized to describe their previous evaluation experience facilitated by another agency. They refused to use the word evaluation in their upcoming assessment process and were nevertheless keen to engage with me. We developed a learning-based framework inspired by developmental evaluation and experiential learning pedagogy that drew people in with curiosity and motivation to learn and improve while engaging in an evaluative process that supported their ongoing work. This experience got me thinking and reflecting on many instances when evaluation is an afterthought or at worst – avoided due to fear of consequences such as criticism and retribution. I was reminded of Dr. Carlo Rovelli’s work on quantum gravity that one particle cannot exist without the existence of another particle – and the importance (and potential) of connection, collaboration, and relationship in evaluation, which brings us to we… Rad ResourceIf you want to learn more about integrating open-ended questions into your evaluation design process and approach, check out my resource on Facilitation Essentials for Evaluators, which draws inspiration from a number of amazing additional resources listed in the article, and the Design Justice Network’s Design Justice Principles which can be framed as open-ended questions as well. How might we reconnect with the everyday magic of evaluation? Remember – evaluation happens and it can be experiential. To put everyday evaluation into practice first and foremost with yourself and build that into your practice. Try this at home: first, read these brief instructions then move aside from any screen. Then, use your senses that are available to notice five things you can see, smell, hear, taste, and feel. That is everyday evaluative magic, demystified. Rad ResourceIf you’d like to see some examples of the everyday magic of evaluation and data visualization, get inspired by Mystic Mamma’s Read the Signs images which provide quick visual insights with an artistic and creative flair – as a reminder that data don’t need to live on a spreadsheet – they are stories about people, places, and politics! Maybe you’re looking for more resources and a community committed to not just data visualization but data physicalization. If so, check out the Viz for Social Good website and projects page. Originally published on 7/16/24 at: https://aea365.org/blog/lawg-week-everyday-evaluation-demystification-and-magic-by-michelle-helman/  A photo of four earth-tone rocks stacked on a wooden table with a blurry background. - photo by nicollazzi xiong Being trauma-informed generally means having an understanding about how trauma works and integrating that as a lens and holistic approach in your work and relationships. Here is a basic overview of some key components to being trauma-informed in your facilitation, space-holding, and gathering. Stress happens! It impacts the nervous system (NS). It is natural and unavoidable - so we can work with it. Trauma is a somatic experience and result of an event, or multiple events, that was/were experienced and has/had an effect on the NS. It can be a one-time or chronic. The traditional understanding of the trauma response is fight or flight. If you'd like, take a moment to reflect on your experience with thinking, learning, or feeling it. Now let’s explore the 3 parts that the NS tends to respond with:  Getting to WE
At the nexus of I AM and I CAN is the space to imagine and co-create!
A trauma-informed approach for an organization or team might look like:
How might we… > Integrate a trauma-Informed lens and somatic approach throughout the facilitation process?Incorporate movement, music, and rest; offer participation options, and consider energy levels.
> Hold space and balance roles - acknowledge and celebrate differences and lived experiences? Context matters – note the space, time, and people e.g. bathroom, access, safety, and snacks!
> Share stories and listen – strengthen response techniques when you experience discomfort and manage talk time? Culturally-relevant core human needs include security, connection and belonging, identity, acknowledgement and recognition, freedom, and autonomy. Remember that people need those things!
A few of many resources that inspire my approach and ongoing learning: Call of the Wild - by Kimberly Ann Johnson Healing Justice Lineages - by Cara Page and Erica Woodland My Grandmother’s Hands - by Resmaa Menakem Polyvagal Theory - by Steven Porges Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration The Body Keeps the Score - by Besser van der Kolk Trauma Stewardship - by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk When the Body Says No - by Gabor Maté →Let’s connect to talk about how you or your team might benefit from integrating a trauma-informed approach. NOTE: This document is for general learning purposes only - it does not provide medical advice. The author is not liable or responsible for any outcomes caused by actions taken from this publication. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted without the prior written permission and consent of the author. Written by Michelle Helman How can storytelling and dialogue be used as counter-disinformation tools? Ask the Communication Heroes. They are public servants at the Supreme Electoral Court of Costa Rica, professors from the Universidad Latina, professors and students from the University of Costa Rica, and Nicaraguan exiled journalists – all who recently participated in experiential learning workshops aimed to co-create new narratives and dialogue strategies, shift status-quo power dynamics, and build social trust and cohesion. The workshops were designed and facilitated by Michelle Helman - Specialist with the U.S. Department of State and World Learning U.S. Speaker Program, Independent Consultant, and Doctoral Fellow in Health & Peace Innovation at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Together, we explored the following with curiosity, compassion, and courage - insights and photos shared with permission:
Stories emerge and move through us in many forms with varied aims depending on context and culture. Often, the storyteller has an intention or need to convey important or unusual information, to persuade or manipulate, to share tools and concepts for learning, or as creative expression, and more. Reflect for a moment about a story you have recently encountered. What was your experience, how did you feel, and what did you learn?
Who decides what ‘knowledge’ is true, real, or valid? In a world where social media, big tech, and Artificial Intelligence are increasing at an exponential rate of impact and use, countering disinformation is a significant challenge of our times. Racialized capitalism, white supremacist cis-heteronormative patriarchy, and ableist culture fuels polarization, fear, hate, harm, and violence. Burnout and trauma are significant symptoms of a broken system where disinformation and disconnection thrive. What is the way through? Key steps to determine credibility of news and narratives include going to the source, evaluating journalistic standards, verifying evidence, and checking with fact checkers, etc. (IREX). Storytelling and dialogue techniques offer additional tools for everyday use:
Go to the oak tree and ask for its story. Go to the river and ask for its story. Go to the goldenrod and ask without saying anything. Ask with your nose, your belly, your eyes. The answer won't always be words. Won't always be sound. Sometimes it will be a feeling in your body. - S. Strand, myco eco mytho GRACIAS & THANK YOU - Communication Heroes, workshop organizers, and partners: U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs US Embassy in Costa Rica World Learning, Inc. Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) UCR: Escuela de Ciencias de la Comunicación Colectiva (ECCC) Professor Alejandro Vargas Professor Mónica Quesada Radio Santa Clara Universidad Latina de Costa Rica Universidad Latina - Facultad de Arte, Diseño y Comunicación Colectiva Coordinator and Professor Nazira Castillo Supreme Electoral Court of Costa Rica - Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones de Costa Rica Nicaraguan exiled journalists’ group University for Peace #Security #Disinformation #storytelling #dialogue #facilitation #education #journalism #periodismo #media #news #democracy
 Photo of multi colored lightbulbs on a flat surface - by Dstudio Bcn on Unsplash Conflict and communication issues often arise when we are doing meaningful change work. I recently facilitated a session with Oregon Mediation Association addressing one of the most common questions I hear from clients: How can we respond and navigate these challenges? Creative activities can help us build the essential skills to repair and foster relationships, connection and belonging.
3 tools for your conflict resolution toolkit:
Brainstorm ideas from the group: What gets in the way?
What makes it work?
Try it on for size, keep what works, and leave the rest! Have questions? Please contact me. Originally published on LinkedIn on February 28, 2023 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/creative-approaches-conflict-resolution-michelle-helman/  The 2021 Oregon Mediation Association Annual Conference has come and gone. Michelle Helman, Founder and Principal Consultant at Michelle Helman Consulting, LLC, led a virtual workshop, Connect & Co-Create! on November 6th. For folks who attended or who may have missed it, here is a brief write-up about it to share some tips, tools, and resources. ABOUT THE SESSION In this skill-strengthening workshop, attendees actively participated in learning about and utilizing improvisation techniques necessary to move beyond settler-created themes of neutrality toward co-liberation. Together, we co-created a space that provided the opportunity to connect via our shared humanity through play, curiosity, and imagination. For additional details, activity descriptions, tips and resources - check out the the file below: 
Working as a Senior Evaluation Consultant with IREX, a global development and education organization, I get opportunities to engage in special projects across the globe. Earlier this year, I worked remotely to provide technical assistance with some brilliant staff based in Jordan and across the United States. Using a lean research approach, we designed a stakeholder network analysis and surveyed 100+ participants in English & Arabic to determine the multi-directional connections making up a network of institutes within the King Hussein Foundation. What was learned from the data informed and supported institutional, fiscal, and programmatic decision-making regarding Civil Society engagement initiatives throughout Jordan. Specifically, these 3 principles for strengthening networks emerged:
What I loved about this project was that it was collaborative. My approach to collaboration centers relationships - where working across cultures, time zones, languages, lived experiences, and more enhances both the process and the outcome of the project. When each person on the team brings (and is welcomed to share) their unique skills, insights, and capabilities, together, these make up an agile whole greater than the sum of its parts. Read more about this project and three principles for an evidence-informed learning agenda in this IREX brief.   Behind every datapoint is a person. Photo by @ryoji__iwata As evaluators, we often wear many hats and ‘facilitator’ is one of them. I recently led an engaged virtual session with the Oregon Program Evaluators Network (OPEN) for practitioners to practice and reflect on a few fundamental approaches I’ve learned and developed over the years while facilitating, mediating and evaluating effective communication, dialogue and conflict transformation processes. In the session, we explored power dynamics when asking open or closed-ended questions, reacting vs. responding, and more! This is a brief overview with some resources to share:
First of all, I never planned on becoming an evaluator. I actually dreamt of being an Olympic sprinter by watching Jackie Joyner-Kersee break and set records in 1988. These days I am a slow and steady morning jogger and my iterative approach to evaluation work is similarly intentional and process-based; it also centers relationships and healing, is trauma-informed, culturally-responsive, and engages an intersectional equity lens. In the session, we started by flattening vertical and hierarchical white-settler culture introductions where you typically share your name, title and role and did this instead: rename yourself to your childhood dream job. After intros, we talked about data justice, data and story ownership (rather than extraction and commodification), participatory and collaborative methods, and the role of the evaluator as facilitator – and the power dynamics associated with that. Power Dynamics and the Art of Asking Questions When facilitating engagement, story sharing & meaning making and while providing technical support for groups and communities to use that data to benefit and improve their own processes - power dynamics come into play. Consider how you ask questions, are they open or closed? The questions you ask will inform the answers that are shared, the work that is done, and the impact that all of this has. Closed-ended questions tend to assume facts, situate the question asker to have more power and control, and usually start with words like Do or Did. Open-ended questions allow for feeling and opinion, and generally position the person responding to have more control of what and how they share. Of course, informed consent and ethical, equitable evaluation design would be a precursor to this. Shifting from closed to open-ended questions requires the evaluator to cede some power and control and co-crate space for an adaptive process of inquiry. Starting questions with what I call the 5WH: Who, What, Where, When, Why or How is one way to set yourself up for success. Consider the following questions and what types of answers they allow or create space for:
Listening: React vs. Respond Listening – are you hearing, listening or waiting for your turn to speak? A common pitfall when systems of oppression, particularly evaluation within the nonprofit industrial complex, creates a context that severely limits time and budgets, and thus does not allow space for relationship and trust-building. To work though this, we practiced sharing and listening in pairs. One person responded to a prompt and the other listened, then summarized back by saying:
This offers an opportunity for additional dialogue. Level 2: Chose a new prompt to take turns sharing and listening; breathe between speakers - make it a full inhale and exhale, your nervous system will thank you!
After a short debrief, we did this final virtual pro-tip activity: everyone rename yourself to a period, that’s right a dot “.” Then share a reflection prompt of your choice and enter anonymous comments, take-aways, curiosities, questions, etc. into the chat; always create space for more sharing and connection! Please note, I am constantly learning, adapting and growing. If there is something I’ve missed or made an assumption about - or if you are interested in learning more, sharing resources or collaborating, please contact me. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Design Kit by ideo.org https://www.designkit.org/ EEI: Equitable Evaluation Initiative https://www.equitableeval.org/ Seeds for Change resource page on facilitation and more https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/resources The Evaluator as Facilitator, an article by Ijeoma Ezeofor https://www.betterevaluation.org/en/blog/evaluator-facilitator-considerations What’s Race Got to Do With It? Equity and Philanthropic Evaluation Practice, an article by EEI Founder and Director, Jara Dean-Coffey https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1098214018778533 |
AuthorHi, I'm Michelle, a Researcher & Facilitator playing in the nexus of health, justice, and peacebuilding. 
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