Crisis response anticipate - prepare - respond - survive - recover webinar program October, 2026, 28 and 29 October, 2x3hrs The world is in peril.  The nature of that peril is increasingly difficult to predict.  However, we can’t afford to wait until it happens before deciding what to do.  We have to prepare ourselves for the unexpected before it happens. Fortunately there are organisations that have learned to do that preparation.  To prepare ourselves we can benefit from their experience.  That is what this program addresses.

This is a program for people -- with or without formal authority -- who wish to help themselves, teams, organisations and communities to prepare for a perilous and unpredictable future. The future doesn't exist until it becomes the present.  When it does arrive, increasingly it may differ from what was expected.  Our conventional ways of responding, in thought and action, may not fit. There are organisations that face ever-present risk, and even disaster.  Yet their error and accident rate is surprisingly low.  They are known as high reliability organisations. These organisations exhibit certain important characteristics.  We too can adopt those characteristics.  By doing so we can adopt new attitudes and behaviours.  We can learn to prepare for the unknown. Who? This program is for people who recognise that the world is changing.  They understand that present structures and cultures are unsuited to increasing turbulence and unpredictability.  They realise that resilience and responsiveness are needed.  They also wish to help their leaders and colleagues to do so.  They include -- colleagues in community groups   executives and community leaders   team leaders at all levels of an organisation   people who wish to provide leadership without formal authority   team members, especially in shared-leadership teams people in the 'people and culture' function of an organisation   people in the 'organisation development' function of an organisation   people in the 'learning and development' function of an organisation   facilitators, consultants and change agents   educators in any setting   coaches and mentors   anyone who wishes to understand and prepare for dealing more effectively with complex and unpredictable situations and problems.   ...  people whose work or interests include helping teams and groups perform more effectively and enjoyably in turbulent times, and would like to become even more effective at it. When is it? Two three-hour sessions, 28-29 October, 1-4pm (Queensland time).  It will use the Zoom virtual platform. Where? From the convenience and comfort of your own workplace, office or home. What? Skills, concepts, processes and techniques for facilitative and collaborative thinking and action in turbulent and unpredictable times.  Particular attention will be given to understanding the cultural transition now taking place, and the changes in thinking and action that it requires. The five characteristics of high reliability organisations, and their use, will be an important part of this. The five characteristics are: paying attention to detailed operations, and taking them into account   understanding that in a complex world, "accidents" are normal   paying attention to detailed operations, and taking them into account   continuing to build resilience and responsiveness, and practising how to respond when a crisis occurs   valuing and empowering those with expertise, whatever their official rank and status.   Each of these characteristics will be explored in depth.  Examples will be provided.  Special attention will be paid to how they can be actioned. Participants will be encouraged to take into account their own preferences and style, and the actual situations relevant for them. There will be opportunities to plan for implementation within your own organisation and community. How? Participants will help to determine the process and content of the workshop.  Subject to this negotiation they can anticipate an involving process which provides an integrated mix of theory, discussion and practice.  There may be small group work to help participants consolidate the skills, techniques and concepts, integrating understanding and action. Participants may ask for pre-work to help them prepare for the workshop and obtain the most from it.  This can be particularly valuable for participants who attend as a group from one community or organisation. Facilitator? The program facilitator is Bob Dick, a Brisbane-based educator, learning facilitator, consultant, mentor, and coach.  His reputation in these fields is based on over five decades of education, consulting and facilitation experience in a wide variety of settings. Those of you who are familiar with his work will know that his style is casual and participative, his processes robust and learnable, and his documentation clear, readable and practical.  His workshops are characterised by an integration of theory and practice, with equal emphasis on the development of skills and understanding.  The processes and models he helps others learn are those which he makes use of in his own work. Fees? The fee for the 6-hour program will be $440.00 payable in advance, or $330.00 if received 21 days in advance of the first webinar.  All prices quoted are in Australian dollars and include GST. Cancellations will result in a 90 per cent refund if received at least 9 days before the first webinar, and a 50 per cent refund if received 48 hours before the first webinar.  Alternatively, participants who are unable to attend are welcome to substitute someone else -- for the program as a whole, or for any webinar. If one of the webinar dates does not suit you, contact Bob Dick.  In such circumstances it has often been possible to organise something mutually acceptable. A limited number of half-price bursaries may be available for those genuinely unable to pay the full fee, or other arrangements may be possible.  If you're interested in the workshop, and the fees are an obstacle, we're keen to find a way of helping you to attend. We're keen to encourage team attendance, as it provides much better learning transfer for participants.  If you attend as a member of a team of two or more from a single community or organisation there is a further $110 discount per person.  Such groups of participants may also request a virtual session before and/or after the workshop, to plan application on the job or in the community of what they have learned. Contact Bob Dick for further details or to discuss other possibilities. To register Telephone Bob at +61418 759 496 (0418 759 496) to arrange a direct bank transfer or to charge your attendance to your Visa or MasterCard. Or print out and complete the subscription form, and mail or email it to Interchange. For security we recommend payment by direct bank transfer. For direct transfer here are the bank and account details:     Bank: Bank of Queensland -- BSB 124-001     Account: Interchange -- Account number 12-002534

Negotiate your own in-house workshop Would you prefer to have a workshop specifically designed to meet your particular needs, and run for you in your own organisation or community?  If so, Interchange would be delighted to do that.  Important advantages of in-house and in-community workshops include their relevance, as we fine-tune them to your needs.  In addition, their greater ease of application to real local issues, and the opportunity to plan for transfer of learning to the community or organisation, increases value.

Interchange    37 Burbong Street  Chapel Hill  Queensland  4069    Australia Telephone +61 (0)418 759 496 email bd@aral.com.au (cc: camilla@bigpond.net.au)

Maintained by Bob Dick.  This page last revised 2026 09 23.  [ top ]    [ home ]    [ subscription form ]    [ action research ]    [ action learning ]    [ conflict management ]    [ foundations of facilitation ]    [ advanced facilitation ]    [ experiential learning ]    [ community and organisational change ]    [ participative evaluation ]    [ collaborative performance improvement ]