About the Authors
Introduction
To Intercede Is To Lead
Why Read This Book
Problem Locater
Chapter 1. The Novice to Expert Journey
We All Begin as Novices
Accomplished Means Competent
Uninformed
Novice
Proficient
Accomplished
Highly Accomplished Expert
Proficiency Scale
Attributes of the Expert
Chapter 2. Building Personal Confidence
Connecting Mind and Body
1. Breathe
2. Try Progressive Relaxation
3. Walk
4. Center Yourself Physically
5. Over Prepare. Over Prepare
6. Address the Stress of Conflict
7. Check Your Negative Predictions at the Door
8. When Stuck, Move
9. Maintain Your Identity as a Facilitator
10. Monitor Your Need to Know
11. Take Care to Arrange the Room
12. Create a "Circle of Excellence"
Chapter 3. Intervention Principles
Principles Guide Decisions
1. Compassion
2. Precise Language
3. Congruence
4. From Low to High Risk
Chapter 4. Deciding to Intervene
Establish Meeting Standards
Set Working Agreements
Evaluate Working Agreements
Clarify Tasks
Intervene as Necessary
Deciding to Intervene with an Ad Hoc Group
Intervening Preemptively
1. Is the Agenda Relevant?
Plan the Beginning
Cluster Reports
Mix Strategies
2. Is Engery Waning?
Around the Room and Back Again
Card Partners
The Card Stack and Shuffle
3. Are Emotions Ratcheting Up?
First Turn/Last Turn
4. Might the Group be Heading Toward Conflict?
Grounding
Deciding When to Intervene
1. Is Intervening Important?
2. Am I the Best Person to Intervene?
3. Are My Observations Accurate?
4. Will It Be Quick or Take Time?
5. Can the Group Learn From It?
Chapter 5. Common Group Issues
Getting Attention
Attention First
Refocusing
Common Signal
Physical Proximity
Verbal Proximity
Redirecting Engagement
Join a Whole Table That is Off Task
Refocus Serial Storytelling
When Workflow is Hampered
Address a Refusal to Follow Directions
Assist with Difficulty Transitioning
Address Uneven Finishes with Group Work
Engergize a Quiet Group
Managing Your Emotions
Positional Thinking--Power Struggles
From Positions to Interest
Chapter 6. Managing Common Challenges
Low Engagement
Knitters
Non-participants
Daydreamers
Silent Participants
Frowners
Distracteds
Distruptive Group Members
Broken Records
Long-winded Speakers
Humorists
Inappropriate Humorists
Latecomers and Early Leavers
Resisters
Side Talkers
Know-It-Alls
Monopolizes
Misinformants
Interrupters
Subject-Changers
Cell Phones and Texting
Chapter 7. Strategies for Advanced Facilitation
1. Group Conflict
Grounding
Existing State--Desired State
2. Demoralizing External Events
Desired State
Third Point
Redirect Resistance
Pace and Lead
Structured Interviews
3. Disputes
Stop the Dispute Early
Verbalize the Issue
Acknowledge Each Position
Identify the Sources of Information
Check Perceptions
Reframe the Conflict as an Asset
4. Dissenting Views
Paraphrase Partner
Pace the Emotion
Redirect the Attack
Reframe the Opposition
Help Groups Utilize Styles
Assumptions Wall
Brainstorm Questions
Disperse to Agree
5. Personal Attacks
The Six-Step Response
Step Between Opposing Members
Change the Narrative
Enlist the Group in Solving the Problem
6. Challenges to the Leader
Process Commercial
Engage With More Intensity
Engage With Less Intensity
Request Civility
7. Subgroup Manipulation
Decision Matrix
Values Decision Matrix
Require a Quorum
Pace, Lead and Poll
One-Minute Advocacy
Alternate Microphone Advocacy
8. Sabotage
9. Irresolvable Conflict
Polarity Management
Robert J. Garmston is Emeritus Professor of Educational
Administration at California State University, Sacramento. He is
co-developer of Cognitive Coaching with Art Costa and co-developer
of Adaptive Schools with Bruce Wellman. He has worked as an
educational consultant and made presentations and conducted
workshops for teachers, administrators, and staff developers on
leadership, learning, and personal and organizational development
in twenty-four countries on five continents. Formerly an
administrator and teacher in Saudi Arabia and the United States,
his work has been translated into Arabic, Dutch, Hebrew, Italian,
and Spanish. Bob lives in El Dorado Hills, California, near his
five children and five (bright and cute) grandchildren.
DIANE P. ZIMMERMAN, Ph.D. is a writer and consultant focusing on
entrepreneurial learning and schools that make a difference. She
obtained her Ph.D. in Human and Organizational Development from the
Fielding Graduate Institute. She recently retired as a
superintendent of schools after a 36-year career in education that
was rich in leadership, facilitation and conflict management.
Trained originally as a speech therapist, Diane worked early in her
career as a teacher, speech therapist, program manager, and
Assistant Director of Special Education in Fairfield, California.
She subsequently became a principal in Davis, California and served
consecutively in two schools over 13 years before being promoted to
Assistant Superintendent for Personnel. In 2002, she began a
nine-year journey as a superintendent of Old Adobe School Union
School District, a small suburban elementary school district in
Petaluma, California. She prides herself in moving the district’s
teachers from contentious union interactions to cooperative
collaborations as productive, interest-based educators who
collectively set the highest standards possible for their school
district.
Diane has been an active in professional development all of her
career. While obtaining her administrative credential, Diane was
assigned to Bob Garmston as her intern coach. This early career
interaction turned into a life-long intellectual partnership and
Diane joined the Cognitive Coaching consulting consortium founded
by Bob Garmston and Art Costa.
Diane has taught in administrative training programs at several
northern California universities and over the past 20 years has
written and consulted in the areas of Cognitive Coaching, teacher
supervision and evaluation, facilitation, stages of adult
development, assessment of leadership skills, and constructivist
leadership.
Leadership and mediation of conflict has always been a part of
Diane’s life. She was encouraged to assume leadership roles
throughout her career, from early work supervising in a family
restaurant business, to her first teaching job in a new special
education program, through her years as a principal. Throughout her
career, she has been involved in handling divergent opinions and
mediating conflict. She gained a substantive reputation as the “in
house” expert in facilitation and her staff valued her ability to
create learning communities long before “professional learning
communities” were popularized
"Reading Lemons to Lemonade is like having an expert at your side
for every human occasion. Brilliantly to the point, Garmston and
Zimmerman anticipate and deal with every issue imaginable when it
comes to working with groups. Cycling in and out of principles and
practical solutions (including providing sample responses) the
authors have provided a succinct and comprehensive guide for
becoming experts at working with people in all situations."
*Michael Fullan, OC Professor Emeritus*
"Garmston and Zimmerman have written a book that is the
perfect blending of theory and research with very practical,
user-ready techniques for facilitating meetings AND for dealing
with specific challenges. In particular, I appreciated the focus on
reflection, the notion of the levels of expertise, and the many
concrete examples of specific facilitating challenges. I would LOVE
to see this kind of training offered for administrators!"
*David Chojnacki, Executive Director*
"Given that there is continuing turnover in educational leadership,
it seems critical that effective practices be revived and renewed
in order to sustain their impact. This book addresses that
need not by simply reintegrating, but by refining and amplifying
effective practices. More importantly the purpose of this
book is to further the effectiveness of those ′being led,′ and the
interventions offer clear and powerful guidance for leaders wishing
to amplify collective thinking power of a group."
*Mark Cary, Retired Principal*
"This book′s major strengths include: its focus on an area that
needs much support, its use of cognitive coaching as the basis for
strategies and techniques, and the focus on strategies and
minimizing theoretical ideas."
*Dr. John F. Eller, Professor*
"Before I opened this book, I tried to predict what I would find
based on the authors’ prior writings. Here’s what I thought:
The book will offer sage yet practical advice in response to common
challenges faced by school leaders. It will offer specific and
transferable processes and strategies to enhance individual and
collective performance. It will be enjoyable to read.
Indeed, that is just what I found. I predict that you will
too!"
*Jay McTighe, Educational Consultant*
"I thought this was great! I got so many good ideas to help me
become a better facilitator."
*Robbie Schranz, Literacy Coach*
"Anyone who is in the position of facilitating team meetings will
find Lemons to Lemonade: Resolving Problems in Meetings, Workshops,
and PLCs, an incredibly useful resource. Authors Robert J.
Garmston (co-founder of the Center for Cognitive Coaching) and
Diane P. Zimmerman (a teacher, principal, superintendent and
leadership trainer) share strategies and protocols for managing
′the unexpected occurrences that crop up when groups of people work
together.′ They seek to help readers use these events ′to build
group cohesion, productivity, and learning.′
The strategies shared in Lemons to Lemonade help facilitators
understand the needs of particular groups and address specific
group dynamics in order to ensure collaborative efforts are
fruitful and enjoyable for participants."
*Lyn Hilt, Elementary Instructional Technology Integrator/Coach*
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