Here Comes Everyone by The Conference Bard

I invited Jack Hourigan and Ellen Morita of Sway partners to join me for this episode because I knew they'd have some importance guidance for leaders and employees navigating the Covid Crisis.

Faced with an unprecedented situation, with no clear end in sight we are all confronting new challenges in an environment of uncertainty.  Who doesn't need to improvise right now?

But improv doesn't just help with managing work and building resiliency.  It offers the opportunity to focus on the moment, build stronger relationships and connections and become more innovative.  Among the things you'll learn are:

1. The power of "yes and"
2. Play the scene you are in
3. There are no mistakes only opportunities
4. How to overcome fear
5. Building trust
6. Thinking of your team as an ensemble where everyone has each others' backs 

For more info on my work as a conference emcee, spoken word artist, panel moderator and event designer check out my site at https://conferencebard.ca/

Prior to COVID 19, Employee Experience was gaining momentum as a priority for organizations across the economy.   This conversation includes defining employee and workplace experience, how it impact performance and employer brand and why it is even more important now than before the current crisis.

Stela Lupushor, Chief Reframer at Reframe.Work and Anna Tavis, Academic Director, Human Capital Management at NYU join me for this lively discussion.  Together they share insights from their just published research on Workplace Experience (available at www.workplaceexperience.com).

Defining Workplace Experience as "the cumulative experiences workers have with an organization before, during, and after their employment journey, designed to maximize organizational and individual success." we discuss how this differs from employee engagement, the role of design thinking in creating great experiences and the role of leadership.

You'll hear how COVID 19 will impact the employee and workplace experience and how organizations that retain their focus on this can emerge stronger and better placed to succeed once the virus recedes.

For more info on my work as a conference emcee, spoken word artist, panel moderator and event designer check out my site at https://conferencebard.ca/

As the Covid 19 crisis continues so more and more people are experiencing grief and have colleagues, family members or friends grieving some loss.  Whether it be the death of a loved one or some other loss such as financial security, health, job, status, the ability to travel or gather, grief has become ubiquitous.

There are few more important conversations right now than how we deal with grief in ourselves and others.

In this episode we continue an important dialogue about grief that we began in an earlier episode with Brenda Marshall.  The focus here is firstly Sarah's belief that grief is not an emotion but a skill.  From there we go on to discuss how to mark grief when we cannot gather, how each of us can improve how we address grief, and how as leaders and colleagues we can provide support and comfort to those we work with experiencing grief.

This is an ongoing conversation - each of us experiences grief differently.  My hope is that Sarah's insights help you better understand your own grief and that of others - I know I gained new perspective through our conversation that will help me going forward.

For more info on my work as a conference emcee, spoken word artist, panel moderator and event designer check out my site at https://conferencebard.ca/

This episode features change expert Dr Jen Frahm discussing the ways organizations can think about and plan for the post Covid future.  Together we discuss the four routes she sees for companies - Reinvention, Reintegration, Renewal and Revolt.

While emphasizing that organizations have a choice for the route they take, the environment, resources and their culture will constrain the possibilities ahead.

We conclude by exploring how this model might and might not apply to individuals as they navigate the challenges and opportunities Covid 19 presents.  

This conversation is a refreshing departure from so many discussions of "The Future of Work" that rely more on speculation and hope rather than a sober analysis of the current state and alternative routes to the future.

For more info on my work as a conference emcee, spoken word artist, panel moderator and event designer check out my site at https://conferencebard.ca/

Widely known for his best selling books, The Coaching Habit and The Advice Trap, as well as his high energy, inspiring conference presentations, Michael Bungay Stanier sits down for a discussion of the relevance of his work right now.

In the current environment people are looking to their leaders and managers for some level of certainty.  This creates the ideal environment for the Advice Monster to rear its ugly head.  To succeed leaders need instead to develop curiosity, humility and empathy so as to enable those they lead to thrive and succeed.

To me Michael is Canada's Question Master - join us as he answers a few of mine.

For more info on my work as a conference emcee, spoken word artist, panel moderator and event designer check out my site at https://conferencebard.ca/

Allan Kehler has been sharing his experiences with mental health and addiction with audiences across Canada for several years.  Though his speaking he has touched thousands of lives, inspiring many to "come out of the shadows", admit their struggles and begin a path of healing and health.

His latest book, MENtal Health: It's Time to Talk focuses on men's mental health and features both Allan's own insights as well as the stories of many men.  Their stories of depression, anxiety, sexual abuse and suicide are moving and inspiring, demonstrating both the impact that these issues have but also the possibility of recovery.  It this work that we discuss in this episode

For more info on my work as a conference emcee, spoken word artist, panel moderator and event designer check out my site at https://conferencebard.ca/

Camille Dundas is a passionate advocate for diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging. She is also a consultant with one of Canada's top social media first and the editor-in-chief of ByBlacks.com, Canada’s #1 digital magazine serving Black Canadians. She has been recognized by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for her media activism and has led her team to win two national media awards. She is ranked as one of the top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women.

Camille is a sought after media expert, having spent 10 years as a news writer and producer for Canadian news programs such as CBC National, CP24 Breaking News and CTV's Canada AM.

In this episode Camille shares her thoughts on how the changes we are seeing are creating a greater understanding of and appreciation for intersectionality helping us recognize the unique challenges each of us face as well as the unique contributions we all bring to the workplace.  She provides insight into how leaders can maintain a focus on diversity and inclusion during these tough times and even use current events to increase momentum for change towards more inclusive workplaces.

Her positive message is the inspiration we all need right now!

While she doesn't mention it in this episode, Camille has just become an official ambassador for Canadian company Learning Snippets. This micro learning platform delivers scenario-based D&I training by email, with immediate feedback built-in.

For more info on my work as a conference emcee, spoken word artist, panel moderator and event designer check out my site at https://conferencebard.ca/

It might seem ironic but the advent of the restrictions on society during the Covid 19 crisis, in particular "social distancing" has sparked a major conversation about the impact of loneliness and isolation on mental and physical health.  And as people find themselves working from home, unable to socialize with friends and family, so they are asking themselves - how can I maintain a sense of connection?

Few people are as well placed to address these issues than Pete Bombaci, Founder of The Genwell Project, a not for profit dedicated to human connection.  Pete comes to the discussion about how to stay mentally well during this period of forced isolation having studied the impact of loneliness and advocated for greater connection for many years.

Joined by my daughter Jessica who had just emerged from a period of isolation after a friend tested positive, together we explore the impact of loneliness, what you can do right now to ensure you stay connected, and how we can maintain a sense of belonging as we live through this crisis and build momentum for even more human connection once this is over.  We also briefly discuss grief and the impact not being able to physically gather as normal is having on all of us.

For more info on my work as a conference emcee, spoken word artist, panel moderator and event designer check out my site at https://conferencebard.ca/

In this episode I discuss grief in the time of Covid 19 with Brenda Marshall of the Solacium Group.

Brenda is not a grief counsellor but rather consults with employers specifically on grief in the workplace.  Her insights have always been relevant and valuable but right now they are essential as work has changed dramatically and so has grief.

Brenda shares her insights into this shift - from grief being something experienced by a person who then returns to work to non-grieving colleagues to a situation where we are all working remotely and many more of us will be experiencing grief.

We discuss how both leaders and colleagues can adjust to this situation.  We explore grief as a response to losses other than the death (a job, financial security, status, some aspect of work), disenfranchised grief, grief without gathering, the hierarchy of griefs, and lots more.

In less than 30 mins we just scratched the surface - I'll have Brenda back on a later episode and will have some other grief experts share their perspectives.

For more info on my work as a conference emcee, spoken word artist, panel moderator and event designer check out my site at https://conferencebard.ca/

In this episode my guest isLiane Davey who is a leading keynote speaker and consultant on teams and author of The Good Fight.  I was expecting our conversation to focus on the subject of the book - how to manage conflict in teams and see it for what it is - a source of innovation and performance.  We certainly discussed this but listeners will also benefit from Liane's wise counsel on the area of change, leadership, managing remote teams and how to remain mentally well in these uncertain times.

Liane shares vital insights for leaders that will prove immediately useful to leaders right now.

For more info on my work as a conference emcee, spoken word artist, panel moderator and event designer check out my site at https://conferencebard.ca/