What do we do on a free call?
Your time is important. And so is solving your training and capacity headaches. I can help you with them – but it might not be the right time, or we might not be a good fit. That’s the main thing a free call is to find out – can I help you, and […]
Ten training tips for INGO capacity building that sparkles
One of the most surprising struggles I have had as a parent has been explaining to my kids why they can’t have ice cream for breakfast. I naively assumed that they would accept that first we eat savoury stuff, and then later we can have sweet stuff. This got a bit of traction. Then […]
What capacity building metrics should INGO CDs look at?
Lots of senior managers look for attendance data (number trained) – but this is a big mistake. It rests on a faulty assumption. Lots of people assume that exposure to information creates knowledge, and that knowledge creates new behaviours. If you say it as bluntly as this, you can see it’s not true. […]
Six things your humanitarian learning advisor would tell you – if you had one
You can’t have everything in life – especially when you’re playing with other people’s money, like humanitarian agencies are. And that includes all the different kinds of experts you might want. Due to some terrible career planning, I’ve ended up in a very specific niche – humanitarian learning & training. That has the side effect […]
Five reasons why “Capacity Development” is a helpful way to think about improving performance
When you get outside the aid sector, people don’t really talk about “capacity building” or “capacity development” much. People talk about training, or sometimes learning. There are times when I get fed up with hearing “capacity building”. Perhaps I’ve been involved in too many projects where it didn’t work! And it can be self-aggrandizing. Is […]
Six Reasons why “Capacity Development” is NOT a helpful way to think about improving performance
There are good reasons to talk about “capacity development” or “capacity building”. Most of the time, that’s not the way I think about my work. Some of that is just a reaction because it seems like jargon to me. I don’t like jargon, though I’m as guilty of using it as everyone else is. […]
