SOL Talks 2019
A compilation
May 16, 2021
In 2013 the organising team of the SOLWorld conference in Bad Pyrmont Germany (Annie Bordeleau, John Brooker, Christoph Papst, Anton Stellamans and Penny West), introduced a new concept for the conference, the SOLTalk. ‘Borrowed’ from the TedTalk concept, the talks were immediately successful and have run ever since at SOLWorld conferences.
The talks have been videod since 2013, sponsored first by SFCT and since the closure of SFCT, by SFiO Contributors.
In this edition of InterAction, we are delighted to show four SFiO Contributors speaking at the SOLWorld 2019 conference in Budapest:
Roy Marriot – SF Doesn’t Mean Focusing on Solutions One might imagine that in “Solutions Focused” practice we would focus on Solutions! But the word “Solution” is at best confusing here, and often downright misleading. So, what DO we focus on as Solutions Focused practitioners?
Jenny Clark – Being Assertive While we may be “not-knowing” about our clients’ lives, we could be more assertive about what we do know: how to have useful conversations
Elfie Czerny and Dominik Godat – Into the Essence of SF What is the essence of SF? Explore this question together with us. We share our insights and learnings from two years on the road travelling in our Solution Focused painted motorhome to the origins and developments of SF and finding our answers to this question, that led us on the road.
We trust you will enjoy them!
1. Solutions Focus doesn’t mean Focusing on Solutions!
Roy Marriott (Shakya Kumara)
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SESSION
One might imagine that in “Solutions Focused” practice we would focus on Solutions! But the word “Solution” is at best confusing here, and often downright misleading. So, what DO we focus on as Solutions Focused practitioners? In this SOL talk I’ll explore:
- difficulties with the word “Solution” (especially in the world of software)
- historical origins of “Solutions Focus” – where the word came from and why it made sense then
- what we DO focus on when practising Solutions Focus
- the ORA model for guiding attention in SF practice (based on Jackson & McKergow’s Albert model)
- ORA illustrated with a well-known case: how Niklas resolved a 2 year deadlock in 5 minutes
- how you can use ORA in conversations ranging from informal conversations in the corridor, to meetings, to formal 60 minute coaching sessions
Audio of the talk
Listen to Roy Marriott’s SOL Talk 2019 Podcast
2. Being Assertive
Jenny Clarke
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SESSION
While we may be “not-knowing” about our clients’ lives, we could be more assertive about what we do know: how to have useful conversations.
Audio of the talk
Listen to Jenny Clark’s SOL Talk 2019 Podcast
Video of the talk not available
3. Into the Essence of SF – Learnings from 2 years
Dominik Godat & Elfie Czerny
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SESSION
What is the essence of SF? Explore this question together with us. We share our insights and learnings from two years on the road travelling in our Solution Focused painted motorhome to the origins and developments of SF and finding our answers to this question, that led us on the road.
Audio of the talk
Listen to Elfie and Dominic’s SOL Talk 2019 Podcast
You can find the SOLTalks back catalogue on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbqQKVkDDq3tJBPq6J0o8uA/videos
John Brooker
Co-President
SFiO Reviewed Practitioner
Editor of Interaction
Chapter Head
SFiO Contributor
John has over thirty years experience of leading people to collaborate effectively. He gained his leadership experience as a Senior Vice President in Visa International, working on international projects. Since 2004 he has used his leadership and Solution Focus expertise to enable people in multinational and national organisations to collaborate effectively. He is Co-President of Solution Focus in Organisations, an SFiO Reviewed Practitioner and has an MBA from The Open University in the UK.