Solworld

Katalin Hankovszky “People need to be able to hope, to engage in the process of change.” Evan George, BRIEF (UK) There is anecdotal evidence, about Steve de Shazer saying that ‘progress’ was the most important word in the Solution-Focused approach. To identify progress means to notice signs which show that (some of) what is happening fits with clients’ desired outcome. This reinforces the invested effort. It’s worth asking about the exact ways people contributed to the observed progress; in response, we receive descriptions of resources and specific ways of doing things, which we recognise and reinforce, too.

Janine Waldman I love finding and developing new activities and also get great satisfaction from the efficiency and emergent nature of tweaking classic activities to apply to a given topic. This session shares some examples of both, and how we’ve used them to meet specific needs and to illustrate specific SF concepts in our work with clients on their leadership and team programmes.

Haesun Moon and Kendra-Reddy A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SESSION Frequently asked questions (FAQ) from our executives have intrigued brilliant conversations as they are often on a quest to “make” positive differences in their life for themselves and others. We respond to many of the quests with a simple navigator called Dialogic Orientation Quadrant (DOQ) and you will be able to apply the tool immediately in your next dialogue. Video of the session

John Brooker 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.

Marika Tammeaid Introduction In the previous issue of InterAction Sofie Geisler was discussing how solution focus works on a large scale and in thinking big. That has been my key interest also for years, since aside of my long-term work as a solution focused coach and trainer of the SF approach, I have all the time had another professional life as a civil servant. My daily work keeps me curious of how a solution focus can be applied in transforming large organisations, or even networks of organisations, like the public sector as whole. And furthermore, what do these applications bring to solution focused practice?

Book Review by Anton Stellamans Author - Wendy Van den Bulck - Equoia, 92 pp, ISBN 978-94-63883-85-6, 2019 Wendy Van den Bulck is a familiar face for many of us who attend SOLWorld conferences and summer retreats. We all know how passionately she can talk about her life with her 10 horses and how much wisdom she received from working with them. She has been working as a coach, trainer and consultant since 2010. Two years later, as she and her husband established Equoia, she started to introduce her horses as co-coaches in her practice. Some SF therapists use their dog in the therapy session, Wendy doesn’t hesitate to let you interact with one (or more) of her horses in the coaching session. It is best not to wear your Sunday shoes when you have an appointment with Wendy!

Daniel Meier, Elvira Kalmár, Attila Molnàr, Roy-Mariott, Ralph Miarka& Veronika Jungwirth This conference was beautifully organised by an agile team who succeeded in moving locations at the last minute and still creating the space for amazing conversations and ideas to emerge. In this series, you will find articles, videos, interviews and presentations exploring different perspectives on how SF and Agile compliment each other in project work, team work and much more. Enjoy! 1. Beyond Agile – Building Self-Managing Teams Daniel Meier and Elvira Kalmar

Mark McKergow,Chris Iveson & Susanne Burgstaller In a VUCA world, organisations are challenged to significantly increase their pace of change. To bring about profound transformations in organisations, leaders and coaches need to apply state-of-the-art “social technologies”. Solution Focus provides such an effective “social technology”. Leaders and coaches must apply state-of-the-art “social technologies” to effect profound organisational transformations. Solution Focus (SF)provides such an effective “social technology”.

Wim Sucaet Being a leader in these times isn’t easy – it is complex, ambiguous and demanding “An unrecognized difference (since it goes by unnoticed) will not receive the amplification needed and will remain a difference that does not make a difference. A simple difference, often just some doubt, can be enough to begin changing a lifelong pattern or way of thinking.” (de Shazer, 1986).

Gesa Döringer Come and play! The Mindsetter Game© is an innovative solution-focused intervention Gesa Doringer has developed to apply the SF approach in therapy or coaching and teach it in workshops and training. Due to its size of 2x2m and being played on the floor, The Mindsetter literally holds space for clients and their desired future. It has also proven effective in setting the stage for new ideas and first steps towards the client’s desired outcome. There are two versions of The Mindsetter available. The FIRST version is for teaching SF. This version facilitates an active knowledge acquisition of students or practitioners learning SF or in team supervision. Practitioners invite participants to reflect on four of the basic tenets of this approach and discuss the implications of these tenets in the context of their professional environment. They do this in an SF manner: